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"Vanessa," I said.
"Mommy? Is daddy not my daddy?" she asked.
Oh my god, I thought. How do I answer that question? "Baby, it's not what you think," I started toward her.
"Leave me alone!" she cried, running back to her room and slamming her door.
I went to open it, but it was locked. "Vanessa, come out of there. Open the door," I demanded.
"NO!" she yelled.
"Honey, let me explain," I said desperately.
"Give her time, Emma," Sean said, coming up behind me.
"Sean, she hates me," I said, near tears.
"She doesn't hate you. She's just upset, give her time," he said.
"She has to know. I have to tell her," I stated.
"Let me tell her," he asked. "Let me explain it to her."
"You can try," I said.
He knocked on the door.
"Go away!" was the response.
"Its Sean, can I talk to you, Vanessa?"
Silence, and then the door opened. "Okay, but just you."
Paige sat in her seat on the plane, fidgeting something awful. Her mind kept flashing back to her daughter, and the reason why she gave her up for adoption.
"Paige," the doctor said, "You're pregnant."
"No, that can't be true. We were so careful," she said. "There must be a mistake.:
"There isn't," he said.
"Doctor Jennings, I'm twenty-two, this can't happen to me..."
"It can happen to anyone, Paige. Well, anyone female," he added for comedic relief. It didn't work.
"We only did it one time," she stated, still in denial.
"It can happen anytime. Lets talk about your options," he said. "You can have an abortion, but I wouldn't recommend it. After women have abortions, they usually go through an extreme phase of guilt and loss of self-worth. You could give the baby up for adoption, and there are two choices there. You can choose an open adoption, which gives you contact with the child anytime at the parents consent. Or there's closed adoption, in which you can't contact the child until you're eighteen. You could also raise the baby, either way its your choice."
"I have to talk to Spinner first," she said, still in shock.
She shifted in her seat, holding back the tears.
"Paige, we can't raise a baby, we're twenty-two, I just started college," he said.
"You're not being very supportive, Spinner. It's not your choice," she said.
"Paige, its my baby too. And I don't want it."
So she had given the baby up for adoption. She lived with a nice couple in Florida, and they took very good care of her. She had contacted the mother a few times, but she hadn't seen her yet."
Manny sat on the couch, trying to hold back tears. It wasn't working.
"Manny, baby are you okay? I woke up and you weren't there," Craig said sitting next to her.
"I'm okay," she said, wiping the tears away.
"No you're not," he told her.
"Craig," she started to cry harder. "I want my baby back," she tried to stop crying but it became worse. "That poor, innocent baby didn't do anything. And I lost it it's not fair. It's just not fair!"
"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry," he took her in his arms and tried to comfort her. "It's my fault. I'm so, so sorry."
"It's okay. It isn't your fault. You come from a hard background, I understand. It's not anyone's fault. I just, I couldn't help but think that the baby was going to help us grow closer again and now, it can't."
"I think it has," he said.
She looked up at him, "Craig, do you still love me?"
"Yes, I love you, Manny. I always loved you, and I always will."
They kissed for the first time in what seemed like years.
"Vanessa, I know this must be hard on you, but will you let me explain?" Sean asked, sitting down on her bed.
She sniffed. "Uh-huh."
"Your mom and I used to date back when we were in high school. I really loved her. One night, before she was going to marry Spinner, we said goodbye and that's how you...came to be. Its hard to explain really."
"Why didn't you ever come see me? Didn't you want me?" she asked.
His heart melted. "Oh, sweetie I would have loved to have come and saw you. But I didn't know about you. I hadn't talked to Emma in almost eight years. But you shouldn't be mad at your mom. She only did what she thought was best for you."
She nodded, "I know, I know."
"Okay."
"Daddy?" she said to him.
"Yes?" he asked, thinking of how beautiful his daughter was.
"I love you," she threw her arms around him in a hug.
"I love you too."
The nausea in my stomach came back and my head pounded. This time it was worse, I felt like I was going to throw up. Holding my stomach, I made my way to bathroom. But I couldn't do it. My head was spinning. The last thing I remember is falling to the ground.
"Vanessa," I said.
"Mommy? Is daddy not my daddy?" she asked.
Oh my god, I thought. How do I answer that question? "Baby, it's not what you think," I started toward her.
"Leave me alone!" she cried, running back to her room and slamming her door.
I went to open it, but it was locked. "Vanessa, come out of there. Open the door," I demanded.
"NO!" she yelled.
"Honey, let me explain," I said desperately.
"Give her time, Emma," Sean said, coming up behind me.
"Sean, she hates me," I said, near tears.
"She doesn't hate you. She's just upset, give her time," he said.
"She has to know. I have to tell her," I stated.
"Let me tell her," he asked. "Let me explain it to her."
"You can try," I said.
He knocked on the door.
"Go away!" was the response.
"Its Sean, can I talk to you, Vanessa?"
Silence, and then the door opened. "Okay, but just you."
Paige sat in her seat on the plane, fidgeting something awful. Her mind kept flashing back to her daughter, and the reason why she gave her up for adoption.
"Paige," the doctor said, "You're pregnant."
"No, that can't be true. We were so careful," she said. "There must be a mistake.:
"There isn't," he said.
"Doctor Jennings, I'm twenty-two, this can't happen to me..."
"It can happen to anyone, Paige. Well, anyone female," he added for comedic relief. It didn't work.
"We only did it one time," she stated, still in denial.
"It can happen anytime. Lets talk about your options," he said. "You can have an abortion, but I wouldn't recommend it. After women have abortions, they usually go through an extreme phase of guilt and loss of self-worth. You could give the baby up for adoption, and there are two choices there. You can choose an open adoption, which gives you contact with the child anytime at the parents consent. Or there's closed adoption, in which you can't contact the child until you're eighteen. You could also raise the baby, either way its your choice."
"I have to talk to Spinner first," she said, still in shock.
She shifted in her seat, holding back the tears.
"Paige, we can't raise a baby, we're twenty-two, I just started college," he said.
"You're not being very supportive, Spinner. It's not your choice," she said.
"Paige, its my baby too. And I don't want it."
So she had given the baby up for adoption. She lived with a nice couple in Florida, and they took very good care of her. She had contacted the mother a few times, but she hadn't seen her yet."
Manny sat on the couch, trying to hold back tears. It wasn't working.
"Manny, baby are you okay? I woke up and you weren't there," Craig said sitting next to her.
"I'm okay," she said, wiping the tears away.
"No you're not," he told her.
"Craig," she started to cry harder. "I want my baby back," she tried to stop crying but it became worse. "That poor, innocent baby didn't do anything. And I lost it it's not fair. It's just not fair!"
"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry," he took her in his arms and tried to comfort her. "It's my fault. I'm so, so sorry."
"It's okay. It isn't your fault. You come from a hard background, I understand. It's not anyone's fault. I just, I couldn't help but think that the baby was going to help us grow closer again and now, it can't."
"I think it has," he said.
She looked up at him, "Craig, do you still love me?"
"Yes, I love you, Manny. I always loved you, and I always will."
They kissed for the first time in what seemed like years.
"Vanessa, I know this must be hard on you, but will you let me explain?" Sean asked, sitting down on her bed.
She sniffed. "Uh-huh."
"Your mom and I used to date back when we were in high school. I really loved her. One night, before she was going to marry Spinner, we said goodbye and that's how you...came to be. Its hard to explain really."
"Why didn't you ever come see me? Didn't you want me?" she asked.
His heart melted. "Oh, sweetie I would have loved to have come and saw you. But I didn't know about you. I hadn't talked to Emma in almost eight years. But you shouldn't be mad at your mom. She only did what she thought was best for you."
She nodded, "I know, I know."
"Okay."
"Daddy?" she said to him.
"Yes?" he asked, thinking of how beautiful his daughter was.
"I love you," she threw her arms around him in a hug.
"I love you too."
The nausea in my stomach came back and my head pounded. This time it was worse, I felt like I was going to throw up. Holding my stomach, I made my way to bathroom. But I couldn't do it. My head was spinning. The last thing I remember is falling to the ground.