Royce (10 page)

Kasey was too cold to care what he did, then suddenly she was burning up. When she tried to get away from the heat, he held her firmly while speaking to her. After what seemed like an eternity, she started to feel better. Soon, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

~~~

Royce held her until he was sure she was all right. Her body was lax against his, but still he held her in the tub for a little while longer. When he was sure she wasn’t going to start shaking again, he stood up and took her into his bedroom.

He laid her on the floor, mindful about the soaking wraps on her arm and leg. His main concern was that she wasn’t cold and that she seemed to be sleeping well. He wrapped two big towels around the wet elastic and then piled more towels on the mattress after he dried her off. He then put a large towel around her hair and picked her up. He put her into his bed and went to put on some clothes.

He’d worn his boxers in the tub with her and nothing else. His wet clothes were on the floor and he bent to pick them up as he dialed his mother. She answered on the first ring.

“Where the hell are you two? I’ve been worried sick that you’d had an accident on the way here. When are you coming?”

“She got a chill. Bad. I called Doctor Carmichael and told him what was happening and he told me to put her in a tub of water. My house was closer than hers so I brought her here. When she wakes up, I’m to take her into the emergency room and he’ll make sure her injuries are all right.”

“Is she all right now then?”

Royce looked down at Kasey’s sleeping face. “I think so. She’s sleeping. Mom, I’m sorry, but I’m not going to marry her. All we ever do is fight and I don’t love her.”

She didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “All right. We should wait like you said to make any kind of arrangements for the child…if there is one.”

He sat on the edge of the bed and watched her. He told his mom that he’d talk to her later and hung up. He brushed his fingers over Kasey’s cheek and smiled at how soft it was. “Oh, Kasey,” he said softly. “What am I going to do with you? You come into my life demanding that I badge in and set my entire world on its side. Now you could be carrying my child and all I can think of is whether it will have eyes the same as yours or your temper. And I don’t even know if there is a kid yet.”

Three hours later, he took her to the emergency room. The doctor decided that even though she was doing fine, he didn’t like the sound of her lungs. He wanted to keep her for a bit longer. He also agreed to do a pregnancy test.

Royce was pacing the hall outside of the little room she was in when he saw the doctor. Doctor Carmichael had a straight face as he approached him so Royce wasn’t sure if it was good news or…or something else. Royce started to follow him in the room when he stopped him.

“You can’t hear the answer, Royce. The results are hers and hers alone. If she wants to tell you then that’s fine, but you’ll have to wait until then.”

“But it’s my kid. I have a right to know as much as she does.” The doctor merely raised a brow. “Ask her. Ask her if I can hear.”

“Okay, but wait out here until I ask her. I don’t want it said that you forced her in any way.”

Royce nodded.

It seemed so long from the time since the doctor left him in the hall until he came back out. But it was probably only a few seconds. Before he let him in, the doctor held him still.

“She said you can come in, but you’re to keep your mouth shut—her words not mine. She said if you piss her off any more than you have, she’ll hurt you. Do you understand?” Royce nodded, but the doctor wasn’t finished. “This is from me. You make her cry and I’ll castrate you. She’s been through a lot in the past few days and I won’t have you upsetting her. You understand that?”

“Yes, sir.” Royce repeated that he understood and they went into the room.

She looked so pale lying there. He wanted to hold her hand, touch her in some way, but the way she was covered up, her arms under the blanket, screamed to leave her alone. He sat on the couch somehow knowing that either answer was going to be hard to take.

“You’re pregnant, Kasey. If what you’ve told me is correct then you should be due right around the tenth of February. I can recommend a good doctor if you’d like or you can find one on your own.”

Royce leaned back on the chair. Pregnant. Kasey was carrying his child. He stood up suddenly and then sat back down. He wasn’t sure what to do.

“She’s been…with all this going on, is the baby going to be all right?” He hadn’t realized he’s asked the question until they both turned to him. “I know it’s early, but the stress, it won’t hurt it, will it?”

Doctor Carmichael turned to Kasey before answering. “No, but I want you to try and rest a bit more. Get in to see a doctor as soon as you can. That’ll start you off on the right foot. Do you have any questions, honey? This is a lot to take in.”

“I’m fine. I’m…can I go home now? I want to go home now. Please.” She sounded slightly panicky, but then took a deep breath. “I think I’ll feel better about this after I let it sink in. I would like to go now, please.”

“Of course. I would really like for you to stay, but I can understand that you need to be alone. You take a few days and get used to the idea. And let me be the first to congratulate you. You’re going to be fine, Kasey, just fine.”

The doctor walked out and left them, assuring them he’d have the nurse bring in her paperwork so she could get on her way. Royce stood up, walked over to her, and laid his hand on hers. She moved away.

“I want to go home. My home. If you’re going to give me a hard time about it then I’ll call a cab. I don’t want to argue with you tonight.” She turned her head away from him. “Tell me right now so I can call someone.”

“I want you to come home with me, but I understand. But I’ll come by tomorrow. We have things to discuss and how things are going to play from now on.”

She nodded, but he wasn’t sure she was listening. “Just take me home, please.”

Chapter 10

Kasey got up at just after eleven that night after tossing and turning for two hours. It wasn’t like she wasn’t exhausted because she was, but her mind simply wouldn’t shut down. After fixing herself a glass of tea she pulled out her laptop and began looking things up and making herself lists. The first thing she searched for was a doctor.

There were over a dozen doctors in the immediate area, more if she wanted to travel a bit. While she was doing a rundown, she supposed it would be called, she started writing down questions she’d ask whomever she decided to go with.

She knew that Royce would help her if she asked—she was reasonably sure he’d insist, but this was her body and, for now, her baby. Giving the baby up for adoption was not completely out of the question, but it was low on the things to consider list. She wrote “adoption” on the top of another sheet with pros and cons after it.

The doctors she picked out from the list on the website she put on another sheet. There were three of them. She decided to call that doctor from the emergency room and ask his opinion. Also, she knew a couple of women from work who’d given birth recently and she was going to ask them as well.

By four in the morning, she had filled out three pages of questions and two more of things she needed more information on. Before she went back to bed she started another sheet with two more columns. The pros and cons of having the baby.

She wasn’t going to abort, there wasn’t even any question of her doing it, but there were other things to consider. Her living arrangements for one.

She knew she could live with her uncle and aunt. But did she want that? There was a lot to think about, like why she wouldn’t, or what benefits she would gain, if any, if she did move in with them. Suzy would be the biggest issue.

She was used to being the center of attention. And the baby would be first and foremost in everyone’s mind. Then there were the times that Suzy had temper tantrums, bordering on violent at times. Would she harm the baby, or even Kasey for that matter?

Kasey knew her current job would be okay with the baby hours. She could pretty much work whenever she needed to. But she was a realist enough to know she wasn’t going to have enough money for the extras when the baby got older. Not that she knew what those would be, but she was sure they were expensive.

Kasey looked around her little one-bedroom home. Not enough room here either. Maybe at first, but later as the baby needed more equipment, she’d be hard pressed to put anything extra in the room, including a crib.

And what did she even know about babies? Nothing really. She had no brothers or sisters, not a single cousin, and had never even babysat for anyone’s kids. She knew the basics, but nothing else.

Depressed, she went to her room. She’d decided that if she got a start on her work now, if she needed a nap later on today, she could be ahead of the game. After taking a good sponge bath, she got dressed in some comfy clothes and went back to the table correcting term papers and making corrections on quizzes she’d been asked to grade. It was almost seven when someone knocked on the door. She frowned when she saw Mrs. Hunter there.

“Hello, dear. I came to tell you how thrilled I am about the baby. I can’t tell you how happy I was when Royce told me last night.”

“I see. Well, thanks.” Kasey didn’t know what she should do now. Inviting her in seemed over the top to her, but apparently Mrs. Hunter thought differently.

“I was wondering if I could come in and speak to you about some things?” Kasey hesitated. “I won’t be long, and I promise I’m not here to try and talk you into anything like marrying Royce. I want to, but I won’t.”

“All right,” Kasey agreed, and opened the door wider and stepped back. She turned to gather her notes up, but a few of them dropped to the floor.

Bending was nearly impossible as sore as she was, so she was grateful when Mrs. Hunter helped her until she froze in place. She was staring at one of the lists she’d made. From her stricken expression, Kasey assumed it wasn’t something she liked.

“I’m just making myself notes. I do better when I have things all lined up in neat little rows. I get more accomplished that way too.”

Mrs. Hunter looked up from the paper into Kasey’s eyes. “Are you giving the baby up for adoption? Or is this simply a threat you plan to use to get more money out of him?”

Kasey took a step back. Mrs. Hunter couldn’t have hurt her more if she’d just slapped her. Putting all the notes, including the ones she jerked from the older woman’s hand, on the counter Kasey went to the door. She was afraid to speak, so she simply held the door open. When Mrs. Hunter didn’t move Kasey brushed at her tears and looked at her. “Get out.”

“Kasey, I need to—” Mrs. Hunter started.

“I said to get the fuck out of my house.”

When she finally moved toward the door Kasey braced herself for another blow—verbal or physical. She expected both if she was honest with herself, and actually looked forward to tangling with her.

“I didn’t mean to say that. But you wrote it down. Women have done less to get money from a rich man and I made—”

“And you know me so well that you can believe something so vile, so horrible of me?” Kasey wiped again at the tears. “I’m very sorry that I’m not one of the elite women your sons are used to hanging around with. But I was born on the wrong side of the tracks, as well at the sheets, for that matter. I’m not Ivy League educated, but I worked hard for my education. I work hard, pay my taxes the same as the almighty Hunters. I’m even pretty sure I put my pants on the same as you too. If you want to treat me as less than you, fine. But know this right now, I will give this child up in a heartbeat if my choice is you people with your snotty airs rather than some guy who works forty hours a week and treats others with respect.”

“Kasey, I—”

“I want you to get out of my house and never come here again. None of you. Just…I just want you to leave me the fuck alone.”

Kasey closed the door gently after Mrs. Hunter walked out. After turning the lock Kasey went to her room and stretched out on the bed. Angry and hurt tears burned her eyes. Even as she rolled to her side she knew that she shouldn’t have said those things. Royce would be pissed at her. Again. Kasey closed her eyes and tried to relax, but after laying there for two minutes she got up, hobbled to the bathroom, and threw up. After that she simply lay down and fell into an exhausted sleep.

~~~

Royce didn’t know what to think. His mom had come into his office an hour ago sobbing. All he’d understood was Kasey, sheets, and something about blue collar workers raising and loving their families. It had taken him until a few minutes ago to understand what had happened.

“I hurt her so badly, Royce. The look…I shouldn’t have said those things to her. I had no right to say anything to her. I should have just let you handle it as you said you would.”

He didn’t want to be pissed. He didn’t want to be pissed at either of them, but as far as he was concerned both of them had handled this very badly.

“Mom, I’m sure that once Kasey thinks about it she’ll realize that you meant her no harm.” And if she didn’t, he’d make sure she did understand. “By now she’s probably thinking she overreacted and is sorry for the entire thing.” Again, something he was going to make sure she saw.

But the adoption thing bothered him. Why would she immediately assume he wouldn’t want to raise the child if she didn’t want to? Of course he’d told her he didn’t want to get married, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hire someone to help him with his kid. It wasn’t as though he couldn’t afford it. Much better than she could, as a matter of fact. He’d been working on a budget for her when his mom had come in. Bobbie came in after a short knock.

“Oh, my, what’s happened?” And that set his mom off again. Sometimes, Royce was glad he didn’t live around a bunch of women. This was a prime example why he was going to remain single.

But Bobbie seemed to catch on a lot faster than he had. A woman thing, he figured. But Bobbie, for all her help in the office, was quick to point out what she thought about both him and his mother’s faults. And there were plenty.