She Is My Baby, I Love Her So, But It's Too Late Now, I've Let Her Go, chapter 22
I squeaked in shock, and slammed the door. Tre's yelp of pain as I shut his fingers in the door, and my surprised squeal was enough to wake up the baby. I immediately ran to her, and cuddled her. She started to quiet down, her tiny but surprisingly strong fingers wrapped in my hair. Tre walked in, and just stared at us from the doorway to her room.
"Can I... ?" He gestured to Steffi. I shrugged, and carefully placed our baby in his arms. She took one look at him, gurgled, blew a drool bubble and gave a gummy grin, then fell back asleep. Tre and I laughed, and then Tre placed her back into the crib. I walked back to my sofa, flicked off the TV, and looked at Tre expectantly.
"Well?" I asked.
"Well what?"
"Why are you here? I mean, I don't hear from any of you for nearly nine months, then you of all people turn up outside my apartment. How? Why?"
Tre sat down next to me.
"Well," he began. "How was very hard. You withheld all your numbers when you called, and wouldn't answer your mobile... "
"I couldn't have answered it even if I had wanted to." I interrupted. "My phone had an, um, 'accident' involving me throwing out of the window of a moving taxi, into the path of an eighteen wheeler tanker, in a hormonal tantrum. But carry on. How did you find me?"
"We, um, Billie Joe got a hold of your credit card bill when it got back to your house. He saw you had booked a flight to New York on it... "
"So he's still going through my private stuff, is he?" I asked bitterly. Seeing Tre pout again, I added "Sorry. Please continue."
"And then he called directory enquiries and asked for all the Bailey Jade Armstrongs in New York. Easy, really, until we found out there are like, three thousand of you here!"
"Damn, and I thought I was unique."
"You are, Bee." Tre said earnestly. "We were all calling for you, and I got your number this morning. I recognised your voice on the machine, told Billie Joe, and came straight here."
"Wait, you told Billie?" I howled.
"Yeah, Honey, he's your dad!"
"I don't care! Tre, I like it here. I'm not going back. Especially not back to Billie Joe. God, I can't believe you came, and not him." I flopped backwards on the sofa.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Like you said, he's my dad. He should be here, if he so desperately wanted me home." I pouted sulkily.
"I want you back," Tre said quietly. He moved in front of me, a hand on either of my knees "And he does as well. We all do Bee. But Billie Joe and me talked, and he agreed I should come. He's ok with us now, Hun." Tre nodded, with a wide, goofy grin. Then he was serious again.
"And why, because I love you, Bee."
I looked deep in his blue eyes, hardly daring to believe it. "I love you too." I shook my head. "No. I'm still not going back there." Tre took a deep breath.
"How about, if you didn't go back there, but came back with me?"
"Huh?" Steffi had woken up at five that morning, and I hadn't slept since. I was exhausted, even though it was only about ten.
"Bailey, try and stay awake and understand." Tre shifted over. Instead of crouching in a squat, he was now kneeling on one knee. He pulled something out of his pocket. A light blue Tiffany's box. He opened it, revealing platinum ring, one with a large, square- cut emerald flanked by two brilliant diamonds, just like the one in my coma induced dream. I began to blush furiously.
"Bailey, will you marry me?"
"Yes."
"Can I... ?" He gestured to Steffi. I shrugged, and carefully placed our baby in his arms. She took one look at him, gurgled, blew a drool bubble and gave a gummy grin, then fell back asleep. Tre and I laughed, and then Tre placed her back into the crib. I walked back to my sofa, flicked off the TV, and looked at Tre expectantly.
"Well?" I asked.
"Well what?"
"Why are you here? I mean, I don't hear from any of you for nearly nine months, then you of all people turn up outside my apartment. How? Why?"
Tre sat down next to me.
"Well," he began. "How was very hard. You withheld all your numbers when you called, and wouldn't answer your mobile... "
"I couldn't have answered it even if I had wanted to." I interrupted. "My phone had an, um, 'accident' involving me throwing out of the window of a moving taxi, into the path of an eighteen wheeler tanker, in a hormonal tantrum. But carry on. How did you find me?"
"We, um, Billie Joe got a hold of your credit card bill when it got back to your house. He saw you had booked a flight to New York on it... "
"So he's still going through my private stuff, is he?" I asked bitterly. Seeing Tre pout again, I added "Sorry. Please continue."
"And then he called directory enquiries and asked for all the Bailey Jade Armstrongs in New York. Easy, really, until we found out there are like, three thousand of you here!"
"Damn, and I thought I was unique."
"You are, Bee." Tre said earnestly. "We were all calling for you, and I got your number this morning. I recognised your voice on the machine, told Billie Joe, and came straight here."
"Wait, you told Billie?" I howled.
"Yeah, Honey, he's your dad!"
"I don't care! Tre, I like it here. I'm not going back. Especially not back to Billie Joe. God, I can't believe you came, and not him." I flopped backwards on the sofa.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Like you said, he's my dad. He should be here, if he so desperately wanted me home." I pouted sulkily.
"I want you back," Tre said quietly. He moved in front of me, a hand on either of my knees "And he does as well. We all do Bee. But Billie Joe and me talked, and he agreed I should come. He's ok with us now, Hun." Tre nodded, with a wide, goofy grin. Then he was serious again.
"And why, because I love you, Bee."
I looked deep in his blue eyes, hardly daring to believe it. "I love you too." I shook my head. "No. I'm still not going back there." Tre took a deep breath.
"How about, if you didn't go back there, but came back with me?"
"Huh?" Steffi had woken up at five that morning, and I hadn't slept since. I was exhausted, even though it was only about ten.
"Bailey, try and stay awake and understand." Tre shifted over. Instead of crouching in a squat, he was now kneeling on one knee. He pulled something out of his pocket. A light blue Tiffany's box. He opened it, revealing platinum ring, one with a large, square- cut emerald flanked by two brilliant diamonds, just like the one in my coma induced dream. I began to blush furiously.
"Bailey, will you marry me?"
"Yes."
