Dare Me (A MFM Ménage Romance)

by Vivian Ward

  “Sorry,” I softly placed him back in her arms. I didn’t want to give him back or put him down. This baby is mine.

  Darnell and I left the nursery, stripping off our gowns and hairnets as we walked back to the waiting room. “You have one hell of a cute baby, bro. You did good.”

  “I don’t know if I did anything, but thank you. I appreciate—” my phone started ringing. Standing up, I slid it out of my pocket and looked at the screen. It was Logan, my attorney.

  “Hello.”

  “Blake? I was able to get the docket shifted around, so I’m heading to New Bedford. It’ll be a little over an hour and a half before I can make it up there, but I am coming.”

  “Thanks, I’ll see you then.”

  “Was that your family?” Darnell asked as I hung up the phone.

  “No, my lawyer. He’s on his way up here.”

  As we were making small talk, one of the nurses came to the waiting room.

  “Mr. Adams? Tasha’s been moved to a regular room if you’d like to see her.”

  “What’s the room number?” Honestly, I don’t know if I want to see or talk to her right now. Maybe I should wait until Logan gets here.

  “Room 417.”

  After she had walked out, I slumped in the chair, debating what I should do. I want to run in there and ask her what kind of stunt she pulled but at the same time, I don’t think that will help the situation. I didn’t realize I’d been chewing my fingernails as I thought until Darnell interrupted my train of thought.

  “Bro, if you’re hungry, the cafeteria’s downstairs,” he teased. “What are you thinking about?”

  “Part of me wants to see her and make sure she’s doing okay, but the other part of me wants to go in there and ask her what the hell she did. I don’t know if I should wait for my lawyer to get here first or not.”

  “All you white dudes are always so practical and legal. Just be a human being dude, go in there and talk to her. What’s the worst that could happen?”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of. I don’t want to go in there and start yelling at her and have hospital security throw me out.”

  “Then don’t yell. Go in there and talk to her.”

  He’s right. I know he’s right, but I don’t know if I can do it.

  “Bro, get in there! That woman gave birth to a baby that you’re going to take from her either way. The least you can do is be a good man about it.”

  Damn, he’s got me.

  “I’ll do it.” I rose from my chair, straightened my clothes and took a deep breath. “Wish me luck.”

  “Good luck man.”

  Everything moved in slow motion as I walked down the hallway to room 417. Staring at the room numbers, I knew her room was only two doors away.

  Before entering, I braced myself and reminded myself that I need to stay calm. Getting into a screaming match wouldn’t be good for either one of us, especially me.

  Security would make me leave and then the only way I’d be able to communicate with her or see my son would be through the attorney. Taking a deep breath, I started to walk in but couldn’t.

  Come on, Blake. Be a man and do the right thing. Listen to what that guy said.

  My hand reached for the door and touched it. It felt cold. The sweat from my palms left an impression on the door as I slid my hand down the cool metal as it swung open.

  “Can I come in?” I whispered before completely walking in, not wanting to wake her if she were sleeping.

  “Blake? Is that you?”

  “Yeah, it’s me.”

  “Come in.”

  She was sitting up on the bed with a pitcher of water on the table next to her bed. It reminded me that I should have probably brought her flowers.

  Isn’t that what guys are supposed to do for a woman after she gives birth? Bring her flowers? What an asshole I am.

  Her blank facial expression gave nothing away. Her hair was piled up on top of her head in a messy ponytail, her eyes bloodshot and droopy.

  “We need to talk,” I used the sternest voice I had. “If you don’t feel up to it right now, I’ll understand, but it’s going to happen. I have some questions, and I think you owe me some answers.”

  “It’s about the baby; I know it is.”

  “You’re damn right it’s about the baby. Tasha, what kind of shit are you trying to pull? If you wanted to get knocked up and have a baby of your own, why go through the surrogate agency? Were you just looking for someone to pay your medical bills?”

  My voice grew louder with each question. I had to remind myself to keep it down.

  “What? Oh no you didn’t! Blake! Why in the hell would I do such a thing? I can’t even believe that—”

  “What? I’d accuse you of doing something so shady? I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you. Wait until the surrogate agency finds out what you did! And just so you know, my lawyer’s on his way here right now. That baby is mine! Mine, Tasha! Do you know what that means? It means you signed a legal contract, and I can take that baby, and I will!”

  “I didn’t do a damned thing wrong! I’m well aware that I signed a contract, and if you think I’m so sketchy, then why’d you agree to use me? Use my body? Huh? I didn’t do shit!”

  One of the nurses popped her head into the room. “Is everything okay in here?”

  “Fine!” we both yelled simultaneously.

  Once the nurse was gone, we went back to our discussion.

  “You better start talking fast, Tasha. I’m going to take that baby, and once I do, you’re going to have to fight me in court to regain custody of that baby.”

  “First of all, I don’t know where the fuck you get off accusing me of shit! Throughout this whole pregnancy, we’ve bumped heads, but I’ve always held up my end of the deal. Always! And dealing with you isn’t easy, Blake Adams! You’re a pain in the ass! If it weren’t for the money, I would’ve never agreed to do this, especially not with you!”

  “See, this is what I’m talking about. You’ve always been in it for the money! When my attorney gets to the bottom of this, you’re going to pay me back for every damn hospital, medical and lab bill that I ever footed for this pregnancy. And you’re going to reimburse me for the fees I paid to the agency, and the fees it will cost me to have another embryo made with my wife’s eggs!”

  “You just keep talking shit. Go on. You’ll see when you look like a damn fool!”

  “Mmhmm, you keep denying it Tasha. You’re getting really good at it. You think because you live on the south end in New Bedford, and since I’m from Freetown, you can bleed me dry. It is not going to work!”

  “What the fuck ever. You need to get over yourself and get the hell out of my room! Don’t you dare come back until your attorney gets here.”

  She pushed the call light on her bed.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m having them remove your ass from my room. I need my rest.”

  The nurse came back in the room. “Yes? Did you need something?”

  “Yeah, Kathryn, show Mr. Adams his way out of my room, please.”

  The nurse glared at me as though I was the vilest person on the planet. Her hand was firmly planted on the doorknob as she tapped her foot, waiting to escort me out of the room.

  “This isn’t over,” I said to Tasha as I walked past the nurse.

  Damn it!

  I told myself not to lose my cool in there, and that’s exactly what I did. It was hard to keep myself from doing it, though. She seemed so nonchalant about everything like it was no big deal, but it’s a huge deal to me.

  This was supposed to be mine and my wife’s baby, and I paid damn good money to ensure this pregnancy went off without a hitch. True, the early birth isn’t her fault, but she could have at least kept her legs closed while she was preparing her body for the implantation of the embryo.

  Darnell was sleeping in the waiting room by the time I came back in. Stewing over the day’s events, I glanced up at the clock on the wall. I
t had been almost an hour since I talked to Logan. I can’t wait for him to get here so we can start sorting all of this out.

  Right now, I don’t have a clue as to what’s going on or how things will proceed, and it’s driving me nuts! I wish I would have done things differently and waited for another surrogate. It was dumb of me to trust the sweet face behind the counter at the surrogate agency.

  She’s the one who told me that I could wait for another surrogate, but it might be a year or two before I’d have my baby. I can still hear the words echoing in my mind as she said, “It’s not like we have women beating down the door to get pregnant and have someone else’s baby.” Those words terrified me.

  I didn’t want to wait that long to have the baby that Debbie and I were supposed to have over three years ago before she died. Shit. My sister! I told her last night that I’d keep her updated on the birth of Carter.

  Now I wish I wouldn’t have said that. Luckily she hasn’t called me because I don’t think I can even begin to explain to her that her nephew is black—not in the state of mind I’m in right now.

  Spotting Logan at the nurse’s station, I went out to greet him. “Logan, I’m over here.”

  “Blake, good to see you,” he shook my hand. “Let’s have a seat and discuss the issue at hand.”

  The waiting area wasn’t exactly private. Looking around, I asked the nurse, “Is there somewhere private where I can speak to my attorney?”

  “You can try the chapel on the first floor by the gift shop. It’s usually empty.”

  We took the elevator down to the first floor and sought out the chapel. It was empty, just as the nurse had said it might be. Sitting down, I spilled my guts about everything—including the heated conversation that I had with Tasha in her room before he’d gotten here.

  The frown on his face told me that I had done the wrong thing, but I couldn’t help it. He took out a legal pad from his briefcase as he jotted down notes while I told my story.

  “Well, Mr. Adams, looks like we’ve got some work to do. What room did you say she’s in again?”

  “Room 417.”

  “I’ll go up and talk to her—alone. I’m going to ask that you stay seated in the waiting area, so you don’t cause another scene. This is a very delicate situation that we’re dealing with.”

  “Don’t worry, I don’t want to see her for a very long time,” I said as we traveled over to the elevator.

  Tasha

  I can’t believe he had the audacity to come in my room causing a shit storm like that! If I weren’t all doped up on these pain meds, I would’ve gotten out of my bed and given it to him. Nobody talks to me like that.

  I know why he’s mad, but I didn’t do a damn thing wrong. I’m glad that he called his attorney. Someone needs to get here to set his ass straight. The way he came in here tripping on me was uncalled for. I gave him a precious son, and this is the thanks I get? That man’s crazy.

  “How are you doing?” Kathryn came in to check on me after she escorted Mr. Jackass back to the waiting room.

  “I’m so sore. My incision is burning, and my stomach hurts. Can I have more pain medicine?”

  She studied my chart.

  “No, you can’t have any more until 3 PM. Would you like some water or ice chips?”

  Ice chips?

  I’d forgotten that the last time I ate was last night. My stomach rumbling was probably from hunger! “Actually, can I have something to eat? Maybe that’s my problem.”

  “No, no solid food for at least 24 hours.”

  “You’re kidding me, right? I’m so hungry.”

  “Sorry. I can get you some broth and maybe some jello. If you can hold those down, the doctor might let you have real food tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, bring me some of that. At this point, I’ll take what I can get.”

  Kathryn disappeared to get my make-believe food.

  Broth and jello. What a joke!

  As I waited for her to come back, I drifted in and out of sleep. By the time she made it back with the tray of food, I wasn’t hungry anymore. Flipping through the channels, I heard a knock at the door.

  This better not be him again.

  “Tasha?” I don’t recognize the voice, but it sounds vaguely familiar.

  “Come in.”

  As soon as he came in, I recognized him. It was Blake’s attorney. He was present when we did the legal papers at the surrogate agency.

  When I first saw him, I was intimidated and wondered if I should have had my own attorney to represent me. There was no way I could afford it, though, so I had to rely on the surrogate agency to help me ensure everything was legal.

  “Ms. Williams,” he held out his hand to shake mine. I declined.

  “How can I help you?” I’m no fool. It was evident that Blake called him, and he was here because of the color of the baby.

  “My client has told me that you gave birth this morning. Congratulations.” He faked a warm smile that quickly faded as fast as it was put on. It was the most insincere smile I’ve ever seen. “But we do have an issue. Blake told me that the little boy is black. Is that correct?”

  “Yep, he’s black, but I already told Blake, it’s not my fault.” There was another knock at the door. “Come in.”

  Oh, thank God! It’s my doctor.

  “Hi, Dr. Jackson.”

  “How are you feeling Tasha?”

  “Like I just had a baby.”

  “The nurse said you were hungry and wanted to eat. She brought you a tray, did you eat it?”

  “You mean drink it?” I glanced at the tray on my table. “No, I didn’t. By the time it got here, I didn’t want it anymore.”

  “Okay, that’s not a problem.” He looked at the attorney. “Mind if I check her incision and do her vitals?”

  “Oh, yes. Excuse me. I’ll be right out in the hall.”

  Once the attorney was out of sight and I had a minute alone with my doctor, I started talking to him. “Dr. Jackson, why was the baby born black?

  That guy—the one whose baby I was carrying—he thinks that it’s my baby and that I did this on purpose somehow. What happened? I swear I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “You didn’t have sexual intercourse with anyone around or during the time you were on the hormones that prepared your body for pregnancy? Those drugs will definitely make you more fertile.”

  His forehead wrinkled as his eyes narrowed. He was obviously as baffled as the rest of us.

  “No! Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

  “When was the last time you were sexually active?”

  “Oh gosh, um…” think back Tasha. Think. It’s been so long! “Probably June of 2014?”

  “Over a year ago?”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it was June of last year. It might have been July.”

  “So there’s no way that this baby is yours?”

  Apparently the damn doctor thought I was a liar too.

  “No, there is NO WAY this baby is mine. I would’ve had to have sex to get pregnant, and I haven’t had any!”

  The doctor studied me for a moment before rubbing his forehead. “I don’t know, Ms. Williams. I’ll have to do some thinking on this matter. Lean forward so I can listen to your lungs, please.”

  The cold stethoscope touched my back as he listened to me breathe.

  “Good. Now lean back and let me take a peek at your incision.” Annoyed that he didn’t seem to believe me, I huffed as I laid back on the bed and pulled my gown up for him. “Everything looks good at this point.” He turned to walk out but stopped before he made it to the door. “Ms. Williams? When you were preparing for the implantation of the embryo, you took all the necessary hormones, correct? Did you ever miss any doses or have any side effects?”

  “I took ‘em all like I was supposed to. The only problem that I had with them was nausea.”

  “I’m going to study up on other gestational pregnancies and see what I can figure out. And you’re sure that the
last time you had intercourse was over a year ago?”

  “Yes!” I snapped.

  “I’ll let your nurse know that I’m finished in here. If you can stomach the liquid diet today, I’ll approve you for solids tomorrow.”

  As soon as he left the room, the attorney came right back in.

  “Everything going well?” he asked.

  Like he cares.

  “Yeah, everything is good.”

  “Great. Now where were we? Oh, that’s right. The baby is black. My client, Mr. Adams, is obviously upset by this. Can you offer me any explanation as to why this happened? Perhaps you had—”

  “As I was just telling my doctor, I haven’t slept with anyone in over a year. I don’t know how the baby came out black! I wish you all would believe me. I promise you, I’m telling the truth.”

  “Mmm, but see, there’s a problem with that statement. Even if you claim you haven’t had any sexual partners over a year, there’s still the issue at hand that the baby is not white. How would you explain this? If it were your baby? Say a white woman was carrying a child that you couldn’t carry. What would you presume happened?”

  “I know what it looks like, but you’ve got to believe me. I know who I’ve had sex with and when it happened. The last person I dated was this guy named J.J. but I didn’t even sleep with him!”

  “And how long ago was that?”

  “Earlier this year, but like I said, I didn’t have sex with him. Not even a hand job. Nothing.”

  “You said you spoke to your doctor about this. What did he say? Did he offer any reasonable explanation?”

  “No. He said that he was going to study up on it, research other cases like mine and get back to me.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Williams. I think I’d like to speak with your physician, but before I do, would you mind signing this?”

  He whipped out a piece of paper and a pen. Looking at the document, I couldn’t tell exactly what it was.

  “What is this?”

  “It’s a release authorization for my client and me to look over your medical records. I’ll need this before the doctor shares any information.”