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I laughed, “Excuse me?” I turned to face her.
She pointed. “The one over there where you left him. The one that’s whimpering. You can’t leave without your baby here.”
I shook my head. “He’s not my baby. I just came here…”
Shit. I couldn’t even tell her the real reason that I came inside the clinic.
She interrupted me as she rolled her eyes and then put her hand on her large hips. “I saw you come in here with that girl. She’s either your baby mommy or girlfriend. Cause you ain’t got on no ring. You better get your baby and leave.”
I started to rub my beard. The same thing that I’d been doing whenever I was confused.
“She’s in the bathroom. She’ll be out soon and then she’ll take him.”
She waved her finger from side-to-side and I found myself distracted as if I was watching a big old pendant clock. Like the one that stood in my grandparents’ house and had been passed down through many generations of my family.
“She ain’t in the bathroom because she left the minute you mentioned you wanted to know about Laila Hunter. Even though no Laila Hunter came in here today. Look, just take your baby and get out of here. Before I call the police.”
I was about to say something else when I turned and noticed that she was right. The baby bag, which was like the one that both Noah and Chad, my two best friends walk around with as if their lives depend on it was sitting on the chair that I once occupied. I sighed as I wondered what the fuck was going on as I grabbed the bag and the baby too and got the fuck out of the clinic.
Chapter Two
Dan
I sent a message to the guys telling them that I needed their help. I went to the clinic to spy on my ex, not to get a baby. Luckily, he was sleeping. I ran out of there so fast as I grabbed the bag and the baby that I thought maybe I'd woken him up and shoved him at the back of my car. The crazy part was that I'd been renting a parking space near work ever since I'd been laid off. The whole thing was so fucking insane. I knew that the guys would come around, they’d probably think that I'd gone down the dark path again. Not only had I relapsed, but I had a new addition to my family.
A baby.
I knew that I needed to give him back, the question was how.
I hesitated as I put the key in the ignition and then checked in the back, he wasn’t making a sound. I wasn’t even sure how old he was, because I hadn’t been paying attention whenever Martin, Noah and now Chad talked about babies. Maybe this was a sign, they all had baby fever. Especially, because both Ivy and Kylie were now expecting. Noah and Kylie were having their second baby. I swear it felt like only the other day that they had their first. Maybe when she’s writing her songs, they make sweet music and the next thing she’s pregnant.
God, what a fucking mess!
As soon as I got to my house, I noticed Noah parked outside.
“Crap, that was quick!”
He sighed. “Yeah, I was on my way to see you before you called.”
I raised an eyebrow. “How come?”
“Work. I heard that you lost your job. Kylie had to go to the city today. She took the kids and then I thought that I’d surprise you at work, only to hear that you lost your job. Two weeks ago! But, when I spoke to you on Monday, you said that you were on your way to work. I called the guys a little after you’d called us. So, they’re on their way too.”
Shoot, do none of my friends work? They always seemed to be a bit too quick to come over and help out whenever I called.
That’s when the baby started crying as if on cue.
“Dan, you took a baby?” Noah looked at me as if I’d lost my mind.
I shook my head. “By accident.”
“Run that by me again. You took a baby by accident?”
I nodded. “You see, I saw Laila going into a clinic. And I followed her and then there was this girl.”
The baby was crying and I ignored it. Thinking, ‘out of sight, out of mind’.
Noah said, “You can’t leave him in the car.”
I waited for him to pick it up. That’s exactly what he did and then Chad pulled up. Damn! I may as well retell my story to the pair of them instead of one at a time.
Chad nodded and then he went to the other side of my car and noticed Noah reaching out for a baby. “Did Kylie deliver already?”
I sighed. “Hey, Chad. How you doing? Thanks for coming by.” I grabbed my keys and headed into the house. I couldn’t believe that I was trying to tell Noah my issue. My big fucking problem and they were not taking me seriously.
“Dan! What the fuck man? You have a baby in the car and you’re acting as if I gave it to you.”
Noah sighed “Please, don’t call the little man, ‘it’. He’s hungry, wet, and Dan’s not been taking care of him. Seems like he was too busy stalking Laila.”
Chad was puzzled as he shut the door and entered the living room.
Noah did the same, but to change his diaper.
“Laila?” Chad asked as he sat down and then started automatically helping Noah with changing the diaper. He laid down the mat and took off the baby’s clothes like a dad. Like someone who had something to do with babies. Which was something that I had no experience in doing.
“My wife!” I blurted out while heading to the bar to pour myself a drink and then as quick as lightning Chad followed me, taking the glass from my hand. Normally, I drank from the bottle, but I wasn't doing that in front of them. They'll accuse me of having a problem. Something that I knew, but I didn't need a reminder.
“I thought I told you none of that man. It doesn’t do you any good. You need to get rid of anything like that especially with a baby in the house.”
“Why? Is he going to fight me for the bottle?”
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He shook his head as he went into the kitchen and started emptying the contents of my very expensive bourbon. He paused and asked, “What’s that smell?”
He sniffed around like a dog and then Noah shouted from the living room, “It’s Dan. I smelled him the moment he came out of his car.”
“No wonder the little man was crying. Shit, you need to shower and quick. And while you’re there you need to shave. What are you? On the run from someone? What’s up with the hair? It’s like you’re trying to hide your face under there or something?”
Before I could reply, not only had Noah magically changed the baby’s diaper, but he was holding the baby in his arms and blurted out, “That’s because he lost his job. I went to his office and they say that he was sacked two weeks ago!”
“Holy crap!”
Wow, when did Chad stop cursing? Okay, so holy crap isn’t exactly better, but he used to say, ‘Fuck’ as if he came out of his mother’s womb blurting out the word.
“Anyway, finish your story about you stalking your ex-wife. She’s not your wife. But your ex,” Noah nodded as I have his undivided attention.
The pair of them stared at me as if I was mad and then on cue, Martin and the bell and opened the door.
“What did I miss?”
I fucking give up.
I shouted loud enough for all of them to hear, “I was in the clinic, waiting for Laila to leave. I don’t know if she did or not, and then the next thing I know there’s a baby next to me. The mom just upped and left the baby with me!”
“And you don't know her?” Noah asked as if he was trying to confirm the story.
I shook my head, I was tempted to say that if I did know her, then I wouldn't be bringing the baby home with me.
Martin asked, “What were you doing in a clinic? And what is that smell?”
Both Noah and Chad pointed to me. Martin backed away.
