Pregnant Without a Cause

Chapter 10, Episode Part 31

We're back! Callie is having her baby shower . . .

Callie's first thought was to find and arrange the death of the traitor, the one who somehow had access to her mother and the television show, and somehow knew the time and place of this party. And it could really only be one person, she suddenly understood. Couldn't be Edoo. He clearly knew nothing. Couldn't be any of the girls. Couldn't be Zam, who was grasping at anything he could get from her. There was only one possibility.

David Ross. He wanted to embarrass and humiliate Callie for reasons she did not understand. That's why he was here. Somehow he'd got to Jock, and convinced him to turn her shower into a fiasco. Maybe he had brought a scarlet letter with him. A U for Unwed teen mother? I for Irresponsible youth? Maybe S for slut. But why was he picking on her? Had Callie disappointed him so much? How could that be, when he never even cared for her?

So now he wanted to tar her for bad morals, or bad choices? Yes, she'd made a mistake! One night, that's all, with a bassoonist from Muncie whom she would never see again. And he wasn't even real. But keeping with the story, was Callie supposed to have killed the baby? Or given him away? Bad choices? She'd thought keeping the baby was a good choice...

While Callie stared at David, Crystal came up on her other side, and kneeled down, with her hand on Callie's knee. One of the TV women held up a glowy white reflector thingy, and Crystal stared into it as if hypnotized. She glanced at Callie. "My cousin said something would happen today. She reads palms."

"Reads what?" But Crystal's gaze had already swung back to the reflector. And Ronette was introducing herself to Michelle with a flamboyance that would shame Perez Hilton.

David just stood there in front of the gas station sign that passed for wall decor, his expression arrogant and unforgiving. When he looked at her Callie mouthed the word, "Why?"

He just smiled. "It's all good."

What the fnork did that mean, she wondered? But now Zam waved at her. He had been around a couple of these things as a roadie, like the time he was supposedly taking Callie on a date, and they walked out of the house and then came back in. Normally he would stay out of the picture, either hanging out with Callie or fetching for the crew. But today he seemed to want the camera badly. He walked over and took her hand. "I'm completely here for you."

Every nose in the room pointed at Callie. She gave a ping-pong answer. "I'm all here for you, too."

He stood and leaned over her. "No. I think it's important to say this. There's been some questions raised. I want you to know I'm ready to take responsibility for supporting you any way I can."

An awkward silence broke out. Suddenly the normally silent Bunny, at the south end of the chair circle, waved both hands at Zam dismissively. "The three most worthless words in the English language." She looked around. "I support you. And the other five that aren't worth anything. I'll be there for you."

All the girls just stared at Bunny. For her to be stepping out like this must mean something important. Something about her baby or how her baby came to be.

"They both mean either you're not going to do a damn thing for me but sit here saying 'Right On,' or you're going to make me do something I don't want to do, and expect me to be grateful to your sorry ass, because you support me." Bunny flashed a pleasant smile to show she was done. "That's what that's about, to me. But go on."

Zam looked into the camera from his half crouch, as if hoping for advice. Callie knew he wanted to be the father, and she could not allow that. The question was, if she ended his fatherhood, would he end her motherhood? "I appreciate the, uh, support, Zam. You were there when he was born."

"Yep, sure was. So I know what he went through. You went through. We all went through."

With that comment, Callie had had enough. She did not know where this new, assertive, almost suave but finally jerk-ass Zam came from, but now she had to send him back to his hole. She patted him on the shoulder. "Yes, we appreciate you keeping the secret that you are not the father."

Zam glared at her. "Oh, really?"

Callie could see heads turning swiveling and looks flying. "No. The father could not be present that day. But he knows everything he needs to know. I have chosen to raise the baby on my own, with my mother and grandmother. And the support of my friends, all of my friends who want to help. Equally all of them. Including you if you want to be included."

"Maybe there's just one more thing that the father needs to know." Zam stared at Callie from under his dark forelock. He shifted his gaze to Michelle. "Everyone needs to know."