Dream Big (Sequel to Dreamer)

Chapter Six

Lexie's POV

I gulped down my nerves as Louis, Freddie, and their lawyer sat across from my family and I. Well, I guess two out of three of the boys across from me were now family too. Freddie was handcuffed to the table, prison guards behind him in case he tried anything. It was Louis' idea to do that. He knew that if it came down to it, he didn't have to heart to harm Freddie himself. Shawn was standing behind me, his hand on my shoulder in reassurance. "Freddie..." I started, grabbing his attention away from the young girl he was shouting obscenities at. The poor girl was just trying to visit her brother with her mom and dad. I assumed that being the situation, at least. The boy snaps his head in my direction, and my stomach flutters. I couldn't tell if it was the baby or if it was from fear. "What?" He sneers, and I force myself to sit up straighter. "There are legal things we need to talk about." I state as firmly as I could. He just stares blankly at me. "First off, we need to talk about the publicity swarming from this case, which I am not going to drop by the way." I start, and I feel my mom gently squeeze my hand. He just continues to stare at me. "Louis, since Freddie doesn't seem to be talking, I think that we should discuss this." I say, looking at the boy's father. "With the publicity, I would prefer it to do as it normally does. I don't want us going out of our way to tell them, but I don't want to attempt to hide it either." Louis says, and I nod. "That I can agree with." I state, and the lawyer begins to type what we said down. "Next on the list would be the test results." I say, rubbing my sweaty hands together. "You didn't give me any STD's, which I'm thankful for. They were able to collect a skin and semen sample, but they couldn't identify the skin sample. They could identify the semen sample, though." I start, using the one word I felt so very awkward saying. I let out a shaky breath. "I am pregnant though... and I haven't been with anyone else, so it's definitely yours." I say, looking at the table. I could hear the keyboard clicks as an awkward silence fell over our table. "I call BS." Freddie finally says. "Call it what you want, but whether you believe it or not you'll never see him or her." I state firmly, and his face falls. "The only reason I'm telling you is because you are the father. You will never be this baby's dad. You will never see his or her first steps, hear his or her first words, and you will miss so many more firsts. So, believe me or not, but I know you feel that connection too. I know you feel that connection between you and this baby. I felt it too, the moment I heard the news." I ranted, almost angrily. Freddie sat there in silence. "How... How far along are you?" Louis asks, and I relax and bring my attention to my baby's grandfather. "I'm almost two and a half months. I was seven weeks when I found out." I start, and Louis nods. "Will... Will I get to see the baby... once he or she is born?" Louis asks cautiously. I pause for a moment, looking between my parents and favorite uncle. "Uh... There will be rules you'll have to follow with visitation, but... yes, you can see him or her. It's nothing against you, but I have to make sure my baby is safe." I explain, and Louis nods. " I completely understand. I was the same way with Freddie and his mother, Briana." Louis explains, looking down at the table. "You told me mum was dead!" Freddie shouts, struggling against the chains holding him to the table. "Freddie, your mum is dead! Who she was, that's gone now. She's just a shell. Your mother is still alive, yes, but the person that made her your mum is dead and gone. That person can't come back." Louis rants, and my heart drops. I couldn't imagine anyone or anything separating me and my baby. I place a hand over my lower abdomen, where I knew my baby stayed. "What... What do you mean?" Freddie asks, settling down. Tears weld up in his eyes, and my parents each grabbed my hands. I couldn't look away. "Briana became addicted to drugs when you were a wee thing. Nobody really knows when it started, but when you were three... that's when she lost herself. She doesn't see it that way. She says she actually found who she truly was, so I guess it was us who lost her. I keep tabs on your mother, hoping she would one day change so she could be in your life again, but she's gotten worse. Briana's skin is littered in burns, discoloration, and sores. Her teeth are rotted. The whites of her eyes have been bloodshot for so long that it's been years since anyone has seen her with white eyes." Louis explains, and Freddie slams his fists against the table. "Maybe we should come back at another time." I whisper, and Louis shakes his head. "Freddie and I can discuss this later." He states, and I nod. "What was the next thing we needed to talk about?" Louis asks, and I think for a moment. "A plea bargain. The court is willing to do a plea bargain, on two conditions." The lawyer states, knowing I couldn't remember. "What are the two conditions?" Freddie asks, and I step in, remembering. "You have to plead guilty and you have to acknowledge my baby as your flesh and blood." I state, and Freddie flinches. "That baby is not mine. I always used a condom!" Freddie roared, yanking on his cuffs. His wrists began to bleed. One guard grabbed him from behind and pinned his arms down while the other uncuffed him. "You'll need to come back at another time." One guard told us as he was dragging Freddie away.  I was shaking, and I could feel my baby moving around inside me. I placed a hand over the movement, and I took slow and deep breathes. As my family and I slowly stood the Tomlinson's lawyer came up to me and placed a gentle hand on my arm. "Between me and you, I'll make sure he takes a paternity test. I know he should go to jail for this, and I'll see to it that he does, but it is my job to defend him from that. I do have to try to shorten his sentence, but he will serve justice." He explains, and I give him a thankful smile. "You and your baby deserve that." The lawyer says, and walks away. I catch up with Uncle Shawn, and he wraps an arm around me. Ahead of us, Violet, Desiree, Carter, Jax, and Jackson are all waiting at the door. Jax looks completely distressed as he has Carter on his back and Jackson on his hip. Violet is struggling to hold Desiree. Jackson and Desiree are hitting each other, and Carter is trying to break them up. As soon as Mom and Dad see them they break into a sprint, angrily shouting at them to knock it off and settle down. I giggle at the sight, and Jax just gives me a very displeased look. "I wouldn't get too smug, Ladybug. That'll be you someday." Shawn teased, and I roll my eyes. "I don't plan on having five kids." I retort, smiling. "Tia didn't either." Shawn muses, giving me a smirk. "Who kidnapped Tia?" I blurt out, and Shawn stops. "Wh-What?" He stutters, staring at me in shock. "Who kidnapped Tia? I mean, I figured you would know. I mean, it was you that found her." I explained, and Shawn gulped, looking around. "I'm gonna tell you a secret, but you can't tell anyone. Not even Chandler or Jax." Shawn explains, now whispering as he leans in. I nod, "I promise I won't tell anyone." I state, and Shawn nods, "Okay, good." He starts, clearing his throat. "Tia wasn't kidnapped." Shawn starts, and I go to open my mouth to say something, but I bite my tongue. "That night at the premiere when my date ditched me, Tia went. We stayed in a hotel room together that night because they accidentally double booked her room, so we just stayed in mine. It had two beds anyways. A few friends came over, we got drunk, we played a few party games, the friends left, and... Carter was created. When she found out she came to tell me, but she hadn't told Chandler yet. We created this idea. When Tia began to show we would stage a kidnapping. She would hide in my house until after the baby was born. We had one doctor in on the whole thing. If anyone asked, it was to help cope with losing Tia. Chandler had someone doing that for him. After Carter was born we agreed to tell everyone he was adopted, and we waited until he was a few months old before Tia was 'found' to keep from suspicion. She came staggering out of an alley I was walking by with the baby on my way to Porto's Bakery." Shawn explained, and I just listened intently. "Carter... is Tia's son? She... She wasn't kidnapped...?" I stuttered, my mind cloudy with disbelief. "What?" Dad roared, making Shawn and I snap our heads in his direction. He was looking straight at us. Tia walks up to Chandler, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Baby, is everything alright?" Tia asks him, and he shakes her hand off. "Is Carter your son?" He asks Tia sharply, and her face falls. "We need to talk about this somewhere else, Chandler." Tia says lightly, and Chandler scoffs. "It's been seven years in secret. I think this is about to explode everywhere if it's not talked about now." Chandler deadpans. "This isn't something to talk about in front of strangers or small children." Tia says sweetly, motioning towards Jackson, Desiree, and Carter. "We will speak of this when we get home." Chandler growls, walking towards the door after taking Jackson from Jax. "Mummy?" Carter asks softly, looking at Tia. Tia smiles at Carter, tears in her eyes. "Yes, baby. I am your mummy." Tia responds, but only after Chandler had walked outside.