Forever My Baby

by Jacquelin Thomas

  “Then you need to stop seeing something that isn’t there, Ryker. Your daughter could have inherited her hair color from someone in her ancestral line on either you or her mother’s side. You know that.”

  “You’re right,” he admitted. “I’m letting this whole thing make me crazy.”

  “You can’t do that, Ryker.”

  “I hope that I didn’t scare you by coming here like this,” Ryker stated. “I wanted to talk to you about the girls just in case...”

  Garland shook her head. “We don’t need to deal with this unless there is a reason for it. Let’s just wait for the DNA results.”

  Ryker nodded. “I guess you’re right. I don’t need to go looking for trouble.”

  “I was just about to grab something to eat,” she said. “Why don’t you join me?”

  “Sure.”

  They walked side by side over to the restaurant across the street from the boutique. The hostess grabbed two menus and led them to a table by the window.

  “I can’t believe you’re all grown up,” Ryker told her as they settled in their seats.

  Garland chuckled. “I’m only a year younger than you.”

  “I wish Parker could see you now. He would be so proud of you.” Ryker picked up his menu but did not look at it. “He was always bragging about how smart you were.”

  “He was going to be a great lawyer,” she murmured. “Parker planned to work in your family’s law firm, you know.”

  Ryker nodded. “We talked about it all of the time. We took our LSATs together. Parker called me when he got his acceptance to law school. His letter came a week before mine. I was worried that I wouldn’t get in.”

  “I was happy for you both,” she responded.

  But that happiness was short-lived, Ryker added silently. A few months later, Parker was dead. He had come home to visit the family and had gone out with friends that night. The visit had turned tragic when a drunken driver had crashed into his car, killing him.

  Ryker was supposed to have come home with him, but he’d changed his mind at the last moment.

  “What are you thinking about?” Garland inquired.

  “Your brother,” he responded. “I always wonder if things would’ve turned out different if I’d come home with him that weekend.”

  “Maybe not,” she responded. “Instead of losing only Parker, we might have lost you, too. God chose to take my brother at a good time. He was a devout Christian. I miss him terribly, but I find peace in that he will forever be with the Lord.”

  “You’re right about that. He used to drive me crazy with all of his Bible studying, but he found so much harmony in it.”

  When the waitress approached the table, Ryker placed his order after Garland.

  “So when did you get married?” Ryker asked. “I have to tell you that I feel some type of way over not receiving a wedding invitation.”

  “You didn’t get one because I never got married,” Garland stated.

  “Oh.”

  She laughed. “You don’t have to sound like that, Ryker. I’m okay with being single.”

  “Are you and your daughter’s father in contact with one another?”

  Garland shook her head. “I am both mother and father to her.”

  Their food arrived, but Garland didn’t seem to have an appetite once her plate was placed in front of her.

  “Could you bring me a to-go box, please?” she requested before the waiter left the table.

  “You aren’t hungry?” Ryker inquired.

  “Not really.”

  “I feel the same way,” he confessed.

  After both filled their to-go boxes with their uneaten lunch Ryker walked Garland back to her shop.

  * * *

  Before heading back home after she left the shop, Garland decided to pay her mother a visit. It was time to let her in on what was going on with Amya and Ryker.

  She let herself into the house where she’d spent most of her childhood. “Mama, it’s just me,” Garland called out.

  “I’m in the family room.”

  Garland followed the direction of her mother’s voice. “How are you feeling?”

  Elaine Moscot was lying on the couch in a pair of silk pajamas and watching television. She sat up when she entered the room. “I’m okay, outside of a few body aches and pains.”

  “Is there anything I can do for you to make you feel better?” Garland asked.

  Her mother shook her head. “I don’t want you worrying about me. I’m going to be fine, darling. I just need to get some rest.”

  “I hope you’re not overdoing it when you volunteer at the schools.”

  “I enjoy working with the kids, Garland. My depression has really been trying to take over, but I’m not going to let it keep me from living.” Elaine surveyed her daughter’s face. “Honey, what’s going on with you? I can tell something’s bothering you.”

  “Mama, have you been paying attention to the story about the baby switch at Charleston Memorial Hospital?”

  “I’ve heard something about it. Why?”

  “Amya may not be the little girl I gave birth to, Mama. The hospital wants to have all of the girls born on September eighth tested through DNA. All of the other girls have been tested except for Amya and a little girl named Kai.”

  “What?”

  “Her mother died during delivery, so there was a lot going on. And you know about my complications... Anyway, the nurse on duty that day recently said on her deathbed that she may have unintentionally switched the babies.”

  “Where is this other baby...the one that may be our baby girl? Is she still in the area?”

  “She’s in Charleston with Ryker DuGrandpre,” Garland announced. “His daughter, Kai, may be my daughter, Mama.”

  “Ryker?”

  Garland nodded. “I had no idea his wife was pregnant or that they were at the hospital the same time I was there. I never even saw them.”

  “They were probably in that section where the VIPs give birth,” her mother said. “I never saw him, either.” She paused a moment before asking, “What are you going to do?”

  “We can’t do anything but wait on the results of the DNA tests,” Garland explained. “After that, if the girls really were switched, then Ryker and I have to find a way to deal with this. Whatever we decide, we just have to make sure the girls’ happiness and security come first.”

  “Ryker of all people... This is something,” her mother murmured almost to herself. “I know she was well taken care of—our little girl.”

  “We don’t know anything yet, Mama. Regardless, I love Amya and she will always be my little girl.”

  “Well, of course, hon. I understand that.”

  “Mama, I want Amya to be mine. I don’t want to lose my little girl.” Her misery was like a steel weight around her.

  Chapter 5

  Garland picked up the telephone to call Trina. “I had lunch with Ryker earlier and he thinks that Amya may be his biological daughter.”

  “Why?” Trina asked. “Why would he think that?”

  “Ryker showed me a photograph of his daughter. He pointed out that her hair is the same color as mine. He asked if Amya had dark hair. I told him yes but that her father had dark hair, as well.”

  “You don’t know that for sure.”

  “I wasn’t going to tell him that. I’m not giving Ryker DuGrandpre anything to use against me.”

  “Aren’t you curious, too, Garland?” Trina inquired. “Don’t you want to know if Amya is yours for sure?”

  “I do and I don’t,” she confessed. “I guess what worries me most is if she is not my baby, it’s not like I can easily dismiss the life I shared with her. I raised her and she belongs to me. She’s mine.”
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  “And if Kai is also yours? What then?”

  “I don’t know, Trina,” Garland answered with frustration. “I have no idea.” She bit her lip until it throbbed like her pulse.

  Once home, Garland kept Amya close to her throughout the evening.

  This was her little girl—she had to be. If things turned out otherwise, she would fight Ryker with everything she had to keep her daughter. If Kai turned out to be hers... Garland knew that she would be unable to turn her back on her, either. She also knew that Ryker would never give up his child easily.

  The image of the little boy torn away from his family floated to the forefront of her mind again. Although she had been told by a psychologist that the girls were young enough to be switched back and be okay, Garland was not willing to risk it. She could not put Amya or Kai through such emotional turmoil. In time, they might not remember, but Garland was not sure she could live with the memory or the heartache.

  * * *

  Despite what the DNA tests would prove, Ryker doubted he could give up Kai because he loved her dearly. He knew that Garland had to feel the same way about Amya. Switching the children back would be completely out of the question as far as he was concerned. But he also could not walk away from his natural child...

  He released a groan when he heard his doorbell ring. Ryker knew it could only be his mother. As he opened the front door, he said, “Hey, Mom.”

  She brushed past him into the house. “If you’d given me a call, I would’ve met you at the hospital.”

  “Mom, I didn’t call you because I didn’t need you there.”

  Rochelle turned to face him, her expression one of hurt. “I only meant as a source of support.”

  He met her gaze. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, but I don’t need you to fight my battles.”

  “It’s just that you’ve been through so much, son.”

  “I’m fine,” Ryker insisted with returning impatience.

  “I came to see my grandbaby,” Rochelle announced. “I hope it’s okay that I’m here.”

  “She’s watching television in her room. I was just about to check on her.” He knew that the real reason for his mother’s visit was to see if things were running smoothly in his home.

  He followed her to his daughter’s room and stood in the doorway.

  “Ganma,” Kai exclaimed with joy as soon as Rochelle entered the bedroom. “Ganma...look,” she said, pointing to the TV screen.

  “Is that Mickey Mouse?” Rochelle asked.

  “Nicky Nouse,” Kai repeated with a nod.

  She pulled the little girl into her arms. “I love you so much.”

  “TV,” Kai fussed.

  “I’m sorry,” Rochelle said. “I didn’t mean to take you away from your movie.”

  Ryker chuckled. “She loves her Mickey Mouse.”

  They walked down to the family room.

  “I suppose it’s time we plan a trip to Disney World then.” Rochelle sat down on the sofa and laid her purse on the coffee table. “We could do it in the fall when it’s not so hot.”

  “I’ll think about it,” he responded. She is still trying to be in control, Ryker thought.

  Ryker met his mother’s gaze. “You haven’t weighed in on this baby-switching issue at the hospital. I know that you want to talk about it.”

  “Son, you know how much we love Kai,” Rochelle stated in a low voice. “If it turns out that she is not your biological daughter, what are you going to do?”

  “I honestly don’t know, Mom,” he responded. “She is my whole life. I want my biological child, but letting Kai go...” He could not finish his sentence.

  “Perhaps there’s a way that we can keep them both,” his mother suggested.

  “Mom, how can you say that? You don’t think Garland will want her child?” Ryker asked, hoping for a plausible explanation.

  “She’s a single mother,” Rochelle announced.

  “How do you know that?” he questioned, although he already knew the answer.

  “I did some checking on Miss Garland Warner,” she told him. “I would think she would desire the best for her daughter, and we can give her that. She would have liberal visitation, of course.”

  “I know that you mean well, but you’re getting ahead of yourself, Mom. Let’s just wait for the DNA results to come in. I’m sure they will only confirm what I already know—that Kai is my daughter.” He decided not to let his mother in on his suspicions. There was still a chance that Kai was his biological daughter. “Besides, I’m not going to do anything that would hurt Garland.”

  “We have to be prepared in the event that Kai is not our blood,” Rochelle argued, cutting into his thoughts. “Having a plan of action is important. As for Garland, I know you feel some loyalty to her because of Parker, but I’m sure he would want what’s best for the children, as well.”

  Ryker knew his mother believed it would be best to raise the girls together in a stable, two-parent home. One of his mother’s greatest frustrations was witnessing how some parents mistreated their children by being abusive or neglectful. Rochelle believed and had often told him that cruelty to children was the cause of most societal problems.

  “Mom, I don’t want to dwell on this right now,” he stated firmly. Ryker looked away hastily and then moved restlessly in his chair.

  Rochelle’s phone began to ring.

  Ryker broke into a grin. “That’s Dad calling—it’s time for you to go home.”

  She smiled. “He’s such a good man, your father, but he wouldn’t eat if I didn’t provide dinner.”

  “You’ve spoiled him,” Ryker told her. “This is your fault.”

  Rochelle dug into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. “I’m calling your sister and ordering takeout. I’m not in the mood to cook tonight.”

  Ryker walked his mother out of his house to her car. “I’ll see you tomorrow in the office.”

  She kissed his cheek. “I love you, son.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He closed the door and walked back to the living room. As he settled on the couch, Garland entered into Ryker’s thoughts, bringing to mind one night in particular.

  He had run into her when she was leaving the library. Ryker was heading back to his dorm room when he spotted Garland.

  “What are you doing out here so late?” he asked her.

  “I needed to do some research for a report. What are you up to?”

  “I’m about to make sure you get to your dorm safely,” Ryker said with a grin. “Parker would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” Garland said. “I can make it from here.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not going to leave you alone.”

  “Then you’re going to have to walk me to Pizza Hut because I’m hungry.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Fifteen minutes later, they were seated at a booth near the window, talking and laughing while waiting on their pepperoni and bacon pizza to arrive.

  It was the first time Ryker had spent one-on-one time with Garland. It was also when he’d acknowledged his attraction to her.

  “I really like you, Garland, but I know that Parker would have a problem with me seeing his little sister.”

  “Parker is my brother. He doesn’t tell me what to do or who I can see, Ryker. He may not like it at first, but he’ll get over it.”

  “You are really someone special, Garland.”

  “You make me feel special,” she responded. “You make me feel as if there’s nothing I can’t do. I really appreciate that.”

  Garland had invited him up to her room. Her roommate spent most of her time at her boyfriend’s apartment, so they could be alone. They had not been in the room five m
inutes before Ryker had pulled her into his arms.

  Her kisses had been intoxicating.

  “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to kiss you,” Ryker whispered in her ear.

  “Kiss me again,” she replied, lifting her mouth to accept the gentle kiss from his lips...

  Ryker pushed away the memory of that night. There was no point in thinking about something that had happened years ago. He and Garland were both different people now.

  * * *

  Garland and Amya were over for dinner at Trina’s.

  “I love what you’ve done to your kitchen,” Garland said, admiring Trina’s walnut-colored floors. “I especially like this color granite you chose. The blue is pretty.”

  “Movie,” Amya called.

  Garland followed Trina and Amya out of the kitchen and into the family room. “What do you want to watch, sweetie?” Trina said in a cheerful voice.

  “Pooh,” Amya shouted.

  “She’s watched this movie at least twenty times,” Trina said, glancing over to her.

  “She loves it.” Garland laughed.

  While Trina turned on the DVD for Amya, Garland checked on the chicken in the oven.

  “It’s almost ready,” she announced when Trina returned to the kitchen. “Thank you for inviting us for dinner.”

  “Anytime.” Trina smiled.

  Amya fussed when she was called to the dinner table ten minutes later. “Movie.”

  “It’s time to eat,” Garland said. “You can see the television from the table. C’mon, sweetheart.”

  “I can tell that this thing with the hospital is really bothering you,” Trina said after they had finished eating and Amya was settled back in the family room. “Have you told your mom what’s going on?”

  “I told her yesterday and she took it well. I think it’s because Ryker is involved.” Garland sat her untouched glass of wine on the coffee table. “Trina, I can’t lose my Amya. I never should’ve agreed to the DNA test.”

  “Honey, you need to know if you were given the right baby at birth. It would’ve haunted you for the rest of your life if you hadn’t done the test.”