by Cheryl Faye
She wasn’t. By the time she was, she felt like all of her energy was sapped. Stefàn helped her wash her face and brush her teeth, then he carried her back to bed.
Jared came barreling into the room just then, but Stefàn called out, “Watch your step, J. Mommy had an accident.”
Stopping in his tracks, Jared moaned, “Yuk. Mommy threw up!”
“Yes, we know. Go on back to your room while I clean this up.”
“Pew, it stinks!”
“Go to your room,” Stefàn warned.
“I’m sorry, Stefàn. I don’t know what’s the matter with me.”
“It’s okay, honey. Lay there for a minute until you feel better.” As he went about cleaning up the mess, he asked, “Do you think maybe you should stay home today?”
“I don’t know.”
Suddenly, it dawned on him. “Risi, did you get your period this month?”
“I have to check my calendar, but I think it’s due any day now.”
Taking the last of the soiled paper towels he’d used to clean up Charisse’s regurgitation into the bathroom, he came back into the room and sat beside her on the bed.
“I have to tell you something that’s been on my mind since Granny Nan died. That night in the hospital she said something to me that I thought was really strange.”
“What?”
“You didn’t hear her?”
“No. What did she say?”
“She told me to take care of you, then she told me to take care of those babies.”
“Take care of those babies?”
“Yeah.”
“What babies?” Charisse asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve been trying to figure that out. I think if she was talking about Jared, she would have said so, but then she wouldn’t have said, ‘babies,’ plural.”
They stared at one another for a long moment in silence, each pondering Stefàn’s words. Finally, he asked, “Is there any chance that you might be pregnant?”
A chill ran down her spine and a sudden nervousness filled her. Could it be? In a barely audible voice she murmured, “I don’t know.”
“You said you were feeling dizzy, right? And nauseous. Well—” He shrugged. “This sounds like morning sickness.”
Charisse looked over at him but couldn’t find the words to comment.
“How do you feel? Do you still feel dizzy?”
“No.”
“What about your stomach? You still nauseous?”
She shook her head.
“Why would Granny Nan say that?” he suddenly questioned.
“I don’t know. I—”
“I’ve heard it said that people, just before they die, sometimes have premonitions. Maybe she saw something,” he pondered. Then, as if certain and broaching no argument, he said, “You have to take a pregnancy test. Call Dr. Chase.”
“Stefàn, I don’t want to call him and he tells us it’s a false alarm. I couldn’t bear it. Not now.”
“Don’t you want to know?” he asked.
“Only if it’s positive,” she honestly replied.
Jared entered the room then. “Can I come in now?”
They both turned to him, as if they were surprised to see him standing there.
Stefàn recovered and said to Charisse, “Relax, baby.” He glanced back over at Jared, “Come on, guy. Let’s get you some breakfast and get you off to school.”
“Can I have a piggyback ride, Dad?”
“A piggyback ride?”
“Yeah.” Jared smiled up at him.
“You’re too big for a piggyback ride.”
“Unh-unh. Pleeeasse?”
“Okay, okay, stop begging.” Stefàn turned his back and squatted. “Climb on up.”
As Jared attempted to do so, Stefàn grabbed him around the waist and turned him upside down. A gleeful scream issued from Jared’s mouth, followed by uncontrollable giggles as Stefàn tromped out of the room with him.
“Be careful with him, Stefàn!” Charisse yelled behind them.
Twenty minutes later, Stefàn returned to their bedroom. “I’m just going to run him to school and come right back. You rest until then.”
“I need to start getting ready for work,” she said.
“No, we’re going to take a day off today. Both of us.” He snatched his keys and cell phone out of the box in his armoire. Stepping over to the bed, he leaned over and kissed her quickly on the mouth. “I’ll be right back.”
When Stefàn returned thirty minutes later, Charisse was stepping out of the shower.
“Hi, what took you so long?” she asked as he entered the bathroom to find her wrapped in a towel.
“I stopped at the pharmacy and bought you a pregnancy test.”
With that revelation, her heart began to race.
Stefàn noticed the agonizing look she tried to hide and moved to embrace her. “Honey,” he gently urged, “wouldn’t it be better to find out now, than us losing our hair worrying or wondering?”
“I’m not worried.”
“Risi—”
“What if it’s negative?” she asked with tears brimming in her eyes.
“Then we keep trying,” he reasoned.
She closed her eyes and buried her head in his chest. “I don’t want to be disappointed.”
“Honey, this is really the first time it’s ever seemed like a possibility, right?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Don’t you see? I have a feeling. Granny Nan saw something. God whispered something in her ear before He took her, baby, and she whispered it in mine. I was flaking before and I had my doubts that we’d ever even be having this conversation, but, Risi, I believe God is going to do this for us. I believe He wants to give us—give you—what you’ve prayed for. You’ve been so faithful to Him, even when I wasn’t. You’ve rejoiced over the way he’s blessed Shelly and Myra… You’ve given so much love to Jared.” His own eyes began to water as he thought about how strong she’d been when he should have been. “You kept it all together when I literally fell apart. I believe this is our time.”
Charisse looked up into his eyes through her tear-filled ones. “I’m scared.”
“Don’t be, sweetie. I’m here and we’re going to make it through this together, like we have been, no matter what the outcome. I believe you are blessed and highly favored of the Lord. He won’t let you down.”
Her hold on him tightened. “I love you, Stefàn.
He placed a tender kiss on her lips, adding, “I love you, too, sweetie.”
“I did tell Myra I was expecting my own miracle.”
“And what did Pastor say? He said we should pray with expectation and not be surprised when God shows up and shows out.”
“Okay, give me the test.”
After reading the instructions and following them to the letter, Charisse and Stefàn returned to their bedroom to wait. Although the results would be revealed in sixty seconds, they took that time and prayed silently together.
More than a minute had passed when Stefàn said, “We should check now.”
“You do it.”
He leaned over and gave her a lingering kiss of assurance before rising and moving to the bathroom. It seemed to Charisse like forever before he returned. The look on his face was unreadable.
“What is it?” she anxiously asked as he steadily moved closer to her.
A tear fell from his eye as he knelt before her and showed her the display on the meter. “We’re pregnant.”
CHAPTER 25
START SPREADING THE NEWS
Needless to say, the Cooper and Ellison clans were thrilled about the news of the impending birth of Charisse and Stefàn’s first biological child. Barbara and Damaris began planning the baby shower almost immediately, regardless that it would not take place for another seven months, at least.
Myra was overjoyed for Charisse, not only because she would finally have her heart’s desire with the birth of Stefàn’s child, but because their children wou
ld actually grow up together.
After a thorough examination by Dr. Chase’s partner in practice, Dr. Judith Talbot, who would oversee Charisse’s obstetrical care, it was determined that her due date was approximately September 20th.
Stefàn was euphoric and couldn’t sing God’s praises enough upon learning that He had proven the doctors wrong. “Ain’t nothing too hard for my God,” became his catch phrase. And despite how happy she was that she would finally come to know personally what it was to carry a child to term and bring it into the world, Charisse was happier that Stefàn’s confidence in himself through God had been restored.
Their only disappointment had been when they first told Jared. His reaction had been totally unexpected.
The rest of the day after they found out had been purely perfect. It seemed as if they had cried tears of joy for the rest of the morning. Between shared kisses, whispered promises, passionate coupling and prayers of thanksgiving, the couple reveled in their oneness like never before. They were excited about sharing the news with Jared. As Charisse had mentioned just days before, she thought he would be a wonderful big brother. His easy demeanor and naturally loving spirit made him the ideal nurturing type of older sibling.
They picked him up from school together. Jared was surprised to see them. Normally, he went to an after-school program at the church and was picked up by one of the program’s counselors.
“Hi, Mommy and Daddy. What are you doing here?” he happily questioned as he ran to them.
“Hi, baby,” Charisse replied as she hugged him. “We took the day off from work today.”
“Are you still feeling sick?” he asked, remembering her earlier excitement.
“No, thank goodness. I feel much better.”
“Hi, Daddy.” He then turned to Stefàn and embraced him.
“Hey, dude. How was school today?”
“It was good. I got a hundred on my spelling test.”
“Excellent,” Stefàn cheered.
“That’s wonderful, Jared.”
“Thanks, Mom. Miss Abelman put my paper up on the bulletin board with a gold star again.”
“Very nice,” she said.
“It’s the fifth one this year!”
“Way to go, champ. I’m proud of you,” Stefàn told him.
“Thanks, Dad. Can we go to Pizza Hut for dinner tonight?”
As he held the car door open for Jared to climb into the backseat, Stefàn looked over at Charisse and said, “Well, you know what? This is a special day so we should celebrate. Sure, let’s go to Pizza Hut. How much homework do you have?”
“Just two things. My math and vocabulary words. I have to write sentences for every word.”
“All right, we’ll go home and you can knock that out. Then we’ll go to Pizza Hut, okay?”
“Okay.”
Once seated behind the wheel, he turned back to Jared and said, “Mommy and I have some news to tell you, anyway.”
“What?”
“You ever think about what it’d be like to have a little brother or sister?” Stefàn asked.
“No.”
He looked over at Charisse and smiled. “Don’t you think it would be cool, though, to be a big brother?”
“Yeah, probably, but where would they sleep? In my room?”
Charisse and Stefàn laughed out loud at that query. “No, you’d have your own room and he or she would have their own room.”
“Okay.”
“Jared, aren’t you curious as to why we’re asking you this?”
“Are you going to get another kid so I have somebody to play with?”
“Well, sort of. Mommy’s going to have a baby.”
Jared turned his focus to Charisse. “A real baby?”
“Yes, sweetheart. A real baby. That’s why I was sick this morning. Sometimes when women first get pregnant, they get an upset stomach and that’s what happened to me.”
“Oh,” he remarked with downcast eyes.
A puzzled looked passed between Charisse and Stefàn. “What do you think about that?” Stefàn asked.
Jared shrugged. “I dunno.” He then began fidgeting with his knapsack, and purposely looked everywhere but at Charisse or Stefàn.
Charisse was heartbroken. She thought he would be happy that their little family would be growing. Uncertain of whether it was due to a heightened sensitivity caused by her condition or somehing else, her eyes began to water so she faced forward so he wouldn’t see. Stefàn did, however, and reached over and took her hand. He mouthed, “It’s all right.”
When they arrived at the house, Jared headed straight for the stairs, taking them at a run.
“Where you rushing off to?” Stefàn called behind him.
“Gotta do my homework,” he answered without slowing his pace.
“He doesn’t seem very happy about it,” Charisse said.
“Maybe he’s in shock. I’m really surprised by his reaction, too. Let’s give him some time. I’ll go talk to him; see what’s on his mind.”
“I want him to be happy, too.”
“I know, honey, but don’t you go worrying yourself, okay? He’ll come around.” Stefàn wrapped her in a warm embrace, and kissed her tenderly on her forehead.
Stefàn waited about twenty minutes before he went to Jared’s room to try and find out what was on his mind.
His bedroom door was closed, which was unusual, so he tapped three times before opening it. “Hey, buddy. How’s it going?”
“Okay.” Jared was stretched out on his bed and instead of doing his homework, he was aimlessly playing with a pencil.
“How come you’re not doing your homework? We’re not going to Pizza Hut until you’re finished.”
“I don’t wanna go.”
“Why not?”
He just shrugged.
“You still have to do your homework.”
“I will.”
“What’s the matter?” Stefàn asked.
“Nothing.”
“Jared, look at me.”
Jared had yet to make eye contact with Stefàn.
“Jared.”
When the boy turned to meet Stefàn’s gaze, there were tears pooling in his eyes.
Seeing this, Stefàn sat on the bed beside him and reached out to touch him. “What’s wrong, J?”
“I thought you and Mommy liked me.”
“What? What d’you mean? We love you.”
“But if Mommy’s gonna have a baby, then you’re gonna send me away,” he cried.
“What? Jared.” Stefàn reached over and pulled him into his arms. The boy’s cries were heart wrenching. “Why would you think that? We’re not going to send you anywhere. You’re our son.”
“But I remember when this boy at school said that when his mother died and he went to live with somebody else, that they sent him away when they had a baby of their own. They told him that they couldn’t keep him anymore.”
Stefàn leaned away from him so he could look him squarely in the eye as he assured him, “Jared. I don’t know what happened with that boy, but that’s not going to happen with us. You are our son. Don’t you remember? I told you that once we adopted you, we would be your real parents. We’re not only part-time foster parents. You are our son, just as sure as the baby that Mommy has will be ours. The only difference is your natural mother gave birth to you. That’s all. That’s the only difference. We love you. We’re not sending you anywhere. We’re a family. This baby is going to be an addition to our family, not a replacement for you. Oh, son, don’t ever think, not for a minute or even a second that we don’t love you or that you’re not important to us. You’re our son. Our first son and you’ll always be that, okay?”
“For real?” His sobs had decreased to mere sniffles.
“Cross my heart. For real, for real.”
“I don’t want to live with nobody else, Daddy.”
“You won’t, not until you’re old enough to move out on your own and start your own family, and that�
��s a long time away.”
Charisse was at the door in the next second. “Can I come in?”
Turning slightly, Stefàn said, “Come on in, baby.”
“Jared, you okay?”
He’d been leaning against Stefàn so he sat up and nodded that he was.
“What’s the matter?” she asked when she noticed that he’d been crying.
“I thought you were going to send me away now that you’re having a baby.”
She came and knelt on the floor in front of him and asked, “Why would we do that?”
“A kid at school was sent away when his foster parents had a baby.”
Charisse cupped his sweet face in her hands and kissed him on his forehead as she told him, “But you’re our son, just as if you were our own flesh and blood. Besides, we can’t have a baby without you. We’ll need you to help us teach him or her how to walk and talk and all kinds of big brother stuff.”
“For real?”
“Absolutely. You’ll be the only big brother our baby will have. And when I say our baby, I mean mine, Daddy’s and yours, too.”
A tentative smiled began to show. “It’s gonna be my baby, too?”
“It sure is,” added Stefàn.
“When’s it gonna come?” Jared asked.
“Not until September so we have plenty of time to get ready.”
“It’s gonna be in here?” he asked as he pointed to her belly.
“Yup. You’ll even get to feel it kick when it gets bigger.”
Jared reached for Charisse and wrapped his arms around her neck in a tight embrace. “I love you, Mommy.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart. Always and forever.”
CHAPTER 26
SEEING DOUBLE
Once Jared got it fully in his mind that he was not going to be replaced by the baby that Charisse was having, he became quite excited about the impending birth and becoming a big brother. Having always been an inquisitive young fellow, his questions now came nonstop. “Mommy, how did the baby get in there?” “Daddy, how did you put the baby in there?” “Mommy, how’s the baby gonna come out?” “Daddy, when the baby comes out, can I teach him how to do karate?”
Stefàn told Jared that with Charisse’s condition, she would have to be very careful what she did and that the two of them, being the men in the family, would have to take care of her and keep her safe. That being the case, whenever Jared was at home with Charisse, especially if Stefàn was not there, he followed her around, making sure she didn’t do anything to overexert herself. If he thought she was doing something too strenuous, like lifting a grocery bag—he was right there to help her. Charisse was tickled by his helpfulness sometimes. Other times she would tell him, “Jared, if you don’t sit down and leave me alone, I’m going to take away your Xbox.”