Free Baby Alicia Is Dying by Lurlene McDaniel

it?” She opened the bag and pulled out a plush, stuffed frog. “This is for Alicia?” His generosity touched her.
    “To help make up for all the frogs we’ve dismembered in biology.”
    She laughed.
“Who
dismembered?”
    “All right, all right, O great scalpel wielder.” He bowed elaborately from the waist. “Anyway, a new dress is okay, but I think she needs something to cuddle. Actually everyone does, you know.”
    Christmas music floated above them. Beautiful displays sparkled with holiday colors from every countertop, and crowds of people swirled around them, but for a moment, looking into Brian’s eyes, Desi felt they were the only two people in the busy store. Her heartbeat quickened. “Where to next?” Brian asked.
    “I thought of something else I want to get for Alicia,” she said, seeing a notation she’d made on her list. “We’ll find it in a card shop.”
    “You’re going to give her a Christmas card?” Brian questioned, bewildered. “I
know
she can’t read yet.”
    “No, silly. I’m going to get her a baby book.”
    “What’s that?”
    She worked her way through the crowds in themall toward the nearest store specializing in cards and stationery. Brian dogged her steps. “It’s a book that records stuff about your baby—weight, length, tooth-cutting info, first words, steps—that sort of stuff.”
    “Oh yeah,” he said. “My mom has one of those for me. What are they good for?”
    “Maybe she’ll want to know all those things about herself someday.”
    “But shouldn’t her mother be writing those things down?”
    “I don’t know anything about her mother except that she abandoned Alicia. I doubt she’d do much for her baby book.”
    “Yes, but—”
    “But nothing. I’m keeping a baby book for her, and that’s that.”
    Brian shrugged. “You don’t have to bite my head off.”
    “Sorry.” Desi realized she shouldn’t have grown so irritated with him. He was trying to be helpful. How could she expect him to understand her feelings for Alicia? She came to a shelf filled with keepsake books and leafed through several. “What do you think of this one?” She held it up for Brian’s inspection.
    “Cute teddy bears,” he told her, all the while studying her.
    “I like it best,” she announced, feeling uncomfortableunder his gaze. “Let me pay for it, then you can buy me that lunch you promised.”
    At the food court Desi sat with the packages, watching shoppers bustle past, while Brian bought food. Desi saw Corrine among a group of girls, laughing and talking. She recalled the hours and hours she’d spent over the years with her former best friend. Corrine was purposely avoiding her. She never called anymore, and they rarely spoke at school. Quickly Desi averted her head, not wanting the girls to see her sitting alone.
    “Do you have much shopping left to do?” Brian asked when he returned, balancing a tray.
    “Just my dad and sister, Valerie. What’re you buying your dad?”
    “Nothing. My parents are divorced, and Dad lives in California with his new family.” He handed her a cup of diet cola and a paper plate filled with pizza.
    “Do you ever see him?”
    “I haven’t since I was seven.”
    She couldn’t imagine not seeing her father. True, he wasn’t around all that much, but at least she knew he was coming home every night. “So you grew up with only women bossing you around?” Desi teased.
    “Not quite.”
    Desi waited for him to continue, but after an awkward moment it became obvious that he was finished talking about his personal life. She fidgetedself-consciously with her shopping bag and finally took another peek at Alicia’s new dress. “Alicia’s really going to look pretty in this.”
    Brian blew the paper off his straw and jammed it through the lid of his cup. “You sure act funny about that baby.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “You act like she’s your kid or something.”
    “I do not.”
    “You sure do. Remember, I was with