Remi sighed as he packed his belongings up into his suitcase. He didn't want to stay in a house where all that he could think about was Marcelo. He wanted to go home. But what was home for him? He had no home.
After finishing up, Remi placed Paxton into his car before he came back and one by one, carried his suitcases to his car. He made sure that the suitcases were secured before he shut his trunk and opened the driver's side door, getting in. He gave the house one last look through his puffy, red eyes before he put the car in reverse and drove away.
It'd been a few days since everything happened. Remi cried himself to sleep every single night. Marcelo still hadn't answered his messages, and he hadn't been back to the house not once. The first time that Marcelo left, Remi knew that Marcelo was at his house, watching tv on his couch maybe. He knew where Marcelo was at all times. But now, he had no idea where Marcelo could be. That's how he knew that it was really over this time.
Marcelo was really gone.
Remi still hadn't told anyone about the baby. He was happy that he'd listened to his gut feeling and hadn't told the Reids about the baby before Marcelo left. He had no ties back to them now. He wasn't obligated to visit them every now and then to let them know how the baby was doing because they had no idea that he was even having Marcelo's baby.
No one knew.
But Remi knew that he had to tell someone. He knew exactly who that someone was. Mrs. Callum.
He wanted to ask if she could change his work hours. He wanted to drop his job at the library in general, but he couldn't. Not after everything that Mrs. Callum has done for him. It wouldn't be right of him to do that. Therefore, he just wanted his hours to be changed.
He wouldn't have to see Marcelo's best friend, Damon. No one would know when to come looking for him. If Marcelo came back, he'd think that Remi quit since Damon would never see him anymore. It was a perfect plan.
Remi held Paxton tight against himself as he opened the door to the library. His bump showed a bit from underneath his shirt, but there was no point in hiding it anymore. He didn't plan on seeing anyone that he didn't want to see.
He walked through the quiet atmosphere and landed at Mrs. Callum's office. He knocked softly. Mrs. Callum knew that knock anywhere. She stood up abruptly and opened the door. She didn't even worry about greeting Remi before she pulled him inside an looked him over. She looked upset herself.
"Remi! Darlin', where've you been the past few days? I've been worried sick." Mrs. Callum then analyzed Remi's face. His red cheeks and red and swollen eyes. "Oh, Remi. What happened, dear?"
That was all that it took for Remi to burst into tears. He shook hard as he cried. Mrs. Callum pulled Remi close and held him in a motherly way. She hadn't seen Remi cry like this since he very first arrived to the city at 18. She knew that whatever happened must be bad.
"Let it all out, sweetheart. I got you."
Remi clung to Mrs. Callum, scared that if he didn't, then she too would leave him.
As ten minutes passed, Mrs. Callum was rocking Remi side to side as they remained standing up, hugging. Remi eventually found a way to stop crying. He knew that it would just start back up later though. He pulled himself away from Mrs. Callum and wiped his face, his eyes even more puffy and red now.
"Honey, what happened to you?"
Remi looked up, the light of the room hurting his now sensitive eyes a bit.
"Mrs. C-Callu—"
"Just call me Ma if you want to, okay?"
Remi nodded.
"He... H-He left me."
"Who left you?"
"M... Marcelo."
Mrs. Callum's face fell. She looked at Remi and saw the devastation on his face. How upset he was. She looked at him with sympathy. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry. Did he know about what happened to you?" Remi nodded, yes, remembering when he'd very first told Marcelo about his situation growing up. "Do you know why he might've left."
"No, I-I woke up, and he was gone. He l-left me this," Remi said and pulled the envelope out of his pocket. He handed it to Mrs. Callum. She grabbed it and sat down at her desk. She put her reading glasses on as she opened it. Remi watched her expression change rapidly as her eyes scanned the letter. She paled and after a few seconds, she looked back up at Remi. Well, his stomach rather. It was only then that she noticed the bump underneath Remi's shirt.
"Remi, you're... you're pregnant?"
Remi nodded and looked down at his hands. He sniffed and wiped at a tear that slid down his cheek.
"Was the baby planned?"
Remi shook his head, no.
"Oh gosh. Okay... that's okay," Mrs. Callum said. She stood back up and walked back around to Remi. She pulled her seat next to his and pulled him to her side. "Everything's gonna be okay, Remi. You and the baby are gonna be just fine."
"B-But... I'm sc-scared, Ma."
"I know you are but don't be. I was a new parent once. I will help you through this. Just don't be afraid to come to me when you need something."
Remi nodded in reply.
"How far are you?"
"Only f-four months."
"Ah, so you get to find out the gender of the baby soon, huh?"
"Yeah, I g-guess."
Mrs. Callum frowned hearing Remi's upset tone. This really broke him.
"It's gonna be amazing, dear. This baby is gonna be a blessing despite all of this. You're gonna be an amazing parent so don't worry about anything. You're gonna love this baby with all of your heart so don't ever doubt yourself. You're gonna be just fine, hear?"
Remi once again nodded.
"And I'll get your schedule changed as soon as possible. You don't have to come in until I do so. When the time comes for you to take maternity leave, I'm gonna give you paid leave to make sure you get everything the baby needs. Just don't stress out. It's not good for you or the baby. Keep your head up, dear."
"I'll t-try."
"That's all that you have to do."