17. Super Sperm
seventeen
Super Sperm
Dylan
L eah stands in front of me, silently holding the small white bag the nurse just handed her.
“Leah, I’m going to need an answer to that question,” I tell her.
Her eyes fall to the ground. “Yes.”
“Is it mine?”
Anger shoots across her features. “Of course, it’s yours.”
Realizing we are in a slightly crowded area, I see someone come walking out the family bathroom, so I open up the door and gesture for Leah to follow me.
Once inside, she looks around, “Really?”
“At least it’s quiet. Look, I’m sorry for the question, but you can’t blame me since I haven’t gotten any kind of notification.”
“I just found out yesterday.”
My mind runs a hundred miles an hour. “We used a condom, right? I mean we were drunk, but I don’t think we were that drunk. ”
“Yes, we used a condom and I had an IUD!” She waves her arms in the air. “You apparently have super sperm!”
“Super sperm?”
“How else do you explain it? An act of God? That would explain why you’re knocking up women all over town!”
I hold up my hand to stop her. “What the hell are you talking about? I think I’d know if I had other babies.”
Or maybe not. I didn’t know about this one.
“I saw you here yesterday—with your other baby momma.”
I sigh and run my hand over my face. “Leah, that was my sister.”
She practically yells, “How many sisters do you have?”
“Four! Christ, Leah. Didn’t you think it was weird that I was dating women who look just like me?”
“I don’t know what you’re into!”
“Take a look in the mirror, peaches!”
We both stand toe-to-toe, irritated with the other. It suddenly occurs to me that I’m yelling at the woman who is carrying my baby.
Lowering my voice, I say, “That was my oldest sister, Liz. Her fiancé couldn’t bring her to her appointment, so I offered to help.”
“Of course, you did.” Her eyes fall to the floor again. “Sorry I jumped to conclusions.”
“So, what are you going to do?” I ask. “About the baby?”
“Despite my better judgment, I’m going to keep it.”
“Okay. Good. ”
“Look, Dylan,” she begins. “I’m not asking you for anything here. I’m not going to bust your balls. I’m pretty used to going at things on my own. This is no different.”
I’m still so stunned that I’m not quite sure what to say. I get that she’s trying to give me an out, but I don’t know if that’s what I want.
Based on what she’s saying, I’m wondering if Leah was ever planning on telling me.
I have a million questions and things to say, but I can’t seem to string much together in a coherent thought.
She’s the next one to speak. “I should get going.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. I think you and I have a lot to talk about.”
She looks annoyed with me, so I add, “Please. We made this kid together.”
“Okay, but not now. I have an appointment at work.”
“Alright. When?”
She sighs. “I don’t know. How about tonight when I get off?”
“Where?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “Well, I can’t drink, so preferably not a bar.”
“Why don’t you come over to my place?”
She mulls it over for a moment before reluctantly agreeing.
I ask, “Do you still have the address?”
She nods.
“Are you actually going to show?”
“Yes. You know where I work. It’s not like I could hide.”
She tells me she should be over about eight or so before exiting the bathroom before me.
And I’m left here all alone and wondering what the fuck just happened.
When I leave the bathroom, I look around for Leah, figuring I should walk her to her car, but she’s nowhere to be found. I guess she took off pretty quickly.
It isn’t until I get in my truck that I realize that I got sidetracked as to why I came here. Liz forgot her insurance card and asked if I would grab it for her. I consider leaving without it, but I’d feel like a dick doing that. I lectured her about asking for help, and then I don’t help?
Reluctantly, I get out to run back inside and grab the card.
It only takes a few minutes before I’m on the road.
I’m going to be a father.
When I said I wanted to take the next steps in my life, this isn’t exactly what I meant. I figured when I became a dad, I’d be married to the mom. Or we’d at least be together. I didn’t think it would be with someone who’s actively trying to stay away from me.
I don’t know that us having a kid is going to change that fact. How fair is all this going to be for a child?
I’m getting way too far ahead of myself, though. I need to get more details about Leah’s plan before I start trying to form my own .
That doesn’t stop my head from spinning while I drive to my sister’s. The whole way there, I think about how I’m going to have a son or daughter. How insane is it that soon, someone is going to call me dad?
Fucking crazy.
When I get to Liz’s, I knock on the front door and hear her call for me to come in. I walk inside and find her sitting on the couch with her feet propped up.
“You know, Liz, you really shouldn’t leave your front door unlocked,” I say while pulling her insurance card out of my pocket and setting it on the table in front of her.
“Dylan, I don’t care. Anything to ensure I don’t have to get up.”
“Well, okay then. I’ll talk to you later.”
Raising her voice, she says, “Hold it right there, little brother!”
I turn back around to face her. “What?”
“What’s up with you? You don’t want to argue with me, and you’re all pale like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
“I’m fine,” I lie.
She snaps her fingers and points to the chair. “Sit.”
When I don’t immediately do it, she adds, “Dylan, I swear to God if you make me get up off this couch, I will beat you into the ground.”
I plop down, and she says, “Tell me what’s up.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“And I don’t want to have to pee every twenty minutes, but here we are. Tell me anyway.”
“If I do, do you promise not to tell anyone?”
Her forehead creases. “Can I tell Jack?”
“You’re having his baby. I figured you would tell him anyway. And I know he won’t tell anyone.”
She nods. “Okay, spill it.”
Maybe I shouldn’t be talking about this, but I could use a sounding board.
I’m not sure exactly how to begin. Should I start from the very beginning? Without too much though, I blurt, “I got a girl pregnant.”
“What?” She cries. “Who? When? Where?”
“You want to know how too?”
She points to her pregnant belly. “I think I know how it happened.”
“I went out with this girl about a month back. We saw each other a couple times and really hit it off, but she was going through some shit and didn’t want anything serious. So, we ended things. But I saw her earlier at your doctor’s office.”
“Whoa. Talk about a coincidence. Why didn’t she tell you?”
“She said she just found out yesterday.” I leave out the part about Leah thinking Liz’s baby was mine.
My sister rubs her hand over her belly as she speaks. “What’s she going to do?”
“She says she’s going to keep it.”
We are both silent a moment before she asks, “And how do you feel about this whole thing?”
“Fucking terrified.”
“Why, Dyl? You’d make a great dad.”
“I never imagined I’d be a part-time dad, though.” I stand up and begin to pace. “I managed to get the one woman pregnant who doesn’t want anything to do with me. I don’t even know how much she will let me be involved.”
“Are you going to talk to her about that?”
“Yeah,” I reply. “She’s supposed to come over tonight.”
“What are you going to say?”
“That I want to be involved. Besides that, I have no idea. Last time we hung out, she was trying to find a new place to live. Not sure if she found one or not. At the end of the day, I just want to make sure my kid is taken care of.”
She points her finger at me. “ Now, you’re talking like a dad. Dyl, you have to sit down. You’re making me nervous.”
I sit on the couch next to her. “I’m scared, Lizzie.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m in a committed relationship with a great guy, and I’m still scared.”
“Really?”
“Dylan, soon, I have to push a watermelon-sized person out of my lady hole. Yes, I’m terrified. And I’m scared that I’ll fuck up the kid after she gets here.”
“Nah, you guys will be great.”
She smiles. “Back at you.”
“What do you think I should do?”
“I think you need to have a serious talk with the woman. Try to come up with an arrangement that keeps you involved and isn’t too hard on the kid. Turn on that Dylan Lawson charm.”
“And what if that doesn’t work?”
“Then, you can get a little more aggressive with things. But first, you need to get all the facts.”
I tap my finger on my chin. “You know, she gave me an out if I wanted it. She said she was prepared to do it all on her own. ”
“I know you, Dylan. And I know you’d never let that happen. You’ll do whatever you need to.”
Looking at her, I ask, “Is it worth it?”
She grabs my hand and sets it on her stomach, and I can feel my niece kicking away. “Dylan, I’m miserable all the time. Every inch of me is a mess. But yes. It’s completely worth it.”