Niki's Challenge (4 page)

“
Why are you sitting out
here?” He paused when she didn’t respond. “If you don’t mind me
asking,” he added, noticing her glance in his direction.

Turning, she looked at her home in its
mid-state of completion, and took a deep breath. “I thought my life
was like that house,” she said pointing. “I have my personal
blueprints or goals, thought I knew what the final outcome would be
or at least close. But now…” Exhaling and leaning on the car, she
faced the stranger. “Now there’s been an unforeseen hiccup that
could derail the whole damn thing. I’m scared and there’s not a
whole lot I can do about it.” Her stomach dropped as the words
settled heavily in her gut. Uncertainty swamped her. Just to be on
the safe side, as soon as she returned home, she’d contacted
Brenda, her attorney. Explained what happened and how she wanted it
handled.

Two days later, she saw her
doctor.

****

“
Well, I see we don’t need
to continue our discussions about artificial insemination,” Doctor
Gore teased Niki. “You went ahead and took care of it yourself.
Congratulations on your pregnancy!”

Stunned, she smiled politely. Chaotic
thoughts whirled in her mind. Get to the STDs. She swallowed back
the snappy remark lodged in her throat. Her thoughts had focused on
the horror of AIDS, herpes, and the like.

“
Now there’s no evidence of
any STD’s. But I need the date of your last period and, if you
remember, the date of conception, so we can get a possible due
date.”

“
Wait…wait, I’m what?” Niki
croaked out, leaning forward in the chair, breaking free of the
paralysis after his comment on sexually transmitted diseases.
Silence met her outburst.

“
I said you were pregnant…
Is this a …surprise?” Doctor Gore asked in a concerned tone.
Removing his glasses, he stared at her.

Shaking her head, she looked down at
the floor, not answering immediately. Whereas she knew there was a
remote chance of a pregnancy, this was too much. Too soon. She had
focused on things like AIDS or herpes, not a baby. Wrapping her
arms around her waist she rocked back and forth in her chair, eyes
tightly closed in an attempt to absorb the news. She didn’t even
know the color of the man from the hotel’s eyes or hair. How could
she be pregnant from him?

“
Nicole…Nicole,” Dr. Gore
called her name sharply. Tear-stained eyes opened, seeing him
through a film of water. Her body shook. Immediately her doctor
came and engulfed her in his arms. Laying her head on his
shoulders, she released a torrent of tears. Stroking her hair and
patting her back, he comforted her.

“
It’s all right, Niki,” he
said reverting to her nickname. “Things’ll work out. Everything’s
going to be all right, you’ll see.” After a few moments, she pulled
away, slightly embarrassed.

“
Thanks, Dr. Gore. I… I’m
sorry about that. It was…” she looked around and accepted the
tissue he passed to her. “Just a bit much, I hadn’t really thought
about that possibility.” Although the jerk had assured her he was
clean, she didn’t trust drunks, and had assumed the worst. After a
few minutes of quiet, she began fidgeting, feeling
foolish.

“
What happened, Nicole?
You’re pregnant, something I thought you wanted. Obviously, this is
not good news.” He waited for a moment. “Did someone take advantage
of you? Is this a case of nonconsensual sex? Is that why you were
so concerned with STD’s?” He fired off the questions, as he sat on
the corner of his desk.

Ashamed, Niki looked around the room
and then at her doctor. He’d been her doctor for 16 years and was
good friends with both her Nanas. He’d been after her to slow down
for a while. She didn’t want to admit she hadn’t. Plus, he might
spank her if he found out she’d taken an extra sleeping pill. She
knew better, but didn’t want to deal with a lecture from him right
now.

“
No, well, yes…” she
corrected when he raised his eyebrow at her. Leaning back in her
chair, she covered her face with her hand and took a deep
breath.

“
I wasn’t raped, if that’s
what you mean. But…the sex was nonconsensual.” Holding up her hand
to stop his question, she continued while she could, and told him
the entire story, leaving out the part of the extra sleeping pill.
He didn’t need to know that.

“
If it was anyone but you,
Nicole, I wouldn’t believe that story,” he said when she finished.
“You have no idea who the father is?”

“
No, and in my anger I had
my attorney get her security guy to get rid of all the records. I
guess I’d better see if he can piece it back together,” she said,
although she doubted it could be done. She’d paid top dollar for
the guy. Besides she had no interest in talking to the
asshole.

“
Hmmm, well this puts a
different light on things, doesn’t it?” Pausing, he then continued
in a calm tone. “Niki, you have choices and decisions to make. You
don’t have to make any now.” Reaching into his desk, he pulled out
a folder as he talked. “Take this information, go over your options
and let me know what you decide, all right?” He passed her the
folder with adoption and abortion information. Glancing at the data
in the folder briefly, she pushed it back towards him. He didn’t
appear surprised.

“
No abortion or adoption.
This is my baby. To say I’m surprised is an understatement and this
isn’t what I planned, but hey…” She leaned back and took a deep
breath. “It happened, and I’ll deal with it.” Sitting a little
straighter in the chair, her chin tilted in determination, she
looked up at him.

“
You needed the date of
conception, right?” She gave him the exact date. He set her up on a
vitamin regimen with a fourth quarter due date. No one but her
doctor knew she’d been considering having a child. She’d played
around with adoption and would have gone that route eventually,
wanting more than one child.

Growing up as an only child with
routine visits from her cousin, she wanted a larger family; at
least three or four. Now, everything had been taken out of her
hands. Numbness settled in her belly. Her feelings were still
unclear. A donor would’ve allowed her more control. Donors had
health histories, physical attributes and mental data. She knew
nothing about this guy, and had already taken steps to keep it that
way. Taking time to think, she took a leisurely drive before
deciding to check on the progress of her new home. The construction
company would need to step up their game. She’d need her home
sooner rather than later. Pleased with the progress of the house,
and Jack’s assurance on its completion well before the summer, she
left to go home.

Niki’s parents had died in a car
accident when she was around eight years old. They left joint
custody to both their moms. Her grandmothers were now in their late
sixties and different as night and day. The three of them lived
together in an upscale subdivision outside Lansing.

Nana Bea, a true southern Belle,
gracious and prissy to a fault. Small of stature, with flawless
caramel-colored skin and long, thick, dark brown hair, many people
misread her femininity and wound up licking their wounds. Nana Bea
was a fierce debutante who tolerated very little foolishness and
allowed no one to mess with her family. Her words had cut many a
man down who thought to take advantage of her soft
looks.

Nana Rita was a hard core feminist
attorney from Chicago. She’d moved to Michigan to be near Niki and
Nana Bea when her husband passed years ago. Appearance-wise, she
was the polar opposite of Nana Bea. Rita was tall, athletic with a
short salt and pepper bob and a darker, pecan-colored complexion.
It took a lot to make her smile, but she had a soft spot for
disadvantaged women and children. She did a lot of pro bono work in
the community, and had developed a reputation within the legal
system as fair and fierce.

Their often opposing viewpoints had
been tantamount to championship boxing. Finding the middle ground
had been a key ingredient to living together as they poured love
and wisdom into her earlier years. She’d learned the art and
importance of dressing well, coupled how to utilize it as a skill
in the corporate world. Etiquette was all well and good; as long as
you knew when, and how to stop the BS at the appropriate time.
Growing up, it had been fun. But now Niki longed for her own space.
So, thirty miles away, in a gated community, she’d built her dream
home.

Returning from the doctor and her
house, she faced the daunting task of explaining to her Nanas her
latest predicament. It never occurred to her not to tell them. This
would affect their entire family and everyone needed to know what
to expect. Her relatives did not compromise or play when it came to
raising her. She had no doubt that same fierceness would extend to
her child.

Even now, she could hear Nana Rita
say, “Why didn’t you use the security bar?” Such a simple question,
she had used it when she first came in. Later she went to the
vending machine for a pack of cookies to hide the aftertaste of her
meds and forgot to put it back on when she returned. She felt so
stupid.

“
Who is he?”

“
Was he drunk?”

“
Did you get his name? Who
is he, Niki?”

In the end, they hugged her and
assured her everything would be fine.

“
We support your decision.”
Nana Bea had whispered into her ear with a squeeze.

“
I’m so happy you’re okay,
baby girl.” Nana Rita’s tortured voice ripped through her as they
hugged tightly.

She had done the right thing in not
keeping any information about the man from the hotel. Knowing her
Nana Rita, she would be after him in a heartbeat. And not just to
give him the good news. Niki shivered, remembering the banked fire
in her Nana Rita’s eyes. They tried to be calm for her sake. At
this very moment, she was sure they were plotting how to get
retribution for what they termed a “situation.”

Upstairs in her room she
lay on her bed, unable to believe it. Pregnant! Abortion was never
an option. This was
her
baby. Flipping over, she rubbed her flat tummy and
tried to remember everything that happened that night. Try as she
might, it was foggy. She couldn’t remember the guy’s name at the
hotel, let alone how he looked. One thing for sure, he wouldn’t be
involved in her baby’s life.

Trepidation crawled up her chest.
Could she handle raising a child on her own? She’d wanted kids, but
was she ready? Children were major. Unlike anything she’d ever
undertaken. A child lasted past deadlines and quarterly reports.
Diapers, bottles, childhood illnesses, school programs,
breastfeeding, the list went on and on. She shuddered at the
changes to her orderly life. Rubbing the back of her neck, she
stretched. What about her company? It was her first baby. Sure, as
the owner she had more latitude than others, but had never used it
before. Often she was the first in the office and the last to
leave. Bit by bit, she realized her entire life would change when
she had her child. Times like this she wished her parents were
still here. Her memories of them had never faded. She placed her
hand on her stomach and entered into a personal conversation, meant
for ears she felt were never far away.

“
Well, mom, dad, your baby
girl is knocked up. And the weird thing is I don’t know who the
father is.” Laughter erupted at the way it sounded.

“
No, I’m not a ho or
anything. Far from it. It was an accident.” Her brow rose. “Now
that sounds even weirder,” she said, giggling. “It was a one shot
deal. Whew, how do you explain having sex in your sleep only to
discover not only was it real, but it was good.” Shaking her head,
she continued.

“
Well, here’s the deal,
mom, dad. I’m pregnant and I’m having a baby. I don’t know who the
father is, and now I have a legitimate reason to slow down. I
promise I’ll stay healthy and take good care of myself and your
grandchild. I miss you so much,” she whispered and closed her eyes
to rest.

****

After informing her grandmothers of
her pregnancy, Niki moved quickly to ensure the fast food
franchises she owned, as well as the apartments, strip malls and
other investments she had ran smoothly. Fortunately, her initial
hobby of investing paid such good dividends. She moved management
around, hired a few more people and turned over more of the
day-to-day operation to her trusted staff.

“
I don’t understand why you
feel you need to move out now, Nicole.” Nana Bea pouted at her as
she put on her walking shoes. This time of day, she walked to stay
in shape.

“
Uh...perhaps the fact I
just spent over five hundred thousand dollars building my house
will help you understand, Nana,” she said. Standing, she considered
changing her shoes. Testing them with a quick bounce, she decided
they’d do.

“
Oh pooh, forget that, you
could sell or rent it. That’s not much money to you...”

“
Not much…” Niki screeched
in shock. “It
is
a
lot of money to me. Besides, it’s past time for me to move. Then
maybe you and Jack will stop tipping out and have an open
relationship.” She smiled slyly as her Nana waved her
off.

“
Jack and I have been at it
for years, a few more won’t make a difference. Tell me the real
reason you don’t want to have the baby here?”