Synergy (19 page)

When the
doctor told them he would carry out an ultrasound to see the baby,
the two of them didn’t know what to say. They held their breaths
until they heard a heartbeat other than her own drumming away, and
when they saw the baby on the screen, Jason couldn’t believe it.
Dee was sure he saw tears in his eyes, and she couldn’t front,
because she did too. It was amazing to see it on the screen, to
feel it was really real, to remind yourself that you are carrying
an actual human being and you’re going to be a parent again. She
loved Tushaun more than anything in the world, so she knew she
would love this baby just as much.

The
doctor told them the baby was small, but that he hoped it would
grow rapidly in the coming months. He’d then printed out two copies
of the ultrasound picture so that each of them could have a copy to
show their families. While Dee was happy to see her new baby, worry
plagued her mind over the doctor’s comments. He was small for three
months of pregnancy; she knew it didn’t sound good. She thought
about the past three months before she knew she was pregnant, of
all the times she had drank and smoked since sleeping with Jason
the first night.

She
thought about the party at Shaneeka’s and all the shots they’d
consumed while playing party games. She thought about all the
cannabis she’d smoked, unaware she was pregnant. On her way out of
the doctor’s office, Jason could tell there was something on Dee’s
mind. While he was chattering away about how amazing it was, and
looking back over the picture, Dee walked silently back to the car.
Once inside, Jason turned to her and asked if she was okay, before
she burst into tears. It was a shock to him because it was the
first time he had seen her cry, and he never expected it. At first,
he thought she was just over-emotional at seeing the baby, but she
didn’t look like she was ready to laugh it off.

“
Hey, what’s the
matter
?” he’d asked her, brushing her hair
behind her ear affectionately.

“
It’s my
fault
” She’d blubbed.

“
What’s your
fault
?”

“
The baby. The
baby’s small ‘cause of me. I smoked so much and drank and I didn’t
know I was pregnant. I’ve stunted its growth
” she’d sobbed.

“
Hey, come
here
” He’d said, as he pulled her into his
arms and held her tightly. She cried into him for a minute and he
told her how it wasn’t her fault. How was she supposed to change
her actions when she didn’t know? She hadn’t done it purposely, he
knew that, and he knew she’d given everything up once she did know.
He hated to see her so upset, but in a weird sort of way, it was
nice to see her emotional, so raw. It made him see a lighter side
of her, a more vulnerable side, and he wanted nothing more than to
protect her and make her feel better.

“
If you’re worried
about it, we can book another appointment, talk to the doctor about
it
.”

“
No. He’ll judge
me
.”

“
He won’t judge you. You haven’t done anything wrong.” He
said, as she came up for air away from his chest and wiped her
face.

“
Hey, if the doctor was worried
about it, he would have said something, and he didn’t did
he?”

Dee
shook her head and slowly, she started to look composed
again.

That
evening, after Jason had dropped her home, Dee had shown her mother
and sister the photo, and they’d all gathered in the kitchen and
cooed over it. Monique had come round to the idea of her daughter
having another child, and though she had her reservations still,
she had apologised to Dee for hurting her. Well, as close to an
apology as her mother could get, it was good enough. Monique’s
reservations were mostly about Jason. Dee had explained their
situation, and she knew now that Jason was famous, she’d even been
able to sing one of his songs.

While
Jason had already mentioned his family to Dee many times, and
suggested that they needed to meet, Dee had held back on agreeing
so quickly with him, mostly because she knew her family weren’t
what Jason’s would be. She worried that they wouldn’t get along,
that her mother would be rude and Jason would be put off joining
her family. She was starting to have strong feelings for him,
though she would never admit it to anybody but herself. She was a
guarded person, and she figured that’s the way it would stay for a
while. However, she couldn’t deny that time was moving fast, and
they needed to get organised in time for the baby. She knew she
didn’t want the first meeting with his family to be when she showed
up with his baby, and she certainly didn’t want her mother
harassing Jason once the baby had already arrived. She much
preferred the harassing happened now.

Jason
had already mentioned trying to organise something with his
parents, to possibly get them to come to Detroit as he knew Dee had
her son here and asking her to go away for a few days might be a
little much for her. Dee knew it would have to happen sooner or
later, but she thought him meeting her family first would be a
better idea, saving the best till last and everything. When Monique
mentioned Dee’s cousin Brooke was having her engagement party that
weekend, she thought it would be a good idea to mention it to
Jason. After all, if everybody had a bit of drink inside them, they
might be more relaxed.

As she’d stood in the kitchen, Dee mentioned telling Tushaun
about the baby to her mother and Kiki. They collectively agreed
that it was about time, and so as she put him to bed that night,
she took the scan photograph up with her and before she read him a
goodnight story, she showed him the picture. She explained that
mommy had a baby in her tummy, and it was a new baby brother or
sister for him. She wasn’t sure whether he fully understood at his
age, but the most important thing was that she’d told him, so there
would be no surprises when a baby did suddenly show up. She felt a
relief wash over her as she got into bed that night. Her son knew,
her family knew, and now there were no more secrets.
‘
Except to Trey’
,
she thought, but he could wait. As she lay comfortably in her bed,
she text Jason and asked him if he wanted to come to the engagement
party at the weekend.

“
Sounds like
fun
” he’d replied. He had no
idea.

Chapter 17 – First Impressions

As Jason
buttoned up his shirt that evening, he took a look at himself in
the mirror a few times, double and triple checking himself to make
sure he looked okay, to make sure he would make a good impression.
He was nervous to say the least. The prospect of meeting many
people as headstrong and opinionated as Dee was overwhelming. Most
people in Dee’s position would have said something to comfort him,
something along the lines of ‘you’ll be fine’, except Dee wasn’t
most people. Dee was honest, sometimes brutally honest, so when she
admitted to him that she was ‘shitting her pants’ about him meeting
her family, it didn’t exactly make him feel welcomed or at ease. He
knew there was probably nothing to worry about, but he’d done the
whole ‘meeting the parents’ thing before and it was never a picnic,
even if you all get on well together, it’s bound to always be a
little awkward. Jason had already brought up meeting Tushaun to
Dee; it was something he felt was important, and though she agreed,
she was still worried it was too soon, though she finally said it
could happen once he’d met her other family members.

Dee had
asked him to come over to her mother’s place before they set off
for the party. He figured it was probably a good thing to meet her
mother and whoever else would be there before he was thrown into
the deep end at a party. He knew once drinks started flowing people
would probably forget everything he’d said and in some cases, may
not even remember meeting him. Jason had chosen his least flashy
car to drive up in. He didn't like to judge, but it wasn't exactly
the safest area for crime, so he didn't want to draw any attention
to himself. Dee had told him he was free to stay the night if he
wanted a drink, and he decided to take her up on the
offer.

It was a
warm August evening, and people were out in their numbers all along
the streets. People sat in deck chairs outside their homes, beer
bottles and cigarettes in hands. Most had music playing, or were
sat with a deck of cards. Once he parked up, Jason made his way to
the front door of Dee’s mothers. He had been in this house before,
when he met her brother, but it seemed so long ago now, and her
mother wasn’t in the house at the time. It felt different now,
knowing the home owner was here. He’d heard things from Dee about
who her mother was as a person. She’d told him she wasn’t a very
good mother growing up, but then she’d also told him she works
three jobs to support them. He couldn’t understand the two
conflicting statements, because to him, he didn’t see how she could
be a bad mother when she worked hard and contributed like that, but
Dee was never one to go into detail. Whenever he asked her a
further question, she shut down. He could tell she was still very
guarded, and he told himself her past relationship may have
affected her, but that didn’t mean she would be like that forever.
He knocked firmly on the front door, waiting for somebody to
answer. He heard noise as somebody approached the door, and as it
opened, he saw the familiar curls he’d become so accustomed to
before Dee’s face appeared. She smiled as she saw him, and he
automatically returned it.

“
Hey
beautiful
” he said, as he took a look at
the rest of her. She was wearing a long maxi dress that went down
to her ankles, and on her feet she wore strappy heels that showed a
red polish on her toes. Her fingernails matched her toes, and in
her ears were her usual gold hoops.

As Dee
opened the door wider, she allowed space for him to step into the
room and greeted him with a peck on the mouth. He could tell she
was feeling awkward, and the feeling transferred onto him, though
he tried not to let it.

“
You want a
drink
?” she asked, as she shut the door
behind him.

“
Sure
” he agreed, following her into
the kitchen which was located through the living room. He had been
in the living room before, but he’d never been in the kitchen, so
he took note of his surroundings, looking at the pictures of the
family on the walls on the way through.

As he
stepped into the kitchen, he saw two women standing near the
kitchen counters straight in front of him.

“
Jason, this is my
mom, Monique
.”

“
Nice to meet
you
,” he told the woman, holding out his
hand for a handshake. The woman looked him up and down before
taking his hand and giving it a limp shake. “You too” she said,
though her face told him she wasn’t sure.

“
And this is my
sister, Kiki
”

“
I’ve heard a lot
about you
,” he said, smiling her
way.

“
Better all be
good
!” Kiki joked, and Jason laughed
politely.

 “
Oh, it
was
”

Kiki
definitely didn’t have the same unsure look on her face. Hers was
warm and welcoming, and Jason relaxed a little.

“
That’s Kiki’s
boyfriend, J
” Dee said, as she pointed
toward one of two men sat at the kitchen table to the right. The
one she pointed at had cornrows in his hair and dark skin, and
though he looked older for his age, he presumed he was a teenager.
The other man sat with him was of lighter appearance, with a shaved
head, and though he was sat down, Jason could tell he was
tall.

“
That’s Tip, my
best friend in the world
.” Dee said
gesturing to the other man, before she grabbed a beer bottle from
the side and opened it. Jason said his hellos before Dee handed him
the beer bottle, and he took a few swigs
immediately.

“
So, you’re the
one that got my daughter pregnant
” Monique
said matter-of-factly, causing Jason to almost spit his beer out.
He never expected that sentence to come next, and he wasn’t sure
how to reply.

“
Mom
!” Dee scolded.

“I’m just stating a fact
”

“
Well you don’t
need to, we all know already
”

“It’s okay
” Jason said, hoping to
keep the peace.

“
I know its okay,
that’s why I said it
” Monique said in
reply, and he felt Dee cringe next to him.

There
was an awkward moment for a second, before Tip spoke up from the
table.