More Than Just A Mark On My Sheets

Zack’s POV:

“Zack fucking Merrick!” A girl screamed my name angrily, and the door flew open.
My head snapped up, as did Alex, Jack and Rian’s. It was a girl with cropped black hair, electric green eyes, and a bright blue-eyed baby attached to her left hip. Where have I seen her before?
I searched through my mind to remember this girl’s name, and why I remembered her so vividly. The name suddenly clicked in my mind. Taylor. It was the girl I had slept with in Colorado over a year ago. Why was she here?
“Um, who are you?” Alex asked slowly.
“Taylor,” She answered shakily. I knew it. I was right.
“Is that the Taylor from-”
“Yeah,” I cut Jack off, not taking my eyes off of Taylor. Why did she have a baby with her? “W-what are you doing here?” I stammered, swallowing hard.
Her eyes turned ice cold. She came closer and closer to me, making me fall onto the couch in fear that she was going to smack me.
She stopped a foot away from me. She readjusted the baby on her hip, returning her gaze back to me. “He’s yours,” She said bluntly, referring to the baby on her hip.
My jaw literally dropped as far as it possibly could. “Y-you’re kidding, right?” I stuttered out, trying to find my voice. I couldn’t believe she was here, and telling me that I had a son.
She shook her head, tears beginning to form in her deep green eyes. “You have to help me with him, Zack. I got kicked out of my house, and I had to sell my apartment because I couldn’t afford it anymore and I don’t have a job and I’m only nineteen.” She begged, tears pouring out now.
I couldn’t be a father, could I? I was twenty. But on the other hand, she was nineteen. I couldn’t let her do this on her own. But I didn’t know how to be a father.
Her hands began trembling, and Rian came over and reached his hands out to take Jason out of her shaking arms. “Do you mind? Or do you want to hold him?” Rian asked before completely taking the child out of her arms.
She nodded slowly. “His name is Jason,” She informed Rian. He nodded and took my son out of her arms. My son. It didn’t sound right.
“I can’t do this by myself, and my boyfriend dumped me a week before I even got pregnant, so he’s not going to help me either.” She sobbed. If I could move, I would’ve hugged her.
Alex came over to me. “If you don’t say something right now, and tell her she can tour with us, I’ll fucking kill you,” He muttered at a voice level only I could hear.
I didn’t know what to say, though. I’m sorry I got you pregnant? What could I say to the girl to make her feel better? Well, I knew the answer to that. But could we have a baby on tour? And how was I supposed to raise a kid with somebody who I wasn’t in a relationship in? And I certainly wasn’t going to ask her out, I knew nothing about her.
“You can stay with us,” Jack spoke for me, knowing shock was taking over me.
“I’m only staying if Zack wants me to, and only if he promises to help with Jason throughout his life,” Her eyes put out a fresh set of tears, making me feel worse.
“Say something, dickhole,” Alex flicked my ear.
“I want you to stay,” I spoke, finally finding my voice.
“You’re going to have to tour with us, though,” Jack mentioned.
“Oh,” She said quietly. “How will that work out, if I have Jason? He’s only four months…” She trailed off.
Jason was only four months old? Taylor had a baby only four months ago? She didn’t look like that. In fact, if she hadn’t come in carrying a baby, I never would’ve guessed she was ever even pregnant. She still had the same body she did twelve months ago; the same, perfect, flawless body.
“We’ll make it work. You’re staying with us,” Jack reassured her.
I couldn’t believe this was happening. I was waiting to wake up and realize it was all a dream, but it never happened. This was real. I was a father. I was going to be responsible for a life. This kid was going to grow up with me as his dad. I was going to screw this up, big time, I already knew it. I wasn’t the most responsible person.
“Dude, say something to her,” Rian encouraged quietly, still holding Jason.
“Like what?” I asked.
He shrugged, sitting down next to me on the couch. Jack and Taylor were talking quietly to each other. Well, Jack was comforting Taylor as she sobbed, occasionally glancing at me. Her body was shaking as Jack hugged her.
I felt bad. I probably ruined this girl’s life by getting her pregnant. How was I supposed to know that this would happen to her, though? If I had known, I certainly wouldn’t have slept with her.
I couldn’t date anymore, could I? No. I couldn’t date somebody when I had a son, and was living with the mother of that son. But technically, I wasn’t dating her, was I? I wasn’t going to ask that right now, I wasn’t that stupid. That was a question that could wait.
But where would I have her stay after tour? The tour ended in two months, so I still had time to think about that. I guess she would stay at Jack’s house with me. I’m sure Jack is going to be thrilled about having a baby in his apartment, but oh well. I couldn’t just leave her on the street once this tour ended. Plus, Jack was the one who just told her she could stay with us.
I looked back at Taylor. My heart seemed to skip a beat when she looked at me at the exact same moment, and our eyes locked. It felt like… magic, almost. I know, way to be corny, right? But that’s what it felt like. Absolute magic. Tears brimmed at the bottom of her eyelids again, but she didn’t look away. I was the one who broke the stare by looking down at the floor, embarrassed.
“Dude, you can do this,” Rian said.
I shook my head. “I can’t be a father!” I exclaimed quietly.
Alex walked over to me. “There’s this magical thing that some smart person invented a long time, Zack, you know what that is?” He asked.
“What?”
“A CONDOM.” He screamed in my face, making Taylor and Jack look at us. I avoided Taylor’s gaze, not wanting to get hooked in again.
“Shut up,” I muttered.
Alex walked over to the crying girl, and wrapped his arms around her. I let my head hang down as I heard her choke out another sob.
“I hope the next girl he hooks up with gets pregnant so I can yell at him,” I cursed Alex under my breath, making Rian chuckle.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.” He adjusted Jason in his arms. He was now sleeping peacefully.
“What if I drop him when I’m holding him?” I asked, that fear suddenly coming into my mind. I never liked holding little kids; I was always afraid I would drop them.
“Hmm,” Rian said thoughtfully. “Maybe you shouldn’t hold him for a little while,” Rian suggested slowly. “We wouldn’t want Jason to get a concussion,” Rian teased.
“You’re not helping,” I groaned. So starts the road of fatherhood.