The fatherhood mandate, p.9
The Fatherhood Mandate, page 9
Yep, any way you looked at it, he was screwed. He pounded the steering wheel in frustration.
Sam spotted Lucas sitting in the outdoor dining area as he drove into Culver’s parking lot. He waved and pulled into a nearby parking space. They went inside, placed their order, and had a seat near the back of the restaurant to eat when their food was ready.
Sam pushed ketchup around with some fries. He wasn’t really hungry.
“So,” Lucas said, picking up his burger and shaking it a bit to let some of the extra lettuce drop to the table. “I heard a rumor about Rylee. I’m not sure if it’s true or not, but I figured that you really want to know.” He took a bite, waiting for Sam to respond.
Sam dropped the fries, wiping his hand on a napkin. “What kind of rumor?”
Lucas quickly swallowed. “Rumor is that Rylee got pregnant on purpose.”
“What?” Sam snapped. “Says who?” He could feel the acid pouring into his stomach, and fumbled for the small container of antacids he kept in his jacket pocket.
“I went to a party last weekend,” Lucas said as he put down his burger. “There are a few folks at church who heard what happened with Rylee. See, you’re the first person we know who is going through this shit and everyone has questions.”
“I’ll bet.” Sam popped a few of the chewable tablets in his mouth. He pushed away the fries as he chewed. Fruit flavored. Yum. He picked up his soda to try and wash away the taste, then grimaced. The two didn’t mix well at all.
“Yeah, so anyhow. From what I heard, Rylee spent a lot of time crying when you broke up. Both times,” Lucas told him. “Saying that she needed you. That it wasn’t right for you to dump her. That she would find a way to keep you in her life, no matter what.”
Sam set his soda down, feeling like Lucas had just sucker punched him. “‘ . . . keep me in her life, no matter what?’ Dude. She dumped me!”
Lucas nodded. “I know. But it sounds creepy, doesn’t it? Like she had motive.”
“Motive to get pregnant.” Sam thought about it for a moment. “I don’t know, man. She’s always been a bit emotional, but I can’t believe that she’d get pregnant just to try and throw her hooks into me. I mean, she’s really pissed that she’s missing her gap year.” He paused for a moment. “Not to mention how pissed her parents are.”
Lucas snorted. “Yeah, getting knocked up will do that. Especially when your dad is a billionaire.”
Sam smiled sardonically. He didn’t think that the Williams had that much money, but they sure did act like it.
“There is one other thing, though,” Lucas told him. “According to her friend, Rylee was hyper-focused on tracking when you two had sex. Made a big deal about it, from what I heard. It was almost like she wanted to get pregnant. Like she was focused on making it happen.”
Sam sighed, then looked up at the white ceiling. No way. He refused to believe it. “She was on the Pill so she couldn’t get pregnant!”
“Okay,” Lucas said as he picked up his burger. “There might be another reason for her being so interested in tracking her period. Only know what I was told.” He took another bite, slowly chewing it.
Sam gingerly picked up a few fries and popped them into his mouth. No way Rylee wanted to get pregnant, he thought. It didn’t make any sense. Obviously, the rumor mill was wrong.
Chapter Eight
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Rylee, we can’t live on the East Side!” Sam yelled, almost dropping his phone on his bedroom floor. “You’re already in your second trimester and we have to get moving on this. Have you even looked at the apartments I sent you?”
“Sam, please don’t yell at me,” Rylee said in a surprisingly calm voice. “Of course, I looked at the listings. Not one of them has enough room or amenities that we’ll need when the baby is born.”
Sam raked his free hand through his hair. “Look, we can only afford so much per month.”
Rylee sighed. “I know that you’re working on that budget for that ‘financial class,’” she finally said. Sam could almost see the air-quotes in her voice. “But we don’t have to live in actual poverty. We have options.”
“Really, Rylee?” Sam growled. “I know you have some money of your own, but we’re only allowed to get $15,000 a year from each of our parents. So, unless you’re sitting on a pile of money that I don’t know about, we’re going to have to stay on budget.”
“Well, in theory, I do have money . . . ” Rylee trailed off, sounding incredibly pleased with herself.
“Really.”
“Sam, it’s no secret that my family put away money for me when I was a child,” Rylee told him, her tone oozing condescension. “I mean, that’s how it’s done.”
Yeah. And some of us weren’t born with a silver spoon shoved up our ass, Sam thought. “Get to the point, Rylee.”
“Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have access to my trust fund until I graduated from Wellesley. But I’m working with our family attorney to find a way to legally get access to the money after the baby’s born.” She laughed ironically. “According to my financial adviser, this should constitute a ‘significant life event’, so he should be able to free up some money to cover expenses.”
“How much?”
“That depends on the attorney,” Rylee told him. “I should have an update in a few weeks.”
“Rylee, this changes nothing,” Sam told her.
“Why not?” she asked with a pout.
“Because, unlike you, I don’t have a trust fund to draw from,” Sam told her, struggling with the urge to yell. “We have to divide our living expenses equally between the two of us. That means, we can only spend as much as I can afford. Period.”
“Well, no one has to know,” Rylee crooned. “Our actual budget is no one’s business.”
“Oh. My. God! Rylee, haven’t you been paying attention at all?” he growled.
“What do you mean?” she asked coyly.
“Didn’t you listen to your dad?” he demanded. “All of our documentation has to be submitted to the Court. That includes the apartment lease!”
“I know that,” Rylee snapped back. “We just need to turn in some of our receipts. It’s not like anyone’s going to actually do the math!”
“Right,” Sam growled. He closed his eyes, stretching his neck as he tried to think. “So, if you pick out a place that costs $3,000 per month, no one’s going to look at my paycheck and figure out that I can’t afford my half. With my schedule, DoorDash doesn’t pay anywhere near enough!”
“It doesn’t?” Rylee sounded genuinely confused. “I thought that made good money.”
Sam bent his head until his forehead was firmly planted on his desk, eyes screwed shut. “For some drivers, sure. But I’m trying to get through my regular classes, take these stupid mandatory parenting classes, and squeeze in time to make myself available for deliveries during prime time. I’m not making a whole lot here.”
“Well, I’ve been busy, too, you know,” she shot back. “Pregnancy is a lot of hard work and I’m trying to get us ready for when this baby is born!”
Sam screwed his eyes shut. Pregnancy is hard, he thought. She eats. She sleeps. She goes to weekly spa visits and does a lot of yoga. Oh, and buys a lot of stuff that probably won’t fit into the average apartment.
After a pause, he finally found his voice. “Rylee, unless you find something that’s within our actual budget, one that has two bedrooms and is affordable, it’s going to be a hard pass.”
“I’m absolutely positive that there’s a way around this,” she told him.
She sounded so confident, Sam thought. “Rylee, you’ve got to meet me halfway on this,” he finally told her. “We need to keep looking. Think about the near east side of Milwaukee, or lower east side.”
“Why not Mequon or Bayside? Those are much closer to home.”
“Because the rents are closer to $1,500 a month, and we need to keep it under a thousand.”
“But a thousand dollars is nothing!” Rylee exclaimed.
Sam sat up. “I know,” he told her. “But we have other bills to cover, and this is the best we can do for now.”
“Fine,” Rylee said with a sniff. “But I won’t settle for living there for more than a few months. I just can’t!”
“Fine,” Sam retorted. “We’ll keep looking, okay?”
“Yes, we will,” she responded with an icy jab. The connection dropped, leaving Sam with an uneasy feeling. He was working his butt off with school, these stupid parenting classes, and his side job. What the hell was he supposed to do?
A few days later, Sam found himself back in that cramped exam room again. Rylee stood in front of the mirror, looking at her profile and running a hand across her belly.
“Oh, my God,” she breathed happily. “I think I’m starting to show!”
Yeah, Sam thought. You’re starting to get fat. Woohoo.
There was a knock on the door, followed almost immediately by the technician. “Why don’t we get a quick look at that baby?” she chirped.
Rylee scrambled up onto the exam bed. The tech pushed Rylee’s skirt up higher and squirted some of that medical gel on her stomach. Then, she pushed the flat-head wand across Rylee’s stomach, hunting for that elusive blob.
For a moment, he almost thought that he was off the hook, but nope, she finally found it. “There we are!” Both women laughed as they stared intensely at the screen.
Dammit. He shook his head in frustration. From what Sam could see, that blob was starting to resemble an actual baby.
The tech rattled off some facts that made Rylee giggle, like the baby was able to open and close their fingers and curl their toes. And that the nose and fingernails were starting to form.
“And here’s the heartbeat,” she told them. The filaments seemed to have resolved into a single spot on the screen, flickering rapidly. “Would you like to hear it?”
“Oh, yes,” Rylee breathed. Sam rolled his eyes. Of course, she did.
The tech picked up another wand and coated it with gel. Then, she moved the wand around Rylee’s belly, hunting for the heartbeat. After a long while, she pulled the wand away.
“What’s wrong?” Rylee demanded.
“You’re in your fifteenth week, so it might be just a bit too soon for the Doppler to find it,” the tech told her. “Your baby is fine. We should be able to pick up the heartbeat at your next visit.” She quickly cleaned the Doppler wand and set it aside. Then, she grabbed the original wand, added a dab of gel and rolled it across Rylee’s baby bump.
Rylee glared at the tech. Sam held up a hand. “It’s okay, Rylee,” he told her. “You saw the heartbeat on the screen, right?”
“When will I be able to feel the baby move?” Rylee asked petulantly, ignoring him.
“Well,” the tech said. “You should start feeling the baby move when you’re in your twentieth week, so you’ve got a bit of time.” She fiddled with a control and zoomed in on the blob’s back. “Let me get a quick measurement of the baby’s neck and we’ll be done.”
Dr. Zastrow came in at that moment and looked over the tech’s shoulder as she continued to take screenshots of the blob. Sam slouched in his chair. He made appropriate noises from time to time as they worked. He couldn’t share Rylee’s momentary excitement. It was just too much.
Another place, another time, definitely another woman, maybe he could be happy. Maybe. He knew that he should feel guilty about not feeling . . . anything . . . about Rylee’s pregnancy, but in reality, it was her pregnancy. Her baby. Not his. Not theirs. He was just another nameless drone in #TeamRylee that was expected to step up and make things happen.
“Alright,” the doctor finally said. “Let's go ahead and get you cleaned up.” He stepped back, and the tech handed Rylee a rag to wipe the goop off. Then, she cleaned up the wand and left the room.
Rylee finally sat up and pulled her skirt down protectively over her small bump.
“Let’s get started,” Dr. Zastrow said as he moved to his seat at the desk. “We’re seeing healthy development, Rylee, and the ultrasound confirms that you are fifteen weeks pregnant.”
Rylee nodded, silently taking it in.
“Your risk of miscarriage will continue to go down the further along you are,” he told her. “Preliminary ultrasound doesn’t show signs of a chromosomal disorder, but we’ll be following up with a blood test to determine if you have risk.”
Sam stirred. “Meaning what?”
“Prenatal screening cannot diagnose any specific condition,” the doctor told him. “A fetus with a buildup of fluid at the base of their neck is at increased risk of having a chromosomal problem, such as Down’s Syndrome.” He looked at Rylee. “You need to keep in mind that we can only assess the risk, Rylee. We’ll need to follow up with a blood test but, as of right now, things look very positive.”
“Hang on a minute,” Sam replied. “At our court hearing, we were told that you couldn’t test for this stuff until later.” He frantically tried to recall the exact words. “I think it was called amnio?”
“Ah. Yes, amniocentesis can be performed at about fifteen weeks’ pregnant to analyze fetal chromosomes for abnormalities,” the doctor replied. “We insert a needle into the mother’s uterus—”
“Um, no!” Rylee interjected, her hands protectively covering the micro baby bump.
“—however, this is only done if we determine that there is a significant risk of genetic abnormality.”
“But you’d also be able to verify paternity, right?” Sam asked, looking at Rylee. She looked crestfallen.
“We could,” the doctor slowly replied, “but given the circumstances, we’d need approval from the Court to run a paternity test if we need to proceed with amniocentesis.”
Sam took a deep breath and nodded. Didn’t hurt to ask, right?
Dr. Zastrow looked down, then cleared his throat before he began to pepper Rylee with questions like how her appetite was, did she still feel nauseous in the mornings, did she find herself needing a nap or to rest throughout the day, had she experienced any dizziness or fainting. The list went on and on.
Sam tuned out most of it. Every once in a while, Dr. Zastrow would look to Sam for confirmation on something, and Sam would just nod. The only time he actually spent with Rylee was taking the parenting classes that had to be in the classroom or during these mandatory doctor visits. He even avoided her family at worship services. How the hell would he know if she was still sick in the morning? And, more importantly, why should he care?
Enough, already. Sam pulled out his phone to check the time. “Um, I hate to interrupt, but I need to leave soon,” he told them. “I have a test today. It’s a third of my grade, so I can’t miss it.” It was a lie, of course. They didn’t need to know that his courses were asynchronous, and he had until the end of the week to take the test.
The doctor stood. “That’s fine,” he said with a disapproving look. He turned to Rylee. “Please touch base with our billing department. I believe that we may have gotten approval for your doula.” He looked back at Sam. “I’ll see you again in four weeks.”
He left the room, closing the door firmly open behind him. Sam looked at Rylee. “What did I do?” he asked.
Rylee gave a small shrug and picked up her purse. “Doesn’t matter,” she finally told him. “You’re going to be late for your test.”
It was beginning to feel like Sam would never get anything right. Both of their parents were pissed at him. The doctor expected him to keep tabs on Rylee, even though they rarely saw each other. And now, Theo was yelling at him in the mentoring meeting.
“Listen, I know that most of you are just starting the second trimester, but you all need to be looking for an affordable apartment now,” Theo told them as he glared at Sam. “You absolutely must pass your home visit before the start of the third trimester.”
Sam looked away. As if he hadn’t been trying. You would think that someone as organized as Rylee would be all in. But no. She was oblivious to how much living by themselves would actually cost. Considering that Rylee was a week into her second trimester, he felt like he had a bit of time.
Jacob stood up and moved behind his chair, gripping it tightly with both hands as he leaned forward. “Don’t we have a couple of months on that?”
“You all realize that the third trimester starts at the twenty-seventh week, right?” Theo looked around. “It’s not enough to have just signed the lease. You have to be completely moved in prior to the home inspection. That means that you have furniture, that your driver's license is updated with your new address, that you’ve started working on the baby’s room . . . ” he trailed off as the collective groan filled the air.
Theo overrode the noise. “Look, failure to pass this inspection means more than just a fine, guys. You’ll also spend a few sleepless nights in detention until you come up with a plan—and a court-approved timeline—on how to get this done. And that means both of you will be locked up.”
Sam blinked. Detention? Was Rylee getting the same information from her mentor, he wondered.
“I’ve been looking, Theo,” Tyler said, pushing back the hat that hid his short dreadlocks. “But everything out there is way too expensive!”
Theo nodded. “The market’s pretty tight right now,” he told him. “Let me know if I need to work with you on finding something you can afford. If necessary, we can check with the housing authority to get you on a waiting list for rental assistance.”
“Waiting list?” Ethan asked. “I thought we were top priority?”
“For some things, yes,” Theo confirmed. “Problem is that there’s about a six month wait for affordable housing. But we might be able to get the housing authority to provide emergency vouchers if they can’t get you into public housing.”
Jacob sat down in his chair, slouching down until his shoulders were firmly planted against the chair’s back, feet widely spread. “And, even if we can’t find a two-bedroom place, we’re still not allowed to move in with a relative, right?”
