Hearts United

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3

March 1998

After Valentine's Day and their sexy rendezvous, Monica tried to ignore the obvious, but it wasn't long before she had to embrace the reality that she and Derwynn had failed to use protection. She prayed every day, begging that God would intervene so she wasn't pregnant. When her period came in February, right on time, she thought all her worries were over. Unfortunately, she was wrong.

On the morning of March 27, she woke up feeling so sick that she didn't want to get out of bed. She managed to get up to take a shower, but as soon as she stepped into the bathroom, her head began to spin, dizzying her to her knees. She buried her head in the toilet and started throwing up every ounce of dinner she'd eaten the night before.

Jasmine, home for the weekend, heard the heaving and gagging coming from Monica's bathroom. She hurried in to check on her sister and sat down on the floor beside her. "Mo, are you all right?" she said, lovingly brushing the hair out of her face. "You sound horrible, like you're about to cough up a lung!"

"I feel horrible, Jazz. I-I really messed up. I think I messed up big time," Monica cried.

"What did you do?"

"Derwynn and I had sex on Valentine's Day, and we forgot to use a condom."

Jasmine stood up, rolled her eyes, and stormed out of the bathroom, in obvious disappointment. She stood in the hall for a moment to gather her composure and calm down, then walked back in the bathroom. "Get ready," she barked.

"For what?"

"I'm taking you to the doctor right this minute. Damn it, Mo! How could you be so stupid?" Jasmine said.

Monica knew it was a lost cause to try to reason with Jasmine when she was in a bad mood, so she said nothing. She slowly rose to her feet, threw on some sweats, and got in the car with her sister.

It was a quiet ride to the clinic; neither sister said a word. When Monica's name was called in the waiting room, Jasmine didn't even look in Monica's direction or go into the exam room with her. A female doctor gave Monica a little plastic cup for a urine sample, and a few minutes later, it was determined that she was, in fact, six weeks pregnant.

The doctor decided it would be a good idea to have an immediate ultrasound. When Monica heard the steady beat of her baby's heart, she instantly forgot about all the drama going on with Jasmine. For her, it was the greatest feeling in the world to know that a little life was growing inside her, a life she and Derwynn created together, out of their love for each other. She prayed that he would share her joy.

The doctor printed a few copies of the ultrasound picture for her, then scribbled two prescriptions. "These are for iron pills and prenatals," she said. "You should start on them immediately, especially since you, uh...didn't know."

During the ride home, Jasmine still refused to speak to her. She even put on her shades, to avoid making eye contact with her.

Finally, Monica decided enough was enough and decided to be the bigger person and break the silence. "Dang, Jazz, I know I messed up, but what are you gonna do? Stay mad at me forever?" Monica said, staring right at her as she drove.

Jasmine removed her shades, shook her head, and looked at Monica with tears in her eyes before finally saying, "Monica, you know I love you, girl. I love you to death. It just hurts to know you're about to be a mom, with your whole life ahead of you. You had so much to look forward to as far as your career goes, and you still have two years of school left. How are you gonna accomplish all that with a baby? You'll have to put all your hopes and dreams on hold in order to be a great mother to this kid. Are you really ready for that kind of responsibility, young as you are?"