Chapter 15:

"Are you sure she's alright?" Salene asked for the hundredth time since May has lost consciousness.

"There's no way we can be absolutely sure, Salene, but everything appears to be alright. She's just tired and worn out from the labor," Trudy answered, "You need to rest too, Sal, you've had a rough night as well."

"No, I'm fine. I want to stay here with them," Salene said going over to stand over the makeshift crib they had placed the tiny baby in. "He needs someone to watch over him, and so does she…" she said turning back to look at May, lying pale and still in the bed.

"Alright then," responded Trudy wisely, "You just make sure you call us if you need to. Ellie, Amber and I will be close by."

"Thanks Trudy, I really do appreciate all you guys did for May. You were wonderful; I don't think I could have done it alone."

"You don't have to, we're family. We help each other, that's what we're here for."

As Salene felt the tears begin to fall Trudy pulled her into a hug, "You be strong, Sal. Go after what you want. Don't be afraid, like me. You deserve to be happy; you deserve to have someone care about you the way she does."

"Thank you Trudy. Thank you for not judging me...or May. I know she cares about me, but I just don't know if I feel the same way."

"Well, from what I've seen tonight, I'd say that you care about her very much," Trudy observed.

As Trudy left the room Sal turned back toward the sleeping baby. How wonderful it was, a new life, a baby boy. The tiny infant was red, as most babies were after birth, with a tuft of black fuzz on his little head. Suddenly a strong maternal feeling came over her, as if this was her own child she was looking at. She knew in that moment that she would be his caretaker; she would help May to raise him, no matter what their relationship came to. He would be like her own son…the son she had never had with Ryan.

Trudy made her way down to the café and joined Ellie and Amber, who were already deep in discussion.

"I know I'm not an expert, Ellie, but I've been through two births so far, and I know what a full term baby looks like. That is not a premature baby," Amber was telling Ellie.

"What are you saying, Amber?" Trudy asked. "Do you think May lied about how far along she was? What's the point of that?"

"Exactly, what's the point of lying about dates and times, unless you're hiding something else?" Amber answered.

"Maybe her relationship with Lex goes back farther than we thought," Ellie reasoned. "Maybe she didn't want us to know that she's been sharing Lex's bed for quite a while, maybe even while Siva was still alive. God knows that's not something to be proud of."

"I don't know, Ellie" Amber questioned, "this just doesn't add up. She's obviously been pregnant for nine months, so what was happening nine months ago? Who could she have been with then?"

"You think she lied about the father?" Trudy said, shocked by the direction of Amber's thoughts.

"Oh Trudy, I don't know what I'm thinking. It's late and it's been a rough few days," Amber sighed dramatically and rose to get a fresh cup of coffee.

"Well, I don't think it's any of our business anyway," Ellie added, "If May wants to tell us, then she'll tell us. If not, then Lex is the father and the baby was a bit early. That's all I need to know."

"I agree with Ellie," said Trudy grabbing a coffee mug from the cupboard, "May's in a fragile state right now, even more so than before. We all need to try and be as understanding as possible. We can't accuse her of anything," Trudy said looking straight at Amber.

"You're both right of course. I'm just being silly." Amber said shaking her head.

"After all, if you were sleeping with Lex, would you want it spread about?" Ellie asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit, "He's not the greatest catch in the sea."

"No…" Trudy and Amber both agreed at once.

Standing just beyond the entrance of the café Gel stood quietly and digested what she had heard. The baby should have been premature, but it wasn't. Amber was suspicious that May had lied about when the baby had been conceived or who the father was. Ellie thought that May hadn't wanted anyone to know that she was having a relationship with Lex. Now they were all laughing about what a poor catch Lex was.

Maybe she hadn't known Lex as long as them, but she knew him better. She understood him. He wasn't a poor catch, he was perfect. She hated May for what she had done to him. She had trapped him into being a father and drug him into a relationship that he didn't want. May had forced him to leave the mall and live in Liberty like an exile.

Life just wasn't fair. May didn't deserve Lex. What if Amber was right and Lex wasn't the father? He would need comforting and she would be there to provide it.

Slowly she tiptoed away from the door, careful not to alert the others to her presence. As she made her way back to her room, she began to make plans.