Caged Eagles (14 page)

________________
_•
________________

The hospital room was clammy. Similar to skin being damp from sweating; the building was cool and uncomfortable all at the same time. Trevor waited in a hard plastic chair while she dressed for the ultrasound. Brandi came back into the room and climbed up onto the bed. She sat up facing him, swinging her legs back and forth out of boredom.

“How is Tobian?” she suddenly asked.

“What?” Trevor was caught off guard.

“I know she was there, or I saw a woman just like her wander off toward the bathrooms.”

“Think whatever you want. I'm sure you will run to Leslie right after this appointment and tell her some twisted version of this afternoon.”

“Why do you say that? I haven't talked to her since I found out I was pregnant and you two skipped town.”

Trevor was shocked; could this be another lie of hers? It was farfetched even for her. “She said she talked to you.”

Brandi shook her head. “No, I assumed you went to find Tobian.”

“I thought the two of you had become chums.”

“Like I said, I stopped talking to her after I found out I was pregnant.” Brandi smoothed down the folds of her dressing gown.

“I think you're lying.”

“You always think that, so what's new.” She sounded bored.

“Why did you stop talking to her?”

“No point in being friends with her anymore.”

“Why?”

Brandi looked up at him, holding their gaze. Obviously she was pondering what to say.

“Brandi, why?”

“Because I didn't feel like it.” She started looking around the room to avoid his eyes.

“Is it because this baby was your new way of blackmailing?”

Brandi didn't answer and pretended to be busy with a string from her gown.

“It is. What is wrong with you? That is an innocent baby. Why do you have to keep blackmailing us? What do you want?”

She continued to ignore him. As Trevor was about to get up from his seat, the doctor came in. He asked her a few questions and then turned to them both, asking if they were ready for the ultrasound. Trevor asked him to wait for the father. The doctor appeared surprised that Trevor wasn't, but agreed, and left them alone once again. Brandi lay on her back, pretending the previous conversation had not taken place.

She ran a hand over the swell of her stomach. “I'm going to be so fat. Not one guy finds me attractive.”

“You're having a baby, so fat doesn't count and you'll be attracting all the attention you want after the birth.”

“I think that's the nicest thing you've said to me in ages.” She turned her head to look at him again.

“Why do you look at me like that?”

“Fine, I'll stop looking at you.” She sounded mad, and turned her head away.

“Come on, why can't you answer my questions?”

“I
haven't
talked to that idiot counselor you're probably trailing along on a string! I just want to leave, I'm tired, and I've just got over being sick every day because of this fetus inside me.”

“Baby,” Trevor said through gritted teeth.

“Whatever … but this is a lot to go through …” her words trailed off toward the ceiling above.

“What are you getting at?”

“So,
are
you still leading that idiot doctor around by the collar?” Brandi ignored his question, but her voice contained jealousy and curiosity. She crossed her arms over her chest.

“What does that matter, unless you wish it were you? Is that it, Brandi? You wish I was leading you on, because at least that way you would be getting some sort of positive attention from me? What is your problem? We broke up over three years ago. You are having Forrest's baby, if the tests come back positive.”

“I wish they wouldn't.” Her voice shook and tears filled her eyes.

“Why?” Trevor was now really confused. Earlier that day she had been adamant that he was the father.

“Because he shouldn't be a father.”

“Brandi, would you just tell me what the hell you are trying to say!” Trevor bellowed, causing a couple of tears to leak from her eyes.

“
Because you should have been
!” she screamed at him, sitting up on her elbows. Trevor glanced from her to the door. He was sure someone would come in. No one did.

“I should have been the father?” The words sounded foreign in his mouth.

Brandi started to cry violently. “Yes, we should have had a baby, our baby!”

“Get those thoughts out of your head; we were never going to have a baby.”

“Yes we were.” Her words struck him like a wrecking ball.

“What are you trying to get at now?”

“Our babies died. Before I could tell you I was pregnant with twins you had left.”

“Liar,” his voice sounded far away.

“Okay, so one of the twins was someone else's, but I was sure you would take care of it and love it just as you would have our baby.”

“You're sick.” Trevor spat at her.

“I'll prove it,” she pushed the call button for the nurse.

“Can I help you?”

“Would you please bring me my file containing my miscarriage information?”

The nurse disappeared for a moment before appearing again with a file that she handed to Brandi. Trevor went to her side and scanned over the paper. It all looked foreign until Brandi pointed with her finger.

“Look, the baby's blood type was O–so is yours. The other baby had my blood type. I thought you would deny it, so I had a DNA test done. I took some of the hair out of your hairbrush and there are the results.” She pointed to the paper.

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“You had accused me of cheating already. If I told you, you would have been proven right, since the second baby had another father.”

“Who was he?”

“It doesn't matter.”

“Oh, I think it does. I'm pretty upset you didn't tell me. I think he would feel the same.” He could feel the anger building inside his body again, and he began flexing his hands. To prevent himself from punching something he took the information and walked back to the chair.

“Trevor, it was the biggest mistake I've ever made. I was going to tell you, but you left me. I had the miscarriage right after. I didn't tell you because I blamed it on your leaving me.”

Silence filled the small room for a few moments.

“Would you have come back?”

“No.”

“See, it didn't matter.”

“Brandi, it wasn't just your kid.”

Silence again. Trevor looked down at the paperwork. The sexes of the babies were written down.

“Boys,” Trevor looked back up.

“Yes, both of them. I never named them though.” Brandi looked at the forms; tears began to well up in her eyes again.

“You would have come back to me,” she whispered.

“I don't ….”

“You would have.” She looked into his face with determination. Trevor didn't have time to respond before the doctor and Forrest entered the room.

“Okay, are you ready for your ultrasound, Miss Lewis?”

“Sure,” she turned her eyes toward the ceiling and said nothing.

Trevor slipped out of the room and got the nurse to make him copies of the forms Brandi had showed him. For five minutes he stood in the middle of the hall and started at the results until his eyes began to water. He felt bewildered by the news. He had never thought much about children, and when he had, it had always been with Sarah, and many years down the road. He couldn't believe he had been a father for a brief period of time and not even known it. It didn't feel real, yet he missed not knowing. Trevor folded the paper and entered the room again to support Forrest; at least that way he could keep part of his mind on the task at hand, not on what had happened behind his back in the past. The doctor had just finished giving the ultrasound. He asked for Forrest to follow him so a small vial of blood and DNA sample could be taken. The blood test would be complete that day but the DNA test would be done in the morning. Trevor sat down again; Brandi had gotten up and began to dress. Trevor looked away.

“It's not like you haven't ever seen me naked.”

“I don't want to see you without clothes on, Brandi.” Trevor was disgusted.

“Will I be staying with you or Forrest? I'm guessing Forrest is staying with you, so I answered my own question.”

“What are you babbling about now?”

Brandi tied the string sewn into her sweatpants. “Where I'm going to be living?”

“You will be living at your place.”

“I got kicked out, plus I want to live with you.” She slipped each foot into her shoes.

“Brandi ….”

“I will tell Tobian and what's-her-name. I'm sure they would both be very upset knowing the men they love had a kid with another woman.”

“I don't care what you tell Sarah, she will still love me, but you had better keep your mouth shut when it comes to Forrest.”

“Only if I ….”

“You don't have a hold on us, so forget whatever you are planning.”

“I do though.” Brandi stopped dressing and looked directly at him. “Forrest loves his baby already, therefore I can have whatever I want.” She rested her hand over the unborn child. “Plus, I know neither of you want certain women to find out, including Leslie.”

“You don't know what you are talking about. I know Forrest better than you do.”

“Excuse me, the blood test is done.” The doctor came back into the room with Forrest behind him.

“Okay, Miss Lewis, your blood type is B negative. Mr. Evans, your blood is A positive and so is the fetus's.”

“Baby,” Forrest corrected the professional. Trevor saw Brandi's evil smile spread across her face. He didn't understand why she was happy. Only minutes before she didn't want Forrest to be a father to her child. Maybe being proven right about the paternity pleased her?

A group of nurses stood outside the elevators. One of them poked the button when the men walked up. The doors slid apart and everyone jammed inside.

“Brandi said she is moving into your old place.” Forrest turned to his friend.

“Yeah, she seems to think she has some hold on us.”

“True, I mean, I hate the idea of telling Laney, but I will if I have to, and I'm sure she will understand.”

“I agree, she'll be chill about it.” The nurses left them halfway to the ground floor.

“I can't believe I'm going to be a father, I never thought that would happen.”

“Yeah, I bet.” Trevor understood that statement more than he let on. He had decided to keep the death of his own child a secret for now. “Brandi stopped blackmailing Leslie though; I think it's because of the baby. I told her she didn't have as much of a hold as she thought.”

“No, of course not.” Forrest chuckled.

They stepped off the elevator and caught a cab. Trevor stared out the window. He knew that if his child, his son, had lived, he would have taken him away from Brandi. Inside he felt guilty; he felt that he should have more feelings toward the child than he did. Instead, he felt the same; the numbness of the situation had worn off. He supposed he would have loved the baby, but it was more than a year ago, and there was nothing he could do. He hadn't even known; how could he be upset? He turned to talk to Forrest but caught him looking at the picture of the ultrasound.

“They gave you a picture, huh?” Trevor watched him carefully, worried Brandi had been right about his affection for the child.

“Yeah.” He ran his fingers over a small blur in the photo Trevor guessed to be the baby. His fears came true.

“It's a girl.” Forrest looked up and smiled, “I'm going to have a daughter.”

________________
_•
________________

Donovan was nowhere remotely close to happy when they arrived at the apartment. His hair was scattered all over his head and he had been pacing the floor. Sarah had gotten so tired of his irritable mood that she had gone into the other room. Both men had agreed to keep a secret about the afternoon's events. Donovan's head would have exploded, Trevor thought, if they had told him the truth.

“Where have you been? I've been worried to death you idiots got yourselves in some sort of trouble.”

“Calm down before you have a stroke. We had to get out, went to shoot some pool.”

“Shoot some pool!” Donovan bellowed with both arms out to his sides. “That is going to cause problems down the road. You
need
to inform me what you are doing!” Donovan pounded a fist onto the palm of his other hand. “Blaine is not going to like either of you running off in secret.” He glared at Forrest. Trevor wondered if his friend had some sort of guilty expression but it was blank as usual.

“Yes, Mother. Will you tell us what you found out?” Trevor was irritated at the lecture. He flopped down onto the bed.

“Yes, I found a place, one of Blaine's supporters. He owns a house, and we can stay in the basement. We leave tonight, in three hours, and I don't want anyone to be late!” Donovan stomped from the room, with his fingers stringing though his hair.

“He is going to be bald in a couple years if he keeps pulling on his hair like that,” Forrest snickered, pointing at the door. Trevor sat up.

“No kidding, especially since he shaved the goatee.” Trevor rubbed his own chin. “He has one less stress reliever.”

“I'm going to find the women.”

“I'm telling Sarah.” Trevor blurted out when Forrest reached the door. He didn't turn around.

“Okay, I'm telling Laney too. It's the right thing to do if I want to keep her.”

Sarah came bounding into the room, jumped on top of the bed, and threw her arms around Trevor. She rolled onto her back and smiled up into his face. He kissed her nose and smiled back.