"My god, Jay." Cameron said as she walked into the bathroom.

Justin was leaning against the counter, damping a wet washcloth over his bruised and puffy face, "Oww, fuck!"

"Here let me see."

She took the cloth from him and began to dab it across his face slowly, trying not to miss any spots on him, "Look what the bitch did to me Cam, look."

He raised his shirt and revealed the welts, cuts and bruises that laid on his chest and stomach, "Jesus, she's a fucking beast." Cameron said, "How the hell did they get into the house?"

"Trace had a key still and they just walked on in. I'm getting the locks changed tomorrow morning. I still can fucking believe they had the balls to walk into my house and then for her to beat me up."

"Shhh, calm down, come here."

Justin lumbered over to her and placed himself into her awaiting arms. She wrapped them tightly around him and ran her hand through his hair. She left light kisses along the side of his face, "I wish you had called me. I would have beat the bitch to the ground for you."

Justin chuckled and leaned back, wrapping his arms around her waist, "You would have huh?"

She giggled and nodded, "I wouldn't let her hurt you baby. Not after what she's done to you already by having that baby."

"Let's not talk about this anymore, let's watch a movie."

"Okay."

The climbed into Justin's bed together and turned on the TV, Justin throwing his arm over her head and pushing her into his side. They flipped through the channels and talked quietly about their nonsense when they heard a loud bang come from downstairs. Justin and Cameron jumped and she huddled against Justin as they waited for another sound. Justin got up from the bed and went to his closet, grabbing his the vintage baseball bat the he had meant to hang on the wall ages ago. He brought it up over his head and inched his way to his closed bedroom door. Just as he was about to open it, the door flew open and in walked Lynn.

"Momma?" He breathed.

Lynn walked right past him and look at Cameron, "Out." She said, pointing to the door.

"You can't tell me to get out! This isn't you house!" Cameron screamed getting up from the bed and walking over to Justin.

"So help me God, if she isn't walking out that front door in three seconds i'll throw her out myself."

The darkness in Lynn's voice was something that Justin had never heard before but he stood his ground, "You can't boss me around anymore. This is my house and Cameron stays."

"Get out of here now!" Lynn boomed.

Cameron's eyes widen at Justin's mother and she scurried out of the room as quickly as her thin legs could carry her. As soon as Lynn heard the front door slam, she turned back to her son and pointed to the bed, "Sit."

"No." Justin threw his arms over his broad chest and looked down at her.

I used to be the man in my hometown
Until I started to lose my way
It all goes back to when I dropped out at school
Having fun, I was living the life

"You might be and adult, but that doesn't make you a man. Just what do you think you are doing?"

"Talking to you."

"Don't get smart with me boy. I am still your mother and you will give me the respect I deserve. I'm talking about Trace and Chione, why did you have them arrested?"

"They broke into my house without my consent and then that little wench beat me up. I had the goddamn right to have them arrested."

"Let's get something straight here, you will not call her names in front of me. She is the mother of your child young man and-"

"Why do you all keep saying that? She's the mother of her child, not mine. I never wanted that bastard baby."

Lynn slapped him across the face and pointed her finger in his face, "Don't you ever say that about her again, you hear me? Don't you dare say another bad word about that precious baby, you damn jerk. I am sick and tired of this! I don't even know who you are anymore Justin and it makes me sick. You make me sick!"

But now I got a problem with that little white rock
See I can't put down the pipe

She walked away from him and paced his room, "You used to be so kind and loving and caring. You were so happy when she told you she was pregnant; nobody could wipe the smile off of your face. What happened to that man?"

"He woke up and smelled the coffee. Chione got pregnant to trap me in that bullshit relationship. She knew I was going to end it soon."

Lynn laughed and shook her head, "Okay big man. You think whatever you want to think but deep down inside, you know the truth. The drugs did this to you, not Chione, not Trace, not me and certainly not that beautiful baby you helped to create."

It's breaking me down
Watching the world spin round
While my dreams fall down
Is anybody out there?

"Are you done yet? I'd like to get back to my movie." Justin scoffed at her.

The anger boiled over and sent Lynn into a rage, "No, I'm not done with you! Look at these pictures, look at them!" She screamed as she thrust the glossy pictures into his face.

"What is-"

"That is your daughter! That is my beautiful, bright eyed granddaughter. The only good part of you that I have left."

It is breaking me down
No more friends around...
And my dreams fall down...
Is anybody out there?

She threw the pictures to the ground and stomped back over to his door, "You know, the first time the nurses handed you to me, I couldn't have been prouder than I was in that moment. Now, I just regret it. I'm embarrassed to call you my son."

Can anybody out there hear me?
'Cause I can't seem to hear myself
Can anybody out there see me?
'Cause I can't seem to see myself...
There's gotta be a heaven somewhere
Can you save me from this hell?
Can anybody out there feel me?
'Cause I can't seem to feel myself

And with that, she turned on her heel and walked out on him, leaving him standing dumbfounded in the middle of the room. He heard her engine roar to life and then her squeal out of his driveway and only then, did he move. He bent down and picked up the five by seven's and sat at the foot of his bed. His eyes softened and his mouth gaped open when his eyes took in his daughter for the first time. She looked so much like him, her big blue eyes, her lips and cheek bones, everything. He could see Chione in the little girl too, her face shape resembled hers. He flipped to another picture and let out a sob when his eyes landed on the little girl being held by Chione. Her smiling face looked tired, she must have just given birth to her in the hours before the photograph. Trace was next to Chione, cheek to cheek with her.

Losing my way
Keep losing my way...
Keep losing my way...
Can you help me find my way?
Losing my way
Keep losing my way
Keep losing my way...
Can you help me find my way?

He flipped to another picture of Chione, Trace and the baby in JC's arms. Justin gripped the pictures tightly, anger filling his body as he looked at JC holding his daughter. He quickly replaced the picture with another one and his body relaxed again. The little girl was a few months older now, the picture was of her smiling in her crib. The tears falling down Justin's face quickened at the sight of this picture, his little girl. He traced the picture with his finger, etching his daughter's face into his memory banks.

Now you gotta understand I was a family man
I would have done anything for my own
But I couldn't get a grip on my new found itch
So I ended up all alone

He then flipped to a picture of Trace, Chione, JC, Lynn, Paul, Chris, Joey, and Lance with his daughter in Paul's arms. A happy birthday sign hung above their heads and someone had scribbled 'The big six months old' underneath the happy birthday. The smiles on all of their faces seemed to radiate through the picture; Justin felt the warm of them all. The next picture was of Chione and Joey, throwing up gang signs and trying to look gangster. Justin chuckled at the photograph, Chione and Joey together was always a fun time. They brought out the inner child in each other. He flipped through the rest of the pictures that his mother had left at him and sat in awe of the being he had created with Chione. All of his words from earlier that day coming back to haunt him.

I remember where I was when I got my first buzz
See I thought I was living the life
And the craziest thing is I'll probably never know the color of my daughter's eyes

He closed his eyes tightly and tried to block out his harsh words to Chione. He flipped through the pictures and found the one of his daughter smiling at the camera in his crib and grabbed at a picture frame on his nightstand. He ripped the random picture of himself and Cameron out and replaced it with his daughter, smiling as he sat it back on the nightstand. He found the beautiful photograph of Chione and his daughter and sat it on the bed. He got up, walked into his bathroom and rummaged around, looking for tape. When he found some, he walked back into his bedroom and grabbed the pictures. He began to tape them to his wall, one after the other until every last picture had covered the white wall.

Losing my way
Keep losing my way
Keep losing my way
Can you help find my way?
Losing my way
Keep losing my way
Keep losing my way
Can you help me find my way?

Satisfied with his work, he threw the tape on the nightstand and smiled at his new photo album. He looked out the window and into the darkness of the night. He sighed and then removed his clothing and climbed into the bed. He grabbed the last picture of Chione and the little girl and held it above his head, staring at it like it was going to disappear at any moment. He brought it down and propped it up against the pillow next to him. He rolled over to his side and continued looking at the picture, the smile and tears never leaving his face.

"I love you both." He whispered.

And he drifted off to sleep, vowing that he's change his act for his child and for Chione. One thought bothered him though.

He didn't even know his child's name.

Oh my god please forgive me (father hear my prayer)
'Cause I know I've done some wrong in this life
If I could do it all again
Have just one more chance
To take all those wrongs and make them right

Song Credit:

"Losing My Way" - Justin Timberlake