Terminate
The best I can hope for is a discount since I was now unemployed.
“Hey, Vicki! Did you go to the doctor?”
That was how Jason answered the phone.
Did anyone genuinely care about me at all?
“Not yet. Jason, I need an attorney.
Do you think Paul might be willing to help me out… you know with payments or something.”
“An attorney? For what? Did you hit someone’s car?”
With a sigh, I said, “No Jason. I got fired.”
“For…?”
“Alexander Reigns found the pregnancy test I did at work yesterday. He thinks the baby is his.”
I heard a long pause and then, “Is it?”
“The day you broke up with me, I slept with him. I’m not going to apologize, Jason. You left me devastated. I shouldn’t have done it… obviously, but I did, and here we are.”
“Wow, so he thinks you’re pregnant with his kid and he fired you?”
I sighed again. I only wanted an attorney.
“Yes. He served me with a restraining order and an offer for money if I “terminate” and a bunch of other stuff I don’t understand. That’s why I need a lawyer.”
“Wow,” he said again. This conversation was going nowhere.
“Okay Jason, anyways…”
“Wait, I’ll talk to Paul, Vicki. Of course, I will. I’m sure he’ll be willing to help you. I’ll call him right now.
Then stay there, okay? I’m going to come over and bring you lunch. It sounds like you’ve had a horrible day.”.
Lunch? Jason was worried that I had a horrible day. What the heck was this about? “Yeah, okay.
Will you just have Paul call me?”
“We’ll get you an appointment with him first thing tomorrow,” he said, confidently.
“Okay, thank you.
But, I have an appointment with the doctor to have the pregnancy test at eight. Should I cancel that?”Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.
“No! No, don’t cancel that babe. That’s important. If you’re pregnant, you need to know now.
I mean, so you can start taking vitamins or whatever to make sure the little guy is healthy.”
The little guy? Was this Jason I was talking to?
“I’ll be there within the hour, okay babe?”
“Okay, Jason. Thank you.”
Jason was on my doorstep within the hour with a box of Chinese take-out and a bottle of sparkling cider. “Wow, um, this is nice,” I told him. I was slightly suspicious of his intentions, but I did need someone in my corner today.
“As I said on the phone, Vick, you’ve had a horrible day. I want to make it better.” I let him in and he put the food and the cider down on the table.
Then he shocked me by turning around and taking me into his arms.
He pulled me into him so my head was against his shoulder and he said, “I missed you, Vick.”
“Really?” I asked, taking a step back.
“Yeah. Of course, I missed you.”
“You broke up with me and just yesterday you were telling me we weren’t good for each other. What changed?”
“Nothing really,” he said. “I just heard your voice today and you sounded so distraught.
It tugged at my heart and I realized how badly I wanted to be here for you. I didn’t want you to be alone. I wanted to wrap you up in my arms and hold you and make it all better.”
“I don’t get it,” I said.
He kind of laughed and said, “You don’t get what, Vick?”
“You’re not angry that I slept with Alexander and that I’m not sure if the baby is yours or his?” He pulled me into him again and said.
“Everything that happened between you and him was that one day, right?”
I nodded and he said, “It was my fault. That’s why I’m not mad, Vick. I pushed you into his arms. I doubt that the baby is mine since you and I weren’t doing so well for a few weeks before we took our break, remember? We hadn’t been having sex.”
I thought about it then. He was right. If this was his baby, I’d be close to three months along at least.
I don’t think I could be that far along and not be showing any other signs, could I?
“Jason, I’m sorry that I got you involved in any of this. I just didn’t know who else to call. You’ve always been there for me…”
He kissed me on the side of my head and shushed me.
“Don’t apologize for calling me, babe. I will always be here for you and the little man, mine or not, okay?”
I wanted to ask who he was and what he’d done with Jason. I couldn’t believe he was being so easy-going about any of this.
He stepped back and looked down at my face and I said, “Thank you. I don’t mean to seem ungrateful, I’m just a little confused.”
“I understand,” he said.
“Let’s get some food in you and then we’ll take a look at those papers. You need to keep your strength up.” I wasn’t sure if I could eat, but I was willing to try. My poor stomach was bone dry.
We sat down and ate and drank cider. I thought it was thoughtful of him to bring something without alcohol or caffeine.
Maybe he did care… just a little bit anyways. When we finished eating he helped me clean up which was also out of character and then he said, “Okay babe, where are these papers?”
We went over to the couch and sat down, side by side with our knees touching. I hadn’t thought much about Jason lately, not until I called him about the pregnancy.
I thought I’d lost all feelings for him, but it was nice today, him being here like this. I didn’t know how badly I needed someone to lean on until he showed up
I handed him the papers and he read through them. Jason was a physical therapist; not an attorney but he was a smart guy.
After a few minutes, he said, “Yep, basically what he wants is for you to agree to abortion and to never speak to anyone about this… so a gag order to all parties involved. In exchange for that, he wants to pay you a hundred thousand dollars. It’s a bunch of crap.”
“I’m glad someone else thinks so. I’m not having an abortion.”
He kissed the side of my face again. It was nice. “Of course not, babe. I know you don’t believe in that. Had it turned out to be mine, I would have never asked you to do that.”
How did he suddenly know for sure it wasn’t his? My hackles were back up just a bit.
“But he’s not even just asking, he’s pressuring… almost blackmailing. He doesn’t want to take any responsibility for this. He wants to hide behind his rich boy shield and let you take all the heat for a paltry hundred grand. Vicki, do you know what this guy is worth?”
“A lot,” I said.
“Yeah, babe but really, do you know how much?”
“No.”
“Forbes magazine estimated his net worth at two billion last year.”
I nearly spit out the cider I was drinking.
“Damn! How does a thirty-year-old man make that kind of money?”
“For one thing, he started with money. But he’s an astute businessman too. He started making investments when he was still in college, the article says. He owns a piece of every major electronics company in the world. Every time someone turns on their cell phone or computer, he gets a check.”
“Oh, wow. I knew he was rich, but I guess I just can’t wrap my head around that kind of money.”
“He owns houses in Europe and two more besides the one he lives in in the U. S. He has a private jet, a helicopter, seven luxury cars, a yacht…”
“Why are you telling me all of this, Jason?”
“Because I want you to see how ridiculous it is that he is offering you a hundred grand. That would be comparable to me handing you a dollar and saying, “Here, now go away.” He not only wants out of this, but he also wants out of it cheaply. It makes me furious.”
“Why?”
“Because baby, you’re worth so much more than that. How dare he insult you that way by insinuating that not only you, but your child is worth so little to him? Disgusting!”
I hadn’t thought of it like that. I suppose Jason was right and that was exactly what he was suggesting. I didn’t know what to do about it. I didn’t want anything from him, but I suppose the hundred grand would at least help me get started.
“So you think I shouldn’t take it, or I should?” I wasn’t quite sure. Jason was talking about all his money and saying he should pay but thought the amount was too small. Was he suggesting I ask for more?
“No, you should not take it. You should go to every tabloid and newspaper in this city with these papers and let them publish this. Let them show the world what a cheap, uncaring bastard Alexander Reigns is.”