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I can't bear looking at the tearful expression on Nick's face.

The knowledge that this is not a dream is too much for him right now.

Things were finally looking good for the two of us. We could live our life without having to worry about the press or the other guys.

We had it all, or as close as one could get to have it all. We had it, until she appeared in our room.

It's been only about five or ten minutes since she told us. Yet it seems like forever.

I need to know though, if this is the truth or not.

"Nick" I say, and he looks at me.

"Relax, ok. We're gonna find out the truth, right now"

With that I turn, and stare at the girl, woman, whatever she is.

"Who the hell are you?"

OK, maybe that was a little harsh, but how do you expect me to react when someone just claims they have your boyfriends baby.

"My name is Serenla. As I said, the baby girl is Phoenix, his daughter" she says, motioning towards Nick.

Her voice is calm, and she looks calm. She doesn't look like she is lying, and she isn't acting as if she is.

Either she is a really good liar, or she is telling the truth.

NO.

I won't think that. There are a lot of people who can pull something like this off and make it look real. I won't believe a word she says until I see the proof.

"What do you mean by that? How can she be his daughter?" I ask.

She looks at me and raises her eyebrows.

"Surely you know how a baby is made" she says jokingly. "If not, I can tell you"

"I didn't mean that. Oh fuck. Listen." Damn, I am confusing even me here. Maybe I should try to say things a bit more clearly.

"When the fuck did you sleep with Nick?"

Let's see if that was clear enough for her.

"I never did"

WHAT THE FUCK?

Is she serious. She never slept with Nick? But. What? OK, this is confusing.

"Heh?"

She looks from Nick to me, and takes a deep breath.

"Phoenix isn't my baby. Her mother was my best friend.Her name was Jennifer Harolds. She met Nick at a concert in January 2000. The baby was born in early October, a week or two early."

I look at her. OK, so the story makes sense, and the name Jennifer sounds very familiar. Of course, I've met a thousand of them over the years, but still. Could she be telling the truth?

There is something in the way she speaks of Jennifer though, almost as if she wasn't around anymore.

"Why do you keep talking of Jennifer in the past tense?" I ask.

"She's dead"

Damn, not the reply I was waiting for.

"I'm sorry for pushing it" I say, and I mean it.

"It's ok. I was coming to that. You see, she never told me who the father was. I knew she slept with Nick, but she always said he wasn't the father. That he couldn't be. She wanted to take a blood test, to see which type the father was. She was on her way home from the doctor when... She was hit by a car, and sent to the hospital. Due to internal bleedings, she couldn't survive. She made me swear to take care of little Phoenix. She also told me who the father was. She said I had been right all along. She wanted me to keep that a secret. She said she couldn't ruin Nick's life and career by letting this come out. Phoenix was never to know who her father was."

I look at her. There are tears in her eyes now, genuine tears.

I believe her story. Beacuse those tears are not fake. I've seen enough tears to seperate the fake from the real.

"If she wanted you to keep this a secret, why are you here now?"

I had to ask that. I know that it hurts her to tell us about this, but I need to know it all.

She looks up at me, wiping away her tears.

"I am here because I grew up without a father, and I know how hard that can be. I'll never know who my father is, and that hurts me more than anyone can imagine. I don't want Phoenix to grow up like I did, without knowing who her real dad is. Also, I feel that Nick has a right to know he has a daughter. If she is even his."

That last comment sent a shiver through me. What did she mean?

"What do you mean?"

She shrugs.

"She told me Nick was the father, and I believe she thought he was. But we'll never know the truth, until Nick takes the test to find out. If she is his, it is up to him to decide what happens."

I look at her. She is serious about this.

She truly believes that this child is Nick's, and from what she has said, I have to agree. Now all Nick has to do is get tested.

"Nick" I say, to see what he thinks of all this, and to check if he even got a word she said.

"I'll take the test" he says, giving me a slight smile.

"I need to know"

I nod. "I'm with you love" I say with a smile.

I am with him. I'll be right by his side when he finds out the answer. And whatever the thruth to all this is, I'll stand by him til the end.

The thing is though, if this baby is really Nick's, what are we going to do about it?

 

 

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