I begin to laugh and I can’t stop. I know all eyes are on me. “Oh, Jackie, look at your husband, do you really think no one will notice? It only took me five minutes to notice his head is in his arse. How long do you think it will take Mum?”
Max gets up and begins cooking, avoiding our gawking. I know there is going to be no living with him from now until June, and I can only hope Jackie doesn’t kill him before that. One of the staff members comes in and lets us know that breakfast is already set up in the dining room. Max stops cooking. I don’t think we will every get used to having staff.
“Jackie, you grew up with staff around all the time, how did you deal with it?”
“Since I don’t cook, for me, it was easy. You need to sit them down and tell them what you would like them to handle and what you would rather do on your own. Would you like me to take care of it?”
“You’re the best, thank you.” I raise my coffee mug to her. Suddenly, I hear the clickety-clack of my mother’s heels, coming down the hall. “I hear mum, are you ready to face the music?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
I put my arm around her, “You’ll be fine, I will keep the family in check.”
“That’s great, Jax, but who will keep you in check?”
We head into the dinning room, trying to act nonchalant. Everyone is busy eating and chatting. We just, kind of, slide into conversation. I’m trying not to look at Max or it’s game over. My daughter is loving the toys, hanging from the bar above and across on her baby recliner. Then I hear Mum clear her throat obnoxiously, and I can’t look up. “Jaxson, what are you trying to hide from me? The same goes for you, Maxwell.”
I’m trying so hard not to laugh (a dead giveaway for me) but then I make the mistake of glancing over to Max. Now we are both laughing uncontrollably.
“An, I’m pregnant. I only let them know this morning: no one is keeping anything from you,” Jackie announces, putting us out of our misery.
Everyone is congratulating them; everyone—but Mrs. Osla. I see her wipe away a tear and quietly excuse herself. I slip out after her.
“Mrs. Osla, what’s wrong? You know that no one will ever replace Samantha and Elliot. Max has so much love to give.”
“Oh, Jax, I know that and I am very happy for them both. I’m happy that Max has finally let himself be loved again. Most days, I’m okay. But times like this, I’m reminded of how much was lost.”
I hug her, which is rare for us. “One day at a time is all we can do. We are always here to support each other, through the good and the bad.” Just then, Max comes out to look for us. “I’ll give you a moment with him.” I smile and give her upper arms a little squeeze before letting go.
Max puts his arms around her, and she begins to cry. I back away, giving them their privacy.
I’m not in the room for two seconds and my mum is all over me. “Jaxson what is the plan for dealing with James?”
“Max and I were going to talk to Junior today. Then we will talk to the doctors. I’m not making any decisions until after that. Right now, I just want to bask in the glory that I’m going to be an uncle again.”
“I want to be with my grandson when you talk to him about James.”
I’m not going to get anywhere with her. I look to Raven for help but she’s busy with Jackie.
“Mum, it’s what’s best for Junior. I think coming from Max and me will make it easier for him. I don’t even want Bella there; Junior will pick up on everyone’s emotions. Right now, it has to be all about him. Please don’t fight me on this.”
“Of course, you’re right. I just want my grandson to know that I’m always there for him.” I get up and hug her.
“He knows, Mum.”
Max and Mrs. Osla are back and she seems to be okay. “All right, everyone, we need to get going. We will speak to Junior’s doctor first and see what he thinks we should do. Jackie, before I forget, I called your dad and told him where we are. I didn’t want him to think that we weren’t grateful for his hospitality. I just told him that with such a big family, we wanted to have our own place. He said he understood and knew that it was only temporary. I let him know he can come and visit whenever he wants.”
“Thank you. I know things are weird with my brother, but I don’t think he would ever intentionally harm any of us.”
I don’t say anything. I’d rather keep my reservations about Dylan to myself. I wonder how he is going to react to the pregnancy. Between Max and me, we will keep him in line.
The drive to the clinic is quick and I can’t wait to see Junior, but we need to tell Bella what’s going on, and then talk to the doctor.
“Max, you and Jackie can tell Bella about the baby; we won’t steal your thunder.”
We head into Junior’s room and find him playing the new gaming system that Tony built. Michael is on the phone, yelling in Italian, and Bella is reading. Everything seems totally normal for a change. I stand here enjoying it. Michael finally hangs up and I grab Junior away from the game.
Bella looks at Max and after everything that’s gone on, I’m sure, is expecting the worse. “Max, what’s wrong?”
I nudge him. I swear he better get his head out of his arse or it’s going to be a long pregnancy for all of us. “I’m pregnant. This is causing Max to be a little speechless right now,” Jackie saves the day again.
Bella leaps out of the chair, almost knocking him over. “Oh my God, I’m so happy for you! When are you due?”
“I just found out; probably mid-June or early July.”
“Aunt Jackie, can I have a boy cousin since I already have Antonia?”
“It’s not up to me, Michael; we will have to wait and see.”
“Michael, Tony gave me a list of questions for you to answer about this new gaming system, so I suggest we get started.” Mrs. Osla offers up a distraction for Junior, knowing that we need to speak to his doctor. She’s the best and I’d be so lost without her. She pulls out her pad and starts peppering him with questions.
“Bella, we have a meeting with Junior’s doctor to discuss all of our options. Max and Jackie wanted to make sure you knew about the baby before time. If we don’t get going, we will be late.”
THIS IS THE FIRST time I’m actually getting to meet Dr. Campbell. He seems like nice guy and is very accommodating to the fact that we are a large family with no secrets. We explain everything to him about James and about the pregnancy. We also give him details as to everything Junior has gone through. I feel he needs to understand that Junior is a smart kid, not one you can hide stuff from. He’s quiet, taking lots of notes.
“First, thank you for your honesty about everything. He has been through quite a bit in such a short time. I looked at the test results and James is an ideal candidate. I would like for him to have the shots we spoke about. They can be done locally, so he doesn’t need to be here. I would much rather have him here when it comes time for the final procedure. As far as the cord blood from your pregnancy, we won’t know if it’s a match until after the baby is born. If you were in your last trimester I would wait, but you’re only in the early stages of your pregnancy. However, it is a good backup plan, if needed. At this point, you’ve only done a home test I would recommend a blood test. If your hcg levels are higher than they should be for a singleton, I would suggest an ultra sound, since there’s a family history of multiples. We have a great OBGYN here and I can get you the number to set up an appointment.” He turns his attention back to Bella and Michael. “I think before you tell Michael about James, I should contact him and discuss the injections. The injections for peripheral blood stem cell donation, or PBSC, only take four days. So next week, at this time, it can all be over. If this was my child, I wouldn’t tell him about James until the day before the procedure. What if he changes his mind about donating? There is no reason for Michael to go through any additional stress.”
We all agree and I give him the contact information for James. He turns back to Jackie. “I’ll have m
y nurse give you the number for Dr. Patel. They may just send you for blood work first.” He closes his folder and gives his nurse a nod. She nods back and leaves the room. “Are there any other questions I can answer for you?” he asks.
“No, thank you, Dr. Campbell,” Bella says. Just then, the nurse comes back in and hands Jackie a business card. My guess—Dr. Patel’s.
“Bella, can you take care of Antonia? Raven and I are going with Jackie and Max.” I don’t give anyone a chance to protest, something is off with Max. He wanted this badly, so I know that’s not it.
Raven pulls my hands out of my hair, and then she reaches up to kiss my cheek, “Follow my lead,” she whispers.
“We will be back in a minute. I need to use the ladies room.” She takes Jackie’s arm and they duck into the ladies room.
“Okay, what the hell is going on? Don’t tell me nothing, you’ve had your head up your arse all morning. I know you wanted the baby, so what the hell is it?”
“I’m scared to death that something will happen to her, the baby, or both. How am I going to make it to the end of this pregnancy without losing my mind? I want to lock her in a cage, and then a big huge bubble. What happens after the baby comes? I’m working myself into a full blown panic attack!”
“Were you this bad when Samantha was pregnant?”
“No, but now I’m wiser to the danger. And now that bastard father of ours is in the picture. Jackie is so stubborn; she won’t back down from him. You know she was so quiet when we first got together, and I really thought she was more submissive.”
“You need to calm down. This is not good for anyone, including Jackie. You know that I will always have your back. Together, we will get through this. You need to let me handle some of the load and just enjoy the pregnancy.”
The girls are back and he seems to be a little bit better. We head toward Dr. Patel’s office. Jackie is offered some paperwork to fill out; they just so happened to have a cancellation this morning. I sit here and all I can think about is how much I want another baby. I don’t even realize it, but the nurse already called them back.
“Jax, I would love to know what is going through that beautiful mind of yours right now.”
“Honestly, all I can think about is how much I want more babies.”
She hands me a magazine, “It will happen on God’s time, not yours.”
THE NURSE TAKES US back, takes Jackie’s vitals, and draws some blood. She then has her head into the bathroom to give a urine sample. So far I’m doing okay. I need to keep my head in the game. I know she’s scared and I know why, but the last thing she needs is to be worrying about me. Jax is right; it’s time I got my head out of my arse. Jackie comes back in followed by Dr. Patel who quickly introduces herself. She seems nice enough. I’ll have Tony run a check on her, just to be safe.
“I’ve gone over all your paperwork and I spoke to Dr. Campbell. He informed me about your nephew and your wanting to donate your cord blood, if need be. I see from your family history that multiples run in your family. If your hcg levels are suspiciously high when we get the blood work back, we’ll schedule an ultrasound to see if there is more than one. For now, we’re just going to touch upon your intake and go over what you can expect during your pregnancy; answer any and all questions for you.” She smiles in a reassuringly manner. I’m standing next to Jackie and I know I have her hand in a death grip. My eyes are locked on to Jackie’s, I can’t look anywhere else.
“Why don’t you have a seat? Mr. Fleming, are you okay?” I assure her that I’m fine and she continues. It all sounds simple enough. When she’s done, she tells us to relax and enjoy the pregnancy. Easy for her to say. We head out to find Raven and Jax.
“Let’s go get something to eat; we have a baby to feed.”
“Max, I’m warning you now, if you know what’s good for you, you will behave during this pregnancy.”
We head down the hall and I pray that I’m able to survive this. “Why don’t we go to Junior’s room and I’ll have lunch brought to us. I’m not locking you away I just figured everyone can pepper you with questions in one shot.”
“You’re probably right. Was Mrs. Osla okay this morning?”
“Yeah, sometimes it hits her hard. Trust me she is over the moon about the pregnancy, it’s just every now and again something reminds her of her loss. She will be fine.”
Jax hangs up the phone and he looks at me and says nothing. “Why don’t you go inside and put your feet up. I’ll order the food and be right in.”
“If you need alone time with Jax, you only have to ask.”
I pull her into a hug and whisper in her ear. “Remember what happened the last time you were naughty.”
“Yeah, well remember, the road goes both ways.”
They step inside the room and I know I’ve turned red. “Jax, what’s the problem?”
“The fucker is insisting on getting the shots done here. He wants to spend some time with Junior before the treatment.”
“And if we say no?”
“What do you think? Are you prepared to take that chance?”
“I think we load up security around Junior, and then we put those new found negotiating skills of yours to work.”
“I can hear them going crazy from out here, poor Jackie.”
“Yeah, I better get in there and rescue her; you order lunch.”
I head in the room and they have Jackie surrounded. “Okay, everyone, how about we let my beautiful wife get some air.”
Raven steps out of the room, leaving me to deal with all the craziness.
I GO LOOK FOR Jax. I know something is bothering him. Sure enough, he’s on the phone and pulling his hair. He hangs up and kicks the chair. He finally turns around and sees me. He opens his arms and I can’t get to him fast enough.
“What’s going on?”
“I ordered lunch.”
“You don’t kick the chair over your lunch order.”
“He is insisting he get his shots and the treatment done here. He wants to be around Junior for more than five minutes. I told him he’s not welcome here.”
“So, he’s not going to do anything unless he gets to spend some time with Michael?”
“Exactly. On top of that, I’m worried about Max. He’s trying to be strong, but he’s scared to death. I know once Dylan finds out, he will cause some sort of trouble. Why can’t everyone just behave, do what they are supposed to do. You know, follow the fucking rules.”
“It’s not realistic to think that everyone will follow the rules, or should I say your rules? Max will survive as long as Jackie doesn’t kill him. As far as Dylan is concerned, he’s an annoyance and nothing more. If he shows up here, I will deal with him. Now, as far as James is concerned, I think the best thing to do is talk to Michael. You have always been very upfront and honest with him. Why change now? Tell him who James is. Let him know that not everyone in this world is good. Then go and make the deal with the devil. If it means that Michael will survive, then we have to do it. You’re driving this bus, Jax, not James.”
“I have no idea what I would ever do without you. I love you.”
“Well, you will never have to find out. Lunch is here and I’m hungry. I love you. Come on, let’s have lunch and then we will talk to Michael.”
HE’S GOT THE NERVE to try and dictate to me how this is going to go down. Who the hell does he think he is? I’m the one who can save the kid, not him. I throw my glass against the wall. It shatters, sending shards everywhere. I’ll let him sweat it out until it works on my time. I can’t clear my calendar for at least a month, so that should make him stew.
“Sir, is everything okay?” Reynolds asks as he knocks on the other side of the door.
He opens it and sees the glass. “I’m fine. I need you to clear my schedule next month. I will be gone for a week.”
“Will I be going with you, sir?”
“No, this is one trip I must make alone. He thinks he can dictate to me what I can and can
’t do. He has no idea who he’s up against.”
“Maybe, you’ve met your match, sir.”
“Or . . . maybe he’s met his.”
Reynolds leaves and I’m left to figure out how I can pull this off. I’m not asking for a lot, but Jax is over the top. He doesn’t want me to have any contact with any of the family members. All contact is to go through him. He is out of his mind if he thinks that’s going to fly. I want back in, and this is my one shot. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let him stop me.
One month later
JUNIOR HAS BEEN OVER the top, about the baby, since we gave him the news. I can’t help but laugh when he tells Jackie that if this one is a girl, then we need to have another, so the odds will be in his favor of getting a boy out of the deal. Some days he’s just like Jax. Lunch arrives and Jax ordered enough for an army. He seems off. I know something is bothering him. He puts on a brave face, but I know better. He’s barely eating and he keeps checking his phone, and then he quietly slips out of the room.
“Jackie, I have some stuff to check on. Stay here, please, and keep Mum entertained.”
I don’t give her a chance to fight me on it, I hurry out the door and smack right into a wall of guards. He’s pulling his hair and pacing. What the hell is going on now?
“Jax, what the hell is going on and why so many guards?”
At the sound of my voice, he spins around and he has a look of panic on his face.
“Nothing is going on, get back in the room . . . now!”
“I’m not going back in the room, and call these guards off right now, Jax!”
Suddenly, the hair on the back of my neck stands up and a tingle runs down my spine.
“Listen to me, Max, please. I need you to trust me. Go back in the room, and lock the door. For Christ sake, just trust me.”
“He’s here, isn’t he?”
He doesn’t have to answer me, I feel it. My heart and my mind collide with a one big bang. I want to kill him, break every bone in his body. Make him suffer like my family suffered. My head is telling me to listen to Jax. Junior needs this bastard to stay alive. My family needs me to keep it together. My heart is telling me something else.
Shattered Lies Page 32