Made To Love You (14 page)

I hear some rustling going on behind me but I’m trying not to look. I want mom to do this for herself. She needs to see that it’s only hair, and no matter what she’s still beautiful.

“Jaylinn,” Mom timidly calls my name.

I turn slowly and a smile crosses my face. She looks really cute in that hat. “Beautiful, I knew it would look amazing on you.”

My phone beeps in my hand with a text from Hunter telling me he’s on his way over. I quickly send a message back and tell him that we’re leaving for the salon and to meet back here later. I don’t think Mom would want Hunter here for this. It was hard enough on her that he actually had to pick her up and carry her to bed one night because she was just too exhausted to walk the twenty or so feet to bed.

Mom and I arrive at the salon and Kelly is waiting for us. She smiles as she comes around the counter and takes mom’s hand. Together they walk to the back of the salon with me following behind them. Kelly sets mom on the chair and wraps the cap around her. She spins her in the chair away from the mirror; she doesn’t need to see it happening.

The room is quiet until the clippers turn on. Mom starts crying and she looks down to her lap. Kelly turns her head but I can see in the mirror that she’s crying, too. I swallow hard a few times praying that the tears stay at bay. I can cry all I want when I get home. I just need to be strong for mom right now.

I grab a tissue off the station next to Kelly’s and hand it to her. She pats her eyes, takes a deep breath then brings the clippers up to mom’s head. Mom’s sobs grow louder and I can’t help the few tears that escape but I stay behind her so she can’t see me.

Be brave. Be fearless.

It only takes a few minutes for all of mom’s hair to be shaved away. And with that a piece of my mom went away too. This cancer is taking away my mom piece by fucking piece and there isn’t a damn thing anyone can do about it.

“Aww, who sent you flowers?” I reach over and rub my fingers over one of the petals.

“Eli,” Layla smiles briefly clutching her stomach. “He knows they are my favorite and got them delivered here. Said they are part of my Valentine’s gift.”

“These are my mom’s favorites too.”

Layla winks, “She’s got good taste.”

I take a seat in one of the empty chairs in her office.

“Ugh,” Layla whines.

The two of us are sitting here in the office at Fierce talking. Cooper is home catching a nap after being up almost all night tossing and turning. He’s not sleeping well. He’ll be leaving everything behind soon because spring training camp is only a few days away.

“What’s wrong with you?”

She bends over in her chair. “Stupid cramps, I think my period is starting soon.”

“That sucks. Hopefully it holds off till after Valentine’s Day tomorrow. I hate…” I trail off.
Um, shit. When was the last time I had my period?

“Jay?” Layla turns her head in my direction.

I grab my phone and pull up the calendar. Nothing these last thirteen days, I flip to January, nothing there either. “Shit.”

“Oh boy.”

I haven’t had my period since December. My mind starts running down the weeks trying to figure out if I had one since then and I just didn’t write it down. Nothing, nothing is coming up.

“You’re late, aren’t you?” Layla sits up in her chair and rest her head in her hands.

I nod. How did I not figure this out sooner? There is no way I’m pregnant though. I’m on the pill and when I screw up and forget to take it we use condoms just to make sure we’re covered. My periods are almost always regular except for when I’m really stressed out, like I am now, or when I’m training hard for soccer in the fall. I’m just stressed with what mom is going through and with the passing weeks it’s getting worse and worse. Yeah, that
has
to be it.

“Whelp, let’s go.” Layla grabs her wristlet from her desk and walks over towards the door.

“Where are you going?”

She rolls her eyes. “To get you a pregnancy test.”

“I’m not pregnant.”

“Okay, then what are you worried about?”

“I’m not.”

She rolls her eyes again. “Your nose is growing.”

Now I roll my eyes at her. “Fine, let’s go.”

I stop midway to her car. “Don’t say anything to anyone, okay?”

Layla smiles, “It’s not my story to tell.”

I relax a little bit as we drive to the store. When we walk in and down the aisle with all the tests is when all this comes crashing down on me. What am I going to do with a baby? I’m not prepared for this. Cooper is leaving in a few days, my mom is sick, I’m still in school. Hell, I’m planning a wedding! We aren’t ready for kids yet.
Holy shit!

“You look a little pale over there,” Layla says as she picks up one of the tests. “You okay?”

Your system is just out of whack I tell myself. The stress of everything is affecting me. I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a calming breath. “Yeah.”

“Here,” she hands me three boxes.

My eyes widen. “What the hell are all these for?”

She shrugs. “As backup in case the one before it doesn’t give you the answer you want.”

“Good plan,” I nod liking her plan of action.

“Yeah, I thought so, too.”

We walk down the aisle towards the register and Layla grabs three chocolate bars. “Hungry?”

“One for me,” she holds up a Hershey bar, “one for you,” she holds a Reese’s peanut butter cup, “and one for us to share after that.” She holds up a Twix and nods towards the boxes in my hand.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

Layla grins. “Yup, but I’ll never get tired of hearing it.”

I pay for all of our stuff and drive back to Fierce. I know Eli is in a meeting with a new distributor because I heard him and Cooper talking about it earlier today. It’ll be ending soon so we have to hurry.

“Okay,” Layla says pulling one of the sealed tests out and handing it to me. She reads the instructions to me and then plops down in her chair.

I walk into the bathroom and do as the instructions listed. I leave the test on the sink and walk out of the bathroom without giving it a second look. I don’t want to know until time is up. Layla is sitting at her desk still looking at the instructions when I walk back out.

“How long?”

“Three minutes.”

“You look first.”

Layla tosses the empty box in the trash can, stands and walks into the bathroom. She walks back out, sits at her desk, opens the new test and hands it over.

My heart stops beating. I start to see those little white stars in my eyes. My hands start to shake and sweat. I stand and my legs feel like Jell-O. I reach for the test and walk slowly back into the bathroom. I glance down at the test that’s still sitting on the counter. Two pink lines…positive.

I do the same routine with the new test. Walk out into the office again and this time Layla doesn’t even wait the full three minutes.

“I think the tests are broken,” she states.

“I think my life might be broken.”

Layla frowns. “Jay, don’t talk like that. Cooper is going to be a great dad.”

“A great dad when the time is right.”

“Is time ever really right?” she counters.

“No, I guess you’re right.”

“Look,” she rolls her chair so she’s in front of me. “The timing is super shitty with Cooper leaving but regardless everything will work out. Everything always does.”

I stare at her for a long moment and think of her past and how everything worked out for her. This is just a foul ball that we hit. Cooper and I have had our fair share of them so why would this cause us to strike out?

“Just keep this between us for now, please.”

“Like I said, not my story to tell.”

Everything always works out and this will too. He’s always there to catch me and he will this time.

Right?

Cooper

I have to report in for spring training on the eighteenth. I’m anxious, once again, leaving everything behind but at the same time baseball is all I know. I’ve got the best of both worlds but why doesn’t it feel like that?

I glance at my phone. It’s just after four in the morning. I might as well just get up. I’ve got work I can be doing at Fierce. I don’t want to leave any loose ends behind. Plus, I know if I stay here and keep tossing and turning I’ll just wake Jaylinn up. She’s got way too much on her plate now as it is and she’s not sleeping much lately.

She’s the main reason why I don’t want to leave. Jaylinn needs me here now more than ever but she won’t admit it.

About an hour later after I’ve had a shower and got some coffee I pull into my parking spot.
Weird, Eli and Layla’s cars are still here.
I thought they would be long gone by now. Damn, I hope I don’t walk in on them having sex, that’s not something I want to see.

I grab my coffee and climb out of my truck. I set the alarm and walk down the alley towards the back door of Fierce. As I’m walking down the alley I notice that the flood lights don’t turn on. I have to make a note to get them changed in the morning. Maybe Dante can get on the ladder and change them out for me.

I get a few feet from the door and I see something but I can’t make out what it is since I can hardly see. I take a few more steps closer, the object coming into view.

My stomach bottoms out.

It’s a body, fuck, there are two. I quickly grab my phone from my pocket and turn my flash light on.

“Holy shit,” I drop my coffee and take off running the rest of the way.

“Layla,” I kneel in front of her and that’s when I notice the blood, lots and lots of blood. “Layla.” I yell.

I scramble over to Eli. “Fuck, Eli, man.” He’s got a gash to the back of the head, a huge ass lump on his forehead and his nose is bleeding. I lean back to see if he’s breathing. His back rises and falls slowly. “Hold on, just hold on.”

I go back over to Layla. I’m so damn scared to move her but I need to see if she’s breathing and the way she’s laying I can’t tell. Very carefully I roll her onto her back. My stomach lurches threatening to spill whatever is in it. Layla’s face is so battered and bloody I can barely tell it’s her. I watch to see if she’s breathing but I can’t tell. I turn my head and put my ear near her mouth. Her breathing is labored and I can hear gargling sounds.

“Help!” I scream. “Help!”

Reaching for my phone again I quickly dial nine-one-one.

“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”

“Help, please; my friends were beaten up in the alley behind Fierce on Ocean Terrace.” My heart is pounding.

“Sir, are they breathing?”

“Yes, barely, but yes.” I say with a shaking voice. “And there is blood, lots of blood.”

“Okay, can you see where the blood is coming from?”

I use the light from the phone to see if I can spot the where all the blood is coming from on Layla but there is so much of it I don’t know even know where to start. “I don’t see anything, can’t tell. I mean her face is badly busted up I don’t even know where to look.”

“What about the other person? Can you see where the blood is coming from?”

I scramble back over to Eli. “He’s got a gash on the back of his head and his nose is bleeding.”

“Okay, just make sure the airway stays open. I’ve dispatched emergency vehicles.”

We aren’t far from the fire house and the second the words leave her mouth I hear their sirens.

I leave Eli and go back over to Layla. She looks so much worse; her long blonde hair now tainted red. “Oh my God,” I say shaking my head. Her eyes are so swollen I can hardly make them out. A few of her teeth are missing, her jaw is at an odd angle, her nose is crooked and there is a slash across her forehead. Layla’s shirt is ripped, her bra cut in half and I can’t force myself to look down any further.

A cop car is the first to pull in, his lights lighting up the alley. I’m now able to see so much more with the headlights. A crack, bigger than Eli’s, along Layla’s skull has me crawling away just before I throw up. I bring my hand up to wipe my mouth and then puke all over again when I see all the blood covering my own trembling hands.