by Ancelli
He released her, staring in her red-rimmed eyes. “You don’t mean that. That’s your emotions speaking, like always.”
“I met someone else.” Maggie roamed over to the closet, and grabbed her black suitcase. “He can give me what you never could.”
Brandon was in shock, did she just admit to cheating on him?
“I’m leaving this marriage with exactly what I entered it with,” she grabbed her purse. “I wish you the best, Brandon. I’m sorry it had to end like this.”
“So hold up,” he cocked his head glaring at her. “What if you had been pregnant, then what? You were going to continue to fucking sneak behind my back?”
Maggie stared at him with tears in her eyes. Her tears didn’t mean anything to him at the moment. Everything he’d done for her, the sacrifices he’d made. He got out of the Army because she couldn’t handle being a military wife. The weeks alone, being away from her family and friends. Brandon ended his career because he loved her that much; he always put her first before his own needs.
“Answer me!” he shouted.
“I don’t know,” a tear rolled down her cheek. “I love Mike.”
“Mike,” he laughed. “The single father with the four kids you met months ago?” Brandon shook his head. “I was such a fool.”
“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” she moved toward the door.
“You didn’t mean to fuck someone else!” Brandon raised his voice. “How long has this been going on?”
“It doesn’t matter does it, I’m leaving.”
“Then fucking leave, and don’t come back.” Brandon watched as she walked out the bedroom, closing the door. He loved her, but he wouldn’t beg her to stay. He couldn’t believe she cheated on him, and while trying to get pregnant. Brandon clenched his jaw. This was what she did when he was at work busting his balls. He had to admit, his heart had just taken a beaten.
Chapter One
Five months later.
Kanielle caressed her protruding belly as the baby shifted. She smiled every time she felt her movements. “I love feeling you,” she whispered. She was placed on bed rest for a couple of days, and told not to return to work for the rest of her pregnancy. After she had some spotting, they examined her and didn’t find anything wrong, better safe than sorry her doctor said. She was overwhelmed with happiness; finally God answered her prayers. Her baby was growing healthy.
Her cell phone rang, bringing her out of her thoughts. She searched through her purse on the bed, and pulled out her phone. Kanielle glanced at the screen, and sighed, swiping her fingers to the left and answered.
“Yes, Robert.” She was so fed up with her husband. Ever since she was advised not to have sex two months ago, he’d been cold toward her, making her wonder what he was up to. He was out of town more than usual. Robert hadn’t been to her last three doctor appointments, asking his mother to join her, because something always came up and he couldn’t attend. Kanielle’s body had been through so much because they both wanted a baby, and now that it was almost here, he’d turned his back on her.
“Hey, the doctor from the fertility clinic left a message. He said he has something important to tell us.”
“What is it?” Kanielle twisted to the side of the bed, and placed her feet on the hardwood floor. She wasn’t prepared for the floor to be that cold, and lifted her feet back up, then lowered them again searching for her slippers.
“I don’t know,” he huffed. “I can’t make it.”
“What’s new?” Kanielle found her slippers, sliding her feet into them, and pushed herself off the mattress with her left hand. “When?”
“Three o’clock.” She could hear him talking to someone else, a woman in the background. “Sorry about that.”
Kanielle looked at her watch, she had an hour to make it. She pulled opened her top drawer, and began pulling out some clothes. She opted for Capri pants and a white button down shirt. “I’m going.”
“The hell you are.” He blurted out.
“Excuse me,” Kanielle responded.
“You’re supposed to be on bed rest.” She heard a woman’s voice calling Robert’s name in a seductive tone. “Sweetheart, hold on,” he must have covered the mouthpiece. Robert raised his voice talking to the person. “I’m on the phone, I told you to be quiet.”
Kanielle moved the phone from her ear, and looked at it in disbelief. Was this fool crazy?
“Kanielle, sorry about that.”
She swiped the phone off. Her cell started ringing again, she ignored it. He continued calling so she turned her phone off, and threw it in her purse. Kanielle started getting ready. She didn’t have time for the two-timing son of a bitch at the moment, but she wouldn’t take this laying down. From the beginning she told him one thing she wouldn’t tolerate was cheating. “Damn you, Robert…” she yelled into the room. “Maybe it’s not what I think, I might be overreacting.” She muttered as she picked up her purse, and headed out of her bedroom.
The house phone rang and Kanielle was going to ignore it, but decided not to. She waddled over to the kitchen counter, laid her purse down and retrieved the phone. “Hello.”
“Kanielle,” it was Robert’s grandmother’s soft voice.
“Hi, Nana,” Kanielle smiled. His grandmother was a sweet woman; she never had an ill word to say about anyone. Nana called her at least once a week, making sure everything was going good with her pregnancy, even though she was going through her own health issues. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine darling. I woke up this morning, that’s a blessing,” her voice was shaky. She was always thankful for the little things in life. Things other people took for granted. “How…” she coughed, “are you and my great grandbaby doing?”
Kanielle rubbed her belly. “We’re doing great. Four more months and she’ll be here.”
“She’ll continue our lineage, and with you as her mother, she will do amazing things.”
“That’s so sweet of you to say.” Kanielle didn’t like the way most of the Richardsons saw her baby as the only heir to their family, but when Nana said it, it was out of love. Nana wanted the best for the baby.
“It’s the truth. You made my grandson want more out of life. He was headed to destruction if he hadn’t met you,” she sneezed. “All he cared about was money and…” She was coughing uncontrollably.
Kanielle didn’t like it when anyone talked about Robert, but she was right, he’d always been about making money. Nana was the only one in the Richardson family that spoke the truth about the family, about Robert. What did she mean that he was headed to destruction?
“I have…” she coughed, “to go. Take care of yourself.”
“I will, bye Nana.” Kanielle placed the phone on the base. She genuinely loved Nana, the only Richardson member to lovingly open her arms to her. Kanielle wasn’t sure if it was because she wanted her family to continue to grow, but right about now she didn’t care. She grabbed her purse and headed to the front door. “Robert, you have some explaining to do, starting with that voice I heard in the background,” she talked to herself as she walked out the front door.
***
“I’m sorry to hear about you and Maggie,” Brandon’s best friend Shawn said over the phone. “I thought you two would last.” He and Shawn met while serving in the Army together. Brandon served in the Army for ten years, and then decided to put his family first. He’d worked as a Public Affairs Officer, and when he got out he chose to continue on the same career path.
“Me too, man,” Brandon looked out his office window, watching the cars drive by. “You’re kind of late though, we’ve been divorced for months.”
“I know. Weren’t you trying to have a baby five months ago?”
Brandon closed his eyes. “Yep, but Maggie had plans I wasn’t aware of.”
“What plans?”
“Another man.” He revealed sadly.
“What?” He could hear the surprise in his friend’s voice.
&nbs
p; “I was shocked too,” he placed his feet on his desk. “She needed someone that could give her something I couldn’t, those were her words.”
“Angela told you something was up with your wife,” Shawn said. “You only married her because you felt sorry for her, Brandon.”
“That’s not true, I loved Maggie.”
“You settled my friend. You were too good for her.”
“Don’t say that,” Brandon wished things would’ve ended differently.
“Did you talk to her, try to fix things?”
“Hell no, she wanted the divorce not me. I didn’t fight her on it, she didn’t want any of my money or shit.” He was still feeling anger at how everything went down.
“Damn, I’m sorry to hear that.” He heard the sympathy in his friend’s tone.
“I’m okay. How have you been?”
“Could be better, I just got home from a mission and Angela is already getting on my nerves.” Shawn was an Army Ranger. He would go out on missions, often not knowing how long he would be gone. “Other than that I’m happy to be home, you need to come over and see your godson, he is growing up fast.”
“You’re right. Last time I saw him for his birthday he looked like a different kid.” Brandon’s office phone lit up. “Hold on, I have a call.”
“Okay.”
“What’s up?” Brandon asked his secretary.
“You have Dr. Howard on line two,” Bianca’s bouncy voice came through his speaker.
“Pass him through.” Brandon wondered what this was about since he hadn’t heard from them since the pregnancy test fiasco months ago. A few days after Maggie walked out on him, he’d received a call from the clinic. Because Maggie went crazy when they told her the blood test was negative, she demanded they do another test, and when they did she broke down crying. Brandon felt bad for her and them, he decided not to go down to the clinic that day. Maggie was no longer his problem, her new man should’ve been there for her not him.
“Dr. Howard.”
“Mr. Stokes, can you and your wife please come to my office today at three o’clock?”
“What is it about?” Brandon grew worried, lowering his feet to the floor.
“Sir, I can’t discuss this matter over the phone. Can you make it?”
Brandon looked at his watch, he had less than an hour. “I’ll be there.”
“Please bring your wife.”
“My ex-wife,” Brandon corrected him.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Dr. Howard’s tone softened. “Do you think she can make it?”
“I’ll try, see you at three.” Brandon pushed the white button on the phone, and then the black one. “Shawn, I’ll have to call you back. For some reason I have to go back to the fertility clinic.”
“I thought that was done.”
“It is.”
“Hey, perhaps Maggie wants to try again, or they made some kind of mistake.”
“No way,” Brandon grabbed his keys. “They come highly recommended.”
“Everybody makes mistakes, they might still have some embryos left.”
“I doubt that, she only had three good eggs, and we used them all.” Brandon sighed, getting on his feet. “I hope she’s not trying to sue, anyways I have to call her. I’ll talk to you later, bye.” He hung up, and exited his office.
Brandon had to admit he was still hurt she left him for another man after everything he’d done and sacrificed for her. He didn’t want to call her. The last time he saw his ex-wife was at the divorce hearing where he had hoped she would change her mind. Maggie had the nerve to bring Mike with her, the man she had left him for.
He swallowed his pride, and on the way out the building he called Maggie.
“Hello, stranger,” she sang into the phone.
Stranger, she was the one that left him, and never looked back. “Maggie.” Brandon smirked to himself. If it wasn’t for the doctor calling, he wouldn’t have even thought of talking to her. She was happy with her new man, and he was sulking in the past. It was time to move on. I wonder what Rebecca is doing tonight? Rebecca was a sweet lady he met at the bank last week. It was the first time he’d flirted in a long time. She had given him her number, and he figured it was time to use it.
“How can I help you?”
“I don’t need your help,” he snapped. “Dr. Howard just called, he needs to see us in less than an hour,” he walked through the parking lot to his burgundy truck.
“About?”
“I don’t know,” Brandon needed to leave what happened in the past, and get this chapter over with. “Can you make it?”
“I guess,” he could hear children laughing in the background. “Can you pick me up?”
“No!” he pushed the fob with his thumb, and opened the door. “Tell your man to take you.” He swiped the cell off, and jumped in his truck. Brandon cranked it up to life, and pulled out of the garage.
***
Kanielle softly knocked on the doctor’s office door. There were so many things going through her mind trying to figure out what it could be that the doctor wanted to see her about.
“Come in.”
She placed her hand on the doorknob and turned, opening the door. Kanielle paused when she saw a white couple sitting in the chairs in front of the doctor’s desk. The woman looked at Kanielle’s stomach, and then up at her face with her eyebrows cocked, and the guy glanced over her way, and back at Greg. Greg was the doctor treating her at the clinic. He’d been with her since her first procedure, and they’d become friends through the two years of trying to conceive.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She went to back out. “I’ll come back when you’re done.”
“Kanielle,” Greg stood. “No please come in and have a seat.”
Kanielle stared at Greg, and then at the couple, closing the door behind her. Greg walked over to the side of his desk, and moved an extra chair her way. “Thanks,” she sat carefully with her purse in her lap.
“Dr. Howard, what’s this about, and why is she here?” The handsome blond guy asked. He looks familiar, but from where? Kanielle stared at the stranger. He needed a bigger size shirt, she noticed, as his biceps bulged around the sleeves of his dress shirt.
“Mr. and Mrs. Stokes, this is Mrs. Kanielle Richardson,” the doctor introduced them as he sat.
Brandon and Maggie stared at her, making her feel uncomfortable. At that moment the baby moved, making her rub her belly with her palm.
“Are you okay, Kanielle?” Greg asked, looking at her with concern. He knew her history with miscarriages, and was there each time she went to the ER. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m feeling better.” She smiled, lovingly caressing her belly. “The baby’s been moving a lot lately.”
“Where’s your husband?” Greg opened a blue folder on his desk.
“Robert’s out of town.” She was tired of always giving excuses for Robert. One would think he would do anything possible to be a part of the appointments. Deep down she knew he was up to no good; her sixth sense was on full alert. “On business.”
Brandon couldn’t take his eyes off her stomach.
“Greg, what’s going on, why did you ask to see me?” Kanielle was nervous, as she clutched her purse. Why were they there too?
Greg leaned on his desk and scanned the room, watching them. “There’s no easy way to say this,” he took a deep breath. “There seemed to have been a mix up at the lab on October 5th.”
Kanielle’s heart skipped a beat; that was the day of her IVF. “What mix up?”
“Your embryos.”
Kanielle gasped, having a hard time breathing. “Mix up!” she said between breaths.
Greg lowered his head. “Kanielle, you might be carrying the Stokes’ baby.”
“What?” Kanielle jumped out of her seat, knocking her purse to the floor.
Brandon and Maggie’s mouths formed an O. Both of them looked like they were in shock as they stared at her.
Greg stood, rushed t
oward her, and picked up her purse. “Kanielle, please listen to me.” He placed her purse on his desk. “It’s only a possibility. The technician came forward, and she thinks she mixed up your embryos. We won’t know for certain until the baby’s born.”
“She thinks…” she whispered.
“Yes, we don’t know for sure.”
“That’s my baby?” Maggie pointed at Kanielle’s stomach with a smirk on her face. Kanielle arched her eyebrows angrily.
“Mrs. Stokes, it’s a possibility,” Greg said sternly.
“You mean to tell me a black woman might be carrying our baby?” Brandon spoke up.
Kanielle shot him a dirty look. “Excuse me!”
“Sorry,” Brandon got on his feet. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.” He finally met her eyes.
Kanielle stared into his ocean blue eyes. It was the same man from the day she had her procedure. She needed to sit down because she was feeling light headed. Was she really carrying these people’s baby? She stepped back.
Brandon moved forward, grabbing her arms. “Mrs. Richardson, are you okay?” He tried to help her sit, but she refused.
“I didn’t sign up to be anyone’s surrogate.”
“You think we wanted this?” Brandon glared at her. “We’ve tried for years to get pregnant.”
“How could this happen?” Kanielle’s eyes filled with unshed tears. “I thought this was the best fertility clinic in the state, Greg. How could you let this happen? I trusted you.”
“Kanielle…” Greg touched her wrist, taking her pulse. “I don’t work in the lab, but that’s no excuse.”
“Can we find out before the baby is born?” Maggie asked. “Through amniocentesis.”
“No!” Kanielle voiced loudly. “It might hurt the baby, or cause me to miscarry.”
“Is that true?” Brandon asked Greg.
“Yes, if we do an amniocentesis, it can risk Kanielle having a miscarriage.”
“I will not do anything to harm my baby,” she caressed her belly.
“I’m sorry…” Greg mentioned again.
“You’re fucking sorry!” Brandon yelled. “You might’ve implanted our baby in someone else.”