A Mother's Bond

6

Jay P.O.V. July 5, 2016
After a few minutes of frantic searching, I found Beyoncé hunched over a toilet in the washroom. I walked in and locked the door behind me. The last thing we needed was someone posting a picture of Bey vomiting in a police station washroom.

I crouched down and rubbed her back while she got the last of it out. I got up and handed her a wet a paper towel to clean her face. When she finished wiping her face, she tossed the used tissue in the toilet and flushed, watching everything disappear. I waited a few minutes before speaking.

"She looks like you."

She shook her head. "That almost makes it worse. The way she was looking at me...She hates me, Jay. Really hates me."

I rubbed her back. "Don't–"

"I don't know what I was expecting. What? I walk in there, and she jumps into my arms? Hugs me? Remembers me? Like something straight out of a feel-good movie?" She shook her head again. "God, I'm so fucking stupid."

"No, you're not."

She lapsed into another silence.

"She's so cold," she whispered brokenly. "I didn't even think she had the capacity to be...so..."

She swallowed hard, blinking against her tears. I stepped back into the stall, hugging her from behind. She immediately crumbled. I held her tighter, not knowing what else to do.

"Did you see her, Jay? Did you hear her?" She sobbed. "She was trying to hurt me. She was enjoying it. Like some sick game. 'How fast can I get Beyoncé to cry'."

I turned her around and held her close to my chest while she cried, desperately trying to come up with the right words.  I smoothed down the hairs that had escaped her ponytail.

"It'll be okay," I whispered soothingly.

She shook her head vehemently against my chest. "No, it won't be. You saw her in there. She's gone."

"She's not gone."

She pulled away. "She's GONE, Jay. Do you remember our daughter?"

I took a step back, scrunching my face up. "Don't ask me stupid shit like that. Of course I remember our daughter."

"Well, I had to ask because that girl in there is nothing like her. Nothing. August was the sweetest little girl. She could never say a bad thing about anybody. She was perfect."

She pointed at the door. "That girl out there is a stranger. Patricia–or whatever the fuck her name is–took August and changed her into this! 11 years, Jay. 11 years to get her back, and this is what I get? A kid who hates me? How is that fair? HOW?"

I shook my head. "It's not. None of this is fair."

"No, it's not. She's supposed to be my daughter. MINE. NOT HERS. SHE STOLE HER FROM ME. WHY DOES SHE STILL GET TO HAVE HER?!?"

I held both sides of her face, resting my forehead against hers. "She is ours, Bey. She is still ours. No one can change that. She's been through a lot today. She's angry and confused. We have to give her time."

I looked into her chestnut brown eyes, willing her to believe me. "Right now, what you have to do is be strong for her. She needs us now more than ever, even if she doesn't know it. Show her that you're here to stay."

Beyoncé pulled away from me, frowning. "You think she wants that? She doesn't want me to stay. She clearly wanted me to leave just now. She said so herself. She wants that–"

She gestured wildly with her hands, searching for a fitting word.

"That BITCH who stole her from us." She dropped her hands in defeat.

"She's probably spent the last 11 years poisoning her against us," she mumbled.

I shrugged, trying to seem unbothered. I couldn't allow both of us to spiral. That would only make things worse.

"Okay, and we'll deal with that. You are Beyoncé. I am Jay-Z. Jay motherfucking Z!"

She rolled her eyes, hiding her smile. I smiled, knowing I had her.

"You think we can't make one teenager like us? ONE? Psh. Easy."

I let my smile drop slightly. "I'm serious though. You are the most amazing woman I've ever met. It took me about two seconds after meeting you to realize that. Give August some time, and she'll realize it too."

She stared at me for a few moments, taking everything in. "You really are amazing, you know that?"

I chuckled. "Yeah. I had to be to get you."

She smiled and placed a soft kiss on my lips, before stepping away. I could practically see the resolve setting into her eyes. She wiped away her tears, a look of determination on her face.

I smiled, holding out my hand. "You ready?"

She nodded, taking it. "Let's go get her."