Severed Ties

Chapter 12

Malik stood watching Hayden rub a sleeping Alya's belly. In the week they'd been back from Jersey he'd come home to see her knocked out on the couch three times. But this was his first time catching Hayden rubbing her stomach.

"I'm going to be a good big sister," she whispered before kissing Alya's stomach and easing her shirt down.

She smiled when she turned to see Malik.

"Daddy," she whispered excitedly as she ran to him.

He smiled as he scooped her up in his arms. He loosened his tie and accepted a peck from Hayden. Alya stirred in her sleep and quickly shot up off the couch then took off to the powder room just off the kitchen. Malik shook his head as he chuckled and headed after her.

He reached the door as she flushed the toilet and he watched her dab at her mouth with a wet wipe before she grumbled, "I think this baby hates me."

Gram walked by as she said, "I told you what to do. You don't want to listen."

Malik looked to Alya in question as she brushed her teeth with a spare toothbrush she kept in this bathroom.

"Your grandmother," she began with an annoyed expression. "Says I should throw up in the morning and eat a cup of raw oats throughout the day."

Malik chuckled as Alya walked out and headed to the kitchen after Gram. Gram held a bag of oats out to her and she scrunched up her nose before going to the fridge and getting a pickle. She bit into her pickle as she pulled out the ingredients she needed for meatloaf, mashed potatoes, cabbage and roasted vegetables.

Hayden squirmed away from Malik as she shouted, "I wanna help Mommy!"

Everyone stopped and looked to her.

"What did my child just say?"

Everyone turned to see Janice as she slammed the front door. Hayden grabbed Alya's hand as the woman walked over to where they all stood.

"What you doing here," Malik demanded.

She put her bag on the counter as she said, "Well your call never came. So I came to see what's going on. Only to get here and my baby calling this bitch Mommy!"

"Don't call her that," Hayden shouted.

Malik looked down at his daughter who stood glaring at Janice. He smiled slightly as she held tight to Alya's hand.

"Hayden," Janice called sweetly. "She is not your mom. I am. Don't you remember me?"

Hayden shook her head as she shouted, "No! I want Alya to be my mommy! She gone have Daddy baby and they gone get married and Alya gone be my mommy! Right Mommy?"

She looked up at Alya who's hormones were in overdrive and tears rimmed her eyes.

"She ain't your damn mommy," Janice said as she snatched Hayden's hand.

Alya hauled off and slapped her. Janice stumbled then raised her hand but quickly put it down upon seeing Gram pull a butcher knife.

"I got you," Gram said to Alya.

Alya shrugged as she said, "I really didn't mean to do that. But let's all just...calm down. Let's sit and let's talk. And don't touch Hayden unless she says its okay. Can we all do that?"

Janice sucked her teeth and shrugged. Gram put the knife back in the block and they all walked to the dining room table.

Alya was first to speak as she began, "So. Janice. I think we can agree that random pop-ups are not the way to go for anybody. So how about for the next week maybe you have dinner with us and we'll go from there. Can we all manage that?"