I'm Not a Princess, This Ain't a Fairytale

“Joe,” I heard Nick call me. I was sitting in the waiting room, waiting to see Mia.

I stood as my brothers and my mom approached. “How is she,” Kevin asked, as they all hugged me.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. The last few hours had been hell for me. They must have been 50 tomes worse for Mia. And she was still going through it. I remembered the look of pain on her face as the contractions came, the panic in her eyes as the monitor started beeping too fast in the ambulance, the fear in her eyes as she screamed, the disgust as she looked at Troy’s body for the last time. She had looked so helpless, and I hadn’t been able to help her. My baby sister, my everything, my baby girl needed me, and the damn nurses wouldn’t even let me in the room with her. “She’s okay, I think,” I said. “They won’t let me in. I’m not her parent.”

“I’ll go with her,” my mom kissed my forehead before going to the nurse. We watched as panic crossed the nurse’s face. “Is your daughter, the – the Jonas sister?”

“Mia, yes,” my mom said.

The nurse looked terrified. “Could you please pacify her? She’s starting to scare the other patients.”

We all exchanged a look. “What’s going on,” Kevin asked.

The nurse sighed. “I’ve seen hundreds of women go through labor, but I swear, that girl – she is screaming up a storm. For her brother, I think. I’m not really surprised, though. Got a pair of lungs on that one.” Panic crossed her face again. “She – she threatened to cut the doctor’s hair off and – feed it to her brother.”

We laughed weakly. That was definitely Mia. We all looked at each other. “Which brother,” Nick asked.

The nurse shrugged. “But please ma’am, your help would be appreciated.”

My mom nodded and the nurse led her to the room. We all sighed, taking a seat in the waiting room. There was really nothing we could do at this point. It was all up to me. I closed my eyes, and rested my head back on the seat. I sighed, remembering my last moments with Mia.

”No, he has to come with me,” Mia screamed as a nurse held Joe back.

“I’m sorry miss, but he can’t,” a doctor told her.

I sighed, looking at Mia. I wanted to go with her. I wanted to be there with her. But I couldn’t. “I need you,” she cried.

I took her hand, and looked her straight in the eyes. “Honey, you can do this. I know you can do this. Look, you’re going to go in there, and you’re going to have this baby, and it’s going to be beautiful, just like you.”

“Joe—“

“No,” I stopped her, unable to take the helplessness in her voice. “Amelia, listen to me. I love you so much. You’re my baby sister. And I know you. I know you can do this. And I will be right here waiting for you. I have to be the first one to hold my little niece or nephew after all, right?” I smiled. “Make sure it got the good Jonas genes, unlike Kevin.”

She laughed. “Shut up, Kevin got the good ones too.”

I laughed too, seeing her calmer now. “But admit it, mine are better.”

She rolled her eyes. “Only you Joe.” But then she sighed, taking a deep breath. She looked at the doctor. “Okay, I’m ready.”

I kissed her forehead. “You’re going to Shine, Mamma Mia.”

She smiled until another contraction came, and she squeezed my hand – hard. They pried her off of me, and rushed her in. The doctor sighed. “Looks like it’s almost time.”

I was escorted to the waiting room to wait for my sister.

“She’s really going to be an amazing mother,” Nick said quietly.

I opened my eyes, and smiled at him. “I know.”

“God, can you believe this is finally happening,” Kevin asked on my other side. “We’re going to be uncles.”

“The best damn uncles to graze this planet,” I smirked.

They laughed. “Duh,” Nick said. But then he sighed. “It kind of is surreal though. But Mia – she’s Mia.”

I sighed, knowing what he meant. Even she was older than Nick, and Frankie. She was the baby of the family. She was my baby. Kevin was watching me. He took a deep breath. “You’ve been more of a parent to her than mom or dad, Joe.”

I looked at him, and smiled, feeling protective of my sister even now. It was what I always did. I protected her. I made everything okay. Maybe it was a paternal thing, or maybe it was a twin thing. All I knew was that Mia was always going to be my little girl. “She’s like my baby,” I said.

They laughed. “She kind of is,” Nick admitted.

“God, remember when I was an asshole to her,” Kevin sighed. “I was such a jerk. And she did not deserve any of it.” Neither Nick and I said anything. This seemed like something Kevin needed to get off his chest. “I mean, I should have realized how special she was, how amazing. I shouldn’t have done those things.”

I put my hand on his shoulder. “You were manipulated man. Dad got to you more than us. Mia understands that, and honestly, neither she nor anyone else would ever blame you. I mean, she loves you now. She’s always loved you.”

He smiled slightly. “Thanks.”

I put my head back, and rested again, the hours and torments of the day dragging down on me. We were sitting there for 3 hours, three long, agonizing hours before my mom came out in a pair of scrubs. There was an estatic look on her face. We stood as she approached. “It’s a baby girl. You guys have a baby niece. Mia was amazing.” We all smiled, taking breaths of relief. “Mia wants you to hold her first Joe.”

I nodded, and followed my mom into the room.

The nurse gave us pairs of scrubs, and another nurse handed the baby to me. I gasped as I looked down at the small little thing in my hands. No, not thing, my niece. My baby niece. “Hi baby,” I smiled. “I’m your uncle Joey. I’m the best. Remember that. Always the best. Oh man, you are so lucky to have Mia as your mom. But you’re even luckier to have me as your uncle. I’m going to spoil you like crazy. Just wait.”

Mia laughed weakly from the bed. “Does she have the Jonas genes than?”

I pretended to inspect the baby. “Hmm, I’d have to say 50 times better than Kevin.”

“Hey,” Kevin said.

I held her up to show him. “It’s true.”

He laughed, shrugging. “Fine, but can you pass her. We want to see our niece too.”

I laughed, and gently gave her to him. I walked over to Mia, and kissed her forehead. “How are you doing,” I asked her.

She shrugged, and winced. “I’m okay.”

“I heard you did amazing,” I smiled at her.

She smiled weakly. “That’s what they tell me. But I wish you were here.”

“Nah,” I tried to pacify her before she let this eat her up. “Too much blood anyway.”

She laughed. “True, you were always the big baby.”

I scoffed. “No, that was Nick.”

“I heard that,” Nick said.

Mia and I giggled quietly. “Next time, I’ll insult him to you telepathically.”

She laughed, knowing how much Nick hated when we pretended we could communicate telepathically because we were twins. Nick glared at us. “You guys cannot—“

“What are you naming her,” my mom interjected, trying to calm our fighting.

I stuck my tongue out at him as Mia sighed. “I was thinking Taylor. What do you think Joe?”

I smiled. “It’s perfect. Especially since you can’t name her after me – unless you want people to make fun of her for having a boy’s name.”

“There’s Josephina,” Kevin suggested. “Though, that’s what they secretly call Joe. It might get confusing.”

The laughed as I glared at him. “You’re mad because the baby has the better Jonas genes.”

“Cause that makes sense,” he laughed, rolling his eyes.

Mia laughed. “My boys,” she sighed, closing her eyes.

I kissed her forehead. “You should rest. But maybe you should say goodbye to Kevin first, because you may not see him when you wake up.”

Mia laughed, her eyes still closed. “Don’t kill my brother Jonas.”

“Which one,” I mumbled.

“Alright,” my mom interjected again. “Let’s let the new mother sleep.”

And with that she ushered us out.

---

“I don’t care if he’s over the age of 18,” I yelled into the phone. “I want my oldest son too.”

“Mr. Jonas, please, try to understand,” the attorney was saying. “He’s a legal adult now. He isn’t in your wife’s custody anymore.”

I groaned. “Fine, then get me the other ones.”

“Okay, I can possibly have the four of them in your custody soon,” he said. “Though court’s usually favor the mothers in these custody situations, with the alcoholic and drug abuse history your wife has, it should be easy.”

“Not all four,” I said. “I don’t want the slut. The bitch can keep the girl.”

“Aren’t Joseph and Amelia twins,” the attorney asked, astonished.

I rolled my eyes. “Unfortunately. Just get me Joe, Nick, and Frankie.”

“I’ll – see what I can do,” he said. “Though with the new baby, the judge may rule in favor of keeping at least Joe with his twin for support, or bringing her to you too. Especially in the case of the mother.”

“No, dammit,” I said firmly. “Do whatever you want. Say she’s corrupting the boys, giving them drugs, whatever the hell you want. Just get me the boys.”

The attorney sighed. “I will do my best.”

I hung up, and smiled. Amelia, the bitch princess. “Sorry bitch, you’re not a princess. And this isn’t a fairytale. No, this is going to be a nightmare.”