Vicki Laments
“I don’t want to do that, Jason. Then my name will be dragged through the mud too. I want to finish school and get a job and set up a practice, that would hurt me before I got started.”
He put his arm around me and pulled me in for another hug. Then he said, “You’re right, babe.
I’m so angry with him, I wasn’t thinking. But you know what we can do?”
“What?”
“We can have Paul file a countersuit. You go to the doctor and get this pregnancy verified and then we’ll file a countersuit asking for all your medical expenses to be paid for, a nice house for you and the baby to live in, and enough cash to finish school and start your business and enough to ease the pain and suffering that he’s put you through today. This number should be in the millions at least.”
I sat up and looked at him. “Millions? Are you crazy?”
“Do you know what it takes to raise a child, Vicki? There have been studies done on middle-class American families that say it takes two hundred thousand dollars to just get a kid from diapers to college. That’s with no fancy clothes and no private schools and no vacations and ski lessons. Don’t you want your child to have all of that?”
“Well, I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
“But you do want him to have the best, right?”
“Yes, of course, I do.”
“Then millions is what it’s going to take. Look, Vicki, this is not about me at all, it’s your decision and your life and your baby. I just want to help you.”
I was suspicious, but I had to take what he said into consideration.
Jason and I weren’t together, so what would he be getting out of this? Could it be that he was this concerned about my child and me? The more he talked the angrier I got at Alex, that’s for sure.
It still wasn’t about the money, but as I listened to Jason go over the papers I just couldn’t help but wonder what kind of heartless bastard creates life and pays someone (not very well according to Jason) to terminate it? I was so wrong about him and that thought brought tears to my eyes.
Jason looked down at me and said, “Don’t cry beautiful, we’ll fix this.” Then he brought his lips down to mine and kissed me, softly.
It was the sweetest kiss Jason ever gave me. His kisses were usually urgent and fueled by his need for sex.
When he pulled back I said, “Thank you, Jason. It means a lot to me that you’re here.”
“I’m going to be here for you baby. I’m going to help you through this. We can do this… together.”
I called Liz earlier in the day and asked her if I could come over. I had news that I wanted to share with her. It was good news for a change. I parked on the street since this wasn’t my home any longer and walked up to the front door.
Maybe I should say waddled. I hadn’t gained that much weight, but my belly seemed to protrude a little further out every day. I was five months along now and showing. My balance wasn’t what it used to be and I know I had to look at least a little funny when I walked.
It had been three months since I was served with papers by Alexander that said I had no rights to any of his money or anything in his estate. I really couldn’t spend much time dwelling on it because it only served to make me angry all over again.
I didn’t want his money or his estate and I was appalled to believe he thought I did. It had been two months since I moved out of Liz’s apartment and in with Jason.
He’d offered to help me save money since I had no job and an army of lawyers to pay. He was being so sweet and supportive that I thought it was a good idea. It wasn’t. Jason was still Jason and supportive or not, I’d probably made a mistake. It had been a few weeks now since I’d run completely through my savings though, so moving out at the moment was not a real viable option.Belongs © to NôvelDrama.Org.
I was twenty-three, pregnant, unemployed in the middle of a court battle and I’m pretty sure my boyfriend is cheating on me… again.
I pressed the doorbell and a woman about my age with pretty brown hair and giant blue eyes opened the door. “Vicki?”
“Yeah, hi. You must be Gloria.”
Gloria was my replacement. Liz’s new roommate. I felt a pang of irrational jealousy in my chest every time I thought about it. I’d left her high and dry. Of course, she needed another roommate to help her pay the bills.
“Come on in, Liz is expecting you but she just got home from a run so she’s in the shower. You want some coffee or tea?”
“No thanks,” I said. Caffeine was not on my list of approved food items. I was doing my best to follow a strict, healthy diet. If nothing else good came out of this mess I was in, I at least wanted a healthy baby in the end.
“I almost didn’t recognize you from the photos Liz has of the two of you. Your hair is different, I think.”
“I’ve been out of work for a while and with the baby coming I’ve been trying to save money wherever I can,” I said. I was embarrassed to admit it, but I wasn’t going to lie. I knew that I didn’t look my best. I had to have priorities though. “I started playing kitchen beautician. It’s awful.”
“Oh no, it’s not!” Gloria said, sincerely. “It’s cute. You’re gorgeous, so I doubt it would matter if you shaved it all.”
Great, she was nice too. Now I couldn’t even hate her for taking my place in my best friend’s heart. “Thanks,” I said with a smile.
“Hey! Is that my former roommate I hear?” Liz was coming down the hallway. She stopped when she saw me and cocked an eyebrow.
I knew exactly what she was looking at… my hair. “Stop it, I was just telling Gloria that I know it’s awful.”
She laughed. “It’s not… awful…” She tilted her head to the side to look at it from another angle.
I laughed too. Liz was the only one who could insult me and make it fun. “I took a little too much off the top.”
“We can fix it,” she said, confidently. “Gloria, would you mind getting our customer set up in one of the kitchen chairs with a cup of juice or something disgustingly healthy? We have to take care of the bun in the oven too. I’ll grab the supplies.”
“Not at all,” Gloria said with a grin, “Right this way.” Shaking my head and smiling, I followed the pretty brunette into the kitchen. I took the seat she offered me and chose apple juice from her list of “healthy” drinks. She tied a towel around my neck and a few seconds later Liz appeared with a small box in hand.
“What’s in the box?” I asked her.
“It’s better if you don’t know,” she said in a conspiratorial tone.
I laughed again and said, “What makes you think I trust you to do this?”
She looked at my hair with the eyebrow cocked again and said, “At this point, honey I think you’d trust my Uncle Bernie.”
I guess I couldn’t argue with that. She went to work on me. She touched up my roots and had me rinse and blow dry before beginning the cut. While she was cutting, Gloria brought out her gel nail manicure set and went about doing my nails. “So where is Jason today?” Liz asked me while she worked.
“He had a thing at his friend’s house out in Santa Monica,” I said.
“A ‘thing’?”
“I don’t know a barbecue or something.”
“Why aren’t you with him?”
“Um… I just wasn’t in the mood…”
“Don’t lie to me,” she said. “I always know when you’re lying.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Your nose is a foot long, Pinocchio.”
I laughed, and then sobering quickly I said, “He is uncomfortable explaining the baby.”
Liz sighed and rolled her eyes. Gloria looked up from my nails and started to say something, but changed her mind. “You can say it,” Liz said. “Vicki knows how I feel about Jason. You may as well join me.”
Gloria smiled sadly and said, “I was just going to say that I’m sorry for you that he feels that way. I’m sure you don’t like being hidden away.”
“I don’t think of it like that,” I said. “He’s a professional and most of his friends are young up-and-comers. They’re married with kids of their own. Here I am carrying my billionaire boss’s illegitimate child.”