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Dior sighed as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her stomach was getting bigger, only noticeable when she was naked, and she knew that it was time to tell Brian about the baby she was carrying. She just didn’t know how he’d take it. He’d be back from his physical therapy appointment soon, so she headed over to his house.
She was sitting on the porch when Brandon pulled up driving Brian’s car. She opened the passenger side door and greeted Brian.
“Hey,” he said with a half-smile.
“Hey Dior,” Brandon said as he got his brother’s wheelchair out of the trunk.
“Hey,” she waved as she shielded her eyes from the sun.
Brandon had taken a semester off from school to come home and help their mother with Brian.
Dior stepped aside as Brandon helped Brian into his wheelchair. She hated seeing him like that. He looked so sad and defeated. He hadn’t even been able to attend his graduation since he was still in the hospital, even though he wouldn’t have gone in a wheelchair anyway.
She held the screen door open as Brandon pulled Brian’s wheelchair up the four steps and into the house.
“How was therapy?” she asked as she sat down on the couch.
“The same shit.”
“Are you having any new sensations?” she asked hopefully.
“Nope.”
“Have you seen the doctor lately?”
“Can we talk about somethin’ else?” Brian asked angrily.
“I just... Yeah,” she said softly as she looked down at the floor. “You want somethin’ to drink?” she asked as Brandon nodded his head towards the kitchen.
“Naw,” Brian said dryly.
“I’m gon’ get some water.”
Dior followed Brandon into the kitchen.
“They been workin’ his legs, but it’s like he don’t even wanna try,” Brandon whispered as they stood inside of the opened door of the refrigerator.
“What you mean?” she whispered back as she used the ice maker to fill her glass with ice.
“He think he ain’t gon’ ever walk again so he don’t wanna try.”
Dior shook her head and sighed as she filled her glass with water. She went back into the living room and sat down again.
“Baby, when is yo’ next doctor’s appointment?” she asked, even though she knew he didn’t want to talk about it.
“Tomorrow.”
“What time?”
“Why?”
“I wanna go wit’ you.”
“Why?”
“Stop bein’ mad at me!” she yelled. “I’m just tryin’ to be supportive,” she cried.
“Why the fuck you cryin’? You can walk away if you want!” he yelled back.
“You think I’d just walk away from you?” she asked as she wiped at her eyes.
“You ain’t got no reason to be stuck wit’ somebody in a wheelchair. You can meet somebody else. I know you ain’t gon’ stick around forever.”
Dior just shook her head as he talked.
“How could you say that?” she asked. “I love you.”
“And? You only gon’ be able to accept me like this for so long.”
“I wouldn’t leave you because of this,” she told him. “Even if I wanted to walk away I couldn’t,” she said softly.
“Why not?” he wanted to know.
“I’m pregnant.”
Brian used his hands to turn the wheelchair around so that he was facing Dior.
“You what?”
“Pregnant,” she repeated.
“Since when?”
“Since four months ago. I was gonna tell you after prom but...”
“You serious?” he asked as he searched her face for any sign of deception. She could have just been saying that to try and motivate him to walk again.
“Yeah.”
“Fuck!” Brian yelled, causing Brandon to return from his old bedroom.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I just told Brian that ummm...”
Dior didn’t know if she was ready to tell Brandon. Brandon frowned at her, hoping that she hadn’t just broken up with his younger brother. He was already depressed and that wouldn’t help things at all.
“What?” he asked impatiently.
“She’s fuckin’ pregnant,” Brian said as he turned red in the face.
He was consumed with anger and sadness. How was he going to raise a child from a wheelchair?
“Yeah?” Brandon asked as a smile spread across his face.
Dior just nodded, unsure why he was so happy.
“Why the fuck you smilin’?” Brian demanded.
“Man, you gon’ be a daddy,” Brandon explained. “You gon’ be out of that chair befo’ yo’ baby is born,” he added.
Brian just shook his head. He hated his life at that moment and couldn’t understand why his brother was so fucking happy.
Brandon was happy that his brother was having a baby because he felt that it would motivate his brother to push harder to recover. Although he knew the chances of Brian walking again were slim, he was hopeful. Even if his brother never regained control of his lower extremities, he knew that he’d still be able to help raise his child. He just needed something bigger than himself to fight for.
Brandon would help as much as he could as well. What he was most happy about was the fact that Dior had kept the baby even though Brian was in a wheelchair. Brandon had gotten his girlfriend Natasha pregnant a few months ago, and she’d had an abortion without even discussing it with him first.
A part of his heart still longed for that baby. He was glad that Dior hadn’t taken that route and he could tell that she really loved his brother. Brian would need somebody that really loved him to stand by his side while he recovered. He knew that Dior could be that person, as long as Brian stopped trying to push her away.