Chapter 11 – Shopping and Heartbreak
We met Mercedes at the GAP where she was looking at a some bootie low-cut jeans.
"Cedes!" I called her. She looked over her shoulder and saw me, Kurt, and Shane. Mercedes hugged the crap out of me until I couldn't breathe. She finally let me go and looked over at Shane.
"Who are you, white boy?" she asked him.
"I'm Shane Anderson, Katie's brother. We were sepearated at age eight and now, reunited. It's nice to meet you, Ms. Jones." Shane introduced himself.
"Call me Mercedes. Do you play for Team Gay or Team Straight?" Cedes asked him.
"Team Gay, but I haven't found the right guy yet." Mercedes and Shane kept talking so Kurt and I starting browsing for shirts and jeans. I was over at the low-cut jean section where I heard two voices: one adult woman and one child. I peeked over the jean shelf to see the woman yelling at her child. Who the hell would do that? I couldn't help but overhear the conversation.
"What did I tell you to do?" the enraged woman yelled.
"To go find a pair of jeans for you." the small child answered frightfully.
"Exactly. And yet, I find you browsing for a pair of jeans! You do what I tell you, you little bitch!" the woman yelled, raising her arm as if to hit the child. She'd better not.
"I was just looking. I'm sorry." the child apologized, shaking visibly.
"You're sorry? Well, I'm sorry you were born!" the woman yelled. Then she struck the small child across the face, knocking her down to the floor. I snapped. No one should ever do that to a child.
"Hey!" I screamed at the woman. She looked at me. "What the hell do you you're doing?" I seethed in her face.
"Teaching that bitch who not to mess with." she answered back.
"You're calling a little girl a bitch when yet the one who is acting like one?" The woman didn't seem to like that because she scowled. I took a real quick picture with my phone before I said, "I'm taking this girl with me and give her everything she wants, but before I do, I need your name and address." The woman wrote down and didn't even ask because she saw how pissed off I was. She handed the paper over to me. "And I'm making sure you don't get visitation rights."
"I don't care. She's worthless to me." the woman walked away as if nothing happened. Kurt must have overheard because he ran straight toward me. I was helping the small child stand. The child wrapped her arms around my neck and started to cry. I helped her calm down because no one should cry for the way they were treated. She finally calmed down and looked up. Her hair was a dirty blonde, skin had a pale complexion, eyes were a light blue, and she was skinny. You could feel her ribs which meant she was underfed.
"Honey, my name is Katie. I'm going to be your new mommy and this is Uncle Kurt. Can you tell me your name, sweetheart?" I asked her nicely.
"My name is Kourtney Michelle Vega. I'm only four years old." A four year old being abused that young? That ain't right. Kourtney looked at me and said, "Thank you for saving me, Mommy." She buried her face in my neck. I looked up at Kurt and smiled with tears in my eyes. Kurt also had tears in his eyes as he took in the scene.
"I'll always be here to protect you, Kourtney. I promise." I whispered in her ear. I picked her up and looked at her. "Now, what jeans were you looking at?" I asked her. She pointed to the ones that had flower imprints on them. We spent the entire day shopping for Kourtney. Mercedes and Shane found out about my soon-to-be daughter and they were happy. At the check-out line, I handed Kourtney to Kurt. She started to play with Kurt's hair and he didn't seem to mind it at all. I paid with my credit card that had my biological father's inheritance money. After we were done, we found Blaine and Nick outside the doors. They were shocked to see Kourtney asleep in my arms. "This can wait until we get home." I told them. We all rode to my house. Surprisingly, Mercedes' car was the only one that had a car seat, so Kourtney had to ride with her. By the time we reached my house, Kurt, Mercedes, and Shane took the bags to my bedroom while Kourtney, Nick, Blaine, and I sat in the living room. Kourtney had finally awaken from her nap.
"Mommy, where are we and who are they?" she asked groggily. I brushed back a few strands of hair back.
"We're home, baby, and those people are Uncle Blaine and my boyfriend, Nick." I told her. Blaine's eyebrows shot up at the word Uncle and Nick was confused. I explained what went down at the GAP and how I saved her from her abusive mother. They finally understood why she called me Mommy.
"Is Nick going ot be my new Daddy?" Kourtney asked shyly. I looked at him for confirmation. Nick's smile grew as he answered.
"I would be honored to be your new Daddy." Nick said as he held his arms out to her. She ran and hugged him. By the time everything was settled, it was near dinner time. "What do you want for dinner, sweetie?" he asked Kourtney.
"Pizza!" she said excitedly. Nick ordered two pizzas big enough for seven people. Kourtney, in the mean, was watching television. I paid for the pizzas because it was only fair. We all chatted until eight-thirty when Kurt and Mercedes had to leave for Lima. They said their farewells and drove off. By nine, Kourtney started to doze off. So Nick carried her to my room and laid her in the middle of the bed. We layed on both sides of her.
"Mommy?" Kourtney asked sleepily.
"Yes, baby?" I asked her as I looked down at her.
"Will you sing me to sleep?" she asked, her eyelids drooping. I started to sing her the lullaby that was known to kids:
Hush, little baby, don't say a word, Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird.
And if that mockingbird won't sing, Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring.
And if that diamond ring turns to brass, Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass.
And if that looking glass gets broke, Papa's gonna buy you a billy goat.
And if that billy goat won't pull, Papa's gonna buy you a cart and bull.
And if that cart and bull turn over, Papa's gonna buy you a dog named Rover.
And if that dog named Rover won't bark. Papa's gonna buy you a horse and cart.
And if that horse and cart fall down, You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.
She was asleep by the time I finished. I grabbed Nick's hand and kissed it.
"What you did today was very brave of you." Nick said, looking down at our soon-to-be daughter.
"It was either save or suffer. I chose to save her." I simply stated. I looked at her and back at Nick. "You do know what you're risking, right? And we can't dorm at Dalton anymore now that we have her."
"I know, hun, but in the end, it was worth it." Nick pecked my lips. "You're going to be a good mother." He pecked Kourtney's forehead before he closed his eyes. I took in the scene before I fell asleep. Kourtney was definitely worth it.
*Glee!*
A.N. – So what did you think? Review please! Sorry for the swear words. Next, Katie and Nick are going to get authorization for being Kourtney's legal guardian and they have to tell everybody the situation. I will post Chapter 12 here soon, I promise!
