The Side Effects of You

by Anna Black

  My phone buzzed as it vibrated on the counter, and when I saw Ana’s name on the caller ID, I quickly answered.

  “Ana, you have to turn yourself in,” I said without a hello.

  She was quiet.

  “Ana?” I said.

  Still silence.

  “No juegues conmigo, niña.”

  But still nothing.

  “Hola, hola, hola,” I yelled. “Donde estás?” I demanded.

  I heard sniffling. “Help me, Mama. Help,” she whispered. I could barely hear her.

  “Help you? What do you mean, help you, Ana? Where in the hell are you?” I quizzed.

  “Please come, Ma, please. I’m in trouble,” she cried. I couldn’t care less if she was in trouble. I just wanted them to pick her up. I had no idea where she was living, what she was doing, or who she was doing it with.

  “Ana, where are you?” I asked again. Then I heard her scream a bloodcurdling scream.

  “Nooo, nooo, please, nooo!” Ana shrieked. I heard my baby crying. I heard what sounded like punches and fighting noises.

  “Ana! Ana! Ana!” I yelled. But she didn’t answer. I was in a panic. All I heard were loud noises, Ana’s screams, and a man saying, “I’m going to kill you, bitch! Where in the fuck is my money?”

  Terrified, I ran to the front desk and told my agent to dial the police. I didn’t know what was going on; all I knew was my baby needed me.

  “Ana, baby, I’m coming,” I cried into my cell phone. I was going out of my mind.

  My agent handed me the desk phone. I held it to my free ear, keeping my cell phone to my other one. “Listen, this is Josephina Ramirez,” I said quickly. “My cell phone is being monitored for my daughter, who has a warrant, and she’s somewhere, in trouble.”

  I heard the police operator typing something. “I’ll get you to the right department.”

  I was transferred.

  “Mrs. Ramirez, this is Officer Davis. I see there is activity.”

  “Yes, and she’s in trouble. I don’t know where she is, but someone is beating her. She is screaming for help.”

  “All we need is two minutes. Whatever you do, don’t hang up that phone.”

  In a panic and shaking, I cried, “I won’t. Just find her please. She is in trouble.”

  I held my phone to my ear. I couldn’t bear to hear my baby scream and beg for her life. I thought my heart would stop.

  “Just one more minute,” Officer Davis said.

  I was trembling, and my face was soaked with tears.

  Jay and Angelica walked in the lobby just then, laughing and joking.

  “Josie, what is it, baby?” Jayden asked as soon as he saw my face.

  “It’s Ana. She’s in trouble. She’s—” I heard a bang, and the screams stopped. “Ana!” I yelled into the cell phone.

  “We got her,” Officer Davis said. “You stay put. We are headed over there.”

  “Please tell me where,” I pleaded. “I need to go and see about my baby.”

  “Just hang tight, Mrs. Ramirez. We will call you as soon as we bring her in,” the officer said and then hung up.

  I was shaking. I couldn’t hang up my cell phone. I heard more yelling from unknown voices, and a couple of minutes later, the phone went dead. I fell to my knees, and Jayden and Angelica got on either side of me, lifted me to my feet, and helped me into the apartment. Jayden was asking questions, and I had no answers.

  “I don’t know, Jay,” I yelled. “I don’t know!” He held me tight and helped me over to the sofa.

  “Shhhh, baby. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Relax. They are going to find her.”

  I just sobbed.

  Angelica sat down next to me on the sofa and held my hand. “Mama, don’t worry,” she said. “Don’t worry.”

  I dried my eyes and took a few deep, cleansing breaths. Jayden refilled my wineglass and handed it to me. My hands were shaking. I was so scared for Ana. She had somehow gotten herself into a bad situation. I didn’t know if my child was dead or alive.

  What felt like hours later, there was a knock at the door, and my heart pounded. It was Officer Davis and his partner.

  Jayden let them in, and I jumped up, demanded information.

  “Where is she? Is she okay? Can I see her? Is she in custody?”

  “Mrs. Ramirez, we are sorry, but your daughter didn’t make it. She was already deceased when we got to the location,” Officer Davis said. “We do have the guy that did this to her in custody. We have your daughter’s killer, and he is not going to walk. I guarantee it.”

  I heard a painful wailing and realized it was coming from me. “Nooo!” I screamed. Jayden held me tight. “Please, God, no, no, no, no.” I sobbed uncontrollably. My legs were weak, and I sank back down onto the sofa. Angelica rushed to me, and we held each other and cried.

  “We are going to need you to come and identify her body,” Officer Davis said.

  I heard Jay answer for me. “We will, sir.”

  “I’m so sorry for your loss,” Officer Davis said quietly, and then he and his partner left.

  I was in a daze and couldn’t speak. Ana was my problem child, yes, but never in a trillion years did I want my child to be killed. It hurt like hell. The pain was indescribable; it was a pain I’d never experienced in my life. Even a beating from my ex-husband had nothing on what I felt at that moment. I literally wanted to die too. I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest.

  Jayden begged me to get up so we could go and identify her body. I couldn’t.

  “Please no, Jay. I can’t. I can’t.”

  “Baby, we have to,” he declared.

  I knew he was right, but I didn’t want to go. It took him an hour to finally convince me to go. In the car, I just sobbed during the entire ride. When we got to the morgue, a man greeted us and took us back to see her. He pulled back the sheet that covered my baby’s face and body. She was unrecognizable. Whoever had done this to her was evil and cruel. No amount of makeup would have made my child look normal again. The hole in her chest was small, but I knew that was where she had been shot. I touched her wound and her cold hand and sobbed. If it hadn’t been for her tattoos, the ones I had forbidden her to get, I would not have been able to recognize her.

  “It’s her,” I cried. “It’s my Ana.”

  The man quickly covered her back up and told me it was okay to come back the next day to discuss arrangements. I simply nodded, and Jayden walked me back to the car.

  That was the absolute worst day of my life. The only thing that allowed me to sleep that night was the Ambien from my medicine cabinet.

  The next morning, I woke up and broke down again after Jayden confirmed that it hadn’t been a dream. My Ana was gone.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Andrea

  I sat in the small courtroom and wondered what the decision was going to be. I didn’t want to show the judge that video clip, but I would if I had to, because I wasn’t going to be on appointment-only terms to see my kids. Jeremiah pursuing full custody was insane. He was only trying to get back at me, and after hearing the news that I was pregnant, he was sure he was going to walk away with my kids.

  I sat and listened to our attorneys handle the proceedings, and when the judge finally addressed me, I thought for sure that I’d have a chance to tell my side and that he’d understand that Jeremiah had driven me into the arms of another man. He’d have to see that I didn’t set out to be an adulteress and that I had just happened to get caught at a raw time in my life.

  “Yes, Your Honor, it’s true that I had a physical affair with Quentin Hughes,” I told the judge. “He and I were friends, and we reconnected. The more I had issues with Mr. Young, the closer I got to Mr. Hughes. I never intended to have an affair. I didn’t want things to go this way. I know right from wrong, and I am sorry for my actions. However, I’m a good mother, Your Honor. My children deserve to have us both, and I just want to work it out with Jeremiah so we both have equal rights when it comes to t
hem.”

  The judge nodded. “As much as I would like to have sympathy for you, Mrs. Young, as a man of God and an upholder of the law, I don’t think you’d be a better fit for your children at this time. I will grant the petition for divorce, and I will give sole custody of Lena Young and Jeremiah Young Jr. to their father.” He continued to ramble on, but all I heard was custody was going to be given to Jeremiah.

  “Your Honor, please, I know what I did was horrible, but Jeremiah knows our marriage was over long before Quentin. Jeremiah, please don’t do this. Don’t let him take my kids away. This isn’t fair. Jeremiah, please, don’t do this,” I cried.

  The judge banged his gavel and ordered my attorney to quiet me. I couldn’t believe the judge had taken my kids.

  “I have proof that Jeremiah has secrets too,” I blurted. It was time for me to expose him.

  “Well, you need to go to family court with that. As of now, this session is adjourned. Good day,” the judge said and stood.

  I couldn’t even show him the video, because he had shut me down. I stood and marched over to Jeremiah. I slapped his face so hard that his deacons rushed over and pulled me back. I wanted to spit nails.

  “You will rot in hell!” I yelled as the deacons dragged me out of the courtroom. “Your secrets won’t stay buried forever,” I shouted, trying to break free. “You’re a fraud, Jeremiah, and God is going to punish you,” was the last thing I could get out.

  As I was being dragged out of the courtroom, Quentin saw one of Jeremiah’s men rough handling me, and he rushed over. He had come to court with me, but we had decided it was best if he didn’t come into the courtroom.

  “Man, you better take your hands off of my fiancée,” he yelled. The deacon released me. “What the hell is wrong with you, man? She is pregnant.” Quentin shoved him in the chest, ready to fight.

  Jeremiah’s flunky just looked at him, straightened his jacket, and went back inside.

  “Baby, are you okay?” Quentin asked me. “What was that about?”

  “That bastard got custody of my kids. The judge gave that motherfucker full custody of my kids,” I cried. I was now sobbing. “I can’t see them unless he allows me to visit. He gave him my babies.”

  Quentin wrapped his arms around me to comfort me. “Shhh, Drea. Don’t cry, baby. It’s not over. We can fight him.”

  “To lose again? Jeremiah has all these crooked-ass judges in his pocket. They love that faggot-ass bitch. I can’t fight him, Q.”

  “You can, and we will. Come on. Let’s go. You need to calm down and rest. We still have a baby in here”—he touched my stomach—“that you have to take care of. You can’t let this stress you, honey.” He pulled me by my hand. “Come on. Let me get you home.”

  This was the ultimate side effect of Jeremiah. It was time to get his ass back.

  And I knew just how to do it.

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Samantha

  The alarming sounds of a little crying voice jolted me out of my sleep. It was the first sleepover for little Charlie, and she wasn’t doing too well. I hit Charles a few times so that he would get up and get her, but he acted as if he was in a coma.

  I nudged him. “Charles, the baby.”

  “I got up last time.”

  He was right, but she was his kid. Tired from a twelve-hour shift at the restaurant, I pulled my body out of the bed and headed over to her crib. I yawned and looked down at her as she kicked her chubby little legs and her arms fought the air. She was actually crying for real this time. There were tears, something she didn’t always have when she fussed.

  “Okay, okay, Charlie.” I lifted her from her crib, laid her head on my shoulder, and patted her back. “Oh my, sweetie. You are soaking wet.” Her bottom felt like a drenched sponge.

  I took her over to her changing table and strapped her down. I didn’t have a lot of experience with babies, but somehow, what to do came to me. I unbuttoned the bottom of her sleeper and pulled her legs out. I got a new diaper, her wipes, and baby powder. While I changed her, her cries ceased, and she began to babble to me. I didn’t know this little girl, so I didn’t know what to say to her. She wasn’t mine, so there was no bond, but after her diaper change, she was all smiles.

  “Is that better, little lady?” I said, taking her back to her crib. “I wouldn’t want to sleep in wet drawers, either.” I went to put her back down, but she started to cry. “Okay, okay. We can stay up a little while longer, but it’s after midnight, darling, and we girls need our beauty sleep.”

  She laughed. She was such a beautiful baby. She looked so much like my husband.

  “Your dad did well.” I smiled.

  I became a little jealous as I spent the next two hours awake with her. I wanted to have a baby of my own. Charlie was a sweet baby, but she wasn’t mine.

  The very next morning, I cornered Charles. Charlie was still sleeping, so after I handed him his coffee, I said, “I want to have a baby.”

  He swallowed and said, “I know, babe. We said next year.”

  “I’ve changed my mind. I want to get pregnant now.”

  He rubbed his head and face. “What? What brought this on?”

  “Charlie. Last night, when you pretended not to hear her cries, I got up and took care of her. She’s a beautiful baby, Charles, and I know we will spend time with her, but I’m not her mother. She has a mother. I want a baby. I want us to have our own baby.”

  He laughed. “You’re serious right now? Listen to yourself, baby. Charlie is only six months. We should wait at least until she turns one.”

  “Why?” I asked, a little aggravated. We were financially sound, so why did I have to wait?

  “Because I don’t think you’re ready to become a mom. I mean, just before we learned of Charlie, you were dead set on waiting. You said you wanted us to spend a year having fun and traveling a bit and doing all these fun newlywed things. And now you want to get pregnant?”

  “Yes. I’ve changed my mind, Charles. I mean, this is our second time around, and I’ve spent plenty of alone time with you, so I want to have a baby. Why is there a debate?”

  He held up his hands. “Baby, there’s not. I just think this change of heart has something to do with you being a bit jealous.”

  He knew me so well. He was right, but I did want children. I just wanted to move up the timeline.

  “That’s not the point, Charles. The point is you’re my husband, and if you can have a baby with some other woman, you could just as easily have a baby with me.”

  He hopped off his stool, came around to me, and pulled me into his arms. “Sam, baby, I am more than willing to give you as many babies as you want. We can start baby making right now, but I want you to be sure this is what you want. We don’t have to rush.”

  “It’s what I want,” I said.

  “Well, that’s what we’ll do.” He lifted me onto the counter and moved in closer to me, his dick pressed against me. We kissed, and soon he was ravishing my nipples. My center responded to the pleasure he was giving my breasts. We hadn’t made love without a condom since we’d been back together, and when I felt his bare flesh enter my tunnel, I thought I’d come instantly. His dick was always good, but flesh to flesh made it feel like we were husband and wife.

  He pressed his body closer to mine, and the sounds he made let me know that he enjoyed feeling my flesh without the plastic wrapper around his manhood.

  “Baby, you feel so good,” he whispered.

  He moaned and then lifted me from the counter. He carried me over to the sofa, laid me down, and went down on his knees. He pulled my ass over the edge of the sofa, and when he slid back in, he fucked me hard and fast. We both moaned in pleasure, and as soon as he grabbed my breasts and leaned in to suck my rock-hard nipples, he exploded.

  He made faces that I’d never seen before, and his body jerked harder than ever. Afterward, he rested on top of me, panting and breathing hard.

  “Sam, baby, you felt so good. I missed fee
ling your flesh, baby. It felt so, so good.” He kissed the side of my face. He slowly pulled out, and I could see our juices glistening on his dick. “I love you,” he breathed.

  “I love you too,” I said, out of breath. He was right. Just feeling him release inside of me made me feel as if we had just consummated our union. He stood and reached for me to help me up, and then we heard Charlie crying.

  “Oh, boy. She’s awake,” he said, pulling up his pajama pants from around his ankles.

  “Yep, and it’s your turn, because I’m going to shower.”

  “Okay, but before you go, can you please show me how to mix her formula one more time?”

  “Of course.” I headed to the kitchen, and he headed to get Charlie. It took him a minute to come back, so I figured he was putting a fresh diaper on her. By the time he got back, I had four bottles on the counter, the measuring cup, and her powered formula. Before I went to shower, I gave him the directions one more time and handed him a ready bottle to give to her.

  When I finished showering, I kept an eye on her while he showered. Our routine would definitely be different when she was over at the house, but it was a welcome change, because we enjoyed her. I just hoped I’d be blessed with the good news of being pregnant.

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Josephina

  I sat on the front pew, with Jayden on one side and Angelica on the other. Jayden had his arm wrapped around my shoulder, and Angelica held my hand tight. José came in, escorted by two uniformed officers, and took a seat. The service was nice. I hadn’t realized so many people would come. There were members from both my and José’s sides of the family. News traveled fast.

  After the service, we went to the cemetery. During the burial, the officers let José put a white rose on Ana’s coffin before they lowered her into the ground. I wondered who was footing that bill, because I wasn’t going to. I knew José had wanted to be at Ana’s service. He had told me so when I delivered the news to him of her death, but when he had started talking about the cost, I had cut him off. I wasn’t strapped, because I had a small policy on Ana, but I wasn’t going to give any of that money to help him do a damn thing.