These Lines Were Never Established

“Mom.” He breathed into the phone as the woman picked up with a groggy hello. Swallowing he eyed the little girl sitting on the kitchen island before him with a few colored pens and a piece of paper coloring and drawing slowly. “Umm…” Licking his lips he sighed gently. “How do you take care of kid?” He breathed nervously.

“Why do you need to know?” Debbie Pastrana yawned looking at the clock next to her bedside. “Why do you need to know so late at night?” She stated confused.

“I know.” He sang gently, tapping his finger against the counter top. “Just,” Licking his lips he eyed the little girl before him. “Answer the question please.” He breathed. “Or come over and show me.”

“Travis, did someone stick you with babysitting on your time off?” Debbie asked gently.

Travis glanced down at the adoption papers he’d pulled from Hayley’s bag under his hands. Sighing he let out a nervous squeak at the idea of this just being babysitting. That he could figure out, a few days easy, the rest of the kid’s life, not so easy.

“Not really, but kinda…”

“That makes no sense.” Debbie sighed as she climbed out of bed. “Did you hit your head to day while playing in the snow?” She questioned.

“I wish.” He sighed. “It’d make a hellva lot more sense right now if I had.” He whispered watching Hayley yawn.

She made such small sounds. He’d never heard such a cute little yawn come out of a human being before, a kitten and a puppy yeah but a person? No. Granted Hayley was the smallest child he’d ever seen it was still surprising to hear.

Debbie frowned at her son’s words.

“I’m coming over. I think you may have really hit your head sweetie.” With that she hung up on him and began getting dressed.

Travis slammed his head against the counter as she hung up on him. Now, he’d hit his head.

Huffing he licked his lips and looked back up at Hayley. She was watching him with questioning eyes.

“What do I do?” Travis breathed at her.

“Wer mommy?” She asked gently. Travis frowned.

“I don’t know.” He shrugged slowly.

“’den comes brack?”

“What?” Travis questioned confused by her mumbled words. Sighing she frowned at him. Yawning again Hayley began rubbing her eyes slowly with both fists. Travis’s frown deepened. “Can you say that again?” He asked gently, trying to be nice.

“’Den mommy comes brack?” She whined at him. Rubbing his face he gave a nervous laugh at that question. Five minutes and she was already wondering where mommy was.

“I don’t know. But I’m going to take care of you till she does.” He smiled.

“No know?” She pouted. Travis shook his head. “why no know?” Travis picked up the letter he’d been handed by the little girl.

“She didn’t say in her letter.” He breathed gently. Weakly nodding Hayley went back to scribbling on the piece of paper, oddly aware of the edges of the page than most toddlers would’ve been.

Travis went back to rereading the letter and adoption papers slowly as Hayley kept on coloring with out a thought. Licking her lips she watched Travis for a little bit, taking in what this new stranger looked like. Travis barely moved as his eyes lulled and rolled over the words before him.

He barely paid attention to what was going on around him as he scanned the spread out pages under his hand. Resting his chin in his other hand he let out a deep breath. His breathing had become awkward and unsteady as the situation began to sink in and his own mind plagued him.

Debbie Pastrana stopped at the sight of her son staring at papers like his life depended on it at the kitchen island but that’s not what caught her attention most. It was the bundled up blanket wrapped around a small child on the center of the counter all curled up a pen clutched in one hand and their thumb in their mouth. A mound of dark brown curly hair covered most the child’s face.

“Travis…?” She questioned.

The sound of his mother’s voice startled Travis out of his thoughts and nearly off his stool. Snapping his gaze up to the woman who raised him he licked his lips nervously at her hard stare.

“Hey, I didn’t hear you come in.” Travis stated truthfully.

“Are you babysitting?” Debbie walked to the opposite side of the island. Travis watched as Debbie pulled some of Hayley’s hair from her face.

“I didn’t even know she was asleep.” Travis hummed.

“She’s a cutie who’s is she?” Debbie smiled down at the small little girl. “She’s got a lot of hair how old is she?”

Rubbing the back of his neck Travis gave a nervous laugh at the answers to those questions.

“She’s two.” He stated slowly, biting his top lip and casting his gaze down to the papers before him.

Debbie watched her son carefully. He was scared, or atleast nervous. That in turn scared her and made her stomach twist with butterflies. Had someone he’d known died and left him a child? The people she’s been introduced to that had kids and were close enough to Travis to potentially leave him a toddler. Or who was dumb enough to leave Travis a toddler.

“and um…” Rubbing the back of his neck he laughed. “she’s mine.” He grumbled into his palm.

“Excuse me?” Debbie pressed, her stern motherly side coming out.

“She’s mine.” He stated looking up at his mother like a five-year-old caught stealing cookies out of the cookie jar before dinner.

“I…” Closing her eyes Debbie began rubbing her brow. That move alone, scared Travis. He was in more trouble than ever before in his life. “I don’t understand.”

“Okay, let me explain, and please, don’t kill me till I’m finished, okay?” Debbie nodded at his timid words. “Two years ago I got really drunk about …late august, early September….maybe mid September…” He wasn’t even really sure what month it had been just around the time it had been but he knew it was just after Xgames and he was doing interviews and parting it up in L.A. “I had…” Licking his lips he watched his mother closely. “I had a…” Swallowing. “I’m not proud of it.” Travis’s eyes fell on Hayley sleeping on the counter before him, the pen still loosely clutched in her fist, tip of it to the page still.

Taking the pen gently from Hayley and the pages before her, he began cleaning up her small mess.

“I had a one night stand.” He sighed. Debbie’s eyes bugged and her mouth dropped open. “It’s the only one I’ve ever had.” He defended. “And I’d been plastered. She was really nice and pretty though the next morning and I guess she’s been putting off having me meet Hayley.”

“Hayley?” Debbie questioned.

“Hayley Marie…” he trailed off pointing to the sleeping toddler between them. “It’s her name.” Debbie nodded slowly. “And she figured she could just raise Hayley with out ever bothering me and up till recently I guess that’s what she’d been doing… but…” Lifting her letter he scanned it again. “Something about a dying wish? I don’t know…”

“Have you talked to her mom?” Travis shook his head. “Then how do you know this woman’s not just dumping her child on?”

“Because I remember the next morning from the one night stand. Not only that but I’m planning on getting a patern…the test where they tell you you’re related or not.” Travis sighed.

“What happens if she isn’t?” Debbie pressed.

“I find this Ashley Greenee and return her child.”

“Okay, what happens if this woman is dying?”

“Then I’m fucked.”

“Travis! There’s a child here!” Reaching across the table she hit Travis gently for his swearing. “Now, what happens if you are her father? In either case?” Sighing Travis rubbed the back of his neck.

“If she’s not dying, share and be apart of Hayley’s life.” Travis shrugged. “I helped make her and she’s my daughter I’m not going to just ignore her. If her mother is dying, take her in. She’s my daughter…that’s so weird to say. I might have a kid.” He stated staring at his mother. Debbie nodded. “Then appoint a god-father and god-mother incase you or dad can’t take her and I die.”

“You mean kill your self on accident.”

“Yeah,” Travis chuckled “That. And figure everything that comes with having a kid out…” Swallowing he took in deep breaths. “You’re going to help me right?” He panicked.

“Yes. I’ll help you. But how are you going to get a child you don’t even know to sit still long enough for someone to draw some blood let alone go with you?” Groaning Travis shrugged at the idea. “Shouldn’t you put her to bed?”

Travis mouth floundered at that and shrugged not sure what to do.