Baby Fever

Redemption

I stayed with Jeremiah for a couple hours before my mom bid me to come back home with her. When we got home, my dad was standing in the hallway with all his bags packed. 

"Daddy..." I groaned. I covered my face with my hands. 

"Baby, I gotta handle this." He sighed. He came and wrapped me in his arms, lifting my feet off the ground. He kissed my hair multiple times and smoothed it down with his hands.

"They won't come after you guys this way." He said. His breath smelled like beer...They were going to ruin an already broken man.

He looked over to mom and held his arms out for her. She crossed her arms over her chest as tears pricked her eyes.

"C'mon, mama." He pleaded. 

"Your daughter is pregnant. When will you grow up and see that we need you here?" She asked. "I can't do it all myself anymore." 

"And I can't watch my family be put in danger." He picked up his bags, stole a peck on her cheek, and left.

"Is he going to come back?" I asked her.

She didn't bother responding, the tears were already cascading down her cheeks. She shook her head and went upstairs. 

The days after that went by in a blur. I went over to Layla's the next day as promised, and we visited Dominic in juvenile detention. Her parents had managed to find Dominic a top-notch lawyer. I took two days off school to be with her, meaning I didn't really have a lot of time to spend with Jeremiah. As for my mom...well she buried herself in her work. She took on TWO weddings, and it was pretty much consuming most of her time. 

Pretty soon Saturday rolled by, and it was the day of my ultrasound. Jeremiah drove.

"Are you nervous?" I asked. 

His fingers kept tapping on the steering wheel.

"Of course. This is our first child!" He said.

"First?" I questioned. I don't know why I found myself blushing at the thought of having more...with HIM. 

"I want a girl and a boy." He proclaimed. 

"Not out of this," I said, gesturing at my body. I turned up the radio before he could respond. 

I smiled as the soft voice of Violetta from the telenovela played. 

"The fuck is this shit?" He asked with a disgusted expression.

"Um, this is what I call music." I retorted as I turned up the volume. He changed the radio and I cringed as beat it by Michael Jackson played.

"This is the shit you should be listening to." He smiled and rolled down the windows. 

"Um I'm about to see my baby for the first time, I don't want to hear about someone breaking up a gang fight," I said. It reminded me too much of my dad. I switched the radio back. 

He groaned and stopped at a red light. "I don't want to hear about a princess singing about her love for a dude she probably met an hour ago." He switched the radio back. I smacked his hand and changed the radio station back.

"Why don't you just focus on driving, and I'll focus on the music," I said. A car honked at us from behind. 

"See, you're making me cause traffic." He said as he resumed driving. He turned the radio back. 

"Jeremiah!" I whisper shouted and changed the radio back. "Don't be a hater." 

"What kind of sick person doesn't like MJ?" My eye drums cried as he attempted to sing some of the lyrics. "Beat ittttt, just beat itttt!"