Bad Behavior

Chapter 8: Ash

Fuck hangovers.
I grabbed two aspirins and downed them with the rest of my coffee. My head hurt like a bitch and all that yelling earlier didn't help at all... although kissing Cassia made me temporarily forget about the pain.
God, that was a good kiss.
So much better than the girl last night.
Talk about disappointing.
My phone started to ring from across the room snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Hey, E." I answered. "Been a while. How's everything?"
"Good. Great. Fantastic!" Ethan laughed hysterically. "Sarah's going into labor right now and I'm freaking out. I didn't know who to call."
"Well, shit! Tell me you got her to the hospital before you called me!"
"Yeah. Yeah, we just got here. She's in a room now with her mom." He took a deep breath in. "I just don't know what to do. I feel so helpless, ya know? Like, she's over here screaming and yelling and in so much pain and I was the one who did this to her!"
"Don't think like that! You've both been wanting a baby for so long and now that day has finally come. It's a days worth of pain for a lifetime full of happiness."
I put the phone's speaker on and began getting dressed.
"But you don't see her face every time a contraction hits." He sighed. "It's killing me seeing her like this."
"Dude, women are pretty fucking bad ass. They do this shit all the damn time. Sarah's going to be fine, I promise."
"I know. I know you're right." He took a deep breath in. "Are you doing something right now? Do you think you can stop by for a little bit?"
"I'm already on my way." I replied grabbing my keys off my dresser. "I'll be there soon."
"Thanks, man."
I hung up the phone, climbed into my Jeep, and raced to the hospital.
"Hi," I smiled to the cute redhead behind the front desk. "Where's the giving birth area... or whatever it's called?"
She laughed.
"Labor and delivery is going to be to the left all the way down this hall." She pointed behind her.
"Got it, thank you."
"Hold on." She smiled as she reached for a pen and sticky note. "You might get lost so I'll write the directions for you."
Listen, lady, I'm not fucking stupid I know-
She handed me the yellow paper with her number on it.
Oh.
"Perfect." I winked to her before turning and walking down the hall.
I shoved the paper in my back pocket
I'll definitely be hitting her up tonight.
When I walked into the waiting room I saw Ethan shaking his leg up and down furiously.
"Oh, thank god!" He got up from his seat and wrapped me into a tight bear hug. "Thanks for coming."
He squeezed the breath out of me.
"Of course." I replied once he let go of me. "I'd be a pretty shit friend if I didn't come."
He gave a dry laugh before sitting back down.
"What the hell, man?" I took the seat across from him and rubbed my ribs. "You living at the gym these days? I swear you get bigger every time I see you."
He laughed and scratched his buzzed head.
"I've been so stressed out with all of this baby prep so I go to the gym to relax."
"Old habits die hard, huh?"
"Yeah, I guess so." He snorted. "I kind of miss it you know."
"Miss what?"
"The Marines."
My eyes widened.
"You're not thinking of going back are you?" I asked.
He opened his mouth and then shut it.
"You can't be serious, E!" My voice was growing louder. "You're about to be a fucking dad in a couple of hours. You can't be thinking like that!"
"Trust me, I know that!" He shrugged. "But if we never got pregnant in the first place then I'd go back. I just don't know what to do with my life out of the Marines... like at all."
"Stop talking like that. You're doing just fine!"
"Yeah, I'm doing just fine working as an insurance agent. I'm doing just fine stuck in a job that I hate. I'm doing just fine worrying about the next fourth years of my life and how they'll be spent in a small cramped office cubicle that smells like feet and pizza rolls and covered in nothing but a boring ugly gray!"
"Then find a new fucking job!" I threw my hands up in the air. "Problem solved."
"I think you're forgetting that I never went on to college and got a degree in anything. Do you know how hard it is to find a job that doesn't pay minimum wage and doesn't require some kind of degree? I'll give you a hint. It's fucking impossible!"
"Then go back to school and get that damn criminal justice degree so you can be a cop like you've been wanting since the fifth grade!"
Ethan shook his head.
"I can't do that." He sighed. "We've got bills to pay, rent to pay, and having a baby is so god damn expensive."
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Bull shit! You know money isn't the issue here. Sarah's one of those fancy engineers and is easily making five, six figures." I pointed at him. "You're just scared of going back to school."
"I was shit in high school, okay?" he rubbed his eyes. "What if nothing's changed and I'm still shit in school? Then it's just a waste of time and money!"
"It's not going to be a waste because this time you won't be doing it just for you or just to graduate, you'll be doing it for your family. Anyways, you've got a couple years to think about it... at least until the baby's in school or whatever. Just think about it, E."
"Yeah," He nodded slowly. "You're right."
He laughed to himself.
"God, it's been while since I've bitched out like that." He shook his head. "Enough about me. How've you been though? You seem uncharacteristically optimistic today."
"I've been hanging out with someone who's constantly hopeful and naive." I chuckled. "I guess it's contagious."
"Hopeful is not a word I would describe you as, you're right. But naive? Now that's debatable."
"You shit!" I laughed.
"You know it's true." He held up his hands.
I flipped him off.
"Jade's in town." I switched the topic.
"Oh, fuck!" He sat up straight in his chair. "Have you seen her?"
"No... not yet at least."
"Damn, it's been what? Four years since you last saw her?"
"Five."
"Mateo's still with her?"
I nodded.
"And you're okay with all of this?"
"Fuck no."
"Are you even going to control yourself around the two of them together?"
"Probably not. I saw Mateo and wanted to knock him out the second I laid eyes on him."
"Then you should be avoiding them at all costs!"
"I've got a backup plan."
"Do I even want to know?"
"Probably not."
He shook his head and leaned back in his chair.
"Okay," he sighed. "Whatever you do just don't be calling me from a holding cell anytime soon, okay?"
"Deal."
*****
It was mid afternoon when Ethan woke me up from my uncomfortable nap on the hospital chairs.
"Hey," he beamed as he nudged my shoulder. "You want to come and meet my daughter?"
"It's a girl?" I shuffled to my feet.
"Yeah," His eyes glazed over and his smile never faltered. "I have a baby girl. Hannah."
"Dude," I wrapped him in a hug. "I'm so fucking happy for you. Congrats!"
"Thanks." He patted my back before I pulled away.
"Are you sure you want me in there? All your family's in there. I don't want to intrude."
"You damn near are my family." He punched me in the shoulder. "You're like the brother I've always wanted."
"But you have a brother."
"Yeah, and you've met the little shit. I meant what I said."
I laughed.
"So?" He nodded his head in the direction of the room. "You coming or not?"
"Hell yeah."
I followed Ethan to the room where Sarah and her mom were camped out in.
Sarah laid on the bed talking to her mom across the room who was holding the tiny baby.
"Hey, Ash." Sarah smiled weakly. "Thanks for coming."
"Of course." I took a seat on the side of her bed and grabbed her hand. "Are you sure you just had a baby? Because you look way too good to have been in labor for four hours."
"Six." She corrected.
"Six hours later and you still look like a goddess." I kissed the top of her hand and set it down.
"Would you quit that?" Ethan slapped the back of my neck. "She's still my wife, you know."
"You're a lucky man, E." I winked her.
"Thanks, Ash." She patted her hand on my knee.
"Mrs. C, how are you these days?" I turned to face Sarah's mother. "My god, you look very nice yourself. You don't look a day over forty. I swear you've got some great genes in your family."
"You're so full of it." She laughed. "Always the sweet talker."
"I can't help but speak the truth." I shrugged smirking.
"Careful now, that mouth of yours could get you into some trouble."
"Trouble is a word he's all too familiar with, Mom." Sarah chuckled.
"Oh, I bet." She walked towards me. "Hold out your arms and don't forget to support her neck, okay?"
I nodded.
She carefully passed the baby from her arms to mine.
"She's so light." I whispered. "And tiny."
Hannah was sleeping and swaddled in a soft yellow blanket with a matching yellow hat.
"You guys did this." I said looking up at Sarah and Ethan. "You made her."
"It's wild." Sarah replied.
"I think I'm still in shock." Ethan added.
Sarah looked up at him pointedly
"In a good way!" He defended.
I looked back down at Hannah. Her tiny hand with her tiny little fingers poked out of her blanket.
"One day you'll have one of your own, Ash." Sarah's voice softened.
"And then we can have play dates together and then complain and drink a couple cold ones while our kids do whatever it is they do." Ethan laughed to himself.
"I don't think so." I shook my head. "I can't go through all of that again."
"But it won't happen again, that's the thing." Sarah sighed.
"It's a risk I'm not willing to take." I shrugged.
I looked down at Hannah and her little nose and chubby cheeks.
But damn, with the right woman it'd be a risk worth taking.
My phone buzzed underneath me and the ring tone startled Hannah awake. She started crying.
"Shit. Shit. Shit." I held her away from my body. "What do I do?"
Ethan laughed and took the wailing baby out of my hands.
"You gonna answer that?"
"Oh. Yeah." I took my phone out of my pocket and slipped outside into the hall. "Hello?"
"Hi, Ashton. How are you?"
"Um, hey Mom." I narrowed my eyes. "I'm fine... Is everything alright?"
"Yes, of course. I just wanted to invite you and Cassia over for brunch Wednesday morning. It's a small celebration for Mateo. He got a job out here. Isn't that great?"
Fuck no, it's not.
"Yeah, sure. I'll text Cassia to see if she's free and let you know."
"Alright, sounds good. Talk to you later."
"Bye."
I threw my head back and groaned.
I don't want to deal with Mateo again.
But if it's a celebration for him that means Jade's going to be there, right?
Mom wouldn't invite Cassia, a stranger to her, if it was strictly family.
But is it worth it?
To see her face after all this time?
'You free Wednesday?' I texted Cassia.
She was quick to reply.
'I can be... what's up?'
'Brunch. You down?'
'You still owe me payment for the last time.'
'And I'll pay up... soon. So you down?'
'For free food? Hell yeah!'
I smiled at my screen.
'Cool. Pick you up then? Or do you still not trust me?'
'Sure... You've proven yourself not to be a serial killer.'
'I'm flattered.'
'See ya Friday.'
'See ya then, honey bunches.'
'Mmm, nope. Too much.'
'Sweetheart?'
'Better.'
'Babe?'
'Sure.'
'Alright. See ya then, babe.'
I turned my phone off and shoved it back into my pocket. I stopped myself from walking through the door when I saw Sarah holding Hannah and Ethan holding Sarah. They looked so happy. There was a sparkle in both of their eyes that wasn't there before. They made having a family look tempting.
They almost had me considering the idea.
Almost.