A Baby Changes Everything
Posted by DiF on Sunday, August 14, 2011 Under: Christmas
Title: A Baby Changes Everything
Fandom: Soundgarden
Characters: Chris Cornell, Alyssa, Howard, Marilyn, and Judith Morgan
Word Count: 6386
Rating: PG-13
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: It's Christmas of 1996, a few months after Alyssa's 16th birthday. She has a burden to share with Chris, one that will change everything. And remember, Chris and Alyssa's relationship is a bit.... taboo.
“A Baby Changes Everything”
Teenage girl, much too young
Unprepared for what’s to come
A baby changes everything
Not a ring
On her hand
All her dreams and all her plans
A baby changes everything (x2)
The man she loves she’s never touched
How will she Keep his trust
A baby changes everything (x2)
And she cries, oh she cries
She has to leave, go far away
Heaven knows she can’t stay
A baby changes everything
She can feel it’s coming soon
There’s no place, there’s no room
A baby changes everything (x2)
And she cries and she cries O she cries
Shepherds own they got their …
Star shines down…
Choir of Angels say
Glory to the newborn king
A baby changes everything (x2) everything, everything, every day
Hallelujah x4
My whole life is turned around
I was lost and now I’m found
A baby changes everything (x2)
A Baby Changes Everything
Christmas break did not come soon enough for the curvy teen, especially since those curves had begun to change. It was one thing to hide her lack of menstruation from her parents, something she accomplished thus far by donating her monthly supplies to a poor girl in her class, but her body’s changes were likely to be noticed by other girls in her classes. Luckily she did not have gym her junior year and did not need to undress in front of others. But she had already had comments on her slightly fuller breasts by the boys. She did not need the rumor to spread that she truly was the whore Becca claimed her as so many years before. She didn’t need everyone to know she was pregnant. Christmas break would give her the chance to figure out what to do, how to tell her parents, how to tell him. A baby changes everything.
Sitting in her car in the high school’s parking lot, Alyssa tried to decide her course of action. Her mother and sister expected her home, likely to put up Christmas decorations, but face with no school to distract her for two weeks, she had no desire to go home. What she wanted... what she wanted was to see him and hand him the pregnancy test she had carried in her purse for the past month. She needed to tell him, even if it meant she was doing this alone. He at least deserved to know. For the past few weeks, Alyssa kept the news to herself, believing it to be her burden alone – after all admitting their relationship was in fact sexual could potentially land him in jail. And then what would she do? But he needed to know and she wanted him to know. The decision was made: she was going over to Chris’s.
Clicking on the radio Alyssa smiled as Chris’s voice filled her car. Though she had a mixed tape in the deck he made her – of music that influenced his – hearing him sing was far superior. It didn’t really matter that she really thought the song overplayed; it was his voice and that soothed her nerves. Once “Black Hole Sun” ended, she pushed the play button for the tape, tears glistening at the edges of her eyes. She hated being so emotional – but she hated hiding it even more. No more. He would know soon.
Pulling up in front of the modest brick house, one that did not really indicate the wealth of the man who owned it, Alyssa shifted into park and took a deep breath. Her fingers trembled slightly as she turned off the stereo and then the car. The moment was nearly upon her. She unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed her purse and keys, and got out of the car. Biting her bottom lip, Alyssa headed up to the front door, raising her hand to knock. Never knocking when she came over, Alyssa halted before touching the dark wood, letting her hand fall to the cold doorknob instead. Turning the knob, she pushed, instantly relieved to not find the resistance of the deadbolt. He was home.
“Chris?” she called softly, his name catching in her throat. “You here?”
Though he did not reply, she wasn’t even sure he heard her, the soft sound of an acoustic guitar called back to her. Closing the door behind, making sure to lock it, Alyssa followed the sound of music. It surprised her little to find him sitting on the edge of the bed in the guest room, plucking away at his guitar. Pushing the door fully open, she leaned on the frame, just listening as he played. Eventually he would notice her presence, she was sure of it.
He had noticed her presence, but made not indications of such. The movement of the door opening caught both his and Star’s attention. Chris merely glanced to his right, seeing in the mirror’s reflection who visited. The dog wagged her tail twice before laying her head back down. Chris did not even falter in his playing. As soon as the song was over, he set the guitar on the bed beside him, got to his feet, and quickly closed the space between him and Alyssa. Without a word, his hands framed her face and he kissed her.
“You must have felt me call you,” he muttered softly before kissing her again.
“Chris,” she breathed, wrapping her arms around him, her small purse bouncing on his back.
Feeling her tears trickle onto his cheeks, he pulled out of the embrace, “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“Oh C-Chris,” she muttered quickly before burying her face on his shoulder, “I’m s-s-so s-sorry.”
He pulled back, his fingers tilting her chin up to meet his eyes, “What’s wrong, Lyssie?”
As she held his eyes, large tears rolled out of hers. He was so good to her. He clearly cared. She had never been just some random girl he played with. But now because of her negligence for something, his life was about to change; not as much as hers but as she looked into his eyes, she knew her words would change his life too. A baby changes everything.
“I... I... I have something for you,” she responded.
“But, baby, Christmas if a few days away.”
“It can’t wait.”
“All right,” Chris responded. “I have a gift for you too but I haven’t wra—”
“This isn’t your Christmas present,” Alyssa pulled away from him, pulling her purse open.
“Lyssie?”
Finding the small narrow tin in the bottom of her purse that she normally kept tampons in, Alyssa fished it out. At first she worried that the bright blue line would fade before she could show him, so she checked it often. The line was just as apparent as the first day, she was just as pregnant. Having seen the small tin before and joking with her that she kept her paraphernalia in it before she revealed the contents, Chris’s brows furrowed as she held it out to him. Something clanked about inside as he accepted it, nearly teasing a remark about her replacing tampons for drugs. But he kept his tongue, sober enough to recognize gravity in her aura.
“Lyssie, what is—”
“Just open it, Chris,” she instructed.
Prying the tin lid off, noticing a new Soundgarden sticker had been added to it since he last saw it, Chris’s eyes remained focused on the object in his hands. With the lid opened, his focus snapped to the long plastic wand. Even though it was face down, he knew what it was. But it did not mean what he thought it did, it couldn’t. His fingers slipped under the white wand and slowly turned it over. The blue stripe seemed to blare like neon. Tossing the tin on the bed, Chris held up the pregnancy test, his eyes going to hers.
“We’re having a baby,” he stated softly.
Alyssa nodded, though he hadn’t really asked.
A smile quickly lit up his face, “We’re having a baby!”
Before she could say a thing, his arms wrapped around her, embracing the teenager. He kissed her excitedly before quickly pulling back. Kneeling before her, wand still in his hand, he pulled the fabric taut against her belly, visually confirming what the wand said. He quickly showered kissed all over her covered abdomen. It may not have been intended as his Christmas present, but it was certainly the best gift he was ever given. They were having a baby.
“When?” his eyes went to hers
“June,” she responded.
Nodding thoughtfully, he got to his feet and kissed her again, “I’m going to take such good care of you, Lyssie. I promise.”
Tears glittered down her cheeks, “You’re not mad?”
“Mad? Mad? Baby, why would I be mad?”
“This... this wasn’t supposed to happen. I’m so young. I had all these dreams and plans. And... you have all these things too. A baby changes everything,” she quickly responded.
He tossed the test on the bed as well, freeing up both hands to frame her face, both thumbs to catch her tears, “Alyssa, I love you. The timing is unfortunate, but this is a blessing. This baby was conceived in love and will be raised in just as much, if not more. You are my dream. I will make sure you reach all your other dreams. I promise you.”
“Chris, how can you do that? When my father finds out, he’ll come after you. How will you be able to take care of me, of this baby, from jail?”
Flinching slightly at the reminder of her tender age and the fact her father was the single most powerful prosecutor of crimes against children, Chris quickly replied, “Then we don’t stay here. We go far away.”
“He’ll come after us.”
“He’ll have no jurisdiction elsewhere. We can’t stay,” he claimed.
“Chris... I...”
“Baby, I’ll take care of you. I promise.”
With Alyssa curled up napping in the guest room, having practically collapsed in relief from confessing her pregnancy to Chris, he slipped out of the room, paced the living room a few times. Their options were very minimal. He was going to take care of her and their baby. There were no other options regarding that. But she was right. They couldn’t remain there. Her father would kill him; he didn’t even consider jail being the result of telling her family. And his wife... well fuck, he didn’t care about Susan. It was time to part with her, that was practically a non-issue. But where would they go?
Canada. They would go to Canada. It was close and it would be difficult for her father to pursue them in another country. They would hide there for awhile before going further, as he did not want to take her across the ocean when Alyssa was heavy with child. But if the child was due in June, she would be heavy with child soon. Perhaps they should flee across the ocean sooner?
But wait. What was the age of consent in Washington? Was it sixteen? If that were the case, they did not need to flee. Alyssa was... all right, so she had just recently turned sixteen a few months before, but there was no proof they had been sexually active prior to her sixteenth birthday. No one had ever seen them so much as kiss and the baby was likely conceived... Chris held up his fingers and counted backwards from June... on or around her sixteenth birthday. The gape between their ages might put that whole age of consent thing in contrast, but Chris was beginning to think they were okay. He would divorce Susan immediately, kick her out of his house, and he and Alyssa could live happily together forever. Hopefully in time they would win over both of their families and they could play a role in their baby’s life, but Chris would worry about that later. The first thing he needed to do was call his lawyer... no, a different lawyer who didn’t know Susan. He would start divorce proceedings immediately, never mind that Christmas was a few days away.
Turning towards the kitchen to grab the phone book and phone, Chris halted. Alyssa stood in the doorway to the guest room, leaning heavily on the doorway. Her cheeks were brightly flushed but the rest of her skin practically translucent. Without her saying a word, he knew something was wrong.
“Lyssie?”
“C-Chris...” she reached towards him.
He bolted forward, catching her before she fell to the ground. He quickly supported her, kissing her forehead. Slipping his arm down to her knees, Chris quickly scooped up the girl, kissing her again. One of the smaller dogs crowded his feet, causing him to stumble as he turned towards the couch. Swearing, he nudged it away and quickly lay Alyssa down. She mumbled incoherently, reaching for him again as he pulled away to grab the phone and call... someone.
“C-Chris...”
“Fuck that. Baby, I’m taking you to the hospital.”
Scooping up the teen again after grabbing his car keys, Chris hurried to the garage. He struggled to keep the dogs in the house while departing and not dropping Alyssa in the same moment. He eased her to stand, leaning against him as he unlocked the doors to his silver Porsche Targa. Helping Alyssa into the sports car was not easy at all, but Susan had the more ‘reasonable’ sedan and he didn’t consider Alyssa’s car until after he had her in the passenger seat and buckled in. At that point she was already in a vehicle so there was no reason to pull her out and carry her to another one. Instead he hurried around the car and jumped in behind the steering wheel. He nearly forgot to open the garage before backing out.
His tires squealed on the wet pavement after backing out and shifting into gear. His fear wanted him to drive recklessly, but something kept him on the road, obeying most traffic laws, other than speed. And two stops signs. But as they arrived at the hospital without any incident, he thought nothing of it. Leaving the car in idle in front of the emergency room, but not blocking the ambulance’s path should one pull up, Chris jumped out of the car and hurried around to help Alyssa out. He struggled with her into the emergency room, shouting for help as he entered. The girl was quickly placed on a gurney and wheeled into a room. Questions were asked of him, but Chris could do nothing more than shake his head. He didn’t know what was wrong with her, only that something was.
“I... I don’t know,” he finally muttered. “She’s... she’s pregnant. She was taking a nap and then suddenly came out and... oh god, help her.”
“We’re going to do everything we can for your...”
“Girlfriend,” he responded.
“Girlfriend,” a woman in blue scrubs declared. “And the baby. I need you to come with me and fill out some paperwork so the doctors can do their job, okay?”
Tearing his eyes away from Alyssa, he nodded slowly, “All right.”
A rhythmic beep woke her from dreamless sleep, or at least she thought it was sleep. Her eyes fluttered open, instantly squinting in the soft white light. It took Alyssa a few minutes to figure out where she was; it certainly wasn’t Chris’s house. It was... it was a hospital. Her first reaction was that something had happened to their baby, just after she told him, that fate had ripped the child away already. Her hand instantly pressed her small abdomen, as if touching it would confirm something, though what she knew not.
“Ah, hello, Alyssa,” a kind voice greeted, drawing her eyes to the man. “I’m Dr. Walkenhorst. There’s a few things we need to talk about.”
She nodded slowly before asking, “Where’s Chris?”
“He’s just outside. You can see him in a minute. After you answer some questions.”
Remaining silent, her eyes flicked to the closed blinds, wishing she could see through them to Chris. But alas she could not, so her eyes returned to the doctor as he pulled a stool up next to her.
“Alyssa, I don’t want this to come as a surprise but you’re pregnant. About eleven weeks,” he declared.
“I know,” she responded.
The doctor’s eyebrows rose slightly, “Ah, you do. Now there is no reason to be alarmed about being here. Chris did the right thing in bringing you.”
“Is my baby... is my baby okay?” she whispered.
“The baby appears to be fine. I want to do an ultrasound, but I thought perhaps you would want to be awake for that,” Dr. Walkenhorst declared.
Alyssa smiled slightly, “I can see my baby?”
He nodded, “But first I need you to answer a couple of questions.”
“Okay.”
“Is Chris the baby’s father?”
She bit her bottom lip.
“Alyssa, anything you sat to me is strictly confidential. I cannot even tell your parents.”
“My parents? Oh god, do my parents know I’m here?” her eyes widened.
“Chris called them,” he answered. “I presume they are on their way.”
“Oh god.”
“I cannot give them any information you do not wish me to. I cannot tell them you are pregnant. I cannot tell them who the father is. It is all up to you, Alyssa. As a sixteen year old woman, you are not only at the age of legal consent, but clearly able to make your own decisions. What I tell your parents is up to you,” he claimed. “You can trust me, Alyssa.”
Staring at the doctor for a long moment, she tried to decide if she really could believe in his words. It made sense, the legality of it, but she somehow thought that her father would argue around that, convince otherwise. After all as one of the leading prosecutors in the city, her father could argue anything. But maybe the doctor was right. And even if he wasn’t, Chris would protect her, protect them.
“Chris... Chris is the father,” she whispered.
The doctor nodded, “Does he know?”
“I told him... this afternoon.”
He nodded again, “That was very brave of you.”
“I love him. He loves me. He needed to know.”
“Your relationship with Chris... how long have you known him?”
Alyssa looked away briefly, “We met in April.”
He glanced down at her chart, “How long has your relationship been sexual?”
“He’s not going to get in trouble, will he?”
“Alyssa,” his eyes went to his, “while the law states sixteen as the age of consent, I am bound by patient confidentiality first and foremost, unless there has been abuse involved. Instincts tell me, which are rarely wrong, that abuse was not involved in this relationship.”
“The first time we made love was four months ago.”
“Unprotected?”
“No. Chris and I were always pretty careful and I was on the pill,” she responded. “But... but I got sick the last week of September. And... I missed a couple of days and I was on antibiotics. I know that’s bad. But then he was so sweet on my birthday.... and one thing lead to another. And... Chris isn’t a bad man. Not at all. He loves me.”
The doctor nodded, “I’m not going to lecture you about unprotected sex. You seem to be very well aware of the risks involved. Before we hook up the ultrasound machine and take a look at your baby, let’s talk a little bit about both of your health.”
Seated in a hard blue plastic chair, Chris’s leg jiggled. He knew the doctors and nurses weren’t going to give him any updates on Alyssa; he had no legal right to them. He really just needed to know that she was all right, that the baby was all right. No one was going to tell him that. He would just have to wait until he could see her. However as luck would have it, her parents and sister entered the emergency room. As he met her parents a few months before, somehow receiving a half-blessing to spend time with Alyssa, it had not been that awkward calling to inform them of her being in the hospital. But as they walked into the waiting room, Howard glared at Chris before heading up to the desk to inquire about his daughter. Marilyn and Judith approached the worried singer, the young girl slipping onto the chair beside him. She reached over the shiny metal and plastic arm for his hand, squeezing it assuredly.
“What happened?” Marilyn asked, sitting on the other side of her daughter.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “One moment she was fine, just a little tired. And then she... went pale and nearly passed out. The only thing I could think of was to bring her here.”
The woman, who was only a few years his senior, nodded, “We thank you for that. Alyssa is very lucky to have someone who cares as deeply about her as you do.”
Considering the situation, Chris was far more grateful for Marilyn’s words than he could express. He knew while he was nearly allowed into the circle, it was about to be abruptly disrupted by the news Alyssa and he had to share with them. He wasn’t about to blurt out that she was pregnant without discussing it with her first, but he had a feeling it was going to have to happen, perhaps even the doctor telling her parents. This was clearly the tense calm before the storm.
Howard stalked over to Chris, Marilyn, and Judith, “They won’t tell me anything. What did you do to her?”
Chris’s worried blue eyes went to the lawyer, “Nothing, Mr. Morgan. She felt faint without reason so I brought her here. That is all I know.”
He glared, “She wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for y—”
“You’re right, Howard,” Marilyn interrupted. “She wouldn’t be. She could have passed out while driving home or in some other random place where strangers would just walk on past her. Instead she was in the presence of Chris and he took care to bring her here. She’s lucky to have him.”
“I’m sure that he—”
A young doctor approached the family, interrupting, “Chris? Alyssa would like to see you now.”
He quickly hopped up, moving around Howard while the man grappled with the fact his daughter hadn’t asked for him. Following the doctor to the emergency room, he smiled in relief when he was lead into the room, the door closed behind. Wordlessly he moved to her bedside, sitting on the empty stool and taking her hand. For a long moment he just sat there, looking into her eyes and trying to not cry in relief.
“Baby, are you... are you okay?”
She nodded slowly, “I was just... very dehydrated. I had some horrible morning sickness today and... the baby really just didn’t like me today.”
Lifting her hand to his mouth, he kissed it softly, “I’m going to take care of you. I promise.”
“I know,” Alyssa smiled slightly. “But there’s another reason you’re here now.”
“Oh?”
The doctor pulled a machine up to the other side of the bed. Chris looked to it, trying to figure out what was going on. Silently he watched as the nurse who had been in the room when he and the doctor returned lifted up the hospital gown, exposing Alyssa’s abdomen. He noticed it curved slightly more, but not blatantly. When the blond woman squired a blue gel on the teenager’s stomach, his heart fluttered wildly and his eyes shot to Alyssa’s.
“We’re going to see our baby,” she claimed, squeezing his hand.
Chris shifted slightly on the stool to be closer to Alyssa and to face the small screen better. He heard the doctor explain what he was doing, but couldn’t really process the words. All he could keep thinking was he was about to see his baby, their baby. A grainy image appeared on the screen, nothing at all discernable to the singer. But then the doctor stopped moving the wand and Alyssa gasped. Chris’s eyes focused on the small image in the middle of the screen. It didn’t really look like a baby to him, just a grainysomething. But the longer he looked the more he realized he was looking at a tiny little head, arms, and legs. And what he thought was a heartbeat. Suddenly his ears picked up an odd rhythmic sound and he instantly knew the pitter patter was that of the baby’s heart.
“That’s our...” he breathed.
“Oh, Chris, it’s so...” she whispered.
Even the doctor smiled, “The baby looks very healthy, Alyssa. And I would concur with our earlier estimation that you’re about eleven weeks along from the size of the foetus. Because of your difficulties with morning sickness lately, I want to see you next week.”
Her eyes went to the doctor, “You’ll be my doctor?”
He nodded once, “If you would like, yes.”
Already having a rapport with the man and not wanting to have to find someone she could trust with her and Chris’s secrets, Alyssa smiled, “Yes, I would.”
“I’m coming to every appointment with you,” Chris declared, still looking at the baby on the screen. “We’re doing this together.”
The doctor printed out an image of the baby for the couple and handed it to Chris, “Alyssa, your family is out in the waiting room as well.”
Her eyes shot to Chris, “Chris, what are we going to do?”
“It’s up to you, baby,” he responded, looking away from the grainy image in his hand to her eyes. “Whatever you want, we’ll do.”
“If we tell them I’m pregnant...”
“It’s up to you, Alyssa. No matter what, I am here for you.”
She looked to the doctor who said nothing, clearly indicating it was her choice as he packed up the machine. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Chris squeezed her hand gently. As she exhaled she knew what had to be done. She needed to tell them, had already been planning to. This just wasn’t how she imagined it. And poor Judith’s birthday was coming up and this was likely to eclipse it. Perhaps she would be able to keep it a secret until her sister’s birthday was over. No, they would want to know why she was hospitalized. And oh how she wanted to show the picture of her baby with her family.
“Chris, we have to tell them.”
“Are you sure, Lyssie?”
She nodded. Meeting the doctor’s eyes, Chris gave the man permission to bring Alyssa’s family into the room. Her grip on his hand tightened as her father, stepmother, and sister entered the room. No one spoke for a long moment, Howard expecting Chris to leave.
“Daddy,” Alyssa spoke softly, her voice cracking some, “there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Is it drugs? Did you overdose? I swear to you I will send his ass to jail for—”
“No!” she interjected. “It’s not drugs. I was just really dehydrated.”
He shoulders seemed to relax and he moved to stand on the opposite of her bed from Chris, “Baby girl, I was so certain that—”
“Daddy, that’s not what I need to tell you,” she interrupted again, eyes darting to Marilyn and then to Chris before returning to her father. “Daddy, I’m pregnant.”
“Uh, what?” he muttered.
“I’m having a baby,” Alyssa stated, reaching for the photo in Chris’s hand. “I’m pregnant.”
Howard slowly accepted the printout. His hand trembled as he looked down at the image. Sure enough the outline of a tiny baby that he was familiar with stretched across the page. His baby girl was having a baby. So many mixed emotions played through his head. Part of him was elated, becoming a grandfather was a great thing. But the logic in him fought that strongly. She was only sixteen. Her entire life was ahead of her. A baby changes everything. And that touched off the desire to kill whoever did this to his baby girl. His eyes rose and looked across the hospital bed at Chris, ire filling his sight. He just knew this was the one who took advantage of his daughter. And he would pay for it. Certainly.
“You will—”
“I wanna see the baby!” Judith’s voice interrupted Howard’s acid words directed at Chris.
Alyssa motioned the nearly ten year old to come closer. Without asking, Judith sat on Chris’s side of the bed, reaching across Alyssa to snatch the picture from Howard. She stared at for a moment, turning it around. Confusion filled her eyes and she looked up at Chris, who was positively frozen from Howard’s evil glare.
“I don’t see it, Chris,” Judith claimed.
His eyes went down to the girl and he smiled some, releasing Alyssa’s hand so he could hold the image and point out the baby with his other hand, “Right here, Judith. That’s the baby’s head, that’s its legs, and that’s one of it’s arms.”
“Ooooooh!” she grinned, eyes going from the picture to Alyssa. “I’m going to be an aunt!”
Alyssa nodded slowly, still unsure how the news was sitting with her parents.
Judith looked back to Chris, “Are you going to marry Aly?”
“I...”
“Judith, why don’t you come down to the gift shop with me?” Marilyn spoke up. “I think your dad and sister have some things to discuss.”
“But, Mom!”
“Judith Noelle,” she warned, holding her hand out.
Sighing the girl gave the picture back to Chris, hugged Alyssa and muttered how happy she was, and slipped off the bed. Following the doctor out, Marilyn lead the girl from the room, leaving Chris, Howard, and Alyssa alone. Chris shifted uncomfortably on the stool, his hands snaking back to Alyssa’s.
“Did you do this to my daughter?” Howard demanded.
“Daddy,” Alyssa interrupted.
He held up his hand to silence her, “Did you or did you not have sex with my daughter, my sixteen year old daughter?”
Chris said nothing.
“Answer the question, Mr. Cornell. Or I’ll have the police ask you ag—”
“You will not!” Alyssa exclaimed. “I’m sixteen, Daddy. And I’m going to be a mother. Mymother was practically my age when she had me.”
Howard’s eyes snapped to Alyssa, “Aly, you’re not—”
“I’m having this baby. You can’t say anything to stop me. It’s my decision to make and I made it over a month ago when I found out I was pregnant,” she claimed. “And you’re not going to harass Chris any more. Or you’re never going to see me or the baby again.”
Sitting in his office, Howard rubbed his temples. The news of his eldest daughter’s pregnancy a few days before Christmas was not good news at all. He was certain Chris was the father too. And while he did not know how old Chris was, he knew he wasmuch older than Alyssa. He could legally pursue matters against the man and it was still very much something he was considering. At the moment though, his wife was upstairs with both of their daughters, likely talking about babies. All three seemed happy and excited about the news. Did they not understand that Alyssa hadn’t even graduated high school? How was she going to take care of a baby, provide everything for the child? While he knew his daughter would be an excellent mother, she had the patience and the largest heart he knew of, Howard still did not think kindly on this. She was practically a child herself. And that bastard had stripped her of that.
But he had promised Marilyn privately in the hall while Chris and Alyssa were saying their goodbyes before she was discharged, that he would not do anything for at least two weeks. The news needed to settle and be processed. And bringing up charges against Chris would be really evil during the holiday season, not that Howard really cared about his feelings. It was Alyssa he protected by holding off on... protecting her from that man. Chris would pay for stealing his daughter’s childhood from her. There was no doubt in his mind.
Gentle hands touched his shoulders, massaging slightly, “Howard, you need to focus on what is important here.”
He glanced over his shoulder at his wife, “It’s important that he raped my daughter, thusly impregnating her.”
“Howard,” Marilyn warned, “you and I both know that’s not what happened.”
“And how do we know that? He’s a married man who clearly bewitched our daughter or drugged her or—”
“Fell in love with her,” she declared. “Just because Chris is married doesn’t mean he can’t fall in love with Alyssa. You were still married when we fell in love.”
“I.... but that was different,” he argued.
“Why? Because I was twenty-six and you were forty-two? There’s just as many years between you and I as there are between Chris and Alyssa,” she pointed out.
“He’s thirty two?”
Marilyn brushed it off, “Howard, forget about attacking Chris. Your daughter is pregnant. It doesn’t matter who did it or what happened. She’s pregnant. It’s a done deal. Her entire life is changing now. And guess what? So is his. Chris is taking responsibility for this baby. That is far more than you can say of most babies’ fathers and you know it. But not only that, he loves your daughter. It’s not an ideal situation, but it is the current situation. Getting angry and bitter will not help a thing. Your daughter is upstairs right now with all sorts of things running through her head right now. She needs your support, Howard, not some vigilante action. Just your love and support.”
Sighing, he patted his wife’s hand. She was right, he knew that. But instinct told him that keeping Chris away from his daughter was just as needed as whatever else she needed. But he had promised and he never broke his promises. And it was Christmas. He could give Chris amnesty until that was over.
“You’re excited about this, aren’t you?” he looked at his wife before getting to his feet.
“You know I always wanted more children but we weren’t blessed with such. I know this isn’t ideal, but she took a very big risk in telling us. I’m going to love and support her every step of this journey and you should too. In a few months time we’re going to have a grandbaby, like it or not. A baby is always cause for celebration,” Marilyn responded.
“Not when the mother is a child hers—”
“Alyssa has not been a child for some time, Howard. But I would not expect you to understand that or even recognize it, since you spend so much of your time working.”
“Are you saying this is my fault because I haven’t been around enough?”
“No. Not at all. And Alyssa will tell you just as much herself,” she stated. “Husband, wipe the anger and disappointment and fear from your face and go upstairs and tell your daughter you love her. She needs to hear that right now. Go assure her that Christmas is not ruined and that you love her. Forget all the rest of this.”
Sighing he nodded, hearing truth in her words. He kissed her lovingly and stepped around her, heading up the steps. Passing Judith’s room first, he noticed the younger girl’s light was still on and figured she too would need a talking to, but that he would do after speaking with Alyssa. He knocked gently on the older girl’s door before pushing it open. She quickly said good bye to whomever she was speaking with on the phone as he entered, her large brown eyes going to his. He silently made his way over to her bed. Rather than sitting beside her, he grabbed the chair from her desk and set it facing the bed. Sitting facing his eldest, Howard reached for both of her hands. He stared at the small hands in his for a long moment, remembering the very first time he held her teeny, tiny hands. She had been such a perfect little baby. And now... now she had become a woman, without him even noticing.
With tears in his eyes, Howard finally met Alyssa’s eyes, “I know you didn’t plan this, that you realize this changes everything about your life, but I love you, Aly. I have since the very moment your mother told me she was pregnant. The greatest moments in my life have been the moments my daughters were placed in my arms after birth. I cannot describe how much you and your sister fill my heart. And that will never, ever change.”
“Daddy... Daddy, I’m sorry,” she muttered, tears running down her cheeks. “I... I would understand if you don’t want me anymore. I’ve let you down so badly.”
“No no no,” he quickly wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks. “I will always want you, Aly. You are my daughter, my lovely daughter. I know you’re scared right now. And I know this is not going to be easy for you. But you will always have my love and support. We will help you through this.”
“C-Chris says that he’s going to take care of me.”
Howard wiped another tear, “I hope that’s true. But even if it isn’t, you’re not doing this alone. Never in a million years. You have me and Mari and Judith. We’re going to be with you through every step of this.”
Alyssa nodded, “I’m sorry I ruined Christmas.”
“Oh, baby girl, you didn’t,” he claimed. “In fact... in fact this might be one of the best presents I’ve ever gotten.”
“Really?”
Though he didn’t quite believe the words from his mouth either, Howard replied, “I think so. Becoming a grandfather is a very happy occasion. A baby is a happy thing.”
“But a baby changes everything.”
“Nothing stays the same, Alyssa. But we still have stars in the sky to guide us. We will take this journey together. You’re going to be an excellent mother. This is a happy occasion.”
Fandom: Soundgarden
Characters: Chris Cornell, Alyssa, Howard, Marilyn, and Judith Morgan
Word Count: 6386
Rating: PG-13
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: It's Christmas of 1996, a few months after Alyssa's 16th birthday. She has a burden to share with Chris, one that will change everything. And remember, Chris and Alyssa's relationship is a bit.... taboo.
“A Baby Changes Everything”
Teenage girl, much too young
Unprepared for what’s to come
A baby changes everything
Not a ring
On her hand
All her dreams and all her plans
A baby changes everything (x2)
The man she loves she’s never touched
How will she Keep his trust
A baby changes everything (x2)
And she cries, oh she cries
She has to leave, go far away
Heaven knows she can’t stay
A baby changes everything
She can feel it’s coming soon
There’s no place, there’s no room
A baby changes everything (x2)
And she cries and she cries O she cries
Shepherds own they got their …
Star shines down…
Choir of Angels say
Glory to the newborn king
A baby changes everything (x2) everything, everything, every day
Hallelujah x4
My whole life is turned around
I was lost and now I’m found
A baby changes everything (x2)
A Baby Changes Everything
Christmas break did not come soon enough for the curvy teen, especially since those curves had begun to change. It was one thing to hide her lack of menstruation from her parents, something she accomplished thus far by donating her monthly supplies to a poor girl in her class, but her body’s changes were likely to be noticed by other girls in her classes. Luckily she did not have gym her junior year and did not need to undress in front of others. But she had already had comments on her slightly fuller breasts by the boys. She did not need the rumor to spread that she truly was the whore Becca claimed her as so many years before. She didn’t need everyone to know she was pregnant. Christmas break would give her the chance to figure out what to do, how to tell her parents, how to tell him. A baby changes everything.
Sitting in her car in the high school’s parking lot, Alyssa tried to decide her course of action. Her mother and sister expected her home, likely to put up Christmas decorations, but face with no school to distract her for two weeks, she had no desire to go home. What she wanted... what she wanted was to see him and hand him the pregnancy test she had carried in her purse for the past month. She needed to tell him, even if it meant she was doing this alone. He at least deserved to know. For the past few weeks, Alyssa kept the news to herself, believing it to be her burden alone – after all admitting their relationship was in fact sexual could potentially land him in jail. And then what would she do? But he needed to know and she wanted him to know. The decision was made: she was going over to Chris’s.
Clicking on the radio Alyssa smiled as Chris’s voice filled her car. Though she had a mixed tape in the deck he made her – of music that influenced his – hearing him sing was far superior. It didn’t really matter that she really thought the song overplayed; it was his voice and that soothed her nerves. Once “Black Hole Sun” ended, she pushed the play button for the tape, tears glistening at the edges of her eyes. She hated being so emotional – but she hated hiding it even more. No more. He would know soon.
Pulling up in front of the modest brick house, one that did not really indicate the wealth of the man who owned it, Alyssa shifted into park and took a deep breath. Her fingers trembled slightly as she turned off the stereo and then the car. The moment was nearly upon her. She unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed her purse and keys, and got out of the car. Biting her bottom lip, Alyssa headed up to the front door, raising her hand to knock. Never knocking when she came over, Alyssa halted before touching the dark wood, letting her hand fall to the cold doorknob instead. Turning the knob, she pushed, instantly relieved to not find the resistance of the deadbolt. He was home.
“Chris?” she called softly, his name catching in her throat. “You here?”
Though he did not reply, she wasn’t even sure he heard her, the soft sound of an acoustic guitar called back to her. Closing the door behind, making sure to lock it, Alyssa followed the sound of music. It surprised her little to find him sitting on the edge of the bed in the guest room, plucking away at his guitar. Pushing the door fully open, she leaned on the frame, just listening as he played. Eventually he would notice her presence, she was sure of it.
He had noticed her presence, but made not indications of such. The movement of the door opening caught both his and Star’s attention. Chris merely glanced to his right, seeing in the mirror’s reflection who visited. The dog wagged her tail twice before laying her head back down. Chris did not even falter in his playing. As soon as the song was over, he set the guitar on the bed beside him, got to his feet, and quickly closed the space between him and Alyssa. Without a word, his hands framed her face and he kissed her.
“You must have felt me call you,” he muttered softly before kissing her again.
“Chris,” she breathed, wrapping her arms around him, her small purse bouncing on his back.
Feeling her tears trickle onto his cheeks, he pulled out of the embrace, “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“Oh C-Chris,” she muttered quickly before burying her face on his shoulder, “I’m s-s-so s-sorry.”
He pulled back, his fingers tilting her chin up to meet his eyes, “What’s wrong, Lyssie?”
As she held his eyes, large tears rolled out of hers. He was so good to her. He clearly cared. She had never been just some random girl he played with. But now because of her negligence for something, his life was about to change; not as much as hers but as she looked into his eyes, she knew her words would change his life too. A baby changes everything.
“I... I... I have something for you,” she responded.
“But, baby, Christmas if a few days away.”
“It can’t wait.”
“All right,” Chris responded. “I have a gift for you too but I haven’t wra—”
“This isn’t your Christmas present,” Alyssa pulled away from him, pulling her purse open.
“Lyssie?”
Finding the small narrow tin in the bottom of her purse that she normally kept tampons in, Alyssa fished it out. At first she worried that the bright blue line would fade before she could show him, so she checked it often. The line was just as apparent as the first day, she was just as pregnant. Having seen the small tin before and joking with her that she kept her paraphernalia in it before she revealed the contents, Chris’s brows furrowed as she held it out to him. Something clanked about inside as he accepted it, nearly teasing a remark about her replacing tampons for drugs. But he kept his tongue, sober enough to recognize gravity in her aura.
“Lyssie, what is—”
“Just open it, Chris,” she instructed.
Prying the tin lid off, noticing a new Soundgarden sticker had been added to it since he last saw it, Chris’s eyes remained focused on the object in his hands. With the lid opened, his focus snapped to the long plastic wand. Even though it was face down, he knew what it was. But it did not mean what he thought it did, it couldn’t. His fingers slipped under the white wand and slowly turned it over. The blue stripe seemed to blare like neon. Tossing the tin on the bed, Chris held up the pregnancy test, his eyes going to hers.
“We’re having a baby,” he stated softly.
Alyssa nodded, though he hadn’t really asked.
A smile quickly lit up his face, “We’re having a baby!”
Before she could say a thing, his arms wrapped around her, embracing the teenager. He kissed her excitedly before quickly pulling back. Kneeling before her, wand still in his hand, he pulled the fabric taut against her belly, visually confirming what the wand said. He quickly showered kissed all over her covered abdomen. It may not have been intended as his Christmas present, but it was certainly the best gift he was ever given. They were having a baby.
“When?” his eyes went to hers
“June,” she responded.
Nodding thoughtfully, he got to his feet and kissed her again, “I’m going to take such good care of you, Lyssie. I promise.”
Tears glittered down her cheeks, “You’re not mad?”
“Mad? Mad? Baby, why would I be mad?”
“This... this wasn’t supposed to happen. I’m so young. I had all these dreams and plans. And... you have all these things too. A baby changes everything,” she quickly responded.
He tossed the test on the bed as well, freeing up both hands to frame her face, both thumbs to catch her tears, “Alyssa, I love you. The timing is unfortunate, but this is a blessing. This baby was conceived in love and will be raised in just as much, if not more. You are my dream. I will make sure you reach all your other dreams. I promise you.”
“Chris, how can you do that? When my father finds out, he’ll come after you. How will you be able to take care of me, of this baby, from jail?”
Flinching slightly at the reminder of her tender age and the fact her father was the single most powerful prosecutor of crimes against children, Chris quickly replied, “Then we don’t stay here. We go far away.”
“He’ll come after us.”
“He’ll have no jurisdiction elsewhere. We can’t stay,” he claimed.
“Chris... I...”
“Baby, I’ll take care of you. I promise.”
With Alyssa curled up napping in the guest room, having practically collapsed in relief from confessing her pregnancy to Chris, he slipped out of the room, paced the living room a few times. Their options were very minimal. He was going to take care of her and their baby. There were no other options regarding that. But she was right. They couldn’t remain there. Her father would kill him; he didn’t even consider jail being the result of telling her family. And his wife... well fuck, he didn’t care about Susan. It was time to part with her, that was practically a non-issue. But where would they go?
Canada. They would go to Canada. It was close and it would be difficult for her father to pursue them in another country. They would hide there for awhile before going further, as he did not want to take her across the ocean when Alyssa was heavy with child. But if the child was due in June, she would be heavy with child soon. Perhaps they should flee across the ocean sooner?
But wait. What was the age of consent in Washington? Was it sixteen? If that were the case, they did not need to flee. Alyssa was... all right, so she had just recently turned sixteen a few months before, but there was no proof they had been sexually active prior to her sixteenth birthday. No one had ever seen them so much as kiss and the baby was likely conceived... Chris held up his fingers and counted backwards from June... on or around her sixteenth birthday. The gape between their ages might put that whole age of consent thing in contrast, but Chris was beginning to think they were okay. He would divorce Susan immediately, kick her out of his house, and he and Alyssa could live happily together forever. Hopefully in time they would win over both of their families and they could play a role in their baby’s life, but Chris would worry about that later. The first thing he needed to do was call his lawyer... no, a different lawyer who didn’t know Susan. He would start divorce proceedings immediately, never mind that Christmas was a few days away.
Turning towards the kitchen to grab the phone book and phone, Chris halted. Alyssa stood in the doorway to the guest room, leaning heavily on the doorway. Her cheeks were brightly flushed but the rest of her skin practically translucent. Without her saying a word, he knew something was wrong.
“Lyssie?”
“C-Chris...” she reached towards him.
He bolted forward, catching her before she fell to the ground. He quickly supported her, kissing her forehead. Slipping his arm down to her knees, Chris quickly scooped up the girl, kissing her again. One of the smaller dogs crowded his feet, causing him to stumble as he turned towards the couch. Swearing, he nudged it away and quickly lay Alyssa down. She mumbled incoherently, reaching for him again as he pulled away to grab the phone and call... someone.
“C-Chris...”
“Fuck that. Baby, I’m taking you to the hospital.”
Scooping up the teen again after grabbing his car keys, Chris hurried to the garage. He struggled to keep the dogs in the house while departing and not dropping Alyssa in the same moment. He eased her to stand, leaning against him as he unlocked the doors to his silver Porsche Targa. Helping Alyssa into the sports car was not easy at all, but Susan had the more ‘reasonable’ sedan and he didn’t consider Alyssa’s car until after he had her in the passenger seat and buckled in. At that point she was already in a vehicle so there was no reason to pull her out and carry her to another one. Instead he hurried around the car and jumped in behind the steering wheel. He nearly forgot to open the garage before backing out.
His tires squealed on the wet pavement after backing out and shifting into gear. His fear wanted him to drive recklessly, but something kept him on the road, obeying most traffic laws, other than speed. And two stops signs. But as they arrived at the hospital without any incident, he thought nothing of it. Leaving the car in idle in front of the emergency room, but not blocking the ambulance’s path should one pull up, Chris jumped out of the car and hurried around to help Alyssa out. He struggled with her into the emergency room, shouting for help as he entered. The girl was quickly placed on a gurney and wheeled into a room. Questions were asked of him, but Chris could do nothing more than shake his head. He didn’t know what was wrong with her, only that something was.
“I... I don’t know,” he finally muttered. “She’s... she’s pregnant. She was taking a nap and then suddenly came out and... oh god, help her.”
“We’re going to do everything we can for your...”
“Girlfriend,” he responded.
“Girlfriend,” a woman in blue scrubs declared. “And the baby. I need you to come with me and fill out some paperwork so the doctors can do their job, okay?”
Tearing his eyes away from Alyssa, he nodded slowly, “All right.”
A rhythmic beep woke her from dreamless sleep, or at least she thought it was sleep. Her eyes fluttered open, instantly squinting in the soft white light. It took Alyssa a few minutes to figure out where she was; it certainly wasn’t Chris’s house. It was... it was a hospital. Her first reaction was that something had happened to their baby, just after she told him, that fate had ripped the child away already. Her hand instantly pressed her small abdomen, as if touching it would confirm something, though what she knew not.
“Ah, hello, Alyssa,” a kind voice greeted, drawing her eyes to the man. “I’m Dr. Walkenhorst. There’s a few things we need to talk about.”
She nodded slowly before asking, “Where’s Chris?”
“He’s just outside. You can see him in a minute. After you answer some questions.”
Remaining silent, her eyes flicked to the closed blinds, wishing she could see through them to Chris. But alas she could not, so her eyes returned to the doctor as he pulled a stool up next to her.
“Alyssa, I don’t want this to come as a surprise but you’re pregnant. About eleven weeks,” he declared.
“I know,” she responded.
The doctor’s eyebrows rose slightly, “Ah, you do. Now there is no reason to be alarmed about being here. Chris did the right thing in bringing you.”
“Is my baby... is my baby okay?” she whispered.
“The baby appears to be fine. I want to do an ultrasound, but I thought perhaps you would want to be awake for that,” Dr. Walkenhorst declared.
Alyssa smiled slightly, “I can see my baby?”
He nodded, “But first I need you to answer a couple of questions.”
“Okay.”
“Is Chris the baby’s father?”
She bit her bottom lip.
“Alyssa, anything you sat to me is strictly confidential. I cannot even tell your parents.”
“My parents? Oh god, do my parents know I’m here?” her eyes widened.
“Chris called them,” he answered. “I presume they are on their way.”
“Oh god.”
“I cannot give them any information you do not wish me to. I cannot tell them you are pregnant. I cannot tell them who the father is. It is all up to you, Alyssa. As a sixteen year old woman, you are not only at the age of legal consent, but clearly able to make your own decisions. What I tell your parents is up to you,” he claimed. “You can trust me, Alyssa.”
Staring at the doctor for a long moment, she tried to decide if she really could believe in his words. It made sense, the legality of it, but she somehow thought that her father would argue around that, convince otherwise. After all as one of the leading prosecutors in the city, her father could argue anything. But maybe the doctor was right. And even if he wasn’t, Chris would protect her, protect them.
“Chris... Chris is the father,” she whispered.
The doctor nodded, “Does he know?”
“I told him... this afternoon.”
He nodded again, “That was very brave of you.”
“I love him. He loves me. He needed to know.”
“Your relationship with Chris... how long have you known him?”
Alyssa looked away briefly, “We met in April.”
He glanced down at her chart, “How long has your relationship been sexual?”
“He’s not going to get in trouble, will he?”
“Alyssa,” his eyes went to his, “while the law states sixteen as the age of consent, I am bound by patient confidentiality first and foremost, unless there has been abuse involved. Instincts tell me, which are rarely wrong, that abuse was not involved in this relationship.”
“The first time we made love was four months ago.”
“Unprotected?”
“No. Chris and I were always pretty careful and I was on the pill,” she responded. “But... but I got sick the last week of September. And... I missed a couple of days and I was on antibiotics. I know that’s bad. But then he was so sweet on my birthday.... and one thing lead to another. And... Chris isn’t a bad man. Not at all. He loves me.”
The doctor nodded, “I’m not going to lecture you about unprotected sex. You seem to be very well aware of the risks involved. Before we hook up the ultrasound machine and take a look at your baby, let’s talk a little bit about both of your health.”
Seated in a hard blue plastic chair, Chris’s leg jiggled. He knew the doctors and nurses weren’t going to give him any updates on Alyssa; he had no legal right to them. He really just needed to know that she was all right, that the baby was all right. No one was going to tell him that. He would just have to wait until he could see her. However as luck would have it, her parents and sister entered the emergency room. As he met her parents a few months before, somehow receiving a half-blessing to spend time with Alyssa, it had not been that awkward calling to inform them of her being in the hospital. But as they walked into the waiting room, Howard glared at Chris before heading up to the desk to inquire about his daughter. Marilyn and Judith approached the worried singer, the young girl slipping onto the chair beside him. She reached over the shiny metal and plastic arm for his hand, squeezing it assuredly.
“What happened?” Marilyn asked, sitting on the other side of her daughter.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “One moment she was fine, just a little tired. And then she... went pale and nearly passed out. The only thing I could think of was to bring her here.”
The woman, who was only a few years his senior, nodded, “We thank you for that. Alyssa is very lucky to have someone who cares as deeply about her as you do.”
Considering the situation, Chris was far more grateful for Marilyn’s words than he could express. He knew while he was nearly allowed into the circle, it was about to be abruptly disrupted by the news Alyssa and he had to share with them. He wasn’t about to blurt out that she was pregnant without discussing it with her first, but he had a feeling it was going to have to happen, perhaps even the doctor telling her parents. This was clearly the tense calm before the storm.
Howard stalked over to Chris, Marilyn, and Judith, “They won’t tell me anything. What did you do to her?”
Chris’s worried blue eyes went to the lawyer, “Nothing, Mr. Morgan. She felt faint without reason so I brought her here. That is all I know.”
He glared, “She wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for y—”
“You’re right, Howard,” Marilyn interrupted. “She wouldn’t be. She could have passed out while driving home or in some other random place where strangers would just walk on past her. Instead she was in the presence of Chris and he took care to bring her here. She’s lucky to have him.”
“I’m sure that he—”
A young doctor approached the family, interrupting, “Chris? Alyssa would like to see you now.”
He quickly hopped up, moving around Howard while the man grappled with the fact his daughter hadn’t asked for him. Following the doctor to the emergency room, he smiled in relief when he was lead into the room, the door closed behind. Wordlessly he moved to her bedside, sitting on the empty stool and taking her hand. For a long moment he just sat there, looking into her eyes and trying to not cry in relief.
“Baby, are you... are you okay?”
She nodded slowly, “I was just... very dehydrated. I had some horrible morning sickness today and... the baby really just didn’t like me today.”
Lifting her hand to his mouth, he kissed it softly, “I’m going to take care of you. I promise.”
“I know,” Alyssa smiled slightly. “But there’s another reason you’re here now.”
“Oh?”
The doctor pulled a machine up to the other side of the bed. Chris looked to it, trying to figure out what was going on. Silently he watched as the nurse who had been in the room when he and the doctor returned lifted up the hospital gown, exposing Alyssa’s abdomen. He noticed it curved slightly more, but not blatantly. When the blond woman squired a blue gel on the teenager’s stomach, his heart fluttered wildly and his eyes shot to Alyssa’s.
“We’re going to see our baby,” she claimed, squeezing his hand.
Chris shifted slightly on the stool to be closer to Alyssa and to face the small screen better. He heard the doctor explain what he was doing, but couldn’t really process the words. All he could keep thinking was he was about to see his baby, their baby. A grainy image appeared on the screen, nothing at all discernable to the singer. But then the doctor stopped moving the wand and Alyssa gasped. Chris’s eyes focused on the small image in the middle of the screen. It didn’t really look like a baby to him, just a grainysomething. But the longer he looked the more he realized he was looking at a tiny little head, arms, and legs. And what he thought was a heartbeat. Suddenly his ears picked up an odd rhythmic sound and he instantly knew the pitter patter was that of the baby’s heart.
“That’s our...” he breathed.
“Oh, Chris, it’s so...” she whispered.
Even the doctor smiled, “The baby looks very healthy, Alyssa. And I would concur with our earlier estimation that you’re about eleven weeks along from the size of the foetus. Because of your difficulties with morning sickness lately, I want to see you next week.”
Her eyes went to the doctor, “You’ll be my doctor?”
He nodded once, “If you would like, yes.”
Already having a rapport with the man and not wanting to have to find someone she could trust with her and Chris’s secrets, Alyssa smiled, “Yes, I would.”
“I’m coming to every appointment with you,” Chris declared, still looking at the baby on the screen. “We’re doing this together.”
The doctor printed out an image of the baby for the couple and handed it to Chris, “Alyssa, your family is out in the waiting room as well.”
Her eyes shot to Chris, “Chris, what are we going to do?”
“It’s up to you, baby,” he responded, looking away from the grainy image in his hand to her eyes. “Whatever you want, we’ll do.”
“If we tell them I’m pregnant...”
“It’s up to you, Alyssa. No matter what, I am here for you.”
She looked to the doctor who said nothing, clearly indicating it was her choice as he packed up the machine. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Chris squeezed her hand gently. As she exhaled she knew what had to be done. She needed to tell them, had already been planning to. This just wasn’t how she imagined it. And poor Judith’s birthday was coming up and this was likely to eclipse it. Perhaps she would be able to keep it a secret until her sister’s birthday was over. No, they would want to know why she was hospitalized. And oh how she wanted to show the picture of her baby with her family.
“Chris, we have to tell them.”
“Are you sure, Lyssie?”
She nodded. Meeting the doctor’s eyes, Chris gave the man permission to bring Alyssa’s family into the room. Her grip on his hand tightened as her father, stepmother, and sister entered the room. No one spoke for a long moment, Howard expecting Chris to leave.
“Daddy,” Alyssa spoke softly, her voice cracking some, “there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Is it drugs? Did you overdose? I swear to you I will send his ass to jail for—”
“No!” she interjected. “It’s not drugs. I was just really dehydrated.”
He shoulders seemed to relax and he moved to stand on the opposite of her bed from Chris, “Baby girl, I was so certain that—”
“Daddy, that’s not what I need to tell you,” she interrupted again, eyes darting to Marilyn and then to Chris before returning to her father. “Daddy, I’m pregnant.”
“Uh, what?” he muttered.
“I’m having a baby,” Alyssa stated, reaching for the photo in Chris’s hand. “I’m pregnant.”
Howard slowly accepted the printout. His hand trembled as he looked down at the image. Sure enough the outline of a tiny baby that he was familiar with stretched across the page. His baby girl was having a baby. So many mixed emotions played through his head. Part of him was elated, becoming a grandfather was a great thing. But the logic in him fought that strongly. She was only sixteen. Her entire life was ahead of her. A baby changes everything. And that touched off the desire to kill whoever did this to his baby girl. His eyes rose and looked across the hospital bed at Chris, ire filling his sight. He just knew this was the one who took advantage of his daughter. And he would pay for it. Certainly.
“You will—”
“I wanna see the baby!” Judith’s voice interrupted Howard’s acid words directed at Chris.
Alyssa motioned the nearly ten year old to come closer. Without asking, Judith sat on Chris’s side of the bed, reaching across Alyssa to snatch the picture from Howard. She stared at for a moment, turning it around. Confusion filled her eyes and she looked up at Chris, who was positively frozen from Howard’s evil glare.
“I don’t see it, Chris,” Judith claimed.
His eyes went down to the girl and he smiled some, releasing Alyssa’s hand so he could hold the image and point out the baby with his other hand, “Right here, Judith. That’s the baby’s head, that’s its legs, and that’s one of it’s arms.”
“Ooooooh!” she grinned, eyes going from the picture to Alyssa. “I’m going to be an aunt!”
Alyssa nodded slowly, still unsure how the news was sitting with her parents.
Judith looked back to Chris, “Are you going to marry Aly?”
“I...”
“Judith, why don’t you come down to the gift shop with me?” Marilyn spoke up. “I think your dad and sister have some things to discuss.”
“But, Mom!”
“Judith Noelle,” she warned, holding her hand out.
Sighing the girl gave the picture back to Chris, hugged Alyssa and muttered how happy she was, and slipped off the bed. Following the doctor out, Marilyn lead the girl from the room, leaving Chris, Howard, and Alyssa alone. Chris shifted uncomfortably on the stool, his hands snaking back to Alyssa’s.
“Did you do this to my daughter?” Howard demanded.
“Daddy,” Alyssa interrupted.
He held up his hand to silence her, “Did you or did you not have sex with my daughter, my sixteen year old daughter?”
Chris said nothing.
“Answer the question, Mr. Cornell. Or I’ll have the police ask you ag—”
“You will not!” Alyssa exclaimed. “I’m sixteen, Daddy. And I’m going to be a mother. Mymother was practically my age when she had me.”
Howard’s eyes snapped to Alyssa, “Aly, you’re not—”
“I’m having this baby. You can’t say anything to stop me. It’s my decision to make and I made it over a month ago when I found out I was pregnant,” she claimed. “And you’re not going to harass Chris any more. Or you’re never going to see me or the baby again.”
Sitting in his office, Howard rubbed his temples. The news of his eldest daughter’s pregnancy a few days before Christmas was not good news at all. He was certain Chris was the father too. And while he did not know how old Chris was, he knew he wasmuch older than Alyssa. He could legally pursue matters against the man and it was still very much something he was considering. At the moment though, his wife was upstairs with both of their daughters, likely talking about babies. All three seemed happy and excited about the news. Did they not understand that Alyssa hadn’t even graduated high school? How was she going to take care of a baby, provide everything for the child? While he knew his daughter would be an excellent mother, she had the patience and the largest heart he knew of, Howard still did not think kindly on this. She was practically a child herself. And that bastard had stripped her of that.
But he had promised Marilyn privately in the hall while Chris and Alyssa were saying their goodbyes before she was discharged, that he would not do anything for at least two weeks. The news needed to settle and be processed. And bringing up charges against Chris would be really evil during the holiday season, not that Howard really cared about his feelings. It was Alyssa he protected by holding off on... protecting her from that man. Chris would pay for stealing his daughter’s childhood from her. There was no doubt in his mind.
Gentle hands touched his shoulders, massaging slightly, “Howard, you need to focus on what is important here.”
He glanced over his shoulder at his wife, “It’s important that he raped my daughter, thusly impregnating her.”
“Howard,” Marilyn warned, “you and I both know that’s not what happened.”
“And how do we know that? He’s a married man who clearly bewitched our daughter or drugged her or—”
“Fell in love with her,” she declared. “Just because Chris is married doesn’t mean he can’t fall in love with Alyssa. You were still married when we fell in love.”
“I.... but that was different,” he argued.
“Why? Because I was twenty-six and you were forty-two? There’s just as many years between you and I as there are between Chris and Alyssa,” she pointed out.
“He’s thirty two?”
Marilyn brushed it off, “Howard, forget about attacking Chris. Your daughter is pregnant. It doesn’t matter who did it or what happened. She’s pregnant. It’s a done deal. Her entire life is changing now. And guess what? So is his. Chris is taking responsibility for this baby. That is far more than you can say of most babies’ fathers and you know it. But not only that, he loves your daughter. It’s not an ideal situation, but it is the current situation. Getting angry and bitter will not help a thing. Your daughter is upstairs right now with all sorts of things running through her head right now. She needs your support, Howard, not some vigilante action. Just your love and support.”
Sighing, he patted his wife’s hand. She was right, he knew that. But instinct told him that keeping Chris away from his daughter was just as needed as whatever else she needed. But he had promised and he never broke his promises. And it was Christmas. He could give Chris amnesty until that was over.
“You’re excited about this, aren’t you?” he looked at his wife before getting to his feet.
“You know I always wanted more children but we weren’t blessed with such. I know this isn’t ideal, but she took a very big risk in telling us. I’m going to love and support her every step of this journey and you should too. In a few months time we’re going to have a grandbaby, like it or not. A baby is always cause for celebration,” Marilyn responded.
“Not when the mother is a child hers—”
“Alyssa has not been a child for some time, Howard. But I would not expect you to understand that or even recognize it, since you spend so much of your time working.”
“Are you saying this is my fault because I haven’t been around enough?”
“No. Not at all. And Alyssa will tell you just as much herself,” she stated. “Husband, wipe the anger and disappointment and fear from your face and go upstairs and tell your daughter you love her. She needs to hear that right now. Go assure her that Christmas is not ruined and that you love her. Forget all the rest of this.”
Sighing he nodded, hearing truth in her words. He kissed her lovingly and stepped around her, heading up the steps. Passing Judith’s room first, he noticed the younger girl’s light was still on and figured she too would need a talking to, but that he would do after speaking with Alyssa. He knocked gently on the older girl’s door before pushing it open. She quickly said good bye to whomever she was speaking with on the phone as he entered, her large brown eyes going to his. He silently made his way over to her bed. Rather than sitting beside her, he grabbed the chair from her desk and set it facing the bed. Sitting facing his eldest, Howard reached for both of her hands. He stared at the small hands in his for a long moment, remembering the very first time he held her teeny, tiny hands. She had been such a perfect little baby. And now... now she had become a woman, without him even noticing.
With tears in his eyes, Howard finally met Alyssa’s eyes, “I know you didn’t plan this, that you realize this changes everything about your life, but I love you, Aly. I have since the very moment your mother told me she was pregnant. The greatest moments in my life have been the moments my daughters were placed in my arms after birth. I cannot describe how much you and your sister fill my heart. And that will never, ever change.”
“Daddy... Daddy, I’m sorry,” she muttered, tears running down her cheeks. “I... I would understand if you don’t want me anymore. I’ve let you down so badly.”
“No no no,” he quickly wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks. “I will always want you, Aly. You are my daughter, my lovely daughter. I know you’re scared right now. And I know this is not going to be easy for you. But you will always have my love and support. We will help you through this.”
“C-Chris says that he’s going to take care of me.”
Howard wiped another tear, “I hope that’s true. But even if it isn’t, you’re not doing this alone. Never in a million years. You have me and Mari and Judith. We’re going to be with you through every step of this.”
Alyssa nodded, “I’m sorry I ruined Christmas.”
“Oh, baby girl, you didn’t,” he claimed. “In fact... in fact this might be one of the best presents I’ve ever gotten.”
“Really?”
Though he didn’t quite believe the words from his mouth either, Howard replied, “I think so. Becoming a grandfather is a very happy occasion. A baby is a happy thing.”
“But a baby changes everything.”
“Nothing stays the same, Alyssa. But we still have stars in the sky to guide us. We will take this journey together. You’re going to be an excellent mother. This is a happy occasion.”
In : Christmas
Tags: christmas 1996
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