Page 14 of Baby Me

I shook my head. "No, the stubborn butt wasn't in the right position when I went for the ultrasound, and we couldn't see."

"Didn't they do another one?"

I shook my head again, feeling ashamed of my situation. "I, um, couldn't afford it."

"You know, if you told them that you're having a club kid, they would cough up the money for things like that until they could find out who the daddy is."

"Could you imagine if the dad was Breakneck or…"

"Say no more," Dee said as she cut me off. "You're right," she giggled, "heaven help that child if it belongs to that man. He's a lost cause."

"I know it's asking a lot, but please don't tell anyone, Dee."

"I would never." She sighed. "While I think the club would be able to help financially, I understand you not wanting to go through the bullshit of finding out who your little nugget belongs to and then having to deal with that person for the rest of your child's life." She shivered. "Honestly, it makes me want to double up on the birth control. I'd get my tubes tied if I didn't think I might want a family one day."

"Don't wait too long on that. The club will suck you dry if you let it," I warned.

"I know, sweetie. I'll get out from under it all, one day." She glanced down at her phone. "Crap, I really need to get back. I'll see you soon. Maybe by then, you'll know what you're having because that baby will already be here."

It was probable because there was no way I'd call or text to let Dee, or anyone else affiliated with the club, know when I gave birth. If I hadn't accidentally run into her at the mall on my trip to Augusta to get some last-minute baby things, then she wouldn't have even known I was pregnant.

Dee hugged me and left. I grabbed my things and waddled out to my car. The trip home would suck, because there was no way I could make it without having to stop and pee somewhere.

Chapter 6

Davina

"I'm early. This can't be happening." To say I panicked when my water broke at work was an understatement. My boss, Mr. Avery, had to bring me to the hospital. Thankfully, he was a sweet, older gentleman who believed the father of my baby had abandoned us.

I hated lying to him, and assured myself it might not be a lie, depending on which club member fathered my child. Still, he took a chance on me while I was in school, and I didn't want to repay him by being untrustworthy. I interned with him, in a paid position, to be a paralegal. Once I graduated with my degree, I would get a nice bump in pay plus the ability to work from home sometimes. There was also the added bonus that Mr. Avery happened to practice family law, which might come in handy if anyone from the club ever found out about my baby.

“Your due date is July 13th. You're not that early. Everything will be fine," the nurse assured. "It's less than two weeks off."

"July 2nd. It's only July…" I had to stop arguing to breathe through another contraction. "July 2nd."

"Should I wait?" Mr. Avery asked. I shook my head. There was no telling how long labor would last, and I already knew the hospital would keep us for at least one night, if not two. Hopefully, there wouldn't be anything wrong with the baby because I didn't think I could afford an additional bill on top of what I already had to pay for my visits to the OB.

"Okay, I know your car is at the office, so give me a call when you need to get home, and I'll make sure Mrs. Avery gets the car seat installed."

"It's already installed in the back," I told him. "I just need someone to drive it to me when it's time to be discharged."

"We'll get it done."

"Keys are in my purse," I glanced down at the large bag beside me, and the nurse reached in to grab the keys. There was a single key to my car and one to the apartment that Mr. Avery and his wife also rented out to me. They had been a Godsend to me from the very beginning.

When I answered an ad in the paper about a small apartment space for rent in the same building where Mr. Avery's law practice was, I had to tell them that I was looking for a new job, too. When I mentioned that I was in school to get my paralegal degree, everything just fell into place. It almost restored my faith in humanity. Unfortunately, when you've lived the life I have, it's hard to turn everything around completely.

By the time Mr. Avery turned to practically run out of the hospital, I was wheeled straight back to a birthing suite.

By myself.

It was just me and the two lovely nurses who continually monitored my progress.

Just before they did a final check and told me I was ready to push, one of the nurses, Sarah, asked if there was anyone she could call for me.

"It's just me," I told her. That admission made me heave out great big sobs for how lonely I felt. It was the first time I wished to know for sure who the father of my baby was. It would have been nice to have the whole club here in the waiting room ready to welcome another member of their family. I wished Dee was in here with me. She was always my closest friend among the club women. I wished I had someone. Anyone.

The truth was, I hadn't had anyone truly in my corner since my mother died when I was fifteen. I never knew my father. The foster parents who were supposed to protect me failed and I ended up on the streets of Atlanta because of it.

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