Maybe baby/Ain't That Cute
By:
Ella ( [email protected] )
Chapter
Five: "Running away"
Nick stared goggle-eyed at Brian, not moving at all.
“You know, it might be insightful – not to mention helpful – if you were
to open that letter, Nick,” Brian said quietly. He sat the wriggling child on
his lap. “Go on…”
Nick gulped. “Yeah, well um…I don’t feel all that good, I’m going around
to my mom’s to get some sleep.” He stood up. “So I guess I’ll see you
later then.”
As he went to walk out the room, Brian stood up and, having placed the baby on
the sofa, approached Nick.
“Where are you going?” he asked firmly.
“I told you – I’m going to my mom’s.” Nick looked away from Brian’s
face. “I don’t feel so good.”
Brian shook his head. “No you’re not going anywhere until you’ve opened
that.”
Nick didn’t respond. “Do you understand me, Nick?”
Nick nodded his head slowly and sat back down on a chair, staring hard at the
pink thing who was covering her face with a cushion and whimpering slowly. She
was so small, he thought. And yet she must be at least one, so that would mean…no,
Nick couldn’t think about what that would mean, if anything.
“NICK, OPEN THE GOD DAMN ENVELOPE,” Brian yelled. The baby began to scream
loudly and tried desperately to get down from the chair. He picked her up again
and hugged her. “I’m sorry sweetheart, I didn’t mean to scare you, it’s
ok.”
After she quieted down, Brian looked poignantly at Nick – indicating that he
needed to open the envelope.
“Look,” cut in Brian, “I don’t know why you look so worried. You said
earlier you didn’t have a kid.”
“I don’t,” insisted Nick as he stared at the envelope. “So I’ll open
it okay? Will that make you happy?”
“Well it’d make me happy,” butted in AJ who entered from the other room.
“Considering that anyone of any help to us has gone home for the weekend and
we’re no closer to finding out who the little sproglet is.”
Brian stared aghast at AJ – “What d’you mean they’ve all gone home? This
is the police we’re talking about, it’s a twenty-four hour service!”
AJ raised an eyebrow. “Well that’s what I thought. But, there’s some
crisis going on in Tampa Bay and so anyone who is there…kind of isn’t! So
we’re bummed.”
“Shit,” Brian said loudly. “Okay, fine. Nick, open it before I open it for
you.”
Leaning forward in his chair, Nick began to open the envelope. He pulled out the
folded piece of paper inside and began to read it in his head. Brian and AJ
watched him awaiting a response of some kind. But there wasn’t one. Nick
simply stared, pale-faced at the letter and gulped.
Suddenly he looked up at the door and mumbled, “I gotta go. I’m so sorry.
Yeah, bye,” and he ran out of the door before anyone could stop him and
screeched out of the driveway in his car.
“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST,” yelled AJ as he stood up towards the chair where
Nick had flung the letter down. “What is wrong with him?”
He picked up the letter and read it aloud to himself and Brian:
Dear Nick,
I know you’re probably wondering what the hell this letter is about so I’ll
make it easy for you. If you hadn’t already figured out by the handwriting –
it’s Anna. I’m really sorry to have to tell you this because it feels like a
movie or something. I know you’re not going to like this but the baby is yours.
I had to leave her in your garden because I can’t cope anymore, I don’t want
to be a mom. I’m sorry.
I guess you’ll be a little bit shocked at first, but I couldn’t tell you
about the pregnancy because my parents wouldn’t let me. I was about to come
over and tell you when my mom found the test kit. She went mad and made me
promise to give the baby up for adoption – I had to agree because her and my
dad went mental. They proper spazzed. But then when she was born I couldn’t
have her adopted because they needed a signature from both the mom and the dad
– and you didn’t know. So, here she is. I guess my mom was right – having
a kid ruins your life. It’s time you had a turn.
Okay, well I’ve left all her documents in the front of the bag too. If you
hadn’t already figured, her name’s India and she’s one and a half. Take
care of her for me,
From Anna xxx
AJ stared at the letter in his hand. “I don’t believe this – it’s got to
be some kind of a joke, right?”
Brian shrugged. “I don’t know … but we really need to get Nick back here
to explain himself.” Brian’s face was angry – how could Nick be so stupid?
Nobody had even figured he and Anna were sleeping together, because they
hadn’t even been going out for long before they broke up … it didn’t make
sense.
The sound of India’s babbles brought Brian and AJ back around to their senses.
They looked at her.
“What the hell are we going to do with her?” AJ said tentatively,
“Because there’s no way on God’s earth Nick’s going to do anything of
any help.”
“We just got to think logically about this,” Brian answered. He paused.
“How long do you reckon she was out there for?”
“Errr…I have no clue. Do you think she might be hungry or something?”
Brian nodded. “Yeah, probably…what do babies eat exactly?”
AJ smiled. “Well, why don’t you ask her? No, no, no – I’ll ask her!”
He sat down beside Brian (and India). “Uh so, hey there India…are you hungry?
Do you want some food?”
The little girl turned to look at him and nodded her head.
“You got any ideas, Brian?” asked AJ.
Brian laughed and shook his head. “I have no clue.”
“Fine, well we really need someone who knows what they’re doing with babies...”
AJ sat in deep thought as India played with her toes. “I got it - Kevin!
He’ll know what to do!”