Chapter Four

Richard pulled his daughter to him and hugged her tightly, the look on his face was one of disappointment and defeat. He sighed and kissed her forehead. "Well, now, Baby, don't cry like this. It isn't good for the baby and it doesn't help you much either. Calm down. We'll just have to deal with this. We can handle it. We'll have to."

"Momma says I have to have an abortion," Janie cried. "I don't want an abortion. I want this baby."

"Your mother can't make you have an abortion," he replied, glaring at his ex-wife. "Abortion is the easy way out, and I don't think you or Matt deserve to get out of this easily. I also, do not think that this child should die to keep you thin."

"So I suppose you're going to let her keep this baby and let her ruin her life before it even begins," Alexis snapped.

"Alexis, please," he replied, angrily. "Please for one moment, pretend you are good mother and be more concerned about our daughter than what your friends at the country club are going to think?"

"How dare you accuse me of such a thing!" Alexis snapped. "I'm the one who raises her everyday, I'm the one who has to deal with all the problems . You, you just breeze in every other weekend, take her shopping, take her off on fancy vacations and you think that makes up for not being there."

"If you call leaving her home alone for days on end, raising her, then yes, you raise her. But she's my…"

"SHUT UP!!" Janie interrupted. "SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!!!!"

Tears rolled down her cheeks again. "Can't you two just be in a room together without fighting?" She fled out of the house.

Matt looked around the room, then jumped up and ran after her. He found her sobbing on the front steps.

"Janie, are you okay, Baby?" He asked.

"Why do they always have to fight like that?"

Matt sat down on the steps and put his arms around her. "I don't know. Did you mean what you said? Do you want to keep the baby?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I've thought about adoption, I really have. I know that's what we agreed on. But I just can't do it. I can't. I tried. I went to one of those adoption agencies. You know the kind that sends you off for nine months to take care of a sick relative and you come back puffy and dazed without the baby. I just can't live knowing that I have a child out there, growing up without me. I can't stand the thought of not knowing when they're happy our sad or sick. I want to be there through that."

"Me too," Matt agreed. "We could get married and raise the baby, ourselves."

"It won't be easy. I don't know anything about babies or being a wife."

"I don't know anything about being a husband," Matt replied. "But I have three younger sisters and a younger brother. I know all about babies. Come on. I know it won't be easy, but we love each other. We can do this. I love you, Janie. Marry me and let me help raise our baby."

"Is that a proposal?" She laughed.

"Yes."

"Then I accept. Now kiss me before I fall apart."

"Yes ma'am." He smiled and kissed her.

Upstairs, Ruthie went into Mary and Lucy's room. "What's adoption?" She asked Mary.

"It's when someone has a baby they can't take care of, so they give it to another family that can take care of it. Why?"

"Cause Janie's gonna have a baby and she was going to go take care of a sick relative, and leave the baby with them, but she doesn't want to leave the baby and Matt doesn't either. I don't Mommy and Daddy are gonna be happy with this."

"WHAT?" Both older girls sat straight up on their beds.