My Baby's Daddy

Naya Aurora arrived home with blood streaming down her legs. She could barely walk and she knew that she smelled like semen. Who the hell had she had sex with the previous night? Luckily, her aunt hadn't paid attention to her at all, so she snuck into the bathroom to take her shower and clear the disgusting liquid on her. What the hell happened the previous night? Who was this man that had the audacity to touch her like that? No matter how hard she tried to remember, she couldn't. It was just too hard. Everything was freaking hard.

It was very difficult to tell if she was raped or she willingly slept with this man? The last thing she remembered was seeing a man with good hair and long eye lashes sleeping beside her that morning, but that was it. She couldn't remember anything else.

She felt tears running down on her cheeks as she leaned against the wall. That wasn't a life she planned for herself, she could swear. She stepped out of the shower and changed into a casual outfit. She ought to go to work at the gas station that day, but how she felt at that moment was unbelievable. She wasn't even sure that she would take steps without feeling like throwing up.

"Where have you been?" Her aunt asked, stepping into the room. "Your mum was grumbling about you the entire night. Go and see her."

Naya's mind went to her mother and she felt a positive feeling in her. At least no matter what happened, her mother mattered the most to her. She forced herself up and went into her mother's room to see her.

Her mother had a stroke, so she couldn't talk or move properly. But the sight of Naya made her excited and Naya could not tell why. Naya smiled and leaned against her belly, while her mother began to say in audible words.

"I am sorry for staying out late," Naya apologized, assuming that her mother was scolding her. "I believe that just because I am 23 does not give me the audacity to do whatever I like. I am really sorry,my sweet mother. Please forgive me."

Her mother went on scolding her again and Naya hugged her for the second time.

"If you continue feeling mad at me, I won't be able to forgive myself, please?" Naya pleaded with a shattered heart. "I know how overprotective you can be of me, but I promise. I won't stay out late without telling you again. I am really working so hard to save money for your bills. I promise."

Her mum sighed and managed to stroke her long silky hair. Naya saw that as an indication that her mother had forgiven her and pecked her on the cheek.

"Thank you, mother," she thanked. "I will work ten times harder to get you out of this bed and make you healthy again."

Well that seemed easier than done. In a couple of months, she was working on some dishes in the kitchen when she felt dizzy. She couldn't tell why she was so dizzy, but her head buzzed a lot and she'd felt she was going to die. She had to sit down for a while and contemplate what was going on. The next few mornings were the same. She would either throw up, or stare at her favorite food feeling very reluctant to eat.

"Hope you haven't gotten pregnant," her aunt joked, though the lady knew she was terrible with talking to men and she got anxious around them. Naya felt her heart race against her chest.

There was no way she got pregnant for the man she had sex with that night. There was no freaking way. She knew that her aunt took that as a joke, but for some reason her mind was very worried about that.

"I am Dr Doris," the doctor recommended to her, welcomed her as she had her seat. "I heard something is wrong with your health so we had to conduct a few medical tests. I will just look through your results and tell you what is wrong."

Naya nodded obediently and watched her look through the record.

"O!" The doctor giggled. "Congratulations. You are 14 weeks pregnant." Naya felt her face go pale and her body tremble as she was unaware of how to react. "You are going to be a mother, Miss Naya Aurora."

Naya clenched her fist fist in anger and pounded on the doctor's table violently.

"Do you know what I am going through presently?" Naya asked in anger. "My mother is freaking sick! I can barely afford three square meals a day! How dare you come here to say that I am pregnant?!"

The doctor did not expect her reaction.

"Calm down Madame," she calmed her. "That's the result here. There is nothing I can do about it."

"I cannot have this child," Naya said desperately. The doctor was confused.

"I am sorry but there is nothing I can do about it. It is against my policy to go through any sort of abortion or...." The doctor tried to refuse but Naya was stubborn.

"Please get rid of this baby! I do not want her! I do not fucking want her!" Tears streamed down her cheeks and she was beginning to have a nervous breakdown now. "Just take this baby away from me, please."

The Doctor gave her a helpless look. She dialed a number and spoke for a while before turning to Naya.

"I have a better plan," she suggested. "Why don't you pretend to be someone's surrogate mother instead?"

Naya was confused.

"How?!" Naya asked.

"You will pretend to carry their eggs and give them your child, while you extort money from them. That way, you can give a way to your child and all is good," Doctor Doris advised.

Naya gave it a deep thought.

"How much are we talking about? Will it be enough to pay my mum's medical bills?" Naya asked with a desperate look. "If it will then I am on."

Brett Hazard woke up to a banging headache. He gazed around him and was shocked to find himself stuck in a hotel he knew nothing about. He groaned and sat up. How much had he partied the previous night? He knew he spent a long time clubbing with his friends, but he never knew he clubbed that much to the extent he had to book a room for himself.

"O! Goodness! Lovelyn will be very mad!" He said to himself at the thought of his wife. This deeply hurt him a lot. "She must've been so worried for me."

He got out of bed and grabbed hold of his trousers. As he was about to put it on, he caught sight of a blood stain on his bed. This made his stomach tightened since he couldn't remember anything that happened the previous night. He caught sight of a long strand of hair on the pillow and gasped realizing what was going on. Had he slept with someone? Who the hell did he sleep with? What would he tell his wife?

His phone rang causing him to flinch. He immediately picked it up and adjusted his trousers.

"Brett, where are you?!" Lovelyn his wife was getting mad. "The gynecologist specifically to glue 9am. It is freaking 9:30 right now."

"I am sorry, baby," he apologized. "I am coming right now."

"I hate when you do this to me," she hissed and hung up the call. He knew how paranoid his sweetheart could be and he was sorry. He hurried out of the hotel and got into the car without bothering to look back.

"Is Doctor Doris in?" He asked as soon as he stood before the doctor's office with Lovelyn.

"Of course she has been around since 8," Lovelyn rolled her eyes with a hiss. The lady might be a petite beauty, but she found it difficult to tolerate nonsense. She didn't want any form of disrespect from anyone whatsoever. "Adjust your shirt collar." She ordered, realizing he had adjusted his collar. Brett tumbled with it since he couldn't think straight yet. She groaned and helped him with it.

"You need to stop drinking with your friends. It is making you look jobless and stupid," she said before they walked in. Doctor Doris welcomed them in and pulled out Lovelyn's document with smiles.

"Are you ready?" Doctor Doris asked as she adjusted her glasses.

"You are our 20th gynecologist, so we are trying to have hope here," Lovelyn said, holding Brett's arm.

"It will be good, my love," Brett smiled at her. "Have faith."

Lovelyn nodded and turned to stare at the doctor. The doctor gazed at her result for a while and her smile disappeared. Lovelyn frowned.

"Do not tell me it is the same barren issue again," she was getting angry.

"I am sorry, but there is an obstruction in your womb and your eggs are very weak. We will have to take out your entire woman," Doctor Doris explained.

"No!" Lovelyn cried. "You all can't keep doing this to me. It's been 5 years and you keep telling me the same thing. All I want is a baby in my arms. Is that too much to ask?! Why won't you give me that?"

Doctor Doris apologized.

"I am sorry, but that's what the test results say. There is nothing I can do about it," the doctor showed remorse.

"I will make sure you lose your license," Lovelyn threatened before walking out on her. Brett apologized to the doctor and followed her promptly.

"You have to calm down, Lovelyn," he advised.

"I am tired of calming down, Brett," she slapped his chest, unaware of what to do. "All I want is a child of my son. Is that too much to ask? I am afraid I am going to lose you and your parents won't let us be together. I am scared people will talk and ridicule our marriage."

Brett placed his hands over her lips and hugged her.

"No one will ridicule our marriage," he advised her. "Be patient. We will find a way."

"But what do we do now? We really need to find a child of our own. Your mother is on my neck regarding your heir and I do not know how to handle this anymore," Lovelyn sobbed.

"Do not worry. I will think about something," he comforted her.

When they arrived home, he wasn't aware of what to do. He'd thought deeply for a while and searched for articles online regarding birth. None of them caught his interest as much as surrogacy. Perhaps he could get his wife a surrogate to carry her baby for her. They could just borrow the lady's womb.

"What do you think about surrogacy?" He asked Lovely, who got into bed with him and cuddled him softly.

"Won't that involve another woman?" Lovelyn frowned. "There is no way I will let another woman get involved in our marriage."

Brett rolled his eyes.

"It is not a big deal. She will just carry your child for you and we will take care of her together. It shouldn't be that hard, should it?" He asked.

Lovelyn was silent for a while before she sat up and gazed at him.

"You make it sound easy. I have heard of so many risks with surrogacy," she said with a pessimistic tone. "I still remember when we were in college and I read that surrogates can be mischievous. They can extort all your money and still get rid of the baby in the name of miscarriage."

Brett laughed.

"Come on, those were just stories," he ran a strand of hair behind her ears. "Have you forgotten the good old days? I debunked them and called you the most beautiful woman in the world. I swore to marry you immediately after I get out of college, and that's what I did. I got married to my sweetheart. The lady after my heartbeat."

Lovelyn blushed and gazed into his eyes before kissing him in the lips.

"I am so happy that we made this work this far," she smiled. "I do not know what I would have done without you, Brett. I remember a time when she laid in the garden and stared up at the sky during our freshman days. We swore us against the world no matter what we faced." Lovelyn laughed.

"Us against the world?" He made a half heart shape with his hands.

"Us against the world," she responded with a smile and completed the heart with her own hands. He took her face on his and kissed her deeply, before grabbing her boobs and feeling his body tremble. She moaned with a smile and felt him pull her hair.

"I love you, Brett," she said with a soft tone as she shut her eyes to experience the feeling. "I love you so much that I would do anything to keep us together forever. It is definitely us against the world."

Brett couldn't sleep as he rolled on the bed thinking of all the pain Lovelyn had been through. He couldn't bear seeing her in so much pain. They had made two attempts! Two attempts for surrogates but none was working. Luckily, he was able to talk her to sleep that night and calm her frisky mind, but how long could he do that? How long could he endure seeing this pain in her eyes? His mother was already on his neck. She had begun to send him pictures of ladies asking him to choose which one he liked.

"We gave you one job, Doctor Doris!" Brett scolded Doctor Doris as he barged into her office, forcefully opening her door. The creaking sound of the door alerted her immediately, and she instantly stood up.

"Calm down," she tried to calm him.

"No! You should be the one to calm down and listen to me! You do not seem to understand the pain my family goes through every time because of your false hopes! My marriage is about to be pulled apart! My wife cries every night before sleeping! What am I supposed to do? Just watch her? My father called you worthy! He called you competent! We paid you a huge amount of money for this! Why isn't anything you are doing working?"

"We have someone," She eventually said, having no strength to argue with him. His anger subsided.

"There is someone?" He asked. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"We had a third girl, but we weren't ready to tell you yet. We were scared things would end up like the other two ladies if we did not watch her closely. We had to be more careful this time and avoid giving you false hopes." Doctor Doris explained.

"So how did it go?" He questioned. "Did it work?"

She nodded. Brett sunk into the chair with a sense of fulfillment. It is all over now! He doesn't have to worry about Lovelyn's mental health anymore.

"Link me with this lady! My wife and I need to see her and thank her for volunteering," Brett suggested immediately.

"I will arrange everything. Do not think too much about it. She is a hundred percent in support of this surrogacy and is willing to carry your child for you. She might have some conditions for you though, but aside from that, it is all good." Doctor Doris explained.

Brett nodded and picked up his phone to call Lovelyn.

"My wife will be so happy to hear this! Do well to link us with the lady by this weekend. We cannot wait to see our future child."

Doris nodded with an understanding state. As soon as he was gone, she picked up her phone to call Naya.

Naya was on her shift at the gas station, counting the coins in her cash register. As soon as she received the call from the doctor, she excused herself and begged her assistant to fill in for her.

"I will collect half of your pay!" the assistant warned.

"No you won't!" Naya frowned at her before focusing on the call. "Yes, Doctor Doris."

"Have you thought of my offer yet?" Doctor Doris asked.

"I am still thinking about it," Naya said with a soft tone.

"Her husband just left my office right now," Doctor Doris told her of Brett. "As soon as I told him about you, he got very excited. His wife has been depressed for a very long time. Naya, you could be the only source of joy for this family,"

Naya was silent now. She took a cup and poured herself some water to drink.

"Meet them this weekend, Naya. You will be giving your child a better future, I promise."

Naya drank the cup of water and thanked Doctor Doris for the information.

"Where can I get mango ice cream?" She asked her colleague, who gave her a strange look.

"Mango what?" The lady was surprised.

"Forget it," Naya brushed it off. "I think I am craving peanut butter and pickles instead."

Her assistant was completely speechless. When she managed to speak, she drew herself away from her.

"I think you should see a doctor," she suggested.

"I just spoke to one," Naya said.

"Fire her and see another one."

***

That weekend, Naya sat in the restaurant ready to see this couple who wanted her baby; a baby they thought was theirs. Sha cleared her conscience of the thought and cleared her throat. It was a crazy world they lived in, so the best thing they could do is to go with the flow. A beautiful lady in a long lilac gown walked to her, dangling her handbag. She looked Asian and Naya could tell that she had a very beautiful aura.

"Naya Aurora?" The lady asked to stretch her hand for a handshake.

"Yes, yes...hmm...that's me..." Naya wasn't sure why she was so anxious. The lady was very nice. Who in this world would deceive a sweet lady like this?

"Doctor Doris told me so much about you. You work 8 to 4 and barely have time for yourself. I am so sorry to know this," Lovelyn apologized. "My name is Lovelyn Hazard and since you have my child, I will make sure you don't have to work a day in your life. My husband and I will take care of you and give you everything you want until the child is born."

"Yes your child," Naya said with an awkward look. She gazed around and realized she had caught no sight of her husband. "Where is your husband?"

"He will be here soon. I am sure he is around here somewhere," she said in smiles.

Naya nodded and took the menu. The prices of the meals on the menu were expensive. She immediately dropped it back on the table.

"Are you not ordering?" Lovelyn asked. "You can order anything you want. I will pay for it."

"No thanks," Naya refused. "That's so nice of you."

"Please, do not refuse me," Lovelyn was getting mad. "Order whatever you want, or I can pick for you."

"That will be great," Naya allowed her to have the upper hand.

"Alright then!" Lovelyn cheered and called a waiter over. She ordered some chicken soup and some chocolate pudding. "I hope you do not mind chocolate. I love chocolate."

Naya shook her head and watched the waiter leave to get the order.

"You do not know how much this child means to me..." Lovelyn sounded dramatic. Naya felt uncomfortable and stood up as she picked up her purse.

"I need to use the restroom," she excused herself before leaving. She hurried into the restroom and shut the door behind her.

"Calm down, Naya. They will not know the difference. It's their child! They already made up their mind about that." She calmed herself down, and washed her hands before walking out of the restroom. As she stepped out of the door, she bumped into a man who seemed to be engrossed in a call. He caught sight of her and apologized immediately. As soon as she caught sight of him, her heart sunk realizing she saw him somewhere before. But where? He looked strikingly familiar.

"Brett," he stretched out his hand for an handshake. She stared at both himself and his hanging hand, before walking out on him without shaking him back. She felt deep anger towards him and she couldn't tell why.

When she arrived back to Lovelyn, she sat before her and began her meal.

"Did you go to college?" Lovelyn began her questions.

"My mother couldn't afford my college fee, so I dropped out," Naya explained.

"That's sad," Lovelyn sympathized. "This must be hard for you."

Naya wasn't sure why she would think that. Things weren't hard for her since she had a job. She already had plans. At least, she is able to feed herself and her mother.

"Hey!" A deep voice said beside them. They both looked to the right and saw the exact man she had seen earlier, approaching Lovelyn for a hug. They exchanged a kiss and sat before her. As soon as he caught sight of her, he smiled.

"I guess we meet again," he told her with a smile. Naya couldn't believe what was happening. This man again?! She dropped her spoon in disappointment.