Disclaimer: I don't own much. Just the clothes off my back and my grueling hard plot line. Hee hee, see, I told you I don't own much.

Papa Don't Preach

Chapter Six: Every Breath You Take

"Who's your friend?" Paige, the girl I had met the day before, came over to Craig and me. She took a seat close by me under the tree that we resided by.

"I'm Layana, we met yesterday?" I questioned her. She is definitely one of those spacey types I had made fun of all the time back home, but something told me not to mess with this girl. She was most certainly high on the social scale and if I screwed with her she would make my life worse than my living hell.

"Oh, right," her head lifter up like she was having a light bulb moment. "You're the girl from the states. California, right?"

"Yeah," my throat grew raspy as I took a sip of spring water.

"We met there about a year ago," Craig stated, looking at me like we had a special secret Paige would never know about. That made my own secret even harder to keep inside.

"Do you hear that?" Dr. Mead, a short blond lady, held my hand, helping me look at the ultra sound screen that was beside me. My first glimpse of my child, a moment I will keep in my mind for the rest of my life. It was my first sense of a heart dying love.

"Would you like to know the sex?" Dr. Mead had a huge smile across her face.

I swallowed the spit I had built up in my mouth and nodded, "Yes."

Dr. Mead pressed her lips together, "It's a girl, congratulations."

"Hmm, lovely," Paige flashed a fake smile. "Well I better get going." she stood up and shook her little booty out of sight.

"Sorry if she seemed a bit rude," Craig whispered softly in my ear, "that's just the way she is."

"It's alright," I smiled weakly and cleared my throat. My brown hair got caught in my lip gloss so I pulled it back in a loose ponytail. "Girls can be like that."

"Oh! We need to think of names for the baby!" Mei grasped her hands together as she made me a banana-cheese smoothie. I was in my 5th month and I felt awful, and my cravings were at an all time high. The night before I ate three strings of chocolate covered carrots.

"What do you have in mind?" I pushed my hands into the couch cushion and made myself a bit more comfortable.

"What about Tayana?" Mei giggled. I laughed right along with her, or perhaps at her obsession for names with that ending. I don't remember which.

"Too close to mine," I shook my head and pondered more. "I was thinking Victoria or Raquel might be nice."

"Uh no, I don't want my granddaughter to end up a hooker," she hit the blend button like it was the end of the world. "Just add Champagne as a last name and she's got the perfect stripper name. Oh, and no Lola either. My friend was named Lola, now she's working late nights at a gentlemen's club in New York."

"Thanks for that Mom," I slipped the 'M' word. Mei looked at me with a sharp eye. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking about… well… I'm gonna be a mom. I'm gonna be someone's mother, Mei. Doesn't that scare you?"

"Of course it does," she sniffled, "but Darshan and I will be there for you through it all. Now that, baby, doesn't scare me."

My eyes watered over and I ran over to her to give her the biggest hug I had ever given anyone before, "I love you."

"I love you, baby," Mei stroked my hair and held me close to her. "I'll be there for you, no matter what."

I pulled apart from her and looked deep into her eyes, "I think I have a name."

"What, baby?" she put her palm on my cheek.

"Mei. Mei Tayana."

"Not you," Craig said to me sincerely. The look he is giving me almost makes me wanna cry. He's seeing me as if I was the most beautiful thing to walk this Earth. He deserves to know about her. About what happened when I went to a 7-11 to get a Coca-Cola and Strawberry slushy that one night.

"Craig," I sniffed and let out all the air in my lungs. "Can I tell you something?"

"Anything," he bit into a green granny smith apple, never once losing eye contact with me. God I feel sick. I feel like throwing up.

"How do you like that bitch, huh?" the man dressed in black kicked my stomach. "Yeah, you stupid slut!"

"I- uh…"

"Please, please stop, I'll give you anything!" I cried out in pain. "I give you anything…"

"Well, um," I bit my lip and let the tears spill over my cheeks. Craig immediately threw his apple on the ground and put his arm around me.

"Are you ok?" he held me to his chest and caressed my hair with his smooth hands. My sobs grew louder and drew a few peoples attention over to me. "Shh… it's ok, it's ok."

"No it's not," I shook my head and pulled myself back upwards. "A month or so after you left, I found out I was pregnant."

Craig's eyes boggled wide, "You what?"

"I was pregnant, Craig," I wiped away my tears with the bottom of my t-shirt. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, I was scared."

"Are you saying I'm a father?" he pointed to himself and drilled his eyes right into mine.

"Were a father, Craig," my voice cracked and I lowered my head down, "The baby died."

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I was busy in Chicago with no internet access but here it is. I hope you enjoyed it because it was especially difficult to write. Please review, it makes me go faster!