I’m pregnant.
His mouth dropped open, and he began to shake his head in denial. “It’s not... it can’t be... it can’t be my-“
“It is your baby!” Leah insisted. “I’m almost two months along... think back two months, Nick. What happened?”
Nick’s heart sank. Two months ago, he had been declared in remission. Two months ago, he had gone out celebrating. Two months ago, he had driven to Leah’s apartment in a drunken stupor...
“Oh my God,” he moaned, burying his head in his hands, his fingers clawing his face in desperation.
“‘Oh my God’ is right!” cried Leah. “I don’t know what to do! David found out, and he flew off the handle! I-I’d been living with him, see, and he kicked me out of his house!”
“David?” Nick questioned. “Who’s-“
“‘Preppy’,” Leah answered darkly. “You know, my boyfriend?”
“Ohh... him.” Nick remembered the wiry, wealthy-looking guy he had seen her with at a club those many months ago. “I-I thought you’d already broken up with him.”
She sighed. “We’d been having problems, but we hadn’t broken up yet. In fact, it looked like things were going to work out between us... but then he found out about you and I... and the baby. Nicky, what am I supposed to do? I haven’t got any place to live! I got rid of my apartment before I moved in with David, and I just don’t have the money to rent another one! I’ve been staying with a friend, but I can’t stay there forever, especially once the baby’s born...”
“So you’re keeping it?”
Her lip quivered, and she sniffled despairingly. “I don’t know,” she sobbed. “I thought about an... an abortion, but I-I just don’t know if I can go through with it... I’m afraid, Nicky!”
“Well, what about adoption?”
“But then how will I support myself while I’m pregnant? What am I going to do about a job?” she countered. “As soon as my boss finds out, he’ll fire me! I can’t dance if I’m pregnant! And the friend that I’m living with, she’s struggling enough already; she can’t support me either!”
Nick sighed, not knowing what to say. At his silence, Leah went on tearfully, “D-do you want me to get rid of it then?”
A million thoughts raced through Nick’s mind, as the reality of the situation slowly sunk in. Leah was pregnant... with his child. He’d gotten her pregnant, and now she was stuck and considering killing the baby as a way out. No, not just the baby... his baby.
Fleetingly, he thought of Brian’s baby and remembered how he’d held little Baylee and thought about the day when he’d have a son of his own.
And that’s when he knew that he could not let her get an abortion. He could not let her kill his unborn child. This was no longer about him and Leah, but about the new life the two of them had created together. He was not ready for a baby... he was not ready to be a father... but this was half his fault, and he would have to deal with the consequences of his mistake. No way was he going to let an innocent child that was his own flesh and blood pay for his stupidity.
“No,” he answered firmly after a long silence. “You can’t get rid of it, Leah. This is a child we’re talking about. Our child.”
Her eyes widened hopefully as she looked at him. “Yes,” she said slowly. “Our child. Yours and mine both. So... so, you’ll help me then, right?”
He closed his eyes briefly and took a shuddering breath. Then, feeling as if he was about to sign a deal with the devil himself, he opened his eyes again and nodded slowly. “Yeah, Leah,” he whispered. “I’ll help you.”
***
“You did what?!” Claire’s voice screeched, and Nick pulled the phone away from his ear, wincing. “You’re letting that ho come live with you? Nick! I thought you had more common sense than that! If you’re so sold on helping her out, why don’t you just give her some money, not offer up your home to her!”
Nick frowned, annoyed. “Jeez, forget I told you anything. I can’t just pay her off and send her on her merry way; that’s not right. That’s my baby she’s carrying!”
“So you’re gonna be Daddy Nick, now are you? What are you going to do when the kid’s born, marry her?”
“I don’t know,” Nick sniffed defensively. “Maybe.”
“Nick! That’s probably exactly what she wants! The little succubus... she’s already screwed you over once-“
“Twice,” corrected Nick in a dull voice.
“Twice?! Nickolas Gene Carter, are you a moron?!” Claire cried. “She’s probably just after your money or something! What if she’s not even pregnant?!”
“Well, gee, I think I’ll figure that one out soon enough then, Claire,” Nick remarked dryly, growing more and more pissed by the second. He’d called Claire and told her the news, hoping for some support in his decision to let Leah move in with him. But support was the exact opposite of what she was giving him now. She was totally freaking out, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she was really just jealous of Leah and the time and attention he’d be giving her from now on.
“Well, I would hope so,” said Claire. “But after what I’ve just heard from you, maybe you would be stupid enough to-“
“Shut up!” Nick snapped angrily. “Jesus, I didn’t call you so you could tell me how fucking stupid I am for trying to be a good person! You’re probably just jealous anyway, aren’t you?”
“Jealous of what?” Claire scoffed.
“I dunno, jealous of the fact that I knocked up Leah and not you? Jealous that Leah’s coming to live with me and not you?” A little voice inside his head told him he was going too far, but he didn’t care. Blinded by rage, he continued spitefully, “Well, you know what, Claire, get over it! Leah needs me right now, and I’m going to be there for her and my baby, whether you like it or not!”
There was a long pause in which Nick sat seething, breathing hard from his little outburst and waiting for a scathing retort from her. But none came. Instead, she broke the silence by saying in a voice as low as death, “I cannot believe you just said that to me. Are you that arrogant and stuck on yourself? Are you really so blind that you can’t see this for what it really is? Well then fine. You have a great time playing the part of the good boyfriend to your whore, and don’t you dare come crawling to me when it backfires on you.”
“Yeah whatever, Claire,” sneered Nick. “I’m not gonna go crawling anywhere. I don’t need you in my life if you’re gonna act like such a jealous bitch. It’ll be just me, Leah, and our baby. The perfect fucking little family.”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Claire snorted resentfully. “Hey, wait a second... Nick, when did you say you slept wi-“
But she didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence because at that moment, Nick cut her off, ending the call with a quick punch of the button on his cordless phone. Slamming the phone down, he let out a shaky breath and realized he was trembling in anger.
Screw her, he thought hostilely. I don’t fucking need her. I’ve got Leah now.
So what if his and Leah’s past relationship hadn’t worked out? They would make things work this time, both for themselves and their baby.
Everything was going to be just fine. Perfect, in fact.
He’d show her.
***
