Chapter 26: I'd Rather Be Alone

  Rylan knocked at the front door, and waited nervously for it to open.  He wasn't exactly sure what to expect, other than Natasha wanted him to come over so they could talk.  Considering she wouldn't even look at him as he left that one morning, and she never returned his calls, her calling him now could only be bad news.  She was pregnant.

  Natasha finally answered the door.  "Rylan, come on in."

  

  Rylan stared at her, frozen for a few seconds.  He was half expecting her to be pregnant, and yet, seeing her pregnant belly actually made it more---real.  He followed her into the house, she led him into the kitchen, then sat down at the table and motioned for him to sit as well.  "Well, as you can tell, I'm pregnant."

   "Yeah, I see that." he said, "So I'll get a job, and, I know we don't know each other very well but...you're shaking your head no, and I haven't even finished yet!"

  "I've really thought about this Rylan.  I'm not in a position to take care of a baby right now.  I still have several years of college left before I'll be anywhere near ready to be a parent.  And well, " she blushed, "Don and I are seeing each other again.  He apologized and swore up and down it didn't mean anything with the other girl, and that he'll never cheat again.  He forgives me for this, " She motioned to her belly.  "And well,  I love him." She said simply.

  "What?!"  Rylan couldn't believe what he was hearing.  "All that---and you went back to the jerk?"

  Natasha glared at him.  "He's not a jerk.  Anyway, my relationship with him is none of your business.  I have decided though, to put this baby up for adoption.  I'll just need you to sign off your rights to the child."

  "You decided?"  Rylan said angrily.   "I'm not signing off on anything.  Forget it."

  "Rylan," Natasha said patiently, "you are not ready to be a parent either.  It's best for everyone all around."

  Rylan stood up, and with a great effort, kept his voice low and even.  "It is not best for everyone.  It's not best for me, or my kid.  If you don't want the kid, fine, you sign off your rights to me.  I'll take my baby and raise him or her myself.  My kid deserves the chance to know his or her family.  My parents will help me, I know my siblings will help me as well."

  "I don't know about..."

  "What's not to know?  Give the kid to complete strangers, which by the way I would fight, and my family has a lot of connections, or give the kid to me, where he or she will know who their family is.  Seems an easy choice to me."

  Natasha thought it over for a few minutes.  "Okay."  She said softly.  "Once I sign over my rights though, I don't want to be contacted ever."

  "No worries there Natasha."

  "Good.  Then it's settled.  When I have the baby I'll have it delivered to you, with the papers.  I don't expect to ever see you again, I..." she hesitated, "I wish you well Rylan."

  "You too, Natasha." Rylan headed for home, his mind furiously thinking.  How was he going to explain this?  He sure could use his brother as a sounding board, with that thought in mind, once Rylan arrived home, he sought Kit out.  Kit was sitting on the couch,  poring over a book, as usual.  "Hey, Kit, do you have a minute?"

  Kit set the book down.  "Sure Ry, what do you need?"

  Rylan rubbed the back of his neck nervously.  "Just to talk.  Well, see, do you remember that party I went to?"

  "Yeah?"

  "Well, I kindofgotalittledrunkandsleptwithagirlandnowshe'shavingmybaby." Rylan said in a rush of words.

  "Did I just hear that you got a girl pregnant?  At that party?"  Rylan nodded. "And you were drunk."

  Rylan nodded again.  "I messed up, I know I did, and if I could redo things, I would.  She was this really good looking college girl, and she was so sad, and I went up to talk to her, and she ordered me a drink.  Well, I didn't want to seem like a baby!"  Ry said defensively.  "So, yeah, I drank some of it.  She kept ordering refills and I kept drinking it.  She just broke up with a jerk of a boyfriend, and, well, one thing led to another."  Ry shrugged.  "That's not the worst of it, though."

  "There's more?"

  "Yeah."  Ry sighed.  "Turns out, she doesn't want this baby, and was going to give it up for adoption.  I couldn't have that!  I got her to agree to let me raise the baby.  Once she has the baby, she'll drop him or her off, and then disappear."  Rylan waited a minute before prompting Kit, "Well, where's the lecture?  The advice?"

  Kit smiled sadly at his brother.  "I doubt I am the person to give out advice or lectures on this subject.  I've made a miserable mess of my own personal life.  Mina is pregnant, but not happy about it."  Kit thought for a moment.  "Well, Mina is not happy about anything at the moment.  But I digress, however, I can support you, and we can learn how to be Dads at the same time."

  "Mina is a pain in the butt, and I think you should dump her on it."

  Kit sighed heavily.  "Tempting as that may be, I signed on for better or worse, I just didn't expect the worst to come so early.  And I've got my child to consider."

  "You have your happiness to consider."

  Kit shook his head.  "Only in part.  My happiness can not be true happiness if it comes at another's expense.  My child will come first, in any decisions I make.  I'll see if Mina comes around to the idea of being a mother or not."

  Rylan snorted.  "Not.  I've never heard someone complain so much.  Whatever did you see in her?"

  "Someone who was not there, apparently."  Kit glanced at the clock on the wall.  "We've got to go."

  "Go where?"

  "Our cousin's Graduation ceremony."

  "Oh yeah!"

  Kit and Rylan made it to the ceremony on time, and afterwards they hung around outside to talk with the extended family that had shown up.  Kit groaned when he heard his wife's wicked giggle.  Mina was in top form, making fun of Dion.

   He started for her, when Layla stopped him.  "Kit, before you pull her away, there's something I have to tell you."

  

  "Can't it wait Layla?  Mina is making a fool of herself."

  "No, I really think you should hear this first."

  "Okay, but quickly."

  "Kit, I don't know how to tell you this, but Mina is cheating on you with that Fury guy."

  "Don Fury?"

  Layla nodded.  "That's the one.  It's been town gossip for a while now, but I ignore town gossips and rumors.  But I saw her Kit, I saw her with him, in his car, and they were having sex in the car in the parking lot.  It was not something I wanted to see, let me tell you!  I hate the way she is treating you, and I want to go and slap her up one side and down the other!  The town loves you Kit, and they can't stand her, but they all keep quiet out of some mistaken belief that it will protect you from being hurt.  Don Fury is going to find himself run out of town, sooner rather than later." She said darkly.  Layla hugged her brother, who stood stiffly.  "I'm so sorry Kit, but I didn't want, " Her voice trailed off.   "Well, when you guys have your talk tonight, you can add that.  I hope I did the right thing in telling you!"  She looked worriedly up at Kit's face.

  Kit hugged Layla back.  "Yeah, it's best I know.  But it sucks."  Kit stalked over to his wife.  "Mina, let's go home, we need to talk."

  "Not now, Kit, can't you see I'm busy?"

  She really was beautiful, Kit thought.  He could hardly tell that she was pregnant, and Kit had worried about the fact that she was so slim, but Mina always took it as a compliment.  He wished she was just as pretty on the inside as she was on the outside.  "Mina, I mean it.  Come with me now, or we'll just have this whole discussion in front of everyone.  I really don't care which way, but we are going to talk now."

  Mina rolled her eyes.  "Really?  Mr. Perfect would air his dirty laundry in front of everyone?" She laughed cynically.  "Somehow I doubt it.  We'll talk when I'm ready, and I am not ready."

 Kit firmly grabbed her elbow and pulled her aside.  "I don't care if you're ready.  I'm ready.  Enough is enough, Mina.  This ends now."

  "Fine, what do you want to talk about."  She glared at him.

 
  "I'd ask you if it was true that you cheated on me, but I already know it is true.  What I don't know is why.  You wanted to marry me Mina, you talked of nothing else the whole time we were together in highschool.  I bought you the ring you wanted, I would have even moved to Bridgeport for you, and I hate the city!  What did I do that caused you to hate me so much?"

  Mina laughed bitterly.  "Paint me as the bad guy, Kit, if it makes you feel better.  The truth is, we never would have moved, we would have been stuck here for forever, and I would have a ton of brats clinging to my pants.  Look at me now!  I'm already breeding like some dumb rabbit!  You will never move away, because you actually like the thought of living here forever and having fourteen brats!"

  "I wouldn't call them brats."  Kit said mildly.  "It is no secret that I am family minded.  I always have been Mina, you knew that, and yet you married me anyway.  And I would have moved, because I always keep my word."

  "You were supposed to be my ticket out of here, instead you turned into an anchor holding me down.  You are so talented Kit, you could be the number one player in the Football League, but you chose the Green Llamas!"

  Kit sighed sadly.  "And where does that leave us Mina?  And our baby?"

  "I don't know about you, but I am going to Bridgeport after this baby is born.  You can raise the brat, I want nothing to do with it.  Don has offered to escort me around the town, so I can meet the important people and make those valuable contacts.  Since I'll be married, I won't have to worry about any partners getting any committment ideas."

  "Don didn't strike me as the marrying type."  Kit felt frozen inside, he couldn't feel anything.  Maybe it was shock? he wondered.  Surely he shouldn't be so calm while discussing his wife's plans to marry another man.  He was just worn out, tired of fighting with her, and he couldn't make his marriage work if she was determined for it to not work.  He only hoped he could keep things kind of civil for his child's sake.  No matter what happened, Mina would always be his child's mother.

  "What are you talking about?  I have no interest in marrying Don, neither does he have an interest in marrying me.  We are together for the sex, and that is all.  I was referring to you, my husband."

  Kit started to laugh.  "You really think I am going to stay married to you, and let you live in Bridgeport, and just let you sleep with anyone you wanted?"  Kit laughed again.

  "What?  You want to get divorced?  Who else would you marry in this ugly little town.  Everyone here looks like they were hit with an ugly stick."

 
  Kit chuckled.  "You are unbelievable Mina!  There are more important things than beauty, there is character, which sadly, you lack.  No, I won't stay married to you for your convenience.  I would rather be alone for all the right reasons, then together with you for all the wrong ones."

  "Oh, Mr. Perfect, huh?  I wonder what will happen when you fall from that pedestal you are on!"

  Kit sadly shook his head. "You just don't get it."

  "I get it all right.  But just to remind you bucko, you signed a contract of a different kind with me.  I am still your manager, and you are not getting out of that one."

  "That one is not the important one.  I'm going home Mina, I'll file for divorce in the morning."

  Over the next several weeks Kit kept to himself, and his family worried over him.   He didn't talk much, but spent most of his days holed up in his room, his nose in a book.  Or he spent hours mixing up different concoctions on the alchemy table, using ingredients he had grown in his garden.

  And then the day finally arrived, Mina went into labor.  She screamed and carried on, and cursed at everyone.  She swore the brat was trying to kill her for revenge.  She swore she was dying from the inhumane pain.  She refused to die though, as soon as she had this brat, she was leaving town forever.  She was going to travel the world.

 Within three hours, Mina delivered a healthy baby boy.  Kit named him Reilly.

   
  Mina placed Reilly on the floor, and walked out of the room.  Her bags were already packed in her car, she was on her way to Bridgeport.  Kit stopped her in the hallway.  "Mina, he's your child too.  I know you hate me, but he's innocent.  He could really use his mother."

  "Not interested Kit.  I did my motherly duty, and gave the little worm life.  But I am done, the first thing I do when I reach Bridgeport is I am going to see a doctor.  I want to have the surgery that makes it to where I never have another brat."

 
  "I'll be in touch in regards to career opportunities.  Other than that, have a nice life."

  "What if Reilly wants to meet you someday?" Kit called after her.

  "Tell him not to bother, he'll just be disappointed." She answered.  With a slam of the front door, and the revving of an engine, Mina was gone.

  Kit walked into the room where Reilly lay on the floor.  He picked him up and carried Reilly with him into the living room.   "Well Reilly, I tried." he told his infant son.  Reilly waved his arms about and made little mewling noises.  Kit held Reilly up and looked into his son's eyes.  Reilly blinked then yawned.  Kit smiled at his son.  "You were worth it." he told Reilly.  "I would do it all over again, every pain, every fight, just to have you."  As Kit fed Reilly his first bottle, he swore that he saw Reilly smiling at him.

 
  A few days, in the middle of the night, there was a knock at the door.  Kit stirred slightly, Reilly was laying across his chest as they slept on the couch.  Rylan jumped up, he and Kit had been watching a sci-fi action movie together, before Kit conked out and left Rylan to watch the movie alone.  "Ill get it." Rylan said.

  Kit muttered something that sounded like "Mhh, hmm, thanks Ry."

  Rylan opened the door, but didn't see anyone there.  "Hello?"  Then he heard a strange noise, and looked down at the ground.  There on the ground was a baby with a note attached to the blanket.  He grabbed the note first and quickly scanned it.

  As promised, the baby, the papers are attached to this note.  Remember your promise, don't ever look for me, or tell her about me.  I just want to forget this ever happened.  Good bye.

  -Natasha
 
  Rylan picked the bundle up out of the carseat.  He stared into his daughter's eyes for the first time.  "Hello Maya." he said.

 
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Challenge notes---okay---Generation Four---3 babies!  Mina is gone---no one misses her, lol :P  A few, like Kei, even wanted to see Mina's ghost. :D  Kit's family didn't like her, she was rather nasty to them.  The only one that was really nasty back, was Kei.

  Kit is slowly---very slowly---advancing in his career.  I rolled Idle Career, so I am doing nothing to help him out.  *sits on hands*  It's tough, but I'm doing it!

  Next chapter I'll have more birthdays.  Lots of birthdays!  And more pictures of the kids.

  :)


Next: Chapter 27: Birthdays