by Coco Amoure
Natasha nodded her head up and down as she silently cried. “Ok, tomorrow I will make an appointment and get it taken care of.”
Drake smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. He rushed down the hall into his bedroom. He peeled off ten one hundred dollar bills and placed his wallet back on the night stand.
“Here you go, this should take care of everything,” he said, handing the money to Natasha.
“After today, don’t ever speak to me again,” she said, grabbing the money out of his hand. Natasha stood up from the sofa in a trance and walked straight out of the door without looking back. She cried the entire way home, thinking about how she would have to terminate the life that was inside of her, all because she made the dumb mistake of cheating on her husband with someone as heartless and cold as Drake Porter.
Chapter Thirteen
Delaney was so happy to be in the comfort of her own home. She still couldn’t believe the events that led up to the accident nor the fact that she had been in a coma for three weeks. That day still seemed like such a blur. She remembered the fight with Tyson and jumping in her car on that rainy day, but how the accident happened and anything after that was a total blur. Her heart still beat for Tyson and she missed him terribly. Everything was going perfectly in her life for once, and all in one day her entire world was turned upside down.
Thankfully, Uncle Cam took care of all of her personal business while she was in the hospital. He made sure all of her bills were paid, he took care of all the paperwork concerning her job, and even took care of her little Yorkie, Diamond. Surprisingly, Diamond made it out of the accident alive.
Delaney hadn’t seen her father, Cane, since she’d come out of the coma, but she’d spoken to him on the phone a couple of times. Although Cane was being his usual absentee self, it still hurt and surprised her that he hadn’t been by her house to check on her well-being. Some things never change. He did tell her that he’d come by the hospital several times before she awakened and that he would get by to see her soon. It was something in his voice that worried Delaney. She couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but he seemed different and not in a good way. Ava, Cam, and Natasha had been catering to her every need and she was grateful for their undying love and support. Her mother doted over her like she did when Delaney was younger, before the drinking. Ava vowed to make up for lost times and even apologized to Delaney for the way she’d treated her over the years. This pleased Delaney and she was looking forward to rebuilding their relationship. If only she could do the same with Tyson.
Tyson was another story all together. The thought of him having a child with another woman tore at her heart. She wanted to be the one to bear his children and build a life with him. The picture she had in her head of their life together involved marriage, children, and a house with a picket fence, not a stepchild with an annoying ass baby mama. Had she known about Ashanti, she would have never gotten into a relationship with him to begin with. The fact that Tyson failed to mention that he had a girlfriend just didn’t sit well with Delaney. Just thinking about the situation caused her to cry. Dr. Beard warned her against unnecessary stress, so she quickly shook it off. Sitting around crying over spilled milk wasn’t helping the situation.
She reached over and grabbed a few Kleenex tissues from the nightstand beside her bed and wiped her face. Delaney grabbed her kindle off the nightstand. She figured she would read a book to take her mind off of her problems. Reading was always her way of relieving stress, because she was able to get lost in the lives of the characters she read about. After scrolling through the hundreds of downloaded books in her kindle, she settled on Til My Casket Drops by Ca$h. It felt good to be able to lay back and read a good book, something she hadn’t been able to do in a while, since work always kept her so busy. Fortunately for her, she wasn’t due to return to work for six more weeks. Delaney planned on making good use of her time off from work, Reading was one of the hobbies that she desperately missed, as well as jogging.
Delaney fluffed up the pillows and lay back in a comfortable position. Just as she was getting engrossed in the story of Mayhem and Keedy, the doorbell chimed interrupting her.
“Dammit!” Delaney placed the Kindle down on the bed, and went downstairs to see who was at her door. She despised when people dropped by without calling first. Delaney stood up on her tiptoes and looked out of the peephole. Natasha was standing on the other side of the door with a bag in her hand.
“Hey, sis!” Delaney squealed. Something seemed to be bothering Natasha by the forlorn look on her face.
“Hey boo,” Natasha said, embracing Delaney in a hug. “I know how much you hate pop-ups, but I was in the neighborhood and figured I would drop by with some lunch. I got your favorite: sesame chicken, fried rice, and an eggroll from King Springs Chinese Restaurant on South Cobb.” She smiled, holding the bag up.
“Awwwww thanks sissy! You’re the bestest!” Delaney beamed. She took the bag out of Natasha’s hand and went into the kitchen to grab a couple of plates so that they could sit down and eat. Natasha took the plates from Delaney and started fixing both of their plates.
“So how are you feeling?” Natasha asked, kicking off her shoes and getting comfortable on the sofa. Delaney’s place was so peaceful and serene. The décor was cozy and inviting. There were various shades of earth tones all throughout the house. Natasha had always admired Delaney’s sense of style and fashion.
“I feel good, no complaints physically. But if I’m being honest, I really miss the hell out of Tyson,” she said, shoving a forkful of fried rice into her mouth.
“So I take it that you still aren’t speaking to him?” Natasha inquired. Delaney spilled the tea on Ashanti during her hospital stay, so Natasha knew all about the events that transpired before the accident and about Ms. Thang claiming to be pregnant by Tyson.
“Nah, I’m not ready. But he popped up on me the last day I was in the hospital talking about she isn’t his girl and he’s not sure if the baby is even his. I ain’t trying to hear that shit though,” Delaney said, shaking her head and pursing her lips.
“I think you should hear him out, sis. Tyson loves you and he was by your side the entire time you were in the coma. I get it that you’re upset about this Ashanti chick, but you know how these hoes are. They will say and do anything to fuck up your relationship,” Natasha said, before stuffing half of her egg roll in her mouth.
“I hear you, but there is no excuse for him not telling me about this chick. I’m telling you, she came through like she was the head bitch in charge. I was in total shock! Imagine some woman showing up on your doorstep claiming that she’s pregnant by your man, and you didn’t even know this bitch existed!” Delaney pushed her plate away, suddenly losing her appetite.
Natasha thought about her own situation and how she was currently pregnant by a man who didn’t want anything to do with her, and she too lost her appetite. She placed her fork down and covered her face with both of her hands.
“What’s wrong, Tash?” Delaney asked. She could tell that something was heavy on Natasha’s mind. They’d been besties too long for her not to know when something was bothering Natasha.
“My life is so fucked up right now, Laney! I don’t even know where to start.” She cried. During the time Delaney was in the coma, Natasha spilled out her guts. It was easier talking to someone who couldn’t talk back.
Delaney got up from the loveseat and went to join Natasha on the sofa. She wrapped her arms around Natasha and held her close. “What’s going on? Talk to me.”
Natasha went on to tell Delaney all about the affair she’d been having with Drake since the night she met him at Lyrical Soul Lounge, and the pregnancy. She even told her about the day she went over to his place and told him she was pregnant. When she was finished telling the story, her face was drenched with tears. She was a total mess. Delaney sat and listened to the entire story without saying a word.
“Now do you see why I say my life is so fucked up? I don’t know what t
he fuck Imma do. I can’t keep this baby, Laney, I just can’t. Jason will never forgive me for cheating on him and being reckless enough to get pregnant!” she cried.
Delaney handed Natasha some Kleenex tissues so she could clean her face and nose. Damn, she thought she had problems, but after listening to Natasha, her issues didn’t seem so major anymore.
“Tash, damn that is some heavy shit, sis. I am right here for you no matter what you decide. But from listening to you, it seems like you already have your mind made up. It just hurts me to know that you are willing to abort a child that you’ve been longing to have.” Delaney didn’t agree with Natasha getting an abortion, but she planned to support her best friend regardless of the decision she choose to make.
“Thanks, Laney. I don’t see any other way around it. I can’t take the chance of Jason leaving me, I just can’t!” Natasha cried harder than she’d ever cried in her life. Regret and guilt laced each tear that fell down her face. She’d already made the appointment to have the procedure on her way over to Delaney’s house for the day after tomorrow.
“Everything is going to be ok, Tash, I promise. You already know that I have your back with no judgment. If you feel an abortion is the best decision, then I will be with you every step of the way.” Delaney meant every word. She’d been known to be judgmental in the past, but the accident invoked a change within her. Who was she to judge the actions of others?
Natasha wiped her face with the tissues Delaney had given her. “Thanks, Laney, that means a lot.” She smiled, relieved at having a chance to finally get everything off her chest and have some much needed support. She had been going through all of these struggles by herself and it had become too much. Now the only thing left to do was to show up at the appointment, and put all of this mess behind her.
“I knew there was something about that damn Drake that I didn’t like. Now I know exactly what it was, he is a low down dirty mafucka!” Delaney fumed. Thoughts of him undressing her with his eyes flooded her memory. She never felt comfortable in his presence. He seemed to always be lurking around watching her. Maybe she should have mentioned how she was feeling to Tyson when it first started, but she didn’t want to come in between their friendship.
“Yeah, he is a hot ass mess, but what’s even more disturbing is that I actually started catching feelings for him, sis. I literally begged him not to break things off with me. I was mostly gone off the D, and lonely from Jason being on the road so much,” Natasha admitted.
“Listen to me, you have a good man and Drake or any other man isn’t worth jeopardizing your marriage for,” Delaney warned. The vibration of her cell phone momentarily distracted her from the sermon she was about to give Natasha. A smile spread across her face as she read the text message.
Hey pretty lady, how is my favorite patient doing? This is Chris by the way.
“Ummmm, what has you showing all 52 of your teeth?” Natasha joked. She hadn’t seen Delaney smile like that since she first started dating Tyson. But since she wasn’t talking to Tyson right now, Natasha knew the message couldn’t have been from him.
“Hold up a sec,” Delaney said without looking up from her phone. How did he get my phone number? She hit send on the text message and waited for a response. “Girl, that is Chris texting me, but I don’t know how he got my phone number, because I never gave it to him. Besides I haven’t called him, although he gave me his card with his phone number before I left the hospital.”
I’m a doctor, which means I have all of your information, love. So have you thought about my lunch invitation?
“Laney! I know you are not even thinking about fooling with Chris, or is it Dr. Clark now?” Natasha shrieked. Natasha was well aware of what rebounding could do, and it usually ended badly.
“Why are you yelling? Geeeshhh! I never said we were getting back together, but I don’t see the harm in talking to him. Plus, he only wants to take me out to lunch so we can catch up. I think it would be good for us to clear the air about the past,” Delaney said in her defense.
Natasha simply shook her head, while Delaney continued to text back in forth with her old flame.
“Well, Imma clean up this mess, while you flirt with Chris,” Natasha said, picking up their half-eaten plates and taking them into the kitchen. Delaney waved her off as her fingers flew over the keys and she smiled brighter than the morning sun.
Once Natasha finished cleaning up their mess and putting the plates and silverware in the dishwasher, she walked back into the living room and put her shoes on.
“Where are you going?” Delaney asked. She and Chris were still texting back and forth. She placed her phone down to give Natasha her undivided attention.
“I’m going home, boo. I’m tired and sleepy, plus I need to go home and cook dinner for Jason.” Natasha yawned. She looked down at her stomach and immediately became sad. In a few days the life that she was carrying would be terminated.
Delaney couldn’t stand to see Natasha in so much pain and turmoil. Were their lives ever going to get on the right track? It seemed like happiness was just so far out of reach for both of them.
“Don’t worry, sis, everything is going to be ok. I will go with you to the clinic Thursday, just swing by and pick me up. Dr. Beard doesn’t think I should be driving alone just yet,” she added.
“Thanks, Laney, I appreciate you more than you know. I’m just ready to put all of this behind me. I know that having an abortion is the only choice that I have in this situation,” Natasha sadly replied.
Delaney embraced Natasha in a tight hug. “See you Thursday! Love ya, sis.” Delaney smiled lovingly at her.
“Ok, love you too,” Natasha replied, and headed out the door.
Chapter Fourteen
Ashanti’s mother and sister had been visiting for the last two weeks. She welcomed the help since having a newborn was new to her. Between the constant feedings and changing pampers, she was exhausted. Both her mother and sister were scheduled to leave today and she was going to be sad to see them go. Luckily for her, Tyson hadn’t brought up the paternity test in the last two weeks that her mother and sister had been staying at the house. The moment they left, she was sure Tyson was going to start up on the paternity situation.
“Baby, we are getting ready to hit the road,” her mother, Julia, said planting kisses on the baby’s chubby cheeks. “MeMe is going to miss her lil’ man, oh yes she is.” Her mother cooed. Tyshawn Latrell Moore licked his little tongue out at his grandma as she fawned all over him. He was the splitting image of Ashanti. She was grateful that he mostly favored her and not Drake, although if you looked closely there were traces of Drake in the shape of his head and ears. Tyson refused to name the baby after him, or sign the birth certificate, without knowing for a fact that little Tyshawn was indeed his son. Ashanti settled on naming him Tyshawn and planned to call him Ty for short.
“Mama, we are going to miss you too!” Ashanti stood up from the sofa so she could take the baby from her mother.
Tia came rushing downstairs with her bags. “Ok we really need to hit the road, Mama. Since I’m the only one driving, we need to get going, because you know how much I hate driving at night,” she complained. Tia was over the whole visit. She knew from the moment she walked in the door that Ashanti was up to no damn good and she didn’t want any parts of it. Tyson was a good man and her sister was scheming as usual. Tia took one look at her nephew and knew instantly that he wasn’t Tyson’s son. She loved him in spite of, but the fact that her sister was trying to pin the baby on Tyson didn’t sit well with her.
“Dang, Tia, why are you being so dramatic? It’s only two o’clock in the afternoon. Y’all have plenty of time to make it back home before it gets dark,” Ashanti said, rolling her eyes at her big sister. In Ashanti’s opinion, Tia has always been jealous of her. Ashanti had the better body, hair, and fashion. Men doted on Ashanti and passed right by Tia whenever she walked in the room. Although they looked similar, Ashanti possessed that sex appeal
factor that Tia wished she had.
“Anyway! Mama, are you ready? We really need to get going,” Tia reiterated, completely ignoring Ashanti’s smart ass comment.
“Yes, I’m ready, baby. I put my things in the car while you were in the shower. I’m just getting some mo’ sugar from MeMe’s baby before we go,” Julia said, handing the baby over to Ashanti. She tried to talk her daughter into coming back to Florida, but Ashanti wasn’t having it.
Tia rolled her luggage out of the door and started loading it into her car. The sooner they left, the better off she would be. Just as Tia was loading the last of her things into the car, she spotted Tyson’s White Dodge Ram truck pulling in the driveway. She flashed him a quick smile and waited for him to get out of the truck.
“Hey, Tia, how’s it going?” he smiled. Tyson leaned down and gave her a quick hug.
“I’m good, bruh. Me and Mama are about to hit the road so we can get back home. I have to return to work in the morning, you know,” she replied. Tyson was such a good man and if her sister hadn’t been involved with him, Tia would have damn sure pushed up on him. She admired him in every way. The cologne he was wearing intoxicated all of her senses, not to mention the way the FedEx uniform fit his well-toned physique. Tia just loved a man in uniform.
“Ok, well y’all be safe on the road, and thanks for coming down and helping Ashanti with the baby. I know she really appreciated it.” He smiled.
Tia was in a daze staring into his dark brown eyes. His dimples were playing peek-a-boo with her each time he spoke.
“Uh, ummm, yeah ok, we will be safe for sure,” she struggled to form a complete sentence. Damn girl, get a grip, she thought to herself.
