A/N: FLASHBACK in full effect…You will be meeting the Jones in this part and you'll find out a lot. This chapter is one HELL of a read. Enjoy!
Tank's POV
"Baby…" She's on the phone hopefully she's saying some good things about me. I smiled.
"…I don't know. I think I should leave Tank. My parents were right about him. He's not the one for me. So who is the one for me…?" I didn't want to stick around to hear her response. I grabbed my keys headed to my mother's house. "Hey Ma."
"What are you doing here?"
"I can't visit." I helped my self to some food.
"You can visit but you usually call first. What's wrong?"
"'Cedes…I was listening in on her conversation and she's thinking about leaving me. We only were together for a few months. She said her parents were right about me."
"What her parents know about you? She doesn't even talk to them no more. You want her to leave?"
"No, how can I get her to stay?"
"You can trap her."
"Trap her? How?"
"Do I have to think of everything? I want a grandbaby." LIGHT BULB!
Mercedes POV
"I hate you mommy…..I hate you mommy….I hate you mommy…I hate you….hate you.. Hate you…."
"So who is the one for me you ask?" I tilted my head to the side with the phone attached to my right ear and smiled. "Sam Evans. Hold up I got a text."
"Baby we're throwing a party tonight. – Tank.
"Okay. When? Where? What time?"- 'Cedes
"Tonight, our house, around 7. - Tank
I'll go out and get some food. – 'Cedes
I'll bring the drinks. – Tank
"What was that about? Tank decided he's having a party tonight. Yeah. I'll call you later. Wish you could come to the party. I know you too bye.
"Let me go order some platters."
Tank's POV
"We're all set." I danced in my chair. "I'm going all out to get drinks."
"And condoms."
"Why? If I'm going to try to get her pregnant?"
"Just in case she asks you can say you did but don't buy a big pack just get the little 3 pack."
"Okay. Alright? You coming to the party?"
"Hell yeah. Mama got to get her groove on!"
"Hahahaha. I'll see you tonight at 7."
I went to the liquor store bought enough to keep the drinks flowing she think she going to leave me she has another thing coming. I arrived back home and 'Cedes had a nice spread of food something for everyone I started setting up the drinks and at by six my mother was already there and the other guest started to follow. "Baby, you want a drink?"
"Sure…I'll take something."
"Alright." I went over to the bar and made her a personal drink. "Here you go baby." She took the drink and sipped it and pulled back the cup and looking up at me.
"This is good. Make me another."
"Okay." A few more drinks and Mercedes was done she was laughing and smiling and no one was saying anything funny. "Okay baby you're done. Let's go to the bedroom. Ma, I'm taking Mercedes to bed."
"Alright." She yelled as she was making some more drinks for her and her friends.
"Baby…." 'Cedes gently smacked me. "Where are you taking me?" She slurred.
"To bed you're wasted." I got her in bed and then I asked her the question.
"You want to have sex?"
"Huh…yeah."
"You want to do it?"
"I want you do it to me."
"Are you sure you want to do it?"
"Tank do it to me!" She yelled. SHOWTIME!
Mercedes POV
I got to throw up! I reached for my trashcan and hurled because I wasn't going to make to the bathroom with memory I moved my hand under the lamp shade and turned on the light.
"Ow..Ow. Where are my clothes? Why am I naked?" Tank was naked too I sat up in bed and looked at the sheets there was blood. "No. No. No." I smacked Tank. "Tank wake up." He groggily mumbled something wiped the sleep from his eyes and rolled over.
"What?"
"What happened last night? There is blood on the sheets I'm not on my period and it hurts."
"Oh you lost your virginity last night." He rolled back over.
"What?! To who?! Ow."
"Me! Who the fuck do you think?"
"I don't remember anything about last night. Did you use a condom?"'
"Yeah, I did." He held up a empty condom wrapper."See that's because you had too many damn drinks. You were wasted so I asked you if you wanted to have sex and you said yeah and I asked you again to make sure I heard it right."
"Tank I was drunk! I wasn't in my right state of mind. Ow." I rubbed my right temple.
"Well, I was somewhat in my right mind. Can't believe you woke me up for that? I'm going back to sleep."
Tank ass went back to sleep snoring up a storm and I was sitting there shocked and disgusted. I lost my virginity the thing that I was holding on to give to Tank eventually who would be my husband one day… I can't give that to him because I got drunk and he took it…I don't even want to think about it. I got out of the bed wincing I and slowly made my way to the bathroom I drew me a hot bath. I got in the tub letting the hot water ease my disgust away. I feel disgusting right now. So disgusting I took 2 baths to cleanse me of what transpired last night. Out of the tub I dried off and put on some fresh clothes and went to the kitchen where Ms. Bertha was.
"You're walking different. You finally did it! How was it?" Ms. Bertha asked.
"I don't remember and I don't want talk about it."
"Was it that bad?"
"Why are you here?"
"I was at that party Tank threw last night. It was banging and you were drinking up a storm. I didn't know you had it in you like that. Here drink this. This is for your hangover." She pushed me glass of some concoction I drank it and it was nasty I downed it but it made me want to hurl.
"I heard. Was Tank drinking?"
"He had a few drinks?"
"What is a few?" I asked nibbling on the toast she sat before me.
"Like 3 or 4."
Later that night….
"You want to have sex?"
"Tank no! After the way I lost my virginity to you. I don't want to have sex nor talk about sex."
"I'm sorry." He leaned over and gave me kiss.
"Yeah, right."
"You said something." He backed hand slapped me. "You and that mouth of yours shit. Now I said I was sorry. Fine you don't want me to touch again. I won't."
5 DAYS LATER. . . . . .
"Damn girl you throwing up again? What's wrong with you?"
"Tank….I don't know. It just started. I'm having cramps. I'm throwing up. I feel dizzy, I'm hot, I have an appetite one minute and I don't have one the next."
"Maybe you got the flu. It is going around."
"Maybe…I'm going to sleep."
"Want anything?"
"Just water."
"Fine."
2 weeks later.. . . .
"Oh lord not again!" I jumped off the couch and ran into the bathroom and fell to my knees holding onto the side of the toilet as I threw up what I just ate with my eyes closed I flushed the toilet and sat back against the wall. "Mercedes something is wrong with you." Up off the floor I brush my teeth and went back into the living room. "I threw up again, this sickness still hasn't gone away and I think I'm about to come on my period. I'm spotting. It's been going on for 2 weeks now."
"Huh?"
"Me being sick. Are you paying any damn attention to what I've been saying to you?" He turned off the TV and backed me up in a corner.
"I know you been sick who has been taking care of you since you got sick a couple weeks ago! Me!" He hit the wall and I jumped. "I was trying to get some me time you know not having to take care of you for once. Damn."
"Sorry."
"I know you are."
6 weeks later. . . ..
I took a pregnancy test just to be on the safe side and it came back negative. My sickness still hasn't went away so today I'm heading to my doctor's appointment that I made last week.
"Where are you going?" He asked not turning his attention from the TV.
"My doctor's appointment."
"What appointment?"
"My doctor's appointment. The one I made last week. That's right you weren't talking to me you gave me the silent treatment so that's why I didn't tell you because we had a fight."
"Okay we're talking now. What appointment?"
"You've asked me that question 3 times and I answered it twice. I'm not answering it no more. I'll be back." I put on my coat and grabbed my purse as I went to open the door Tank pushed it close.
"Why did you do that?"
"What's the appointment for?"
"I'm still sick."
"Well you seem fine to me. I'm coming with you and I'm driving."
"Fine." Tank drove me to my appointment and I'm surprised he dropped me off at the front door and didn't actually park and have me walk from wherever to the entrance. I got to the floor and signed in and 10 minutes later I see my doctor.
"Mercedes so what brings you in?"
"I haven't been feeling well for 5 weeks and I need to know what's going on. I took a pregnancy test but it came back negative.
"Okay….we'll run some tests and we'll get to the bottom of it." They ran a few test asked me a few questions asked if I were sexually active. Even hearing them asking me that made me cringe I told I lost my virginity but he wore a condom. "So, we ran some tests and everything came back normal but your urine test. You're pregnant!" The doctor said to me happily as I didn't give her the same reaction. I sat there blank and confused.
"I still got my period which didn't last long but I'm pregnant?!"
"Yes you are."
"He used a condom."
"Well condoms are effective but there is that little slim chance that they fail. The best thing to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STIs is abstinence."
"And I was on a squeaky clean roll of being abstinent until that ended 6 weeks ago. Are you serious? You sure that test it is accurate? I can't be pregnant. The home pregnancy one said I wasn't."
"Maybe it was faulty or who know but that test is accurate and you are. So we're going to do an ultrasound to see how far along you are then we can determine the actual due date. Do you want your husband to be in here?"
"He's not my husband. He's my boyfriend."
"Oh, you want him in here."
I thought about this long and hard and decided…"Yeah, you can bring him back."
"Okay. I'll be back shortly."
I'm pregnant! I don't know if I should be happy or sad but there is a life growing inside of me and its Tank's now that has made me sad. I was in my thought when he tapped me on my shoulder. "Tank when you took my virginity did you use a condom?" He scratched his head scrunching his face.
"You have to think about it?
"Yeah."
"It should not be that hard it was only a few weeks back."
"Yeah, I used one. Why?"
"I'm pregnant."
"Yes! I'm happy! You and I are going to have a baby." He was all happy celebrating and smiling not realizing that I wasn't too happy about this." We are having a baby. Yes! I'm going to be a daddy! You're not happy?"
"No, I'm not."
"Why?"
"I wanted to do it right. My plan that I had since high school is altered."
"Plans are meant to be changed."
"Not when you've dreamed about it since high school. I had it down I had it written down I'm pregnant." The nurse came in with the ultrasound machine and set it up put the ultrasound gel on my belly which was cold, sticky, and really messy and started moving around the transducer probe and up on the monitor appeared a tiny little blip.
"There's the baby and that little blinking right there."
"Uh-huh."
"That's the heartbeat, right here is the yolk sac, right here is the baby, and it measures 6 weeks and the heart beat is 115 bpm."
"That's my baby."
"That's OUR baby." I looked up and Tank and he was beaming. I was beaming too at first I wasn't happy about this but I'm having a baby. We took care of a few more things while there and homebound we were but Tank had to stop by his mother's house to tell her in person that she was going to be a grandma and she was over the moon. With her being over the moon with this announcement I decided to wait and call my parents a couple months later.
"Jones Residence, Joshua speaking."
"Daddy…"
"Mercedes?" Hearing him say my name brings tears to my eyes. "Baby girl how are you?"
"I'm fine. You?"
"I'm good. Congratulations on your Grammy nomination for Best New Artist of the Year and Best R&B album. I can't wait to see you perform. I want you to know that I purchased all your CDs that were in the stores. I give them out to my patients."
Hearing that made me laugh and smile. "Thank you, daddy. Even the kids?"
"No, their parents the kids get toys unless they're at the age of knowing who the good artist is and when I tell them you're my daughter. They are shocked."
"That's cute. Is Mom around with you?"
"She is…you want to talk to her I can put you on speaker phone."
"Sure."
"You're on speaker phone."
"Hi mom."
"Baby, how are you doing?"
"I'm good. I have something to tell the both of you."
"What is it because we already know about your Grammy nomination and performance. Is it bigger than that?"
"Oh yeah….I'm pregnant." I told them I was pregnant winced my face in the process.
"Pregnant? Mercedes I thought that you were going to…."
"Joshua don't…maybe she changed her mind. Congratulations baby. When are you due?"
"Thanks. I'm due in June."
"A summer baby."
"So did you opt to not being celibate no more or was it Tanks idea."
"Joshua."
"No, I can't be happy for her. I know what she wanted she wanted to win her first Grammy, get married and THEN have a baby. This isn't her plan. This is not the plan she told us when she started at William McKinley High."
My dad was right he and mom were going back and forth just trying to make their point I hung up the phone because I didn't want to hear my parents do that. I know mom is just is upset as dad but she's not going to tell me I looked in the mirror at me and just rubbed my belly and thought of that song Finn sang to his baby or what he thought was his baby. So I sang it to my baby. "I'll stand by you. Always." Grammy's came and went I won both of my categories after the Grammy's I kept a low profile I didn't want to be out there seen pregnant nor photographed and annoyed about the paparazzi. Fast forward to my 9th month and I'm 39 weeks pregnant and I'm ready for this little person to come out. Tank has put me on mute again we had another blowout on Monday and Today is Thursday. So I'm just sitting here talking to my belly. "Baby boy or baby girl you can you do mommy a huge favor and come out! You would kick me. Is that a yes or a no? Let's do it like this are you going to decide that you are going to send your mommy into labor today or tomorrow, for tomorrow no kicks for today one kick." I placed the remote on my belly waiting for movement and nothing. "You are too smart already." The baby kicked twice. "Okay you got jokes well hopefully you come out soon because I need someone to talk to that loves me because right now the man that donated his seed is being a fool. Why am I thinking about him? He would come back into my mind when I'm already knocked up." The baby kicked again as in to say who so I answered. "Sam. You don't know him but if he were your daddy he'd be right here not letting me go through this by myself. I know that much. Hopefully one day you'll be able to meet him but first you got to meet me you sir or ma'am that is holding up the process." I went to the bathroom because I had to use it as I was climbing in the bed I started peeing on myself or what I thought was pee. "Did I just pee on myself?" I went back into the bathroom and sat on the toilet I got up and started walking around the bathroom and more "urine" was coming out. It didn't hit me until a couple of minutes later. "My water just broke!" I called labor and delivery took a shower grabbed the bag I packed weeks in advance and drove myself to the hospital. I got checked in and I was in labor for around 27 to 30 hours I did have an epidural this wasn't going down the natural way hell to the no. I hit the call button for the nurses and one came into my room.
"Ms. Jones, how are we?"
"I have the urge to push…now."
"Okay….let's check to see where you are?" She checks me and lo and behold. "You are fully dilated let's call the doctor."
"Tell him to hurry up because I want to push!"
"Okay. Okay. Don't push because the doctor is at home."
"WHAT?! HOME TELL HIS ASS TO GET HERE!"
"Calm down Ms. Jones. He's on his way we're calling him." Why did they tell me that I just want to push Lord Jesus please let this doctor hurry up and get here. I secretly began pushing and the nurse took notice."
"Hey no pushing the doctor is coming down the hall right now." Quickly he put on his scrubs and got in position 30 minutes later.
"It's a boy!" They laid him on my chest and I touched my son for the first time.. "Born June 27th at 3:50 pm. Welcome to the world….does he have a name?" The doctor asked.
"Not yet. I haven't decided." I decided I just need to see his face.
"Well welcome here baby Jones." They took him to get weighed and he weighs 7lbs 5oz 22 inches long. They cleaned me and Baby Jones. "Here you go mommy." The nurse placed him in my arms and I was in love.
"Hi little one aww…you're so cute open those eyes for me there. You look like me thank God for that. You got my nose, eyes, and mouth and my lungs. What am I going to name you? For sure you will not be named after the seed donator you're lucky there. How about Thomas? No you don't look like a Thomas." I went down a few more names and then I thought of him: Samuel Evans. "Your name is Thaddeus. But you need a middle name and I thought about my dad and brother, Joshua you're named after your grandpa and uncle. Last name….
"I heard you over here talking to him. You've named him?"
"Yes."
"What is his name?
"Thaddeus Joshua Evans-Jones."
"That's an excellent name."
"Agree. Sam, I don't know where you are or who you are with but I'd rather you'd have been right here doing this with me."
Present Day…
I woke up from my nap and was headed down the hall to talk to TJ and I caught him saying a prayer.
"Jesus I hurt my mommy's feelings and I said two bad well three bad words I know that you already forgiven me but I won't be happy until mommy forgives me too. Amen. PS. Can you deliver this prayer to her ear like you did daddy's?"
"TJ."
"Mommy." He got up off his knees came over to me and gave me a hug. " Mommy sit on my bed. I have to tell you something." He took me by the hand and I sat on his bed and he too sat.
"What you have to tell mommy? I'm listening." He took a deep sigh and bowed his head then looked back to me.
"I had a talk with daddy and daddy said he's my real daddy and real daddy's do a lot of things like he reads to me and hugs and kisses me and one of those things daddy told me that real daddy's do is make his son apologize to his mommy. I'm his son so I'm sorry mommy I don't hate you I love you I'm sorry I made you cry. You forgive me?"
"Come here. I forgive you. I love you TJ. I loved you from the moment the doctor said I was pregnant. I just wanted to talk with you to see if you were missing him that's all and I did think about going back there but we're safe here."
"Mommy."
"Yes, baby."
"I don't miss him. I have a daddy."
"Yes, you do and he loves you and so do I. You said some bad words and mommy doesn't want to hear you say those words again. You understand me? You're too handsome to say those things."
"Yes, ma'am."
"But mommy has to punish you."
"Already taken care of?" Sam said as coming into the room. "Right TJ."
"Right daddy."
"So, what have y'all decide?"
"Well daddy decided he's punished I said grounded earlier but he's punished for 5 days no toys, video games, no outside play or nothing. They're in the basement and you and I baby have to find something for him to do around here like a chore or something. What you think his 5 day chore should be. Something that happens every day around here."
"Wash dishes. We'll wash dishes this week for 5 days by hand and you and I can alternate."
"That's good."
"It's 5 days in a week. Who am I going to wash dishes with on day 5?" He asked looking from Sam and I.
"Who you want to wash dishes with on your 5th day?
"Uncle Stevie since he was down that he couldn't play with my toys."
"Stevie came by again?" I asked Sam as he just laughed.
"Yeah. That brother of mine. It's like we have two kids and TJ's the oldest."
"So, what are we going to do for dinner because I'm starving" Sam said.
"How about we have spaghetti tonight with garlic bread and a salad?"
"Okay. Let's go start on dinner."
JJ's POV
"Mom. Dad! Where are you guys?"
"Backyard!" My father yelled as I petted the dog. "What's going on Chew? Not going to bark a hello. Hey dad, mom." I gave both a hug and sat down.
"So, did you find out why your sister pressed charges against Tank?"
"No, I didn't but whatever charges she did press fool ass cops didn't Mirandize him."
"You kidding?!"
"Nope and he was happy and his mother." I rolled my eyes thinking about her ass. "You don't want to hit your elders but man. I just wanted to hit her the first time I laid eyes on her and the second time. I acted like I was a fan and she just telling that Mercedes left with TJ. I pray that doesn't get out in the blogs because Mercedes is a private person famous or not and with him not being Mirandize who knows what they'll do. I got this sneaky vibe from them both. She was all up in Mercedes house and the first time we were there Tank wasn't there. You know when I saw that punk face to face he stood behind his mother."
"You kidding me?"
"No. What fool stands behind his mother?"
"A sorry excuse for a man."
"I agree I asked his mother her name but she didn't tell me but yet she giving up TJ's name. I have nephew. Why y'all didn't tell me she had a kid?" I tossed up my arms.
"That's something your father and I at that moment didn't want to talk about well dad didn't but he's come around."
"Yeah, I came around because the last time I talk to her she was pregnant with him and I haven't talked to her since. I wonder what TJ is like and what does that J stand for that's been nagging me for years."
"I bet you its Joshua dad."
"I don't know. You'd think she'd give him our first name as his middle."
"Yeah. I do."
A/N: Alright folks don't throw y'all devices at me. Don't y'all hate Tank and his mother? I bet now y'all hate them both! Well they seem to be running neck and neck but I think his mother got the edge. The Jones family nice meeting them nice family that 'Cedes still haven't reached out yet. Shall she? Will she? We'll see in the next update of Abused…..