by Thia Finn
The doctor asked, “Do, you think there’s any chance the mother will tell us who the other possible father might be? He may want the child.”
“All we can do is ask her, but damn, who’s going to be brave enough to do that?” Hayden asked. They had all been the recipient of her wrath, and none of them were excited to draw fire from her now, especially when confronting her about the baby and his father’s true identity. She was insistent that Ryan was the father, but would she be willing to admit she’d slept around before their relationship was over?
The doctor spoke up again. “I will ask her. I don’t think she’ll be as angry with the question coming to her from a medical standpoint. Even if the father doesn’t want the child, he’ll need to be notified for legal reasons and in the case of medical issues should arise for the baby later.”
The three looked at each other knowing the doctor didn’t have a clue about how sharp Krissy’s tongue could be when she unleashed it on anyone who crossed her. Finally, Peri spoke up. “I guess that would be as good an idea as any, Doctor.”
The trio made their way to Krissy’s room with the baby in tow. She was lying on the bed watching television. When she saw they had the baby, she turned her head the other way. “What do y’all want? I told you not to bring that back in here, Hayden. I don’t want to see it.”
The doctor spoke up in an authoritative manner. “We have some decisions to make about the welfare of your child, Miss Thompson. If we deem they are not in the best interest of your child, the hospital will be forced to turn the child over to Child Protective Services, and he will go to a temporary foster home. He will stay there until arrangements for his care can be made.”
Krissy stared straight at the doctor with a stern look of her own. “That’s fine. Call them.” She turned on Ryan. “It’s obvious his dad doesn’t want him.”
“It has already been determined that Mr. Powell cannot be the father of your child.” They all waited to see her reaction to the news. She did, but not how they thought she would.
“Dammit! Did you test my baby without my permission? I guess you just couldn’t fucking wait to prove you weren’t the dad, right, Ryan? I’ll sue you if you ran that test without my permission,” she spit at the doctor, pointing her finger at him accusingly.
“Actually, we did have your permission to run a blood-type on the infant when he was born. The baby’s type-A and you are a B. Mr. Powell is an O, so he cannot possibly be the father.” He waited a minute for Krissy to comment but she chose to keep her mouth shut. “Now, would you consider telling us who you believe the father could be since Mr. Powell isn’t?”
If Krissy couldn’t name the father, she knew how it would sound, and she didn’t care to discuss those points with the present company. She knew the lies were over, and she would have to tell them what she had already figured out. When the baby didn’t come at the first due date, she started counting up weeks. She had known for a few weeks that Ryan couldn’t be the father, which is why she wanted nothing to do with the baby. If she couldn’t have Ryan, she didn’t want this baby.
Ryan stepped up to the side of her bed. “Krissy, I’m sorry this is all happening to you, but you need to consider this infant that you carried for nine months. He needs a parent. If you don't take him, at least, give the father the chance to raise his son.”
Krissy hung her head, and soft tears began dripping from her eyes. “I’ve known it wasn’t yours for a few weeks now. I was so hoping you would claim the baby, and we could live as a family. I thought when you saw it, him, you would love him just the same. I only wanted you to love me like you used to. I wanted us to start over with a family.” Choking sobs were coming from her now.
“Krissy, we weren’t a good fit. We tried, remember? We had a good run and a lot of fun, but we weren’t meant to be. You didn’t want to be with a musician; you didn’t want my lifestyle. You were pretty clear about it all when you ejected me from your life. You’ve known that things weren’t going to happen for us, not like that. You moved on, and so did I. Peri and I are in love and are going to be getting married soon. I would have raised the child if it was mine, but now you need to tell us who his daddy is so we can see if he wants to claim his son.”
Her sobs grew loud, and it woke the sleeping baby Peri gently rocked in her arms. Hayden jumped up, offering to take him and started walking and bouncing him softly, praying he would quickly go back to sleep. It wasn’t a good time to deal with a screaming baby, not with Krissy already in full breakdown mode. He would take him out of the room if he had to so they could talk.
Krissy watched Hayden a minute while he soothed the baby and then turned and told the other three in the room. “The baby is Hayden’s,” she said so softly that the others couldn’t truly understand her.
“What Krissy? We couldn’t hear you.” Ryan said.
This time, she said it louder. “The baby is Hayden’s.”
The room stilled, everyone staring at her in shocked silence for what felt like hours.
“Oh my God, Krissy. Don’t do this to that kid. Just because he’s good with the baby doesn’t mean he wants your child.” Ryan grew angrier by the second.
“No, I’m telling the truth.” She looked at Hayden, who was staring at her like she had sprouted a third eye on her forehead. “One night, the first week after you left, he came in and had been drinking with some of the guys in the band. I was so lonely and upset; I needed someone. I had some whiskey already out, and we did some shots together. Before I knew it, we had finished the entire bottle. He was completely drunk, and I was about half way there. I was feeling lonely without you, and he was there. I helped him get in his bed, and you know how I get when I’ve been drinking, Ryan. I needed to feel like someone loved me, so I climbed into the bed with him and started kissing him. He easily responded to me, and I guess I took advantage of him.
“We both went to sleep when it was over, but I woke up a little while later, and he never moved. So, I cleaned everything up and went back to my room, got in my bed and went back to sleep. I didn’t want to think about what we had done. I knew he wouldn’t remember anything. So, I thought I could just forget it.”
Hayden handed the baby to Peri and walked over to the side of the bed. “You took advantage of me when I had no fucking control? I would have never had sex with you. How many times did I kick your drunk ass out of my bed? So many I can’t remember. You drank after you had known we had sex without protection? I know for damn sure you drank wine and some whiskey after that. How could you, not knowing if you were pregnant or not?” It was clear from his tone he was furious with her.
“I didn’t know I was pregnant! And when I did figure it out, I thought it was Ryan’s baby. And I did stop drinking then.” Her tone was almost pleading now.
“That’s not good enough, Krissy! How could you do this to a baby or me? Who else did you sleep with that week or that month? Could the baby be anyone else’s? What a gigantic fucking mess!” Hayden was so angry he could hardly form the sentences firing in his brain.
“No, I’ve only slept with Ryan and you in the past year. None of those guys I dated, in the beginning, had sex with me. I’m not a total slut, Hayden.”
“No, you’re a lying bitch who’s brought a baby into this world under the worst circumstances, ever.” Hayden turned back and picked up his baby from Peri. He held him close and walked out the door with him.
The doctor followed him out of the room, leaving Peri and Ryan alone with her. Not knowing what to say, Peri sat down and watched at Ryan. What were they going to do now? Hayden was eighteen-years-old and on his own. How was he going to raise a baby? He’s a musician; his career was just taking off. They walked into the building this morning thinking there was only one question they needed an answer to. Now that they had it, a virtual Pandora’s Box was opened leaving so many unanswered questions left in its wake.
“Why don’t y’all leave, please? I don’t want to talk anymore. I want to be alone,” Krissy w
hispered.
“Well, that’s too fucking bad, Krissy. What are you going to do now? I doubt Hayden’s going to let you within a mile of that baby after this stunt you’ve pulled.” Ryan wasn’t cutting her any slack.
Her fiery attitude was back instantly. “No, I don’t suppose he will, and that is fine by me. I don’t want that baby. It’s not yours, and I don’t want him.” She slid down in the bed and turned her back to them.
Ryan grasped Peri’s hand and led her from the room. They needed to find Hayden and talk to him. He was a great kid, but that was just it, he was still a kid himself. How was this going to work out?
They found him back in the small sitting room again, rocking his son in the chair and singing to him. The baby gazed around the room and at his daddy who had tears rolling down his cheeks while he softly and slowly sang a Brooks and Dunn song:
You can count on the sun to rise
And the stars to come out at night
As long as there’s air to breathe
You’ll always be loved by me.
Peri’s heart broke to watch the scene in front of her. “Hayden,” she whispered his name and knelt down beside him. “Listen to me. We can do this. You can move in with us, and we will raise our babies together. We’ll all be a family together.”
“That’s the last thing y’all need is my son and me living with you. We’ll just interfere with your lives, and I owe you both too much already to do that.” He wiped his tears with the back of his hand kissed the baby’s head softly.
This time, Ryan spoke up. “No, that is exactly what we want. Our boys will grow up together. Hell, they’re cousins anyway. What can be better than a cousin who’s your best friend? Besides, you’re good with babies, and we know nothing about them. We can help each other. We’ll hire a nanny to help Peri when we both have to be gone, and it’ll all work out. I’ve been thinking about buying a bigger house anyway. We’ll get one with split master bedrooms, so you and the baby will have your own space. We can make this work.”
“Yes, Hayden, we want to make this work, please? Ryan, please assure him this is the best thing to do?” Ryan did the whole head tip thing, an ingrained guy form of communication. Peri’s voice was soothing and convincing, and Ryan obviously approved of the idea, so when Hayden finally smiled at the two, they all three let out sighs of relief knowing they made the right decision.
Hayden looked at the baby and said, “So, what about this, Son? You want to move in with Uncle Ryan and Aunt Peri? You’ll have a built-in playmate. We’ll do this together, right, just you and me?” He nuzzled the baby’s soft head against his face as the two who watched him in awe.
“No, not just you and him: you and him and us and the band. He’ll have aunts and uncles and a little cousin his age. It’s a full-sized family unit.” Ryan rubbed his finger over the infant’s little hand now flailing from the blanket.
“Little guy, how can we turn down such a great offer, friends, family, and a real home for both of us? If you two want this package deal, my son and I would be proud to be part of your family.”
Peri pulled her pregnant body up and wrapped her arms around Hayden and the baby. “It’s all settled then. Hayden, you’ll get to name him now on your own!” Peri was excited.
“I better get started on that if we are going home tomorrow. What do you think, Son? We gotta find you a perfect musician name you can live up to.” He kissed the baby’s hand while Peri and Ryan quietly left the room.
“Did you see that kid’s wild black hair, Dude?” Carter and Gunner were leaning over the bed while Peri watched them stare at her precious new baby boy as if he was a little alien. Tucker Ryan Powell was born exactly two months after his cousin, Crew Joseph Devillier. Hayden chose his grandfather’s name for the baby’s middle name since he was responsible for getting him started in the music.
Carter leaned in close to the side of the bassinet and whispered, “Little Dude, you need to open your eyes. There are some hot nurses running around here. You could cry and attract their attention to me. I keep losing my wingman to crazy women.”
The baby started wiggling to get loose from the swaddling at the sound of Carter’s voice falling softly around him.
Ryan jumped in. “Hey, dumbass, quit putting thoughts like that in my son’s head. He’s just a baby. Let him have a year or two before we start corrupting him. Besides we’ll have plenty of time when we start the next tour cause Tuck and his momma will be with us this time around.” He turned and saw Peri giving him the evil eye that most mothers were capable of from the beginning. Carter bent over in laughter.
Ryan picked up his son like a pro. They had plenty of practice with baby Crew, who came home directly to his room at Peri and Ryan’s house. The three of them were learning together how to care for their newborns. The official paternity test results confirming Hayden as the father came in three days after he brought the baby home and a few days before Krissy moved out of the apartment without telling her son goodbye.
Cash stepped in with the legal work from the lawyers, and Krissy gladly signed away all rights to the baby. She left Austin without a forwarding address. The lawyers tried to explain that Krissy could be made to pay child support if he was willing to share custody with her, but Hayden wanted nothing from her. He never wanted her to see his son at any time during his life, messing with Crew’s head when he got old enough to start asking questions about his mother. Hayden knew it would come up later, but he had a lot of years to decide what to tell his son.
“Dude, I can’t believe you’re a dad,” Gunner told Ryan.
“Yeah, it’s pretty awesome - just look at him - he’s got long fingers, perfect for playing the guitar, which I’ll be overseeing as soon as he’s big enough to hold one.”
“Hey now, wait a minute. He might want to be a drummer. I can see him now: long black hair flying over his head as he beats out a solo.” Gunner mimicked the action with his long hair flying over the top of his head now that he had shaved off the sides.
“Dumbass, he isn't playing the drums. He’s too handsome to play drums.” There were chortles and snickers throughout the room, as Ryan continued. “Besides, he’ll be too smart to be a drummer.”
“Hell yeah, he needs to be up-front so the girls can scream his name,” KeeMac told him as he nodded his approval of the plan.
“Yeah, we’ll see about that. He might not even like music.” Ryan informed them all. “I’m not going to push him into feeling like he has to do something because it’s our thing.”
Peri shook her head and said to Chandler, “Can you believe these guys are already making plans to hook him up with girls and make him a musician?”
“Personally, I think you should let me teach him the piano first, maybe a little keyboard to start. I’m sure Keeton and I can find the perfect mini one for him on the way home today.” Chandler winked at Peri. All Peri could think about was the noise a baby could make with a keyboard.
Hayden walked in with Crew safely tucked in his carrier, along with a bunch of blue Mylar balloons and a package he handed to Ryan. “You didn’t need to do that, Hayden.”
“I know I didn’t, but Crew and I wanted to bring a gift. The balloons are for Peri and Tucker. Those kept my son entertained all the way here. I don’t know if he sees them, but he kept staring at the shiny things.”
Ryan opened the wrapped package, but the aroma was a dead giveaway as to what was inside. “Hayden, a whole box of cigars with blue labels. Dude, I love a cigar!” He passed the box around to each of the guys.
Peri’s doctor walked into the hospital room moments later, the scent of tobacco heavy in the air. She looked Peri straight in the eyes. “I assume you will make sure those carcinogens never get close to your baby, Miss O’Conner?”
“You have nothing to worry about there, Doctor. I seriously think his daddy will never know what happened to them, either.” The men all turned and gawked at Peri, Chandler, and the doctor. Peri blew Ryan a kiss.
Aft
er oohing and ahhing over the two perfect baby boys, they all decided to let Peri rest. Ryan climbed into the bed beside Peri with Tucker safely between them.
“I can’t believe our little guy is finally here, Peri. It didn’t seem real until the moment I saw him for the first time.” He kissed him on the head.
“That’s because you didn’t carry him around for nine months but I have to say, he was well worth the wait.”
“Yes, he was worth the wait to me. I love him already.”
“Yeah, I think we’ll be keeping him for sure.” Peri gently kissed his little head.
A little sound came from the baby as he yawned. “I think all of this company wore him out. Let me put him in his crib.” Ryan slid easily off the bed and carefully picked up Tucker and placed him gently in the rolling bed beside Peri. When he was sure the baby was still on his way to sleep, he moved back to the bed with her.
“As much as I enjoy having him right beside me, I don’t think I’ll ever get any sleep with him in our bed.” Peri softly said to Ryan. “I would be so afraid I might hurt him.”
“Yeah, we probably don’t want to get that started. I kinda like you all to myself, Sunshine. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so glad we are a family now. The three of us are going to have a wonderful life together, at least until there are more of us.”
Peri glared at him. “That’s not something I want to hear about yet. Those memories of labor are still too fresh in my mind.”
Ryan gave her a quiet laugh. “We have plenty of time to talk about that later. There are some other things I want to talk about right now, though.”
“Like what.”
“Like, for example, when we are getting married.” Ryan stared directly at her to judge her reaction to this idea. They hadn’t discussed marriage before, but he was ready to put a ring on her finger.