So here is another story for you. You know I will update the others, but I wanted to start another Christmas story at least! I love you all so much; you've encouraged me, and you have given me the confidence to pursue publishing my works. So, I thank you all! These stories are for you.

Ring Ring

Ring Ring

"What the hell?"

Mercedes Jones said as she sat up and checked the time as her phone continued to ring. At 1 am in the morning, she had literally been sleeping for 45 minutes, and she was frustrated. "Hello!" She said more aggressively than she intended.

"Is this the Jones residence?"

"Who is asking at 1 in the damn morning?"

"This is Sheriff Hudson of the Ashland City Police Department."

Mercedes could feel her heart race at the fear of what this call would entail. "This is the Jones residence. I am Mercedes Jones."

"Ma'am, we have your son Cameron Jones down here, and you need to pick him up."

Mercedes shot up in the bed. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Your son is here, and he needs a parent to come so we can release him."

"No." She said, getting out of bed and walking towards her son's room. "No, Cameron is in his room." She said, her voice trailing off as she stepped into her son's room and noticed the empty bed. "Son of a…Sheriff, I will be down there soon."

With that, she hung up the phone, frustrated and annoyed, as she returned to her room. Removing her bonnet, she quickly unwrapped her hair, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt that read, "New shirt, who dis?" She slipped into a pair of shoes she hoped matched and made her way to the police station.

As she arrived, she marched in and was met with a tall man who offered her a smile. "Let me guess, you are Ms. Jones. I am Sheriff Hudson."

"What gave me away?" She asked snarkily but shook it off. "I am sorry. Where is my son?"

"He is in the back room. He and a few of the local kids decided to vandalize Evans Farm."

"No, Cam wouldn't do that. He's only twelve."

"We have him on video. Mr. Evans has cameras around the farm. They did a considerable amount of damage."

Mercedes ran her hand through her hair. "How much?"

"That wasn't to have you pay it."

"How much, Sheriff Hudson."

"Fifteen thousand dollars."

"Fifteen th- you are telling me that my twelve-year-old son did fifteen thousand dollars worth of damage to a farm?"

"Yes, Ma'am, a formal meeting will be held tomorrow at ten am. This will determine if the Evans' are going to press charges."

"What exactly did they do?!"

Finn sighed. "Overturned a tractor, spray painted the barn and house,

and broke a couple of fences."

Mercedes could feel her anger rising as she heard what they did. "Take me to my son, please," Mercedes said.

Finn nodded and led her to the back room. "The other parents already grabbed their boys, though two are locked up for the night because they are both 17."

"Seventeen…are you telling me that my twelve-year-old son was with two seventeen-year-olds? What the actual hell!? I need names."

"I can not give you names, but I can tell you that the ages varied. Besides your son, there was another twelve-year-old, his brother who was fourteen, another who was fifteen, and the two seventeen-year-olds. The older two were brothers of the teens.

"Look, I know it's clear I had no idea what was happening, but that's not normal. I usually keep a better eye out on what's going on, but trust and believe it won't happen again."

Finn nodded as he opened the door, and Mercedes rushed inside.

"Cameron Kendrick Jones, what in the hell were you thinking!"

Cameron stood as his mother stared at him, and then he looked over to Finn. "Put me in jail. Please."

Finn laughed, "Nope, gonna let your mother handle this."

"Get up; we are going home," Mercedes said through gritted teeth as she turned to Finn. "Where are we meeting tomorrow?"

Finn wrote it down and gave it to her. "Here's the address. We felt it best we meet at the farm. Stacey Evans, she's part owner, will meet us there and show us the extent of the damage."

"Thank you, Sheriff Hudson. We will see you tomorrow."

Finn nodded. "You are welcome, and you can call me Finn."

"Well, thank you, Finn; I am very sorry about all this."

Finn gave her a nod, and Mercedes nudged Cameron to the door as they approached her SUV. The ride home was quiet as she wasn't sure what she could say to him without yelling. She knew the move to Ashland City, Nashville, was a significant change, but it was a great opportunity for them.

Mercedes grew up in a small town in Ohio. She was a straight-A student, sang in the glee club, was captain of the debate team, and was a cheerleader, which shocked many people, considering she wasn't the typical size two. But she did it because they told her she couldn't.

Mercedes was never one to be told what she could or could not do; her son got that from her. As she went through high school, she was her parent's dream. Her older brother, Ezra, had dropped out to pursue his music when his band had been discovered. He toured for a while, but soon, they were living the life of true rockers, getting drunk and doing drugs, and he returned home a different man than who he was when he left.

Her older sister, Jordan, or JJ as they called her, joined the police force two years after graduating high school. She had been on the job for three years before she lost her life. It devastated her family. Her parents never truly recovered from the loss.

All their hopes rested on Mercedes, who practically raised herself while her parents worked to give them a better life. Mercedes never got into trouble, always did what was asked, and was in Church every Sunday, singing in the choir and leading Sunday school.

Even when she met Aiden Chang, she never strayed. Aiden was the most popular guy in school. He was a year older than her, and while everyone wanted him, he only had eyes for Mercedes.

Then, homecoming, her Jr. Year, came, and he had gotten them a hotel room. They were supposed to be hanging out with friends, but he had other plans; he wanted to get her alone.

Mercedes wasn't stupid when it came to intelligence, but she was out of her depth when it came to guys and romance. He did everything right at the moment, made her feel beautiful, and told her they would go at her pace. And despite her not wanting to lose her virginity in such a cliche way, the moment felt right. She loved him, and he loved her.

Though she was scared of what would happen after he got what most men wanted, Aiden surprised her; he showered her with flowers and gave her a promise ring, promising to love her forever. Only forever lasted a few more months.

It wasn't until the holidays did she start feeling sick. Her Aunt Roz was the first to notice she was pregnant; she was always very wise and caught Mercedes throwing up. Roz held her hand the entire time she told her parents, and even though Mercedes thought they were going to kill her, they were very understanding.

Aiden was not. He told Mercedes that he loved her, but having a child was not in the cards for him. He had a future to consider. He and his parents gave Mercedes one hundred thousand dollars to have an abortion and for the emotional stress this caused. But Mercedes couldn't do it. Yes, she was 16, but she wanted that baby more than anything.

Taking care to help Mercedes with Cameron, her parents made sure that she had everything she needed to finish school. And she did; she graduated top of her class in both High School and College, earning her Master's in Nursing. She had been working in Ohio when her Uncle offered her a job at his practice. He and a few of his friends went into business with each other, and she was their first hire.

With her parents deciding to retire and travel the world, nothing kept her in Ohio. And she was able to work from nine am to four pm. She would train the new hires and get all the paperwork done that was needed. This way, she could take care of her son and still get to work and earn a living for them.

That's why she was surprised to find out that Cameron was mixed up in this mess. He was genuinely a great kid. He got straight As and did his chores. He was her when she was younger. So, hearing he snuck out and vandalized a farm hurt.

As they walked into the house, Cameron looked at her. "Mom…I-"

"Don't. Don't you even fix your mouth into saying a word? Tomorrow, we will go to the farm, and I will get a look at what you did."

"But I didn't-"

"You know they have you on camera, so remember, I can see the truth before you lie."

Cameron opened his mouth but shut it again.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Now go to bed, and I dare you sneak out again." Mercedes warned.

Cameron frowned as he walked up the stairs towards his room.

"We have a meeting in the morning, so don't plan on doing anything else," Mercedes called after him.

He didn't say anything as he went to his room. She sighed, going to set the alarm, opting to change the code; that's how he got out in the first place. She hated that she couldn't trust him. Grabbing her phone, she shot off a text to her best friend and Cameron's Godfather, Mike.

MJ: When you wake up, call me.

MC: What's wrong… it's almost two in the morning.

MJ: Cameron got picked up by the cops for vandalism.

MC: … … …

MC: …

MJ: Mike?

Within minutes, her phone rang, and she put it on speaker as she wrapped her hair.

"I didn't mean for you to call me now."

"You tell me my God son was arrested and don't expect me to call?" Mike said, worried.

"You better come get him, Mike, because I am…do you know that he is hanging out with seventeen-year-olds?"

"The hell?" Mike said.

"My thoughts exactly!" Mercedes sighed. "Granted, they were the older brothers of the other boys, but still. Cam is only 12."

"What do you need me to do?"

Mercedes chewed her bottom lip. "Nothing. We are going tomorrow to the farm, and we will see what happens after."

"That's it, I am moving up my visit. Forget next month. I am coming next week."

"Mike, I don't want you to rush because of me."

"Mercedes, you are my best friend, my sister. And I want to help."

Mercedes put her scarf on and picked up the phone. "How about we wait until I talk to the people at the farm."

"Fine, but call me as soon as you find out what is happening. I promised you I would be there for you two."

"I know Mike, but none of this is on you. I have been so busy. I wanted the whole Christmas week off, so I have been working for other people so they can work for me during the Holidays; I was so busy I didn't even realize Cameron was in trouble."

"He's not in trouble. It was a mistake, and we will figure it out, okay?"

Mercedes sighed. "I don't know what we would do without you, Mike; I also know that you retake a huge risk even talking to us."

Mike sighed, "What happened to you and Cameron was wrong, Mercedes; there was no way I would let that stand."

Mercedes closed her eyes and recalled the first time she met Mike. She had heard that Aiden had an older brother already in college, but she had never met him. Then, one day, Mike showed up at her house; the rest was history.

Flashback

Mercedes stared at the sonogram; there was no doubt she was pregnant now. She chewed her bottom lip, going over everything and trying to figure out her next steps. Figure out what she wants to do.

Roz walked over to her, taking the sonogram. "Oh, look at Auntie's baby; that's a boy for sure."

Joselyn Jones smiled, shaking her head. "Please, that's grandma's princess in there, Roz. It's clear as day."

"Now, I may not be an OBGYN, but I know a man when I see one, and that right there, baby, is a boy. Gonna be handsome too, looking just like his sexy aunt Roz."

Mercedes laughed, shaking her head. "I don't care what I have; I just want them to be healthy."

"Spoken like a child who hasn't had kids. Girl, your cousin, is a hot damn mess; her badass had the nerve to sass me." Roz said.

Mercedes raised an eyebrow. "Sass you? Roz, she's 11 months old and doesn't talk."

"And? I went to her and said, Baby girl, it's time for bed. And do you know that child went... A baba abba ababa, mocking me."

Joselyn and Mercedes burst out laughing. "Well, she got it from her momma, Roz. You are the sassiest woman I know; you are the one who made Mercedes the way she is."

The sisters laughed as someone knocked on the door. Mercedes sighed, walking over to it and frowning when a man stood before her. "Hi, can I help you?"

"Are you Mercedes Jones?"

She tilted her head to the side; the man looked familiar. "Why?"

"My name is Mike…Chang."

Mercedes took a moment to recognize who he was. "You're Aiden's brother?"

"I am. I hope you don't mind me stopping by."

"Why are you here?"

Mike ran his hand through his hair. "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

Mercedes hesitated for a moment before nodding and inviting him in. She took him to the living room, as her mom and Roz had moved their discussion to the kitchen. Sitting down, Mercedes looked over to him. "Okay, Mike, what are you doing here?"

"Aiden asked me to stop by; he and my parents wanted to make sure you knew where they stood," Mike said, sounding unsure as his eyes landed on the sonogram on the table. "Oh wow, is that?"

Mercedes reached for it and nodded. "It is; it's the sonogram of your niece or nephew. And before you ask, Aiden is the only…he was my first. I never…"

Mike held up his hand. "Whether or not the baby is Aiden's is not in question. He assured me he knew it was his."

"And yet he hasn't called me. He told me he would get back to me, and that was two months ago."

Mike pulled out an envelope. "Aiden isn't ready to be a father, and even though he told you to get rid of the baby, even though my parents told you too, he is certain you won't."

Mercedes shrugged. "He would be right. I am not getting rid of my child."

"Here." Mike said.

Mercedes took the envelope and frowned as she saw what was inside. "Is this for real?"

Mike nodded. "It is. Aiden doesn't want to be a father, and my parents don't want to be grandparents."

Mercedes felt tears fall from her face as she frowned. "He wants me to sign a contract?"

Mike nodded. "He did. There is something else in there."

Mercedes looked at him before looking at the envelope and pulling out a check. "$100,000? Is this what they think my child is worth?"

"This is what they think you are worth, to stay quiet about all of this."

Mercedes shook her head. "No. No! I won't let them buy me!" She moved to rip up the check, but Mike took her hands in his to stop it.

"No! Don't do that."

"Leave me alone! Why are you even here? What was the point of sending you!?"

Mike sighed. "Look, I don't believe in what they are doing, and having me come here, I hate that they did. But I can't let you rip up something that can help you and that child. Aiden is an asshole for leaving you, and my parents are bastards, but don't let them off the hook."

Mercedes sniffed. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because that baby is my family. I don't care what my parents say or what Aiden says, and I won't abandon you. Keep the money; it's not like my family is hard up for it. Shit, if you want, I can tell them you want more. But don't let your pride stop you from being able to take care of this child."

Mercedes put her hand on her stomach. "You want me to ask them for more?"

Mike shrugged with a smile. "Hell, yes. My family thinks they can throw money at a problem, and then it won't be a problem anymore. So tell me what you want."

Mercedes sighed, "I don't know! I am almost 17; I want this child to be okay. That's it."

Mike nodded. "Okay, so I go and tell them that. I will let them know you have no intention of getting rid of this child. And that you want Aiden to terminate his parental rights."

"I want him to man up and be a father!"

Mike sighed. "I know, but he won't. Aiden is the golden child. I went to med school for two years before deciding to dance for a living. Aiden will get into a top college and become the doctor I never could because that is what our parents want. He won't go against them. No matter how much he loves you."

Mercedes wiped her eyes and exhaled deeply. "Okay, okay, then what do you suggest?"

Mike took her hand. "Since you are keeping your child, tell them you want Aiden to terminate his parental rights, and you want an additional ten thousand dollars a month until the baby turns five. After that, you and the baby are free of my family."

Mercedes nodded. "Okay, yeah, sure. I suppose that will work. I just…"

Mike moved to hug her, somehow knowing she needed it. Mercedes hugged him back, taking a deep breath. "Thank you."

Mike pulled away. "For what?"

"For being here."

Mike shook his head. "I may not be the father, but I am the uncle, and I promise you, I will watch out for you both."

Back to Present

After that, they exchanged numbers, and Mike became her advocate. He was always there for her and came to the hospital when Cameron was born. He made a deal with his parents; they agreed to the ten thousand a month for five years, on top of the hundred thousand they gave her. Mercedes saved it up until they moved to Nashville, and she bought their first house. The rest of the money is in a trust for Cameron; it is there for school and whatever else he may need.

"Mercedes? Merce, you there?"

Mercedes came back to reality as she heard Mike calling for her. "Yeah, I am here."

"You should get some rest."

She sighed, "Yeah, I know. I promise I will call you after the meeting."

"Good; let me know if you need anything else."

Mercedes closed her eyes. "It's gonna be okay, Mike? Right?"

Mike's smile could be heard through the phone. "I promise it will be."

"Night, Mike."

"Night, Mercy."

Mercedes hung up, walking out of her room towards Cameron's room, sighing in relief as she watched him sleep. He looked so innocent, so peaceful.

"Lord, please. I need help. Because if that boy acts a fool one more time, I might just kill him."