by Andrea Smith
“You need to go to Exam Room 3, Stacie,” the receptionist said as I let out a hard sigh and headed toward the doorway where Stacie looked at me as if I should have known the deal from the get.
“Seriously?” I asked, following her down the hallway to Exam Room #3, “Uh… you want me back there while you are…“
She knew where I was going with this and started laughing at my apparent ignorance. “I’m not getting a pelvic exam this time, Emmett. No worries about having to see my naked vajayjay again,” she said loud enough that everyone else mulling about the hallway turned to look and then snicker at my fucking expense. I’d love to tell them I have no idea what the hell her vajayjay looked like anyway. And besides that, weren’t they all pretty much the same?
Yeah, I was not one to focus on the aesthetics of a pussy. Go ahead, call me a selfish son-of-a-bitch, but I was pretty much all about how my cock felt inside of it. I didn’t do oral unless I was in a committed relationship which, up until this point, hadn’t happened. With me right now it was all about the sex and getting my satisfaction in the deal. Plus you never knew where these groupie chicks had been and who the hell had been emptying their DNA into them. Speaking of which, my mission was to pull the doctor aside and ask about DNA testing now. Slade told me they could actually do a test while the chick was still pregnant, once she reached a certain point in the pregnancy. I hadn’t mentioned my plan to Stacie. There was no need for another same day meltdown.
I followed her down the corridor to the specified exam room. Pretty much what I expected. Not much different than a regular doctor’s exam room, well, except for those steel stirrups attached to the end of the paper cover padded table.
Stacie hopped up on the end of the table, her bare legs showing a summer tan and I was kind of curious as to how she’d been spending her time while I was on the road. I wasn’t sure why I really cared. “Looks like you’ve been getting some sun,” I commented, taking a seat in the one chair located in the corner of the examining room.
“Well… yeah, I mean keeping the trailer clean doesn’t take up all of my time. I hang with Katie and Andrew a lot. I mean it beats the hell out of sitting around watching T.V. and getting huge.”
“Makes sense,” I replied, finding it difficult to have idle chit-chat with a girl–woman who I really didn’t know.
“Oh, and just so you know, I’ve not wasted the money you left or the money you sent while you were on the road. I put a big hunk of it down on my doctor bill in advance, so don’t worry about that, and I have some baby items in lay-away at Wal-Mart. So you know you can trust me not to behave foolishly with money. I know you work hard for it.”
The last part almost sounded a touch sarcastic, but I wasn’t going to nitpick, especially since she seemed to be taking her share of responsibility.
“Glad to hear that,” I replied, “I know this hasn’t been easy on you either, Stacie. So it’s cool that you’re using your head when it comes to handling the money part of it.”
She beamed at me for the praise.
The door opened and a nurse came inside carrying her file. “Hello Stacie,” she chirped and then looked over at me with a bit of judgment showing, “And who have we here?”
Before I could respond, Stacie blurted out, “This is Emmett, the baby’s father. Remember I told you he was out on tour with his band at my last appointment? That was why he couldn’t be here, but he came with me today. I told him I was getting an ultrasound.”
“I see,” she said with a nod, turning back to Stacie. “Well, first things first. Come out here so I can get your weight and blood pressure.”
Stacie hopped off the table, to follow her and called back over her shoulder to me, “Be back in a couple, babe.”
Babe?
I wondered what kind of a fantasy story Stacie had going with the staff here about our… situation. For shit’s sake, this wasn’t 1955. Or maybe the fantasy was a private one in her own head, in which case it was up to me to set her straight.
Once she returned, the nurse instructed her to lie back on the table.
“Are Mom and Dad ready?” she remarked sweetly, slipping on a pair of latex gloves. I noticed her demeanor towards me had definitely improved since they came back in, which made me wonder what kind of spin Stacie had put on our relationship.
“Yes!” Stacie exclaimed happily.
“Sure,” I responded.
The nurse flipped a button on a machine situated next to the examining table, instructed Stacie to pull her top up so she could get to her bare belly, and then squirted a glob of what looked like lube on it.
The nurse, whose nametag read ‘Judy,’ took a wand and rubbed the head of it around in the lube on Stacie’s belly, and looked back over at the monitor. The noises coming from the machine sounded like swishing water, and then the rhythmic beat of a heart was heard, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make all of this seem even more real, almost palpable.
“Can you hear the baby’s heartbeat, Emmett?” Stacie asked excitedly, “Isn’t that something?”
“Yeah,” I replied, a smile forming, “Yeah, it sure is.”
Nurse Judy pointed out the shadowy parts of the baby’s anatomy but, to be honest, it wasn’t a 3D machine so I simply took her word for it.
“Now, do you want to know the sex of the baby?” she asked, looking back and forth to the both of us.
I didn’t respond because really, it should be Stacie’s call. I was fucked either way.
“Yes!” Stacie replied enthusiastically. “That’s the main reason I wanted Emmett here so we can share the surprise together.”
“Very well,” Judy replied, moving the wand downward just a bit. “Congratulations you two, it looks like you’re going to be blessed with a healthy baby girl in a few months.”
“A girl! Yay!” Stacie squealed in obvious delight. “Girls are so much more fun to buy for, not that I don’t love my nephew Andrew, but I really wanted a girl. Isn’t that exciting, Emmett?”
Judy was now looking over at me, giving me the stink eye, apparently, for not sharing Stacie’s enthusiasm. I wasn’t good at faking shit. This wasn’t an ideal situation, or one I could pretend I was happy about.
A girl. Maybe even my daughter, once paternity was established. My mind quickly flashed for a response I didn’t feel.
“Excuse me,” I said, turning towards the door to leave because, in this moment, the walls were closing in on me, and the air was thick with the unsaid. “I’ll be out in the waiting room Stacie. Uh, don’t forget to ask about the paternity test.”
I didn’t stick around to wait for her reaction, because I just couldn’t deal with any further meltdowns right now.
I walked outside and sat on the front steps of the clinic, waiting for her to come out. I prepared myself for whatever emotional outburst she was going to spring on me. I wished I had a shot of whiskey at that moment.
Ten minutes later she was out, and her weapon of choice turned out to be the silent treatment which was fine by me. We returned to the trailer in silence.
She jumped out of the truck before I shut it off, stomping down the drive towards the main road.
“Stacie!” I hollered, “Where the hell are you going?”
“Away from here, you simple son of a bitch! Don’t worry about it!”
I threw my hands up in the air, shaking my head in absolute frustration. What a fucked up day.
What the fuck ever.
Chapter 9
I was ass deep in catching up on the dirty laundry I’d brought back from the tour. While I waited for the next load to finish in the washer, I dug around in the freezer for something to thaw out for dinner when, suddenly, there was a loud pounding on my front door.
My window A/C unit was humming on high, so I turned it down to low before I opened the door. There stood a chick who looked to be about my
age who I’d never seen before, but she was wearing a pissed-off look that could only be explained by her having crossed paths with Crazy Stacie. I stood there and waited for her to state her business.
“Are you Emmett?” she snapped, and I noticed her green eyes were flashing emerald daggers. I scoped the rest of her out as she stood there, hands on hips as if I had interrupted her by my presence in my own home.
“I am.”
“Well, your girlfriend is over at my place where, by the way, she’s been for the past hour and a half, crying her eyes out. I have no idea what I can do to calm her down. Maybe it’s none of my business, but you’re the one who knocked her up, and now I’m the one who’s tasked with giving her emotional support. Is that how it works for you?”
“Excuse me? Who the hell are you and why is this any of your business?” I snapped back, shooting my own glare right back at her.
The agitated chick pushed right past me and, without invitation, came inside my home and headed directly to Stacie’s room.
What the hell?
“Excuusse me,” I barked, because who the hell did this chick think she was? And ballsy chicks didn’t impress me at all.
“Oh there is no excuse for you!” she snapped, stopping only to turn and shoot me another glare. “My name is Olivia. I live on the next lane over and I actually just met Stacie. She wants her tablet and ear buds. I came to get them for her and then I promise, Rock Star Stud, I will gladly depart your domain with pleasure,” she replied, as she turned and went into Stacie’s bedroom.
I stopped in the doorway, and scratched my jaw as I watched her go over to the dresser, pull open the top drawer, and grab the aforementioned items. Funny, I lived in this particular mobile home park for a year, but I’d never seen her around, not that I really socialized much.
She was fairly tall, with long, toned legs, a perky ass, and long, blondish-brown hair that looked sun-streaked. She had it pulled up into a ponytail that swung back and forth angrily as she gathered up Stacie’s stuff and crammed it into the backpack on her bed.
“Look,” I said, stepping towards her, “I’m not sure why you’re being so nasty but, putting that aside, how exactly did you meet Stacie?”
She turned around in a huff, exhaling a deep breath which blew some of the hair wisps framing her face away from her damp skin. “It’s hotter than hell in here,” she remarked. “What? Doesn’t Stacie’s room deserve some A/C?”
I crossed my arms and gave her a snarky smile. “As long as she’s able to press the “on” button,” I replied, nodding toward the back wall.
She looked back and saw the window unit. “Oh… so no central A/C. Lovely. I bet that’s a real bitch in her condition.”
She started towards the doorway to leave, but I shifted my position so the doorway was now blocked. I needed Olivia’s story on this. “You didn’t answer my question Olivia. How is it you know Stacie?”
“I told you I just met her,” she snapped. “She was sitting over at the park playground, crying her eyes out. Our trailer sits right next to it, so I went over to see if I could help. She said she was afraid to go home and get some of her stuff. Not sure what you did to her, Bucko, but you must be some piece of work. Now if you’ll move aside, I’ll be happy as hell to get out of here.”
I smirked, thinking how easily she was taken in by Stacie’s sob story, not astute enough to know there was always another side to it. “Well of course, darlin’,” I drawled, moving to the side. “Wouldn’t want to keep your perky judgmental ass here any longer than necessary,” I replied with a wink.
“I’m sure you affect your groupies with that shit, Bucko. But it’s wasted on anyone with an I.Q.,” she remarked as she brushed past me, the light scent of lilac lingered behind. I heard the front door slam as Olivia-Whoever departed and, for some odd reason, I chuckled.
She’d see for herself what a sticky booger Stacie was when she tried to shake her off. It wouldn’t be long.
I fell asleep on the living room sofa, the television blaring, watching the six o’clock news. Yeah, it wasn’t like me, but I still felt like I was coming down off of the high from performing at all the venues the band had played over the past several weeks. It was like an adrenaline rush every night, and now it felt like my adrenaline needed a total refill. I was drained.
The sound of the front door slamming startled me awake, and I sprang up from the sofa, for a moment, forgetting where I was. I quickly was reminded when I saw Stacie’s sullen face.
It’s dark outside. Must be after nine.
“Waiting up for me?” Stacie muttered, “It’s so refreshing to see how much you care.”
I rubbed my eyes, and prepared for the discussion I should have had with her long before this. “Stacie, would you sit down for a minute. We need to talk.”
“Ooohh, ‘we need to talk’,” she mocked. “You know that’s never good news.” She plopped down on the sofa next to me, and rubbed her burgeoning belly. “I’m fine by the way. Olivia insisted I stay for dinner. I’m so lucky somebody in close proximity takes pity on me and the child I’m carrying. She’s a nice chick, you know? She’s new to the neighborhood. Came to take care of her mother who’s not doing well. I finally made my first friend in this trailer park, isn’t that nice?”
“That’s nice,” I replied, “I’m happy for you. Now, will you listen to what I have to say, please?”
She shrugged, “Yeah, sure. Go for it.”
I stood up and walked over to the fridge to grab a beer. Popping the tab, I took a big swallow and then moved back over so that I was standing in front of her. I wanted to make sure there was no confusion on her part of what I was about to say.
“Okay, this is how it is Stacie. I’m committed to taking responsibility for this baby. And aside from that, I’ve given you a place to live until the baby arrives. But there will be a paternity test done right after that, because I won’t be supporting another dude’s kid, do you understand?”
“Well, duh! I figured that out without being told. And it was so nice of you to blurt that out in the doctor’s office today, totally humiliating me. So, rest assured, after she’s born, we can have a paternity test done. It’s all the rage now I hear, with dudes who play and don’t want to pay.”
“Whatever,” I retorted, “But let me finish. This place, however humble it is, is not your playground. You need to stop with the stupid mind fuck games and playing the Poor Pitiful Me to the neighbors. No matter how this ends up, I will still be living here, and I don’t appreciate you stirring up shit with people I don’t even fucking know!”
“Wow,” she replied, her eyes narrowing, “Olivia must’ve really given you some harsh shit. Good for her.”
“I’m not fucking around here,” I snapped, “I can always send your ass back to your parents’ house. I’m not responsible for anything other than that kid you’re carrying, if it does turn out to be mine. Don’t test me on this.”
She gave a loud snort. “You know Ace will leave the band if you’re mean to me,” she blurted out, her immaturity had no bounds.
“That’s his choice,” I replied firmly. “I won’t be held captive by that.”
I turned and walked towards my room and, right before I opened the door, I heard her last word that she always had to have.
“Bastard.”
Chapter 10
“How many audition tapes we got, Coop?” I asked, putting my guitar back in the case as we finished up with our practice. The others had already left.
Coop and I made the decision that our newest song, Raging Heart, needed a female vocalist for harmony. We’d put an ad in Under the Radar a month ago. Because Fort Wayne wasn’t regarded as a music metropolis, like New York, L.A. or Nashville, we hadn’t expected many responses.
“Actually dude, we got ten auditions as of this morning in the Dropbox. I’ve listened to them all, have my opini
on, which I’ll keep to myself so as not to sway your judgment.”
I put my headphones on, while Coop pulled up the audio files for my review. Each file was given a number from “1” to “10.” I clicked on the first one and started listening, closing my eyes so I could feel the music.
Thirty minutes later, I clicked out of Dropbox, pulled off the headphones and rolled around in my chair. Coop was standing there, his arms crossed, waiting for my response.
“Number 6, man,” I said with no hesitation. “The song was made for her voice.”
“Right?” Coop replied enthusiastically, giving me a thumbs-up. “I mean, fuck, that voice.”
“No doubt,” I said, “She’s like Stevie Nicks and Hillary Scott rolled into one epic sound. Who is she?”
Coop leaned over and pulled up the Google Form for Number 6. “Name’s Liv Harris and we’re in luck. She’s local. She’s twenty-two, originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. She’s done some gigs at clubs there, and has references listed. Want me to call them?”
“First things first, Coop. Got to see if we have the vocal chemistry, know what I mean?”
“Well, actually no. It’s not like we’ve had a chick in the group before. She’s not going on the road with us; we’re just cutting a demo.”
“Yeah, I get that, but we’ve got to have her here live to see if her harmony blends with my melody for this number. Can you call and see if she can be here tomorrow afternoon? She can pick the time. I’m free all day… and night,” I finished with a sigh.
“Oh poor you,” Coop remarked, “Not like you’re doing without, is it man?”
I gave him a glare. “I’m not touching that again,” I admit. “So yeah, I’m pretty much going without. For now.”
“You’ll live,” Coop responded, giving me a slap on the back. “I’ll call you later once I have it set up.”
