“She’s taking me down alright,” I mumbled. I ran my hand across my forehead and sighed. “It was a mistake. We shouldn’t have slept together. We’re complete opposites. But then she showed up the other day and…”
“And?”
I shook my head. “Don’t make me say it.”
It was quiet on the other end for a moment while he put it all together. “Dude, did you knock up your one-night stand?”
I cringed. I hated the term one-night stand, but I hated the term knocked up even more. It sounded so crass.
“Holy shit, you did.”
“What happened?” I heard in the background.
“My brother knocked up some chick in a bar.”
“In the bar?”
“Not in the bar, you dumbass. It wasn’t in the bar, right? I mean, you at least took her back to your place, I’m assuming.”
“Hey, can you not discuss my personal issues with whoever the fuck you’re with?” I asked. It was humiliating enough to tell him.
“No worries. It’s just Hunter.”
“Which doesn’t mean jack shit to me,” I snapped.
“So, am I right? You didn’t fuck her in the bar, right?”
“Of course not.”
“So, what are you gonna do?”
“Fuck, I don’t know. I just found out. We just had our first appointment. It was just medical history and shit.”
“Wow. I just….I can’t even…”
“Don’t you start that shit too. It’s bad enough that Andrew and Joe can’t finish their sentences.”
“This is big,” Derek said in awe. “I mean…holy shit.”
“Tell me about it.”
“You’re gonna be a dad before I am.”
“I’m aware.”
“And I have a steady woman and everything.”
“I know,” I said testily.
“You don’t even have that. She’s just some woman.”
I clenched my jaw in anger. “I’m aware.”
“Dude, what the fuck were you thinking? Didn’t you zip up?”
“You know, I didn’t exactly record what happened that night,” I said sarcastically. “We were drunk. What happened is still a little fuzzy.”
He was quiet again and I waited for it. “Was she a good lay?”
I rolled my eyes and heaved out a sigh. “Does it matter? It’s not happening again. She’s made it pretty clear what she thinks of me and I may not have been too nice to her either.”
“So, what are you going to do? I mean, are you going to see this woman again?”
“You mean besides at appointments? I have no idea. We’re complete opposites. She’s all carefree and shit and I’m-“
“An uptight asshole?”
“Thanks, man.”
“Hey, you know I love you, but you have no clue how to let loose.”
“Well, she’s a little too loose.”
“Ooh, I hope you didn’t tell her that.”
I didn’t say anything, because that’s pretty much what I had told her in the waiting room.
“Please tell me that you did not tell the woman you knocked up that she was loose.”
“I may have implied that the way she dressed made men think of her a certain way,” I said with a grimace.
“Dude, are you trying to ensure that you never meet your own kid?”
“I know that-“
“What the fuck were you thinking? It’s not like you’re perfect. She probably has all sorts of ideas about you too.”
“Like what?” I asked defensively. “I’m responsible.”
“Yeah,” he snorted, “so responsible you knocked up a one-night stand.”
“Well, aside from that.”
He burst out laughing. “Oh my God! I never thought I would see the day that my big brother, the buttoned up, straight-laced, do-gooder would knock up a woman he wasn’t even seeing.”
“You make me sound like such an asshole.”
“Because you knocked up a woman?”
“No, just the way you describe me,” I grumbled. “I’m not that bad.”
“Eric, you won’t sleep with a woman until you’ve been dating for weeks. How the fuck did this even happen?”
“Alcohol.”
He snorted and started laughing again. “Wow. You never even drink. Did she get you drunk on wine coolers?”
“Vodka,” I corrected, needing him to know that I was a man and I didn’t get drunk on wine coolers, although they were refreshing.
“You did shots? Are you fucking crazy?”
“It wasn’t supposed to be like that.” I groaned internally and explained what happened. “Andrew set me up on a blind date-“
“And you went? What the fuck were you thinking? You’d better get checked. She probably has a few venereal diseases.”
I tended to agree. With Andrew, you just never knew what kind of women he was sleeping with. Though in this case, it didn’t appear that it was an issue.
“She says she’s not like that.”
“Then how did she know Andrew?”
“She didn’t.”
I heard his sigh and could imagine him scratching his head right now. None of it made sense to me either. It was all one large clusterfuck. “If she didn’t know Andrew, then how did he set you up on a blind date with her?”
“Mistaken identity. We both thought we were there to meet someone else, but didn’t realize it until the next morning.”
“Nice,” I heard the grin in his voice.
“So, how did she get you drunk?”
“We were playing a game…about getting to know each other. Turns out, we don’t have that much in common.”
“So, a shot for every time you didn’t have something in common? I gotta say, I didn’t really take you for the type to play those types of games.”
“Trust me, I’m not. It turns out, the one time that I threw caution to the wind, I ended up with a pregnant woman knocking on my door.”
“How did she break the news?”
I grinned a little, finding it funny now how she had chosen to let me know. “A box of condoms.”
“Oh, shit. I need to meet this woman. She’s gonna have you all tied up in knots by the end of this pregnancy. She sounds just like what you need, someone to help you let loose.”
“That’s not likely to happen. Like I said, we’re very different. I doubt she would ever go for a guy like me.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I offered to marry her-“
“Whoa, hold the fuck on. You can’t just marry her because she’s pregnant.”
“It’s the right thing to do,” I shot back. “Not that it matters. She turned me down.”
“And rightly so. You don’t marry someone just because you knocked her up.”
“Can you stop saying that?”
“What? That you knocked her up?”
I sighed heavily. I knew he was fucking with me, but I hated the term knocked-up. It wasn’t supposed to be like that.
“Look, I know you. You’re beating yourself up right now, but this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. You’re a good guy. Is she a nice woman?”
“She’s different,” I said hesitantly.
“That’s not exactly what I asked.”
“Well, what the fuck do you want me to say?”
“I was hoping for a description of some kind? Hot body? Beautiful eyes? Anything!”
“She had nice eyes,” I said, recalling them from that night in the bar.
“Wow, what a winning endorsement.”
“Look,” I sighed. “It’s just not like that. When I look at her, I don’t see a woman that I want to date or even get to know. I look at the biggest mistake of my life.”
“Ouch. You’re gonna have to get over that. She’s gonna be part of your life for a long fucking time.”
“I fucking know that. I wish I could just go back in time or something.”
“Have you told
anyone else?”
“Andrew was there when she dropped by.”
He snorted into the phone. “Well, if I were you, I wouldn’t wait long to call Ma.”
“I know,” I sighed. “I just don’t know how to tell them. They’re going to be so disappointed in me.”
“Oh, relax. You wouldn’t be the first son to disappoint them. Besides, when Ma finds out that she’s gonna have grandkids, she’s gonna be thrilled.”
“Why don’t you knock up Claire and take the heat off me?”
“Yeah, I’m not seeing that happening anytime soon. Claire’s not into settling down and I’m not gonna rush that.”
“Thanks for the support.”
“What are you so worried about? You know you’re gonna be a great dad.”
“It’s not that. I just…don’t want to be a dad that only sees his kid a few days a week,” I said sadly.
“It doesn’t have to be that way. You know, you barely know the woman. Why don’t you try and get to know her. I mean, you have all this time before the kid comes along. Instead of just assuming that things won’t work out with her, why don’t you try talking to her like a normal person. Just be the man you are around us.”
I snorted. “Should I invite you all along with me? Maybe then she’d see me as something other than an uptight asshole.”
“Don’t be a pussy. Man the fuck up and pretend like she’s any other woman. You get to know her and if it goes well, seal the deal at the end of the night. It’s not like you can knock her up twice.”
“Thanks for that sage advice,” I said sarcastically.
“Hey, you called me, asshole.”
“I did not.”
“Well, trust me, you will be many times over the next few months. Good luck,” he laughed as he hung up the phone. I banged my head against the steering wheel and sighed. I had to figure out something. I couldn’t just go around hating the mother of my child for the next twenty years.
Katherine
After another long day at work, all I wanted to do was lay down and get some sleep, but I wanted to check on Casey first. Her father had left two days ago to head back home for work. He wouldn’t be back until the weekend, so the mother was all alone. I promised her that I would be here for her in any way I could and I intended to follow through on that.
I placed my hand on my stomach as I walked toward her room. I couldn’t help it. I kept thinking about the fact that my child might be unlucky enough to go through that someday and that was a thought I couldn’t stand. I put a smile on my face as I walked into the room. Casey was sleeping, but her mother was wide awake, just staring down at her little girl with a sad smile on her face.
“How’s she doing?” I asked Cynthia.
She sat up suddenly, like she didn’t want anyone to see her as anything other than put together. “Tired. She hasn’t been awake much today. The doctors are trying a new treatment on her. This one has been harder on her than the others.”
I had read in her chart that she had started a new treatment, and because of how weak she was, they wanted to keep her in the hospital to see how she responded to the treatment before they sent her home. It was a last ditch effort to save her. All the other treatments hadn’t worked. It looked like this was her last chance and her parents knew it.
“Have you eaten yet?”
She sighed heavily and smiled. “I didn’t want to leave her.”
“Go,” I gave a small smile. “I’m off work. I’ll sit with her while you take some time for yourself.”
“Are you sure?” She glanced back at Casey, reaching out to touch her hand.
“I’m sure. I’ll be here. You take as long as you need. Why don’t you take a shower too. I’m sure you’ll feel better once you’re cleaned up.”
I could see the hesitation on her face, but she nodded and walked to the door, lingering for a moment. “I won’t be long.”
“I’m not worried about it.”
When her mom left, I took the seat beside her bed and held Casey’s hand. There was something about this little girl that had captivated my heart. Maybe it was her beautiful face or her spirited personality despite what she was going through. I wasn’t sure, but I knew what would most likely happen with this little girl, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to deal with that. The odds were definitely against her, and while there were plenty of cases of people beating the odds, I couldn’t help but wonder how much more her little body could take.
I sat with her for another half hour before she stirred, her eyes immediately going to where her mother would be sitting. “Where’s Mommy?”
“She just ran down to get some food. I told her I needed some time with you anyway. I’ve missed you today.”
A small smile curved her lips. “Will you read me a story?”
“Of course. What would you like to read?”
She lifted her hand weakly and pointed to a book on the table. It was an adventure book, probably above her reading level, but I knew she loved hearing stories about escaping to far off places. When she had been in the hospital last time, she had been reading the book Zathura. I picked up the book and sat beside her, but she reached out her hand and tugged on mine.
“Sit up here with me.”
I smiled at her. I could never say no to this little girl. “Well, we’ll see if my butt fits on the bed with you.”
She giggled as I pretended to wiggle into the spot beside her. I opened the book and started reading, but she didn’t last long before she drifted off to sleep again. I didn’t stop reading. I couldn’t. If this was bringing her any comfort, I would read until my throat was sore.
“You’re getting too attached,” my boss, Charlene, said from the doorway.
I glanced down at Casey to make sure she was asleep before I spoke. “I’m just giving her mom a break. She’s all alone now that Mike went home.”
“I’m telling you, you can’t stop by and visit like this. It makes it more difficult when they inevitably leave us. And you know she will. Her numbers aren’t good. You’re not her parent. You’re not the one that needs to be fawning over her. Her parents are going to need you to be the one that takes care of Casey when she’s in the final stages. How are you going to do your job when you’re too busy crying over the little girl you fell in love with?”
I couldn’t believe she could be so cruel. “Well, maybe it’s hard for you and you don’t like that, but I won’t let this little girl feel anything but love while she’s stuck in this hospital. If she wants me to sit with her and read a damn book, I’ll do it.”
Charlene pursed her lips and shook her head. “You’re setting yourself up for heartbreak. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
She turned and walked away. I glanced down at Casey again and wondered how my boss could be such a heartless bitch. Maybe I was getting too attached to her, but I couldn’t help it. She was just too lovable.
Her mom returned fifteen minutes later and took a quick shower, then took her place beside Casey again. She didn’t say anything about the fact that I was in Casey’s bed with her, and I didn’t offer any information. She didn’t need to know that Casey woke up and wanted the comfort. It would make her feel bad that she hadn’t been here.
“Is there anything I can get for you before I leave?”
“No,” she smiled. “Thank you for helping out for just that little time.”
“Anytime,” I said sincerely.
I gathered my things and left, looking back at the little girl that stole my heart and her sad mother. If what Charlene was saying was true, I was in for a world of heartache, but I couldn’t walk away. Not when I was already so attached to her.
Tired and feeling emotionally exhausted, I climbed the steps to my townhouse and put the key in the door.
“Katherine!”
I turned to see Eric running across the street from where his truck sat. He looked like he had cleaned up, which was a hell of a lot better than I looked after my twelve plus hour shift.
“Yeah?”
He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, a little stunned by my cold attitude. I couldn’t help it. I was tired and I wasn’t in the mood to do this shit with him right now.
“Did you just get off work?”
I glanced down at my scrubs and then shot him a look. “No, I walk around like this all the time.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets, tightening his expression. “I just came by to talk.”
“You know, we have these things called phones. Alexander Graham Bell invented them well over a hundred years ago. I’m sure you’ve heard of them.”
“Are you ever gonna give me a chance without being such a bitch?”
“Hey, you showed up on my doorstep at,” I glanced down at my watch, “nine o’clock at night. If you really wanted to talk, you could have called me.”
“I did. Several times, in fact.”
Whatever. I hadn’t checked my phone since my last break at the hospital. There was no point. It’s not like there was anything pressing that I needed to be concerned about.
“Still, you couldn’t have waited for me to call you back? I have a life, you know. If I’m busy, I’m not gonna answer just because it’s you calling.”
His jaw clenched in anger. “Well, I would answer if it was you, even if I was in the middle of the most important job of my life.”
“Why?” I asked, a little baffled.
“Because, like it or not, we’re going to be family. Maybe it won’t be the traditional family, but we will be linked and I never ignore family.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I hadn’t really thought of us being family, and I hadn’t realized that he would think of us that way either. We were just having a baby together, and we had just found out. It wasn’t like it had been months and we’d bonded or anything.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“I wanted to try and work things out with you,” he said harshly. “I wanted to try and find a way for us to get along, maybe get along better so that when we have this baby, we’re not complete strangers.”
I swallowed hard, fiddling with my keys a little. Okay, I felt a little bit like a bitch, but based on how things had gone so far, I just hadn’t expected that. “How would I know that? We haven’t exactly started off on the best of terms, you know, with you calling me a slut and all.”
Maintenance Required: A small town romance (The Cortell Brothers Book 1) Page 9