Later when Rafaela was done with her classes, James drove to her university to meet her, he found Cynthia there waiting for her as well.
"James..." She said smiling.
"Hi." He said a bit apprehensive thinking she was going to try and lecture him as well, just like everyone had been doing.
"How are you?"
"I guess I am alright. I am waiting for Rafi. I got her an appointment to a doctor in an hour." He explained.
"Have you guys decided what you want to do?" Cynthia asked looking at him, like studying his face. James looked down at his feet and shook his head.
"Not yet..." He said. "I think I want to keep this baby but I truly don't know what Rafi wants, it's her decision too."
"You want to have the baby?" Rafaela's mother asked rather surprised and James noticed her tone.
"Why is that a surprise? Do you also think it's a mistake to keep the baby? Do you think we're not capable of doing it?"
Cynthia threw her hands in the air in peace. "I am not attacking you, put your guards down." She told him.
"I'm sorry, it's been a hard day..." James excused himself.
"It's not that I don't think you're not capable of doing so, it's that you're both so young, that's all...remember that I am not here to attack you but to try to help."
"I know all that, I'm sorry, really...your husband was in our house this morning and it wasn't nice. Then my father was just pointing out his finger at me like I have done something wrong... Rafi is my girlfriend, we live together it's not like what happened is some sort of a crime!" James tried to explain. "Why is everybody telling what we should do now? No one truly cared, but you... and now everyone thinks they have a say in our decision."
"John was in your house this morning?" Cynthia asked almost ignoring everything he had just said. She got rather stuck on that part.
"He wanted to take Rafi to abort but I didn't let him. He was even aggressive with her I must say." He explained.
"I'm sorry James... I didn't know he had gone there, not at all... God...." Cynthia breathed still shocked with the news. She was about to ask how the whole thing was but they spotted Rafaela coming up. She approached them with a smile on her lips.
"Hi!" She exclaimed kissing James first. She loved when he'd show up by surprise to catch her at the end of classes. "Hi mom."
"Hi Sweetie." Her mother kissed her tenderly.
"I got us an appointment to a doctor, some mother of Corinne's friend suggested this one. We need to go." James told her.
"You got the money?" Rafaela asked surprised.
"Yeah... I'll explain later. We need to go."
"Do you guys mind if I go with you?" Cynthia asked them.
"No mom...not at all." Rafaela said.
They drove to the hospital all in silence. Rafaela was sat by her mother's side and James on the back. He bounced his legs up and down as he looked out at the street, his fingers intertwined in themselves and his hands resting on his knees. He was nervous. Rafaela bit her lower lip constantly feeling her stomach flipping and her mother breathed heavily as they approached their destination.
"We're here." She said parking the car.
James held Rafaela's hand as they made their way inside and Cynthia went to do the check-in at the reception, then, the three of them waited. James continued bouncing his legs as his nerves were taking over and Cynthia patted her daughter's hair feeling her nervous too. After a couple of minutes a nurse called them in.
"Aren't you coming mom?" Rafaela asked as Cynthia remained sat.
"I thought you didn't want me to." She said getting up. "Don't you think it's a matter of you and James alone?
"I also want you there with me." Rafaela told her.
They got inside an office and a woman in her forties with glasses greeted them.
"I'm doctor Johnson." She introduced herself shaking their hands one at a time, then she motioned a hand to the chairs in front of her desk and she sat down. "So, what brings you here?" She asked looking down at a file she had in her hands. "Who's Rafaela?"
"I am." Rafaela said shyly.
"So, you're pregnant...do you know of how much time?"
"No... I just found out yesterday..." She said in a low tone. All of a sudden she felt intimidated.
"When was your last menstruation?"
"It was in May, I can't precise the day. Maybe around 15...I am not sure."
The doctor looked down at a calendar and began to make some calculations. "Well, if it was on the 15, you're around six weeks pregnant now."
"It might be, I am not really sure." Rafaela said trying to remember.
"How old are you Rafaela?"
"19" She said. The doctor looked up at her.
"I assume this was an accident right? " The doctor said and Rafaela nodded. "So, I need to know if you do any type of drugs, you know..."
"No... I don't do drugs. I used to smoke but I stopped some months ago. I drink but it is the occasional drink, it's not like I have alcohol every day." She explained.
"You're the father?" The doctor turned to James.
"Yes." He said.
"Do you do any type of drugs, please... I need to know the truth so I can help you, so please none of you lie to me." The doctor warned.
"No, I don't do drugs, I don't smoke and well... I drink alcohol but it's not like I get drunk every day or anything." James said.
"Ok..." The doctor said absently as she wrote the information down. "Now...let's check on you Rafaela." Rafaela got up and so did James and her mother. "Just her for now, then I'll call you too when I'll check the baby ok?" The doctor said and Cynthia and James both sat back down.
Dr. Johnson checked Rafaela and then called her company inside. She was already lied on a stretcher with a sheet covering her legs and her belly showing. The doctor offered the two chairs by Rafaela's side and Cynthia and James sat down on it, then she spread the gel over her belly and began the scan. Three pairs of eyes staring at the screen expectantly but nothing was showing up.
"Since you're just pregnant for a couple of weeks sometimes it is hard to find the baby." The doctor smiled feeling Rafaela was getting a bit nervous. "There it is...." The doctor said pointing at the screen. "See that dot over here?" They nodded. "That's your baby, he's the size of a blueberry." She said and both James and Rafaela cracked a laughter. "I'm gonna try to hear the heart beat now."
James and Rafaela gazed at each other and smiled. "We're going to have a blueberry." He whispered making her giggle and Cynthia witnessed all that in silence. Suddenly fast beeps began to be heard.
"What is this?" Rafaela asked curling an eyebrow.
"This is your baby's heart beat. It's strong and it's fast, seems like everything is alright."
"Wow..." James laughed. "It beats faster than Lars kicks on his drums!" He exclaimed, making Rafaela laugh too.
While the doctor counted the beats, James held Rafaela's hand and their gaze locked. Cynthia observed that knowingly. She new right there they'd have that baby as they were all emotional from seeing it and hearing that life for the first time. There would be no turning back and her heart ached a bit for them, for they were so young and with so many dreams to fulfil.
"It's beating normally, right rhythm. Seems like it's a strong baby." The doctor smiled.
"Good." Rafaela said.
Cynthia left the young couple in front of their apartment and then drove back to Marin, to her house. On her way there she cried while driving. That had not been the life she wanted for her daughter, Rafaela was still too young to have such a huge responsibility in her life. Not that she wouldn't support them, she knew she would, but as an adult and as a mother herself she knew how things would change for the young couple.
She got inside her house with her makeup ruined. John came to receive her at the door as he heard her car coming in.
"You were with her?" He asked. Cynthia noticed how his tone was not aggressive for a change and she mentally thanked him for that. It was even a concerned tone that she momentarily appreciated.
"She went to the hospital." Cynthia told him putting the keys of her car on the telephone table.
"She aborted?" John asked. Cynthia shook her head.
"I am quite sure they're going to have that baby." She said.
"They're too young!" John raise his voice but not aggressively. It was a frustrated tone.
"I know you were at their house today..." She said, John looked away. "Why did you go there? You can't make them not have their own kid, it's their decision John!"
"I was out of my mind alright!" He defended himself. "She's just 19! Her life will be ruined!"
"Still...you didn't have the right to even raise your hand at her."
John smiled and Cynthia curled an eyebrow a bit lost. "The kid just jumped on me... Can you believe that? He jumped on me!"
"He was defending her." Cynthia argued, still she noticed how his tone had changed, she looked at him a bit lost.
"I know... he defended her and his baby..." He stated.
"And you liked that?" His wife retorted because she knew her husband too well.
"At least he cares..." He confessed.
"They're going to need help John. I know you don't even want to hear about it, but they're going to need money and Rafi is pregnant, we have to help them. Please..." Cynthia begged profiting the moment John was doubtful about the whole situation. Without even knowing it, James had gained some trust just by being himself.
"Find someone to restore the guest house, the one where my parents used to live." John told her.
"You're going to give them the guest house?" Cynthia asked surprised.
"What do you want me to do? They don't even have space for a crib on the place they live! I was there, it's tiny." John retorted.
"But..." Cynthia stuttered a bit.
"Look... I am not a monster. I like our daughter ok? I love her in fact. I know I have been acting bad, but I do love her and I did all this because I thought I was protecting her. That boy has nothing to give her, I wanted her to have a good life but since she stayed with him and now she's pregnant with his kid, I guess I cannot turn my back on that and pretend nothing is happening. It's my grandchild after all..."
"You have been this person I don't even recognize for the last year John. You don't even seem to be my husband. You turned my life into hell, you even forbidden me to help her..." Her eyes clouded with tears and John grabbed her hands.
"I love you Cindy. I am sorry... I am so sorry." He told her.
"So you are going to help them?" She asked to be sure.
"Find someone to restore the house, but don't tell them. I want to know first how they're going to handle all this, let's see if they're grown up enough as they think they are." John bent over his wife and kissed her lips, Cynthia ran a hand over his hair.
"They don't have money for the doctor or to buy anything for the baby. We can't just wait and see. Haven't they proved that they can take care of themselves. They have been living alone, they pay for their own house. Rafi is working to help him with money..."
"I was a jerk all this time and now my daughter hates me. She hates me, I saw it in her eyes and even after my rant today. I went there just to force her to abort making things even worse. Look, give them money, no matter how much they need, just don't say it was me. I don't know...the kid is proud. He might not want it if it's from me."
"Thank you." Cynthia whispered. "He's a good kid with a good heart John and he loves Rafi. They really love each other."
"Yeah but I can believe that hair of his and that monstrous music he plays." John still protested.
"How do you know what he plays?" Cynthia inquired him again.
"I have been to one of their shows." He admitted. "I wanted to see what he did... he's not going anywhere with that thing they call music. It's pure noise." John exclaimed making Cynthia laugh loud.
"You have been to a heavy metal gig?" That was something she couldn't picture.
"And the attitude... and the language...everything..." He still added making Cynthia laugh even more.
"He's a bit different in his daily life." Cynthia dropped the news.
"Motherfucker wanted to hit me." John ended up laughing. "I am such a cunt... It was needed their life almost falling apart to see beyond."
"She will forgive you, really." Cynthia felt like she had to support her husband to gather her family together.
"I hope so." John said. "Do you know how many fucks he said during two hours?" He continued. Cynthia laughed again and shook her head. "Too many to count..."
She tried to breathe and remain serious. Imagining John at a metal gig was just too funny not to laugh. "I say again..." She rested a hand on his chest. "He is wild... I give you that... but he has an immense heart and loves our daughter and our daughter loves him and we are having a grandchild that happens to be his." John rolled his eyes.
"Imagine when the kid starts to understand words...what is he going to learn. The child cannot be at his shows!"
Cynthia laughed again. "They will know what to do then. They still have time to think about it."
"Give them everything they need."
"They are proud. It won't be easy..." Cynthia let him know.