Chapter 9

Alright, so I'm going to go back to doing the normal posts with the random flashbacks. I had this full length flashback post planned for awhile though. After this post though, it'll go back to normal. Thank you for your help, comment please :)




Chapter 9

February 2006

I was using my study hall at the end of the day to catch up on an art project. I was so wrapped up into my work I didn’t realize that the bell would start ringing. Students were pouring into the hallways and I did my best to clean up quickly. By the time I got to my locker and packed up, the hallways were deserted. Even though there was no use, I sprinted to the bus lane. Maybe by some miracle my bus would still be there. I got there and saw the lane was empty, as expected. I sighed, I certainly wasn’t dressed for the long walk back to my house in the frigid Thunder Bay winter weather. It was my only choice though, my dad was probably far to drunk to drive. I’m a sophomore so it’s not like I could even drive anywhere. Not until my sixteenth birthday, which is soon! I hitched my backpack onto my shoulders higher and started down the long winding road that led to my street. People rarely drove down this way, so I couldn’t even hitch hike. With my fucking luck though, it would become a Friday the 13th scene. A loud honk blared next to me, causing me to jump. I looked and to my surprise it was Jordan’s old beat-up truck with Jordan and his bitch of a girlfriend, Jen in it. Actually, I wasn’t even sure if him and Jen were dating. It might be more of a friends with benefit thing. Jordan rolled down the window. “Why are you walking home?” He asked. I resisted making a smart-ass comment, he was actually trying to be nice for once.
“I missed the bus.” I explained feeling like a loser.
Jordan shook his head. “Do you want a ride home?”
“But Jordan, we have things to do..” Jen said giggling.
Jordan rolled his eyes. “I know, but my mom loves her, she would be pissed at me if she found out I left her on the side of the road.”
I put my hands on my hips. “You know I can hear you, right? And thanks, but no thanks. I would rather walk.”
“No, Marie. Just get in the back.” Jordan ordered. I rolled my eyes, but did as he said. I opened the door only to find the back seat littered with trash, hockey gear, blankets, and everything imaginable. Jordan laughed.
“Oh yeah, I forgot about all that shit. You can sit in the bed.” He said as if that solved everything.
“You’re fucking kidding me.” I muttered.
“No, he’s not, hun. You’re really lucky Jordan is so nice to give you a ride home.” Jen said in a fake-sweet tone.
“Alright, hun.” I said to myself and climbed into the back. It was still wet from the snow a few days ago and the dirt in it and had changed to mud. I cursed and tried to sit on my hands, I had gotten new jeans. I sat like that the whole way home, feeling like an incredible loser. Yes, I was two years younger than him. He didn’t have to treat me like shit because of that. When we got back to his house, I got out of the back without even saying a word to him. I headed back to my house.
“You’re welcome for the ride!” Jordan called out. I bit my tongue, I really didn’t want to get in trouble with our parents around. Marc waved to me from the window, he was home because they had some time off because of the Olympics. I waved back to him before going into my house. Mike was in college and Charlie was away for the weekend because of a school trip. So it was just me and my dad. Not like my dad was actually a person anymore, more like a permanent fixture in front of the TV with a beer in his hand. I went up to my room and plopped onto my bed. I shut my curtains because I had the perfect view into Jared and Jordan’s rooms, but I was pissed at Jordan right now. I pulled out my phone to see that I had seventeen missed calls from Peyton. I called her back quickly.
“What the hell was so important that you called me so many times?” I asked.
“You want to know.” Peyton responded. I could tell she was pissed off about something.
I leaned back onto my headboard. “Alright, shoot.”
“So you know how I left school early because I had a dentists appointment?” Lana started.
“Yup.”
“Well, afterwards I always get ice cream. So I went in there and..I saw David.” She said. My blood went cold, David was my boyfriend. He was a senior and had a pretty bad reputation for womanizing girls. He promised that once he met me though that he would settle down.
“Okay, that’s nice.” I said trying to down-play it even though I know Peyton wouldn’t call unless if it were important.
“Oh Mar, I don’t know how to say this, but some girl was on his lap and well, they were making out..” Peyton trailed off.
“Did he see you?” I asked blankly.
“No, but trust me Marie. If I could have opened my mouth without searing pain I would have flipped out on him. I promise, I’m so sorry.” She rushed.
“Listen Peyton, it’s not your fault at all. Thank you for being a good enough friend to tell me. Now I have to hang up so I can break up with his pathetic ass.”
“Tell him I’m going to kill him too, if you don’t.” Marie muttered before hanging up with me. I sent David a simple text.
We’re over
A few minutes later my phone buzzed with his reply.
What the fuck babe, why? Did your little friend tell you something, cuz I swear she’s lying!
I shook my head, did he really think I would believe him over her?
Just don’t talk to me anymore. At all.
I put my phone down, still pissed off at him. It buzzed a few minutes later.
Whatever, I’m coming over. We’re going 2 talk about this.
He could try and lie as much as he wants, but there’s no way I’m falling for his bullshit again. In fury, I threw my phone hard against the dresser. Luckily it didn’t break, but it showed how pissed off I was at him. How could he do that to me? He promised so many things to me. I stayed in my room absolutely seething until I heard a car pull out fifteen minutes later. I shoved the presents he got me and his hoodie that I wore frequently into a box. The thing I was going to miss the most about this relationship was that hoodie, it was very comfortable. I stormed down the steps, I was a woman on a mission. David had just gotten out of his car when I met him on the driveway. The cold air hit my bare legs, forgetting the fact that I had changed into shorts when I got home.
“Nice legs, babe.” David said smirking. I shoved the box roughly against his chest, so hard that he stumbled backwards. His smirk immediately turned into a frown.
“Wait, were you serious about breaking up with me?” David asked.
I laughed and shook my head, was this guy for real? “No shit. Of course I was.”
“You can’t just dump me!” David yelled.
“Watch me!” I retorted. He started going through the stuff in the box before throwing it to the ground. “No, come on, it was nothing!”
“You call making out with a girl nothing! What is fucking wrong with you?” I spat.
He slammed his fist on the hood of his car. “It’s not like I hooked up with her.” Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the curtains being pulled aside at the Staal house to reveal the three of them staring at us. Great, Jordan just witnessing more embarrassing moments for me.
“Oh, I didn’t fuck her, so I’m a good boy.” I mimicked him.
“Maybe you don’t satisfy me enough.” He muttered.
I snorted. “Oh, so I won’t be a slut so it gives you every right to cheat on me.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, it does.”
I laughed. “You really are un-fucking-believable.” David grabbed my wrist and started dragging me to his car. “Come on, just get in. We can “talk” more.” Like he really thought I would have sex with him after this. Maybe if his idea of sex was me ripping his balls off. I tried to dig my heels into the ground, but he was much taller and stronger then me. “David, let go!” I yelled to him. He ignored me and kept trying to drag me into the car. Next thing I know, he was being shoved back into his car. I saw red hair, so once again, Jared was beating up an ass for me.
“What the hell?” David yelled before rubbing his head and standing back up. Jared pushed me backwards behind him. David stood up and punched Jared in the nose, hard enough to make him bleed. Jared held his nose for a second before returning the punch to David’s gut. David tackled Jared to the ground, both of them wrestling. I yanked hard on Jared’s shirt trying to get him to stop. I was feeling too much like the damsel in distress with two men fighting for my honor. Jordan stepped out of the house and ran to the driveway. I smacked my hand against my head, this day couldn’t get any better. Jordan threw David against his car.
“Get the hell out of her. Now.” Jordan growled. David looked at both of the large Staal boys and gave up.
“Bitch.” David said to me before spitting in my general direction. Jordan punched David after that. “Don’t call her that.” I seriously think I’m losing it. This was the same boy that made me sit in the truck a few hours earlier. David scrambled into his car and pulled out of the driveway wildly. Jared wiped his bleeding nose with his shirt before walking over and putting his arm around me.
“Why do you have a nack for picking up jerks, eh?” He asked. I sighed and started walking towards his house with him to clean him up.
“You always beat up those jerks for me. You didn’t have to do that, you know. I mean I am so greatful, but you are going to get hurt one of these days.” I told him. His grip tightened around my neck. “You’re my best friend. Of course I have to beat up those jerks for you.” We headed towards the kitchen, thank god Mr. and Mrs. Staal were out for dinner. Marc handed Jared a wet paper towel without a word. Jared pressed the paper towel against his nose before sitting up on the counter. I sat down next to him.
“Besides if I didn’t beat the shit out of him, he probably would have raped you or something.” Jared stated.
I shook my head. “I wouldn’t have let him.”
“But what have you done?” Jared asked.
I blushed, it was rather embarrassing. “Uh, not telling you.” Jared socked me on the shoulder. “Come on, I just beat a guy up for you. It’s the least you can do.” He told me.
“Fine. Alright, so I would have pretended that I forgave him and offered to um..give him a blow job. Then I would have just like..bite his dick, leaving him in agonizing pain, and then I would have made my escape.” I said turning bright red, staring at my hands the whole time. Marc erupted into laughter, so hard that he had to lean against the counter.
“Oh Marie, I knew there was a reason I missed home so much.” He said between giggles. I shrugged, it was honestly just the way my mind worked.
“Marie, can I talk to you?” Jordan asked leaning against the doorway. I inwardly groaned but stood up, “Yeah.” We went outside and started walking through the sod farm in silence for a few seconds.
“Why did you go out with him in the first place?” Jordan said finally breaking the silence.
I shrugged, “I don’t know really. I thought I could change him.”
Jordan snorted. “You can’t do everything.”
I stiffened. “What did you even want to talk about, anyway?” I said defensively.
“Look, I wanted to apologize you for treating you so badly today. I shouldn’t have made you sit in the truck.” He apologized.
“You’re seriously apologizing for that?” I asked.
“What, is that not good enough for you?” Jordan asked angrily.
“How about you apologize for treating me like a jerk for the past three years?” I retorted.
“All you do is make fun of me or make fun of Jared for hanging out with me. Well, what the hell did I do to you. I was nic-“ I started to rant.
Jordan interrupted me. “Shut up.”
“What?” I said angrily. Then before I could do anything, he took my face in his hands and kissed me.

Important question

So for the next few chapters, I got an idea. But I wanted to see if it's alright with all of you, because you're the reason I keep righting this story. Do you want me to take a few chapters (like 4 or 5) to go into their past a little and then continue from where I left off. Or do you want me to continue doing the random flashbacks in front of each chapter? If I get a few responses soon, I might try and get a chapter up tonight. Thanks!

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I snapped when I saw Mike, my oldest brother, standing there. I stayed strong through it all, Mrs. and Mr. Staal, Jared, and Olivia. But seeing my brother, who always supported me, for the first time in over a year, just made me lose it. It was rather embarrassing, but I couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face. I ran towards him, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck, almost as if I was afraid he was going to just disappear.
“Shh, Mare. It’s okay.” Mike comforted me, rubbing my back. He led me away, knowing me well enough that I wouldn’t want to break down in front of them. We went to the cafeteria and Mike got two coffees from Starbucks. Mike was patient the whole time I was crying, he just kept handing me napkins without saying a word. Finally, I got all of the damn emotional shit out of my system.
“Are you okay?” Mike asked.
“Yeah.”
“You better explain everything to me. Right now.” Mike ordered.
I looked at my hands. “It’s a long story.”
“I flew all the way from fucking Canada, Marie. I have time.” Mike shot back.
I sighed. “Okay, fine. I had sex with Jordan at Christmas. I got preggo’s, freaked out, picked a random spot on the map, moved to Raleigh, and had Scott. Yup.” I said quickly.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Mike asked hurt.
“I thought you would tell Jordan.” I replied.
Mike sighed, “Marie, you have to understand this. Sure, I’m one of Jordan’s best friends, but you are my baby sister. I’ll stand by you no matter what.”
“Damn it, Mike. You’re going to make me cry again.” I said laughing.
“Oh, and about Charlie, I figured you may want to wait a few days before telling him. You know he’s going to be fucking pissed.” Mike said.
I nodded my head. “Trust me, I know. It’s going to be scary.”
“And Jordan. Jordan, Jordan, Jordan. Want me to kick his ass?” Mike asked.
I thought about it for a few minutes. “Not right now with his whole family here. Give him a few weeks for him to piss me off, and then I’ll call you.” I promised. Mike nodded, satisfied. I smiled and finished my coffee, now feeling oddly calm. It felt good for it just to be out in the open, not carrying around a huge burden.
“Alright, Mike. I’ve been away from my baby boy for too long, I’m going back to the war zone.” I said getting up. Mike stood up and followed me, together we walked to Scott’s room. Mrs. Staal was holding Scott, smiling down at him. As soon as she saw me though, she stood up. “Here, Marie. He’s been fussy and I can’t him to calm down.” She carefully placed him in my arms. I cradled him gently and brushed a piece of hair off of his forehead. After a few minutes, he giggled and reached out and grabbed a piece of my long hair. I laughed and took his little hand in mine, gently making him let go of the strand of hair. I looked up, now self-conscious that every one was watching me.
“That’s amazing.” Mrs. Staal breathed. I shrugged, I didn’t really do anything, it’s all him.
“Have you dropped him on his head yet?” Mike asked smiling.
“No, Mike, I haven’t. I wouldn’t want him to turn out like you.” I retorted. Mike laughed, “Can I hold him?”
I shrugged, “Will you drop him?”
Mike shook his head. “Nah.” I carefully handed Scott to him and Mike cradled him. He looked up at me. “He’s a cute little thing.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Nice way to describe my baby the way you would describe a dog.”
Mike shrugged, “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Mrs. Staal took out her phone. “Can I take a picture? Marc wants one. He sends his apologizes that he can’t be here.”
“He really doesn’t want a picture of the baby, he wants a picture of me. We all know he has a man crush on me.” Mike joked, but he struck a pose nonetheless.
“Really? I always thought that was Jared.” I teased. Jared moved across the room quickly and quickly put my head underneath his armpit. “Take it back.” He ordered.
I laughed, “I was taught to tell the truth as a child.”
Jordan rolled his eyes at Jared and me. “Let her go Jared.” Jared stiffened, but did as Jordan said. He did it just in time though before the doctor walked in. He cleared his throat and I stood up straighter.
“Since there already seems to be a party here, you can continue that party at home.” The doctor said dryly.
“I can take Scott home?” I squeaked out, not quite believing it.
The doctor sighed. “Yes, Ms. Haefner, you can. Please follow me because you need to talk about billing.” I gulped, the dreaded topic of the day.

Jordan’s POV

“I’ll take care of that, so I just have to go.” I said standing. Olivia stood up right with me, her arm snaked around mine. I personally hated the fact that she always had to be attached to me, like she was claiming me.
“No, Ms. Haefner is his guardian, but if you will be assisting, you may come along too.” The doctor responded. “Go down the hallway and turn right and you’ll see the billing office. The sooner you take care of this, the sooner you can all leave.” The doctor said exasperated before leaving. I started walking towards the door and Olivia followed right along with me. “Olivia, this is just supposed to be about billing, so you shouldn’t come. Maybe you could go get coffee with my mom?” I suggested.
“No, I should stay with Scott.” Mom said quickly.
Olivia pouted, “Fine, I’ll just stay here then.” Marie started walking away without me, so I quickly followed her. “I don’t know why you’re coming.” Marie snapped.
“Since, you can barely afford to clothe him, I’m assuming that you can’t pay thousands of dollars of hospital bills.” I shot right back.
She rolled her eyes, “I would figure it out.”
I shrugged, “Well, now you don’t have to figure it out. You should be happy, not throwing a fucking hissy fit.”
“I am not throwing a hissy fit!” She defended. I couldn’t help but laugh, this was a true Marie hissy fit. Back when we were dating, I would put my arm around her and promise her everything would be okay. I shook my head, almost as if to shake away the thoughts clouding my head. I had Olivia now and I love her, well I love her most of the time. I wouldn’t have even ever seen Marie again if it weren’t for our child. We were completely and totally over. I just had to keep telling myself that. I followed her into the small office and we sat down next to each other in the cramped plastic chairs. It reminded me of the time when we were yelled at by the principal for PDA. A young woman smiled at us before putting down some papers. “I’m Charlene. Are you Ms. Haefner?” She asked Marie.
“That’s me.” Marie responded.
She peered at me curiously, “And you are?” She had a Carolina Hurricanes poster on her wall, she obviously recognized me as Eric’s brother. She just wanted to be nosy and figure out why I was here. “I’m the father.”
“Well, biologically at least.” Marie muttered. I resisted the urge to kick her leg from the chair.
“Ah, I see. Well, there’s many different ways we could do the billing. We could split it up monthly, you could take a lo-“ Charlene started listing. I pulled out my wallet out of my pocket and pulled out a credit card and put it on the desk. “Can you just charge it all on here?” Charlene’s mouth popped open in an O. She peered at the credit card before back up at me. “Do you know realize how much these bills are?”
I shrugged, “I don’t know the exact number, but I can imagine it’s high. I don’t really care.” Flustered now, she began pulling papers out of her desk, her motions jerky. She gave me a clipboard of papers and a pen. “I need you to sign here, here, and here. And write down your credit card number there.” Charlene said pointing out the different places to sign. I read over the paper quickly before obliging. She then took the clipboard and handed it to Marie. “Since your Scott’s guardian, I need your signature saying that you approve of this method of payment.” Marie bit her lip and sighed before holding her hand out for the pen. I handed it to her, and for a second, our hands brushed. I pulled back sharply, my hand feeling like it was on fire. Marie made it look she wasn’t phased, she just pushed her curly hair behind her ears and signed the paper. Then, she quickly passed it back to Charlene, like it was diseased or something.
Charlene smiled at both of us before putting the papers in her mailbox. “Mr. Staal, you’ll be getting a receipt in the mail soon. I hope everything works out for you two.” I nodded my head in a thank you before going back to the hallway.
“Nice way to act like a hot shot, Mr. Moneybags.” Marie muttered.
I shrugged, “It was the best way to handle it. Now everything is all okay.” I said before walking back into Scott’s room. Marie grabbed onto the back of my shirt and yanked me back outside. I stumbled backwards, not use to an aggressive girl like this. Olivia just yelled at me when we were fighting or she would just throw my stuff out the door.
“I’m not done talking to you.” Marie snapped. My dad looked at us curiously before laughing at my scared expression.
“You can’t just waltz here and expect to make everything okay. It’s not all okay!” Marie yelled.
“I’m just trying to make everything easier for you!” I defended myself.
“You’re the one that got me in the mess in the first place.” She said.
“Oh, I don’t exactly remember raping you. In fact, if I remember correctly, you were the one moaning my name and telling me to go faster.” I retorted. Marie turned red before smacking my shoulder.
I let out a loud laugh. “Was that seriously supposed to hurt? I don’t even think I’ll have a bruise.”
Marie glared at me. “Are you asking me to hit you harder, because trust me I’ll be happy to.” I couldn’t help but keep laughing, “Alright Mar, deep breaths.” I told her before dragging her back into the room by her elbow.
“What was that about?” Mom asked smiling.
I shrugged, “Oh, Marie was just thanking me and telling me I was a god. I argued with her that I’m not a god, just a hero.” I said with a straight-face.
Marie snorted. “Uh-huh. You’re just my personal god.”
“I know.” Jordan boasted. The nurse smiled at the both of us before handing me some discharge papers and a bottle of liquid. “You have to make sure you give him this every time you breast feed him for the first time in the morning.” She instructed me.
I nodded and tucked it into my purse. “Got it.”
“He’ll be able to go home this afternoon then!” The nurse said before hustling off.
Mrs. Staal smiled. “That’s perfect! Eric and Tanya were planning on coming over, so we can all take him home together!”
I grimaced at the though of every one seeing the house. “Yeah, perfect.”
“Mom, wait.” Jordan interjected before looking at me. “Maybe you, dad, and Jared could stay at a hotel and Olivia and I could stay with Marie. Instead of going back, we could meet you for dinner?” Jordan suggested.
“But I don’t want to stay there.” Olivia whined.
Jordan smiled at her. “Don’t worry Liv, it’s fine.”
Mrs. Staal rolled her eyes at Olivia. “That sounds perfect Jordy.”
“Wait, can I stay with you guys?” Jared asked.
I laughed. “Uh, sure, but why?”
“Because it’ll be like a giant sleep over!” Jared exclaimed.
I smirked. “Aren’t we just a little old for sleepovers?”
“You’re never to old for sleepovers!” Jared responded back. I swear, all of the Staal’s have ADHD.
We were all cooped up in the room for few hours until Tanya and Eric came. Tanya was very friendly and even though she barely knew me, gave me a hug. Eric was trailing her with a gift basket. “For Scott.” He said setting it down.
“You didn’t have to..” I trailed off.
Tanya waved her hand. “I love making gift baskets for people!” She gushed. I put it on my lap and went through it. It was filled with mainly baby clothes and booties. I picked up the Hurricanes Staal jersey and laughed.
“Now it’ll be the second best dressed baby in the whole place.” Eric boasted.
Jordan snorted. “No, he’ll be the best dressed baby in my Penguins jersey. He’s not going to wear any Hurricane crap, just the best player on a championship team.
I rolled my eyes. “He won’t be wearing either of your pathetic jerseys. He’ll be wearing the best, an Aberle jersey.” I told both of them.
“He is hot.” Tanya agreed.
“Tanya!” Eric exclaimed, annoyed.
Tanya shrugged before kissing him on the cheek. “Of course, not hotter than you.” Eric truly was a little boy in a man’s body. The nurse came back and checked Scott’s charts. “Alright, Scott has finished all of his medicines. You can take him home now.” She told me while unhooking him from the last of his wires. She handed him to me and I held him close against my chest and put my hand on the back of his head. I stood there for a few seconds, just relishing him. Then, I lied him down on the changing table. I ruffled through his bag before choosing a pair of black sweatpants. I looked at Eric before rolling my eyes and taking out the Staal jersey. I put the hideous, bright red thing on him.
“Icky, right?” I asked him. Scott just flashed me a smile and clapped his hands together.
I laughed. “That wasn’t exactly the response I was going for.” He reached his arms in the air, motioning for me to hold him. “Okay, okay. You’re going to break my arms.” I teased him, but picked him up anyway. I suddenly felt stupid for talking to my six month year old son in front of every one.
Jordan wrinkled his nose. “Only my baby can make a Hurricanes jersey look good.”
“Not as good as me when I wear your jersey, right?” Olivia giggled into Jordan’s ear.
“Uh-huh.” Mrs. Staal took Scott from my arms and bounced him up on down. “Now we’re going to have to get you Uncle Marc’s jersey.”
I held my hands up. “That’s where I draw the line. Absolutely no Rangers jersey. I don’t need him to like a bunch of assholes. Minus Marc.”
Jared snorted. “Not minus Marc.”
“Be nice to your brother.” Mrs. Staal instructed Jared before handing Scott to Jordan. Mr. Staal linked hands with her. “Well, I guess we’ll be going to find a hotel.”
“No, stay with us.” Tanya insisted.
“You’re right, I didn’t even think about that. If you’re sure…?” Mrs. Staal asked.
Eric waved his arm. “You know I don’t care. Plus, it gives Tanya some help with Parker.”
“The rent-a-car is in the parking lot.” Jordan said.
“What about a car seat?” I asked.
Eric laughed. “Tanya truly does think of everything.” He went into the hallway and brought out a car seat. “Some one sent us one for Parker, but we already had one.” Jordan handed Scott to me and took the car seat. “Let’s roll then.”
“Can you pick me up at the entrance? It’s cold.” Olivia whined.
“Yeah, sure. Marie, why don’t you wait with her?” Jordan replied.
I shook my head. “I would rather walk.”
Jordan sighed. “Why?”
“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
“I’m tired of fighting over everything with you.” Jordan said frusturated.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re the one fighting with me! You don’t control me, so I don’t need you second guessing all of my decisions.”
Jared pushed me gently towards the doors. I held onto Scott tighter, “Hello, baby here.” Jordan, Jared, and I headed towards the car. Jordan put the seat in the backseat and I made sure he was securely buckled in before kissing him on the forehead. I got into the passengers seat and Jared got into the drivers seat. Jordan grumbled, but climbed into the backseat. Jared pulled out of the space and speeded towards the exit.
“Hey, don’t forget about Olivia!” Jordan protested.
“I figured we could just leave her there.” Jared said. I laughed loudly and tried to cover it by coughing.
“I swear if you don’t turn the damn car around I will fucking shoot you.” Jordan snapped. Jared turned around and went to pick up Olivia. She was standing in front of the entrance with her arms across her chest. She opened the door and climbed into next to Jordan.
“Took you long enough.” Olivia huffed.
“Well, Jordan was driving and he forgot about you, so I took over the wheel and got you back.” Jared lied.
“You did not!” Olivia shrieked. Jordan covered Scott’s eyes with one hand and then gave Jared the finger with his other hand. He put his arm around Olivia’s shoulders. “Of course I didn’t!” I laughed and reclined my seat, not caring it was digging into Jordan’s knees. This was going to be a fun ride.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7
Jordan’s POV

Marie was off getting coffee and Scott was now back in the crib sleeping once again. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him, content for once just to sit. My mom would faint if she heard that statement, my parents had me tested for ADD several times in my childhood. My phone started playing, “This Is Why I’m Hot.” Max’s programmed ring tone. I quickly picked it up after seeing the disapproving looks from the doctors.
“Hello?” I asked.
“Oh god. Tell me the rumor isn’t true. Please tell me there isn’t another Staal in the world. It can’t take another one, one is already bad enough.” Max exclaimed, his voice booming.
“How do you know?” I hissed. My mom will kill me if she finds out that my teammates found out before she did.
Max scoffed. “You know I’m the biggest gossiper in the league. I know everything. But who’s the chick, she hot?” Of course that’s the only thing Max cares about.
“She was my next door neighbor.” I told him.
“ Girl next door. Bow chick a wow wow.” Max said laughing. I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help to laugh, that’s the effect Max had on you.
“So that didn’t answer my question. Is she hot? Because if she is, could I still bang her or would that be too awkward for you?” Max asked. My blood boiled and I grabbed onto the side of the chair. I was about to open my mouth with a smart-ass comment, but I glanced at Scott. I had to control my temper now that I’m a dad.
“Yes Max, that means she is off limits.” I told him, knowing it was foolish to be mad at him. Max is just a big goofball, but he knows when a girl is off limits to not touch her.
“How about Olivia? Because you know as soon as she catches wind of this, she won’t want your dick anymore.” Max replied.
I shrugged, “If she’ll take your ugly ass. But she’s used to me, she wouldn’t lower her standards.” I said laughing. I heard Max chuckle over the phone. “Jordan, do you want me to tell the rest of the team, eh?” He asked.
I rubbed my forehead. “Sure. It’s going to come out sooner or later.”
“Don’t worry Jord, I’ll take care of it. Buh-bye babe.” Max said before hanging up. Marie walked in with a coffee in her hand right as I snapped the phone shut. “Who was that?” She asked curling up in the chair next to mine.
“Just my teammate Max.” I replied, wondering if she ever watched me play. Marie didn’t respond, she was playing with a string on the bottom of her pants. Before she could do anything, I snatched the coffee cup out of her hand and took a long drink from it. She tried to retaliate by smacking my hand causing me to drop it onto the floor.
“Aw man, look what you did.” I said pouting.
“I’m not cleaning it up.” Marie said. I could tell she was trying to not laugh along with me. I wanted to bring up having to tell my parents and my brothers, but I didn’t want to ruin this light-hearted moment. I did end up cleaning it up because the nurses were nicer to her than me. People generally think you are an ass if you unknowingly knock up a girl.
“Marie, can we tell my parents now?” I asked. I knew the answer though; even if she disagreed I was going to have to anyway.
“But your mom is going to fly down with a gun just to kill me.” Marie groaned putting her head in her hands.
“Naw, she was thrilled when Parker was born. She went all physco-gandmother. Trust me.” I told her.
“But that’s different.” Marie said. I shrugged, not wanting to get into how it was different.
“We have to tell people though. So who do you have to tell? I can’t believe Charlie and Mike didn’t tell me.” I grumbled.
“Uh-huh. Yeah.” She said softly. I looked up at her in surprise.
“You didn’t tell them?” I said in disbelief. I tell my family everything; I couldn’t imagine not telling them something as big as having a child.
“Less people that knew, less chance of some one telling you.” Marie muttered.
I frowned, “Wouldn’t that just be the end of the world.”
“Yes.” Marie said defiantly. I groaned, not wanting to get into a huge fight at the hospital. “Who does know then?” I asked.
“Peyton. If I like died during childbirth or something, he needed a guardian.” She said.
“And you trusted Peyton with our child?” I asked disbelievingly. Maybe Marie wasn’t as good as a mother as I thought she was.
“She’s my best friend. She could do it.” Marie said defending herself. I sighed and shook my head; she could be crazy in the head at times.
“Whatever. I’m calling my mom now.” I said pulling out my phone and before I could turn back, I hit the 1 button for speed dial. Marie defininately looked scared and I couldn’t blame her, I am too.
“Jordan Lee Staal. You didn’t play in the game last night and Eric isn’t answering my calls. What the hell is going on?” My mom demanded. Shit, I guess the rumor that Mom’s always know what is going on is true.
“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.” I said hesitantly.
“Oh god Jordan, did you get arrested again? Which jail does Dad need to pick you up at?” Mom said exasperated.
“ActuallyIhaveason. No, I didn’t get arrested!” I exclaimed.
“YOU HAVE A WHAT?” Mom screeched into the phone.
“JORDAN! I’m not oblivious! I know you have a lot of one-night stands, but I told you to use condoms! Wait, how do you know it’s your child? Girls lie about stuff like that all the time so a person with money can support them.” She said in a tizzy.
“That’s the thing Mom.” I said timidly.
“Tell me Jordan.” Mom demanded.
“The mom is Marie.” I told her fearfully. My mom burst into tears and that scared the shit out of me. “But you’re both just children.” She said sobbing. My mom never cried, ever.
“Mom, listen to me. It’s going to be okay, I can handle this.” I told her desperately.
“We will come to Pittsburgh tonight.” Mom told me.
“Actually, we were in Raleigh. That’s where Marie was staying and Scott’s in the hospital here.”
“Scott.” She said softly before her voice became alarmed. “Hospital?! What hospital?”
“He got really sick, I’m not exactly sure of the details. He’s recovering though, he should be out soon.” I said.
“Thank god.” She breathed out in relief.
“I’m guessing Olivia doesn’t know?” Mom said flatly.
I groaned, “Don’t worry, I’ll tell her when I’m off the phone with you.”
“Please have our flights arrive around the same time. We’ll bring Jared with us. Jordan, please be careful.” My mom begged.
“I love you Mom.” I told her.
“I love you too, Jord. It’ll be okay, we’ll get through this.” She promised me before hanging up. I shut my phone and stared at for a few seconds before looking up at Marie. “I made my mom cry.” I told her blankly. Marie sighed and looked at me. “I know. This is just a big mess.”
“You need to change the guardian thing.” I told her.
“Why?”
“As soon as I call Olivia, she’s going to kill me.” I said pulling out my cell phone again.
“Olivia?” She asked.
“Oh yeah, um, Olivia is my fiancée.” I told her uncomfortably.
Marie just shrugged. “Yeah, I see what you mean then.” I called Olivia and expected to be bombarded with questions such as, ‘Where have you been?” and “Why didn’t you play?”
“Jord-Jord!” Olivia said brightly.
“Hey Olivia!” I lightly.
“I miss you baby.” She cooed.
“ I miss you too. But babe, I have something I have to tell you.”
“What?” She teased. “My new shoes didn’t get ordered?”
“No babe, I have a kid.” I told her, wanting to get straight to the point.
She was silent for a few minutes. “You’re fucking kidding, right? What the hell did I do to piss you off?”
“I’m not joking Olivia.” I said frustrated.
“Do you know the bitch?” She asked.
“Yeah, I do. I had sex with her before we were together, don’t worry.” I told her desperately. I really didn’t want to lose Olivia.
“When did you meet me?” She asked coldly.
“A week later.” I admitted feeling like a bastard.
“Okay. I guess I can’t get that mad about you for a mistake.” Olivia said calmly. I pinched myself, this couldn’t be happening. I guess I was used to girls with tempers.
“Can you fly to Raleigh and meet with my parents? Everything will be ready by the time you get there.” I told her, thankful that she still wanted me.
“Sure baby. Do I get a new pair purse out of this?” Olivia asked giggling.
I laughed, “Of course. See you babe.” I hung up and stood up to go book some tickets. Marie was on the phone with one of her brothers, arguing slightly. This was going to be a long night.


9:00 PM

Marie was off doing something and I was waiting in my lobby for my parents, Jared, and Olivia. Finally, I saw them all enter looking around. I strode forward and my mom ran forward before hugging me tighter.
“Jordy, it’s going to be okay.” She promised once again. She let go of me and my dad hugged me. “She almost killed Olivia on the ride over.” Dad whispered into my ear with a chuckle. It was no secret that my mom wasn’t the biggest fan of Olivia. Olivia then threw her arms around me and I lifted her off the ground for a couple seconds. She giggled and tugged on her long blonde hair. Jared just stood back and stared at me.
“Jared.” I said nodding my head at him.
“Congrats dude. I guess.” He said. I could tell he was struggling with the fact that Marie was the mom, they were best friends. He was also probably hurt that she didn’t tell him either.
“Where’s the little boy?” Mom asked excitedly. I led them to the Scott’s room where he was sleeping in the tiny crib. He was still hooked up to some machines, but not as many as before.
“Oh Jordan, he’s beautiful.” Mom whispered wiping a tear from her eye.
Dad patted me on the back. “Good job.”
Jared laughed. “I can’t believe that Jordan’s baby is actually cute.”
“It’s cute.” Olivia said flatly. I know this couldn’t be easy for her, so I wrapped my arm around her waist. I heard footsteps and I looked up to see Marie standing hesitantly in the doorframe, leaning against it. Jared stood up from the chair he was sitting in and looked at her for a while before slowly saying. “Marie Antoinette.” He paused for a second before letting out a wide grin. “Kill anyone lately?”
Marie laughed, “Actually, I’ve been able to control myself from pulling any one apart slowly.”
Jared held open his arms. “That’s good, we don’t need you to get beheaded.” Marie hugged him, still laughing. I tried not to let the fact that my brother had a closer relationship with the mother of my child bug me. Mom pushed Jared away and hugged Marie, clinging onto her. She pulled away and looked at her. “Oh my honey, you are a stick. Have you not been eating? Eating three meals a day is very important, remember! And you certainly need the energy.” Mom instructed her.
“Got it, Mrs. Staal.” Marie said nodding.
Mom smiled at her, “You have a beautiful baby boy here.” She let go of Marie, just for Dad to hug her. I saw Marie fidget slightly and remembered the fact that she hated hugs. She pulled away and held out her hand to Olivia. “I’m Marie, nice to meet you.” Marie said politely.
“Olivia.” Olivia said coolly, shaking her hand for a second before dropping it like it was venom.
“Has she broken down yet?” Dad whispered into my ear.
“No.”
“Aw man, that isn’t good. It’s just all going to explode out.” Dad whispered back. I shook my head, I was dreading for when it was all going to pop out.
“What made you name him Scott?” Mom asked.
Marie shrugged. “Uh, I just like the name I guess.”
“It is a very pretty name.” Mom agreed.
“Shh, we don’t want the little fellow hearing that his name is pretty!” Jared hissed. Marie laughed and stood by his crib, “Yeah.” We all sat in silence for a few minutes before the sound of some one clearing his throat made us all look up. Michael finally made it in to see his first nephew. Marie stood up quickly, this must be the first time she’s seen him in a year to hide the pregnancy. She ran into his arms and just started sobbing, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
“Shh, Mare. It’s okay.” Mike said trying to comfort her. “Let’s go get some coffee.” Marie nodded her head, tears still streaming down her face. From over her hair, Mike glared at me. I could tell he wasn’t as accepting as the others.

Chapter 6

This will be my last update for probably a week in any of my stories. I'm going to Quebec City for four days because I've been taking French class for five years. I am so excited, it's going to be the first time I've ever gone out of the country. Finally going to the same country Jordan Staal is from!! Comment please, please :) xoxo





Chapter 6
* Flashback *
Marie’s POV

“HEY, HEY YOU, YOU, I DON’T LIKE YOUR GIRLFRIEND.” I screamed at the top of my lungs. I was in Jared’s car and we were driving back to our houses. It was the first time I’ve genuinely had a great time since my mom left.
“NO WAY NO WAY I THINK YOU NEED A NEW ONE!” Jared screamed along with a high-pitched voice.
“HEY HEY YOU YOU I COULD BE YOUR GIRLFRIEND!” We both yelled before bursting into laughter. We pulled into Jared’s driveway and Jordan was staring at us. For once, I didn’t care that he caught me in a total embarrassing moment.
“I could hear your shrieks from down the road.” Jordan said eyeing us up.
Jared laughed. “It’s called having fun, Jordan. How about you try it.”
Jordan snorted. “Trust me, I do. But I do in better ways than that.”
Jared rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah, I forgot. You go out with your awesome hockey team and you all get drunk and just have great sex. Soo jealous.” I snickered and followed Jared into the house, saying hello to Mrs. Staal before heading into the basement. We plopped onto the couch and turned on the TV. Jordan came down a few minutes later and sat on the coach next to me. Great, I was in between two fighting brothers.
“Why are you here?” Jared asked bitterly.
“Because it’s my house too. The question would be, why is Marie here?” Jordan snapped.
Jared stood up. “Because Marie is my friend and she isn’t an DICK, like YOU!” Jared yelled. I was surprised they were fighting so much; normally they got along so well. Apparently though, Jordan’s been getting a big head lately in his senior year.
“Oh really. I guess she is just a convenient slut to keep around.” Jordan yelled back. Hell, no. You don’t call me a slut just because I hang out with the brother you’re pissed off. I stood up too.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I yelled to Jordan, sick of his shit.
Jared shoved Jordan backwards. “Don’t you dare bring her into it.”
Jordan laughed. “Oh, you two are scary, ganging up on me.”
“You think you are so fucking cool, but you are such a fucking jerk. I never did a damn thing to you, but you decide to fuck around with me! You’ve always been a dick to me, so you know what, I am done fucking trying. Fuck you Jordan.” I yelled giving him the middle finger. Jordan didn’t look at me, instead pushing Jared backwards. Mrs. Staal came running downstairs. “What is going on here?” She yelled stepping in between them. I didn’t respond, I just ran my jacket and ran upstairs, slamming the door behind me.

Jordan’s POV

I woke up the next morning in Eric’s guest room bed, staring up at the white ceiling. I was a dad. I, Jordan Staal, have a little son that looks exactly like me. The worst part is, it’s not my fiancée’s baby, it s my ex-girlfriend from home’s baby. I can’t deny the fact that I felt a connection to Marie, but I was in love with Olivia. Olivia and I are supposed to get married next year. The irony of the fact is, we were going to wait a while before we had kids because Olivia respected the fact that I was traveling a lot with the NHL and it would be easier to wait. Now, I just turned twenty-one a month ago and I have a two-month year old son. Olivia. Crap. She still had no idea what was going on. When I told her I had a son, would she still want to be with me? Would she be mad at me that I wanted to move Marie to Pittsburgh? But she had to understand, it’s my son, I have to be a part of his life. There’s no possible way I couldn’t be. I wonder if Olivia even knows that I haven’t been with the team. She normally doesn’t watch the games if she doesn’t go to them. I thought about grabbing my phone on the dresser and calling her, but I decided it would probably be best to wait as long as possible. The longer the better. Finally, I rolled out of bed and changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before going downstairs into the family room. Tanya was holding a sleeping Parker and sitting on top of Eric, who wrapped his arms around them and was smiling. This is how my family was supposed to be with Olivia. Now, I couldn’t be in love with the girl that had my son. Scott would never grow up with the perfect family going on here. I halted at the end of the steps, feeling like I was interrupting a personal moment. As soon as they heard me though, they leaped into action. Tanya got up and put Parker into his crib and disappeared into the kitchen. Eric stood up and stretched before putting his jacket on and grabbing his keys. “Good morning, Jordan. We can go pick up Marie now.” Eric said. The plan was to go pick Marie up and then go to the hospital to stay with Scott. Tanya game back from the kitchen holding a small bag and handed it to me. “Okay, so I’ve spent a lot of time in hospitals and their food sucks. So I packed some cookies, a few sandwiches, some chips, and pretzels. Marie’s as thin as a twig, if she doesn’t eat something she’ll pass out. Make sure she eats, Jordan.” Tanya threatened me. I took the basket, “Okay, okay!” I told her. Eric bent over at kissed Parker’s forehead before motioning me to go to the garage with him. We got in the car and started driving towards Marie’s house, if that’s what you can even call it.
“You know, you’re going to have to tell Mom and Dad.” Eric told me.
I sighed, more people to be disappointed in me. “Do you think they are going to be mad at me?” I asked my older brother.
Eric shrugged. “It depends, Dad probably will be. Mom will just be concerned about the baby and what you’re going to do. What are you going to do?”
“I’m begging Marie to come back to Pittsburgh with Scott. I would like to try and stay with Olivia and still be in Scott’s life, but I have no idea if that’s going out. I’m just afraid that Olivia will give me an ultimatum, her or Scott.”
“What would you chose?” Eric asked curiously.
“I,” I said torn, “have no idea. But..hes’ my son. My son needs me. I love Olivia though. I love Scott though.”
“Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.” Eric said. We got to Marie’s apartment and to our surprise; we saw her talking to a large man in a leather jacket. He didn’t look good with the tattoos all over his face and arms. I tensed up, she was the mother of my son, and she couldn’t get killed. I couldn’t do it alone. Then, she hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek before waving to us. She got up and skipped to the car. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and a pair of sneakers. It completely reminded me that Marie was just nineteen. She was just a kid. Right now, Marie was supposed to be at college, partying like I knew she loves to do. Instead, she was a mom dealing with a sick child. She hopped into the backseat and buckled up and waved goodbye to the guy. “Hey guys!” She said breathlessly.
“Who was that? Your boyfriend?” I grumbled staring out of the window.
Marie laughed. “Oh yeah, you know I like them tall. No, he helped me out of a sticky situation when I first got here. Pregnant chick walking down the street alone at night is a great magnet for the criminals. Ted couldn’t hurt a fly. And he loves Scott.” She said.
“When you move to Pittsburgh, every one will leave you alone.” I grumbled. Marie shook her head. “You are such an ass. I am not picking up my life and moving just to please you.”
“What life?” I retorted.
“Guys, stop! I’m trying to drive.” Eric yelled at us. All three of us were silent the rest of the drive and Eric dropped Marie and I off at the front of the hospital. We walked uncomfortably side by side into the hospital and before going to the pediatrics wing and sat down. I glanced sideways at Marie, studying her. Tanya was right; she was just a bag of milk. Her black hair was as curly as ever and it looks like she’s forgotten to drag a brush through it lately. The worst part was the dark bags under her eyes that she didn’t even try to conceal. If I don’t step in and help with Scott, she’ll run herself to the ground.
“Uh, here, Tanya brought you some food. Why don’t you eat some, eh?” I asked her.
Marie shook her head. “No thanks, I’m not hungry.”
“But you should really eat something.” I persisted.
She snorted. “You’re not my dad, Jordan. You don’t have any right to tell me to do anything.” Marie said defiantly.
“You’re the mother of my son, I need you to be healthy.” I growled, fighting her right back.
“Just because we are linked through Scott, doesn’t mean that you are anything to me.” Marie lashed back. I couldn’t deny it, that kind of hurt. I knew she was mad at me, but I didn’t realize that she hated me this much.
“Where you ever going to tell me Marie, eh?” I asked angrily.
Marie crossed her arms. “ I don’t want to have that conversation.”
I snorted, like I care. “Well I do.”
She rolled her eyes, “Oh man. The great Jordan wants me to do something, I better do it.” She still had her spunk, just lovely. Luckily, the doctor walked in, or there would have been some serious fighting.
“Excuse me, but you can hold him now if you want. Just be careful.” The doctor warned before walking back. Marie shot up and strode towards Scott’s bed. I could tell she was excited to be able to hold Scott. I was personally excited to get an up close look at my son. Marie went right over and scooped him up, holding him tightly against her chest. A single tear rolled down her cheek, as she held onto him even tighter. I sat in a chair next to the bed and stared at my hands.
“Can I uh, hold him?” I asked hesitantly.
“Yeah.” Marie said, her voice cracking a bit. To my surprise she handed him over to me, but I held my hands up to stop her.
“Marie..how do I hold a baby?” I asked embarrassed. She laughed and shook her head. “You seriously don’t know how to hold a baby? Even I knew how to do that.”
“I mean I generally know how to hold one. It’s just it’s my son, so I want to be extra careful.” I defended myself. Marie smiled and sat down next to me, “Okay then. So just tuck his head under your elbow and then you use the arm to support him. It’s simple.” She told me. Marie put him in my lap and I tried to do what she told me to, but I felt like he was falling.
“No, move your hand here.” Marie told me. When I didn’t do what she wanted, she placed her hand over my mine and guided it to where it was supposed to be. When her hand touched mine, I felt shivers go all the way up my arm. I glanced at her to see if she felt the same way and her big, brown eyes were staring back at mine. She glanced down quickly. “There.” She said softly. I looked down at Scott, my beautiful baby. I’ve never felt prouder to know that I helped made this little human being in my arms. I also felt fiercely protective; nothing else was ever going to happen to him.
“He’s beautiful.” I murmured, my voice thick with emotion. There was nothing to describe how I felt, holding my baby boy in my arms.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

* Flashback *


Charlie and I walked across my yard to the Staal’s house. Ever since my mom left, my dad hasn’t done anything besides keeping the coach and TV great company. Since Charlie and I sucked at cooking, our dinners are the oh-so elegant frozen packs at the grocery store. Mrs. Staal invited us over for dinner, even though she wasn’t going to be there, so it would probably be frozen food also. We opened the front door to see Mr. Staal, Jordan, and Jared also sitting at the table. They still had Marc’s and Eric’s seats at the table, even though they were all over the country in the NHL. Jordan was going to be following them this summer and hopefully Jared in a few years. Mike sat down in the seat next to Jordan and I took the seat next to Jared. Mr. Staal served us before turning up the TV loudly in the family room, so we could hear whatever game was on. All the testosterone in the room was suffocating me.
“So Jordan, would you bang Cathy C.?” Charlie asked Jordan since they were in the same grade. I looked over at Mr. Staal in shock, amazed that they would bring up this conversation in front of him. He kept eating seemingly oblivious though, not caring about the topic.
“Cathy would never go within a meter of your dick.” I snorted before Jordan could answer.
Charlie glared at me. “And how would you know that?” He retorted.
I smirked at him before putting my hands on my lap. “I sit next to her in Physics, she normally goes for the hot, sexy, rugged men. You know, the opposite of you.” Jared high-fived me under the table and Jordan tried to cover his laugh by shoving more food into his mouth.
“Well who’s the last person you fucked?” Charlie said angrily.
“Mathew.” I said with a straight face. Mathew was Charlie’s best friend, he would flip if that actually ever happened.
“You’re kidding.” He said with almost a look of panic on his face.
“No, she’s not. I heard him bragging about it.” Jordan said before winking at me.
Charlie stood up. “I’m going to kill that bastard.”
I finally started laughing. “Sit back down at get your panties out of a bunch, I’m just kidding.” Charlie sat back down before glaring at me and kicking me hard under the table. “Bitch.” He muttered.
“No name calling, Charlie.” Mr. Staal said without even looking up.
Jordan looked at me though. “Who are you going out with lately?”
“Why?” I asked.
He shrugged and pushed the food around on his plate with his fork. “I dunno.”
“Well, that guy Tom in your grade asked me out, I said no. And then Mason asked me out, and I’m still considering it.
“Why? He’s a jerk.” Jordan said.
Jared stared at his brother. “Why does it matter to you?” This created an awkward moment, all of just staring around the table. Luckily, the Hurricanes scored, so a loud roar erupted around the table, breaking the moment.

* End of Flashback *
Marie’s POV

Jordan showing up here set my mind into over drive. It was already buzzing with grief and fear and confusion. I just wanted to wipe my mind clean and enjoy a blissful, quiet moment in my head. I knew it was Eric who called him, but I couldn’t find myself to be angry with him. But I did let that emotion over and I slapped Jordan, not knowing what to do. After I did it, I sunk into the chair and put my face in my hands. Eric rubbed my back before standing up and I heard two pairs of footsteps walking away. I could barely handle Scott being sick, but I definitely couldn’t handle Jordan being here. Was he mad at me that I had kept the secret from him? Would he want to be part of his life? Or would everything go back to normal? So many thoughts were running around my head. Eric and Jordan came back and took the seats on each side of me. Their shoulders were so broad that I barely had any room to lean back. All I wanted to do was lay my head on Jordan’s shoulder and to forget everything. To let that familiar smell wash over me and pretend for a few minutes that everything was back to normal. But I couldn’t do this, this was a real life mess that I got myself into. My sweet baby might die because I didn’t have enough time to pay attention that he was getting sick. The fact that before today, Jordan didn’t know his son’s name, let alone that he had a son, was my fault. I couldn’t just close my eyes and wish everything away. The doctor approached and I immediately stood up and walked towards him.
“Did something happen?” I asked panicky. He couldn’t be dead, he just couldn’t be. Instead of a grim look and a no eye contact, I got a hesitant smile and a pat on the back. “Scott is responding great to the treatment. Bearing no complications, he should be getting stronger every day.” I had to wipe tears from my eyes because I was so happy. I have never been this mess before, crying over things. It’s true, having a baby makes you a softie. Eric hugged me, crushing me against his strong chest. “That’s great news.” He whispered into my ear.
“Can we see him now?” Jordan asked hopefully. That brought me back to reality. This was going to be the first time he had ever seen Scott.
“Unfortunately, we can’t let you into the room because we can’t risk germs getting in and causing the infection to go back to full force. But, we can let you look at him from behind glass.” The doctor informed us before going to another family in the waiting room. That’s all it took for Jordan and he started heading to the ICU, moving fast with his long strides. I had to jog to keep up with him, but it reminded me to much of old times, so I went back to a walk. But the thought of it taking longer to get to Scott made me jog again. Jordan got there and skidded to a halt, staring at Scott through the glass. I started at my baby boy, his bright blue eyes were clouded and his tiny chest was wheezing with every breath he took. It broke my heart seeing him like this, so I quickly looked away. Instead, I turned my attention to Jordan. He was staring at Scott with a look of awe on his face. “He looks exactly like me.” He whispered, his voice cracking. I just nodded and he continued to stare, he even self-consciously put his hand up on the glass. Eventually, he took out his phone and snapped a picture of Scott.
“Who are you sending that to?” I asked curiously. That was the first time I’ve talked to him in a year.
“Mom and Dad.” He said while typing on his phone.
I lurched forward and grabbed his phone. “No!”
He glared at me. “I’m not going to pull a you, I have to tell my parents that they are grandparents again.”
I handed his phone back to him. “First, don’t rub that into my face. Second, you are going to wait until Scott his healthy so I’m sane again when you’re mom kills me.” I stated.
“God, you’re bossy.” He muttered.
Eric strode towards us. “Marie, you look like crap. Scott’s going to be home, so why don’t you go back to your place, take a shower, and some clothes. I’ll stay here.” Eric ordered. Now he was the bossy one.
“I want to go with her.” Jordan said.
“Hello, I’m right here. And no.” I snapped.
Eric gave us both looks, “Marie, you have to compromise. Let him come with you, he’s had quite a shock because of you.”
“Fine.” I muttered and held out my keys for Eric’s car.
“I want to drive.” Jordan interjected.
I really didn’t care about who drove or not, but Jordan trying to take control of me got me pissed off. “No you’re not.” I argued.
“You’re not right in the head right now, I am driving.” Jordan said vehemently.
“You don’t know where you’re going.” I argued back,
Eric looked at both of us, weighing his options. He tossed the keys to me, ultimately deciding that my wrath was worth that Jordan’s. Damn straight.
“Eric, I’m you’re brother!” He said shocked, clearly thinking that he was going to give them to him.
“She knows where she’s going..” Eric said trailing off. I took the keys from him and exited the parking lot and went towards Eric car. I wanted to get this done as fast as possible, I didn’t want to be away from Scott for too long. Now it was Jordan’s turn to struggle to keep with me.

Most of the car ride was filled with an awkward silence that Jordan tried to fill by fiddling around with the radio. I weaved dangerously through traffic, getting several honks on the way. After one particular spastic move that almost caused Jordan to go through the front windshield, he finally broke the silence.
“Jesus Christ, this is why I hate driving with you. Nothing’s change.” He said.
I turned to stare at him before turning my attention back to the road. What nerve he had to say that. “In case you haven’t noticed, a lot has changed. A year ago, I would have thought I would be in college right now, going to parties every other night. Instead I’m a mom working ridiculous hours to get by with a sick child that with hospital bills, I’ll be in debt for like. So no, a lot has change.” I snapped.
“You don’t need to worry about the hospital bills. I’ll handle them.” Jordan said quietly.
“No, no I’m not taking money from you.” I said defiantly.
I could hear him grind his teeth together. “It won’t be for you, it’ll be for the baby.”
I couldn’t argue with that, so I ignored him and stared ahead, making it seem like I was intently paying attention to the road. Finally, we got back to the house and we stepped out.
“Is this really your house?” Jordan asked accusingly.
I automatically bristled. “Yes.” He didn’t say anything and opened the flimsy door, ducking to get in. He looked around the small room and crossed his arms, I could tell he was disgusted. “Where’s Scott’s stuff?” He asked tightly. I showed him the small draw of items, mostly stained.
“That’s it? That’s like, 10 pairs of outfits.” Jordan asked looking at me like he was expecting me yell “Just kidding!” and pull out a wardrobe of clothes.
“It’s all I can afford right now.” I said surprised by how close I was to crying. He looked up quickly when hearing my tone of voice. “That’s horrible.” He stated.
“I try.” I said quickly brushing a tear from the corner of my eye.
Jordan shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, once you move to Pittsburgh we can go shopping and get lots of stuff.”
“Oh, I’m moving to Pittsburgh?” I said sarcastically.
“Of course, that’s the only way I can be a part of Scott’s life.” He said matter-of-factly.
“Well, maybe I don’t want you to be a part of his life.” I retorted. I wasn’t going to let him hurt Scott the way he hurt me.
“He’s my son!” Jordan said shocked.
I shrugged. “So.”
He glared and crossed his arms. “I will be part of his life, no matter what you want.”

Chapter Four

It took me about a hour to type this because I broke my middle finger playing basketball, and since I still want to play; I just have tape on it. I'll explain what caused me to have such a long time between updates tomorrow. Sorry :(



Chapter Four
Marie’s POV

It was a normal day. I was working my normal shift at Starbuck’s. It was normal weather. Chilly and sunny. It was a normal time. Nothing was supposed to be happening today. Just one of the 365 days of a long, tedious year. But one, simple phone call can always wreck that.

Flashback
“Marie Haefner, please come to the front office.” The loud speaker called into the classroom. I sighed and began to gather up my books, they had probably busted me for skipping so much school recently. I trudged my way to the office, stalling as much as possible by going to the bathroom and tying my shoes over and over again. Eventually though, I got there and sat down in one of the stiff chairs. If they are about to yell at you, they could as least do it when you’re comfortable. The receptionist peered at me and immediately said. “Honey, you can go back now. Principal Tonks is ready for you.” Oh shit, meeting with the principal, not the vice-principal. This must mean some serious trouble. Maybe something like a suspension, that would not sit well with my parents at all.
“Marie, sit down please.” Mr. Tonks said and I hesitantly sat down, this was it. To my surprise though, Mr. Tonks didn’t start yelling at me. “Your father is on the phone.” He explained and pushed it towards me. Okay, Great-Grandma Agnes finally bit the dust; we all knew it was going to happen sooner rather than later.
“Marie?” My dad asked. I could tell that he had been crying. I frowned; I hadn’t expected my dad to be this upset about it.
“Dad?” I replied
“You’re mom left.” He choked out before going silent. I grabbed the desk tightly, digging my nails into it. “What do you mean?”
“She left a voicemail. She said to tell you, Charlie, and Mike that she loved you guys more than life, but she couldn’t stand being with my negative attitude anymore. She said she found another man and she’s moving in with him, but she wouldn’t say where.” Dad said guiltily.
My throat began to burn. “But she wouldn’t do that to us!” I shrieked. Mom wouldn’t do this, she loved me too much. She couldn’t just leave like that.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll ask the principal to send you home.”
*End of Flashback*

I began humming and scrubbed down the counters. We were going through the mid-day slow time. Clara, my manager, waved me back.
“Marie, a woman named Jane has been calling all morning. She says it’s important.” My heart began beating fast; Jane never called about anything while I was at work. I sprinted towards the phone and dialed her number. “Jane?” I asked breathlessly, praying that she just called because she couldn’t find something.
“Marie! I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all morning! Scott is sick!” She exclaimed. I had to remind my self to keep breathing. “How sick?”
Jane took a deep breath. “I think you should take him to the hospital.” I bit my lip, forcing myself not to cry.
“I’ll be there in five minutes.” I promised before swiftly hanging up. I explained the situation to Clara and she quickly let me off work. Then, I called the only person I knew in Raleigh.

Eric’s POV

The phone buzzing woke up right when I was about to fall asleep for my pre-game nap. No one in my family would dare call me at pre-game naptime; they knew how superstitious I was.
“What?” I said into the receiver annoyed.
“Eric?” I heard Marie’s voice ask. But something seemed wrong, something seemed really wrong.
“Are you okay Mar?” I responded now worried.
“No.” She said before beginning to weep. A million thoughts ran through my head. Marie was always strong; she would never call anyone crying.
“I need to take Scott to the hospital, but I’m at work. Can you come pick me up?” Marie asked her voice thick. That’s all I needed to hear, my nephew was in trouble. I jumped up and began shoving a pair of jeans on and tried to find a clean t-shirt. I grabbed my keys and wrote Tanya a note and took off to my car. I drove to the Starbuck’s a recklessly, but I got there in record time. Marie was sitting on the curb, her eyes were bright red. It was obvious she was crying, but since she didn’t want to cry in front of me, she forced herself to stop. She opened the car door before I even came to a complete halt and sat in the passengers seat.
“Jane is taking him to the hospital, we’re meeting him there. What are you waiting for? Drive!” She barked.
I hastily pulled back out onto the road and began speeding to the hospital. “What’s wrong with him?” I asked concerned.
Marie wiped the corner of her eyes. “ I don’t even know,” She admitted, “but Jane knows what she’s talking about, so it has to be serious.” She said before crying again. I squeezed her arm. “Scott’s going to be okay, he was Staal cells.”
She let out a shaky chuckle. “He has to be.”

I dropped her off at the entrance of the hospital before parking. I jogged to get into the lobby room and saw her talking to a doctor, she was crying again. I walked up and put an arm around her.
“ Your son has a severe lung infection that is compromising his breathing, so we have him on a ventilator. With him only being around four months, this puts him in risk of the rest of his organs shutting down. We are also afraid that one of his lungs might collapse, which might make him have to have surgery. We believe that if he would have to have surgery, he wouldn’t survive it.” The doctor explained.
I exhaled loudly and rubbed my eyes. That did not sound good at all. Jordan’s son could die before he even knew he had one. I could not let that happen.

Jordan’s POV

I was on a road trip on Atlanta rooming with TK; we were both taking our pre-game naps when my phone began to obnoxiously go off. I groaned and looked at Tyler, I know he would kill me if it woke him up. Luckily for me, he was still on his stomach clutching onto the pillow. I snorted and took a picture of him before answering the phone.
“What’s up bro? Do you really not want the Penguins to win so bad that you wake me up during my pre-game nap?” I asked jokingly.
“Jordan, I need to tell you something.” Eric said unusually serious.
“Okay, shoot.” I said walking out into the hallway.
“You know how you had sex with Marie at Christmas?” Eric said bitterly.
My jaw dropped. “How did you kn-“ I began to ask before he rudely interrupted me.
“Jordan,” He said kindly, “you don’t know this, but Marie got pregnant that night. And now your son is dying in the hospital.”
I began laughing like a crazy man, that’s the only thing I knew what to do. It seemed eerie to my own ears, like it wasn’t real. Like this whole mess couldn’t be real. “Ha ha, very funny Eric. You got me.” I finally squeaked out.
Eric didn’t flinch. “I suggest you get a flight to Raleigh as soon as you can, I’ll tell Mom and Dad if you want me to.
“No, don’t tell them. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” I said my voice hollow before throwing my cell phone down the hallway. I sank down and leaned against the wall, putting my head on my knees. No, no, no, no. I couldn’t have a child. I couldn’t have a dying child with Marie Haefner. My high school sweetheart. How did she raise it without me? I was stunned, how could she not tell me?! It was my fucking child too, but she kept it from me. I’m supposed to marry a girl this summer. How am I supposed to get married when I have a child? A little-itty, human being that’s half of me. Something that I made. Some one that I’m supposed to love, support, and always, unconditionally be there for. I knew that my child was dying, but I didn’t even know if it was a boy or girl. I was just twenty-one, I wasn’t ready for a child. I was just an immature child in a man’s body. I was engaged, yet I have had sex with women besides my fiancée. I still love to drink and play foolish games. A father cannot be doing this. A father has to be responsible, stable, and always ready for disaster. This whole time I’ve been living a lie. I’ve been thinking I’m some one, but for some one else, I should be playing a completely different role. And Marie. Thinking of Marie made my head pound unbearably. Beautiful, compassionate, eighteen year old, Marie. How was she being a mother? How was she dealing with whatever is going on with the child in the hospital? How the hell did Eric know, but I didn’t? How many other people knew before I did? Finally, I got myself together enough to go back into the room. I grabbed my suitcase and called Coach Dan. It went straight to his voicemail. “Dan, I’m sorry, but there’s a family emergency.” I tried to explain, not wanting to tell him the whole thing. “Some one very close to the family is dying, I have to be there. Call me later and I’ll explain everything. Tell the guys what I told you.” I said before flipping my phone shut. I considered telling Olivia, but I quickly decided not to. If I thought I was flipping out, she would flip out even more. I couldn’t deal with her anymore. I took a cab to the airport and somehow managed to snag a ticket to a flight that I had to run to catch. I leaned back for the hour and a half flight. The whole time questions were flying through my find. Is it a boy or girl? How sick is it? How did Eric now? How is Marie doing? How is Marie supporting it? How is Marie going to college? How is Marie living on her own? I knew I would just be torturing myself if I kept wondering, so I put in my iPod and tried desperately to stop thinking.

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&
“Can you take me to the hospital please?” I asked the cab driver.
“But that’s so far away!” He complained. I swiftly took out my wallet and showed him three fifty-dollar bills.
As soon as he saw the bills, he snatched them and began driving. I watched the familiar city fly by, no longer finding it was beautiful as I used to. The cab finally got to the hospital and I walked into the waiting room. I saw her beautiful brown curls right away. She was hunched over in a chair with her face in her hands, her whole body shaking from sobbing so hard. Eric was next to her, gingerly trying to comfort her. I ran towards the scene skidding to a stop in front of them
“Marie? What’s going on?” I asked finally let my emotions run wild. I was fucking scared.
She looked up at me, her eyes a scary red before standing up slowly. I expected her to hug me, begging for comfort and forgiveness. Turns out I didn’t know Marie as well as I thought I did, because all I got was a harsh slap in the face.