Page 5 of Pregnant By the Joc

“Oh, God. I’m so sorry. Stay here. I will go and tell them it is all my fault. You don’t need this.” She walks past me toward the door. On instinct I stop her, not about to let her walk down there without me and definitely not to take the blame for something.

I walk out before her, instinctually shielding her because even right now, gutted and devastated, at my core I feel I was born to protect her. “Here he is, officers,” Dad says, addressing them when I walk in.

“Thank you, lieutenant. We received a complaint from the Darien’s Women's Clinic. The complaint is that you, against policy and privacy rights, entered several rooms looking for whom I assume is the young lady behind at which time when you found her, you forced her to leave with you. Is that the story as you remember it?” The officer looks at me obviously waiting for me to lie to him, but I am no fool. I know those places have cameras.

“Somewhat, yes,” I answer. I can hear my mother gasp beside me. I see my father put his hand on her leg, calming her.

“I see. Which part would you dispute?” The other asks, crossing his arms like I am somehow supposed to be intimidated. Ha. Likely chance. I have six inches and about a hundred pounds on his scrawny ass.

“The part about forcing her to leave with me.” They look at Ripley who right now looks like a deer in headlights. She hates attention of any kind from anyone but me. Hell she shrinks into me when us and my parents are hanging out, so I know right now is overwhelming her.

“Miss…”

“Uh, Franklin. My name is Ripley Franklin.”

“Miss Franklin, yes. Were you forced to leave by him against your will?”

“N-no. I wanted to leave.” Her hands haven’t stopped twisting which is something she does when she is nervous. If this was any other situation, she would be under my arms being held by me, but fuck am I pissed still.

“So you left the clinic of your own volition, and you are not under distress of any kind?” Ripley shakes her head and I know this means she is about to cry which would be in conflict with what she is claiming. Looking at my father, I signal him with my eyes, and he nods, getting the picture.

“Now, you have heard from the young lady and my son. I am sure he is sorry for the misunderstanding and for not waiting for her in the lobby. Young people. So impatient. If there are any further questions, please let me know.” My dad shows them to the door and once it is closed, both of my parents stand in front of us, with concern on their faces and I know I won’t be able to brush this off. They are going to want answers.

“For heaven's sake, would someone tell me what is happening?” My mother seems exasperated. I look over to Ripley, letting her tell it since she caused this shit, but when she breaks down and falls onto the couch, face in her hands, sobbing like everything has been lost, I feel like a prick. Before I can move my mother is beside her, comforting her.

“Son, we are waiting. It is not like you to not comfort your woman. I certainly didn’t raise you to let her feel an ounce of hurt, so for you to not be touching her or reassuring her, something happened,” Dad says in my ear. I look at my mom and take a deep breath.

“I caught her at the clinic trying to abort my child,” I spit the words out like the rotten mess it is and watch horror and then concern spread over my parents face.

“Ripley, darling, is this true?” My mother asks, rubbing her head.

“Y-yes. I thought I had to,” she stumbles out, breaking my fucking heart over again but this time because I can really see the anguish in her heart.

“Why would you think that?” My father asks, sitting beside my mother.

“I don’t want you thinking I am trying to trap him or out for his money. I mean everyone already thinks that, but this would make it true. He has a bright future. A baby would…”

“A baby would do nothing but add to it,” Dad says, looking at her in her eyes.

“Surely you can’t mean…” my mom nods at both of us and motions for me to sit down.

“We never told you our story, Cobi. It is not dissimilar from yours in a way.”

For the next twenty minutes my parents tell us about how they met in high school. My mother was the daughter of a gambler who owed a lot of men money. He offered her as payment to another man, but my father was already in love with her. He took her to Vegas on their prom night and married her. Unbeknownst to everyone else, she was already five months pregnant by my father. She just hid it. According to her, my father pursued her relentlessly and never took no for an answer.

“Wow. Why didn't you guys ever tell me?” I ask them curiously.

“Not sure. Just didn’t seem relevant to our lives until now. Now Ripley, let me ask you one question.” My father begins, kneeling in front of her. “Do you want to keep the baby? Forget all the other stuff you have in your mind. I am asking you what you want. You have to know we would be more than happy to help with our first grandchild. Support you and Jocobi in any way you need. But this has to be your choice, despite what my son protests. This is your body.” I grunt at his comment because it is my fucking body, my woman, and my baby. But I don’t interrupt him. “What would you like to do, sweetie?”

I want to keep it,” she says without hesitation. “I just don’t want to ruin anyone's life.” My father raises his eyebrow and looks at me.

“And what about your life?” he asks her.

“No matter what, I am going to be stuck in this town, working at the diner. I am never going to have the money to go to college or get out of here.” My stomach begins to turn for another reason. The look my father gives me tells me this is as much my fault as hers. He always told me growing up that things left unsaid are things misunderstood. Now I finally get it.

“Well, it seems you two have a lot to discuss, no?” Nodding my head I walk over to Ripley.

“Maybe we should talk upstairs.” She nods and gets up from the couch. “Oh and don’t forget your sister is coming home tomorrow.” Oh yeah. I totally forgot it's time for her to come back. I have a little sister named Siddah. She is thirteen and the sweetest, sassiest girl ever. She has spent the last four weeks with her freshman class in Costa Rica, helping some not-for-profit company test the water. She and Ripley hit it off immediately when we first began dating.

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