Our story begins the morning after we had just met our daughter for the first time. At this point, Megan and I have been official parents for one night. In that one night, we learned something about our daughter. She isn’t very high maintenance and it doesn’t take much to make her happy. All she wants is just to have a happy family and to be loved. These are two things Megan and I have every intention to give her. On the other hand, there is something that she wants that I wish I could give her but this is something that Megan is reluctant to give her. This is not because she doesn’t love her but because circumstances that we are currently dealing with would make it hard to give her what she wants. These are circumstances that I just learned about myself and to say the least, it may test my ability to be a good father in the way I handle this. Megan wants a brother or sister. With the news I just heard though, this may be impossible as I will soon find out that our go to person to help care for this baby may be unavailable for a long time, for lack of a better term. You see, I had just found out that something happened to mom while she was vacationing in England. I’m not sure what it is but I know it’s something bad. Megan and I discuss this the next morning at breakfast.

I sit our daughter down at the table for breakfast the next morning. “What do you want for breakfast?” I ask her.

“I will have cereal please daddy.” she says. Just then Megan enters the room.

“Could you please go watch some tv? I have to talk to daddy about something and this is not for you to hear.” Megan said

“Please tell me you’re not mad at each other again.” our daughter replies.

“No we’re not mad at each other. I just need to talk to him about something. It’s about grandma.” Megan says

“Can we go visit her today?” our daughter asks.

“Yes we can go visit her if you let me talk to daddy for a few minutes while you go and watch tv.” Megan said

Our daughter goes in the living room and turns on the tv.

“We’ve only been parents for one night and you’re already trying to get rid of our daughter?” I say in shock.

Megan closes the door separating the kitchen and the living room. “Your mother took a stroke in England and she is bed ridden and can’t talk anymore.” Megan said

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THIS THE SECOND IT HAPPENED? DOES SHE HATE ME THAT MUCH THAT SHE DOESN’T EVEN WANT ME TO KNOW SHE’S DYING?” I yell.

“I’m sorry but I was mad at you and didn’t want to talk to you. I figured that she wouldn’t want you to know because she was still mad at you when this happened.” Megan replied.

“Oh you think she wouldn’t have wanted me to know? And what about Megan? Does she know? Is she going to go visit grandma thinking she’ll give her piggy back rides and a ton of money or does she know she’s dying too?” I ask in shock.

“I think she’s a little too old for piggy back rides.” Megan says

“But does she know about this? To me, this doesn’t seem like something good parents should explain to their kids especially since we were absent from her life for so long,” I say

Just then Megan enters the room. “Is everything ok? I heard yelling.” she says.

“Sorry sweetie. Your mommy and I aren’t fighting. It’s just that mommy told daddy that something bad has happened to grandma. She is very sick and this makes daddy sad because long before you were born, grandma was very special to daddy.” I explain as I begin tearing up.

“Megan, go watch tv everything is ok. I just need to talk to your daddy alone for a second and then we’ll go and visit grandma.” Megan says

Megan goes back in the living room.

“So how did it happen?” I ask

“Well I didn’t want to tell you. Isn’t it enough that you know she had a stroke?” Megan replied.

“If you want this relationship to work for our daughter, you won’t leave anything out. I know she hated me damn it she’s my mother. If and when something happens to her, I need all the details. Just tell me everything you know. I promise I won’t be mad at you.” I say.

“Are you sure you won’t be mad?” she asks

“Did I not just say I wouldn’t be mad? Just tell me what happened. I’m running out of patience.” I say

“I didn’t want to say this because I didn’t want to upset you but it happened on the night that mom caught Brad and I together. There was a night that I gave into his advances.” Megan confessed.

“YOU DID WHAT? AND YOU SIT THERE AND CLAIM YOU DON’T HAVE FEELINGS FOR HIM? THAT BASTARD. IF HE EVER SETS FOOT IN THIS HOUSE OR AROUND YOU OR ME AND ESPECIALLY OUR DAUGHTER, IT WILL BE THE LAST STEP HE EVER TAKES AND IF I FIND OUT THAT HE CAUSED MOM’S STROKE, THEN I WOULD PREFER MEGAN NOT BE THERE BECAUSE I DON’T WANT HER TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO HIM! NOW TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED AND I DON’T WANT TO HEAR THAT YOU DON’T REMEMBER OR THAT YOU’RE KEEPING STUFF FROM ME BECAUSE THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT. NOW TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!” I demanded.

Megan then begins to recall the night of mom’s stroke. “I was really missing you one night so I invited him over for a drink. I knew he was as close as I could get to you at least at that moment. He had just come back from a fight with mom because he was telling her how much I deserved him instead of you. Time passed and your mom had forgiven you for what happened. I started crying and he put his arm around me. I felt so weak. I felt like I needed intimacy but you were so far away. So eventually we started getting intimate when suddenly I realized my mistake. I tried to get him to stop but he wouldn’t and eventually it started to hurt. I screamed and your mom came running. He told her to mind her own business. I was able to get a shot in but he said if I didn’t let him go through with it, he would harm Megan. So I let him restart the intimacy and he said he wouldn’t stop until I admitted to loving him. So I screamed it over and over again. This is when your mom reentered the room and heard this part. The shock of hearing this was too much for her to handle. I took a pregnancy test and thankfully it was negative but I knew I had been sexually assaulted. As for your mom, she has been dead silent since that night. She won’t eat or get out of bed as she thinks our baby will suffer because of this. We need to make sure she doesn’t. I did not want him around her anymore so I had him arrested for sexual assault with no possibility of release as it would be too risky for our daughter. I mean what if he did something like that to her? I’m really sorry but please forgive me. If not for my own sake, for the sake of our daughter.” Megan explains

“You just make sure that bastard stays locked up and that I never see him again. You should be damn lucky that I love our daughter too much to put her through more drama. If it wasn’t for her, I would walk out right now. I’m more concerned about mom though. Where is she? I want to see her.” I replied.

“She’s back at the retirement home. Let’s go see her now.” Megan said

Megan and I leave with our daughter to go to the retirement home where we see mom. She is wide awake but unable to speak and confined to using smiles and frowns to convey how she is feeling. She is only able to raise her arms enough to give a hug when someone approaches her. As I walked into the room, I began to cry and had to grab onto Megan for support.

“This is your granddaughter Megan.” she said as mom’s face lit up with a smile as Megan hugged her.

“There is someone else who wants to see you as well. It’s your son.” Megan said.

Mom frowns as she believes it’s Brad unaware that I am present.

“It’s not Brad. He’s gone forever I promise. No it’s your son Jefferson. My boyfriend and Megan’s daddy.” she said.

Suddenly, mom’s face lit up with a smile again as I hugged her for the first time in years.

“You took care of us so well when we were growing up and don’t worry. I will take care of your granddaughter the same way you took care of me. Just please get better mom. I love you and I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you and the things I said.” I say as I begin to cry. Noticing this, mom comforts me by giving me a hug.

She is able to write a message to me using a talking computer set up by the doctor. “It’s ok just please take good care of yourself and especially my granddaughter. She needs you now. Don’t worry about us. I still love you.” the message reads.

After reading the message, Megan and I embrace mom with our daughter eventually joining in.

The End