One Wild Night

Marissa opened her eyes. Bright sunlight was streaming through the windows of her childhood bedroom. She smiled and sat up, throwing back the blankets.

She'd been home for two days now. The instant the plane had touched down, she'd called her dad and asked him to pick her up. After a long nap, Marissa had told her parents everything. She wouldn't have been able to hide it much longer anyway; she'd definitely gained some weight and her body had altered slightly. It was something her mom would have soon noticed.

They hadn't been thrilled, but their parental instincts had overpowered their disapproval. They were giving her what she had craved so much while in California--a stress free environment. Rest and relaxation.

Marissa checked her phone. She had missed a call from Cecelia, who'd left a voicemail saying she and the other girls would be home the next day. Marissa felt a twinge of guilt for taking her friends away from the Avenged Sevenfold boys. If only Marissa could bring A7X to Alabama...

Marissa got to her feet, stretched, and padded to her bathroom for a long, hot shower. When she emerged, her cell was ringing. The number on her caller ID was that of work. "Hello?"

"Hey, Marissa. It's Danny."

"Hi, Danny." Marissa had worked under Danny for over two years now. She considered him one of her best friends and there was no doubt it was mutual. However, she hadn't explained why she'd needed the last ten days off.

"So, how are things?"

"Things are..." Marissa paused, searching for the right word. She finally settled for "hectic."

"What's going on?" Danny's voice was now filled with concern.

"Remember when I went to see Avenged Sevenfold in Memphis and I met Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance?"

"Yeah?"

Marissa took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

Danny was silent for a full minute. "Pregnant by Syn or Zacky?" he said slowly.

"It's Syn's. That's where I was during my time off. California. Having a paternity test done."

Again, there was silence. "I'm sorry," Danny said eventually. He knew how Marissa felt about children, how she'd never wanted any.

"I'm getting used to the idea."

"And Syn? How did he take it?"

"Let's just say he won't be winning any Father of the Year awards any time soon."

"Are you back home?"

"Yeah. I had to get away from California. It was a stressful trip and I needed to get back where there's some sanity."

"What are you and Syn going to do? I mean--"

"Are we going to get married?" Marissa cut in. "I really doubt it. The other guys loved me, but, then again, none of them is the father, so that could be why." She sighed. "Looks like I'm gonna be a single mom and he gets to be a part-time daddy."

"What if he wants the child?"

"He doesn't. Trust me."

Danny didn't press the issue. "Okay. So...when do you think you can come back to work?"

Marissa thought about it. "Well, I'm at my parents' house right now, just trying to mentally prepare myself for what's coming. Just...give me, like, three more days. Is that okay?"

"That's fine. If you decide you need more time, let me know."

"Okay."

"I'll talk to you later. And Marissa?"

"Hmm?"

"Call me if you want to...talk or anything."

Marissa smiled. "I will. Thanks, Danny."

"No problem." The line disconnected.

Sighing, Marissa switched off her cell and set it on her bedside table. There was a light tap on her door. She opened it.

Mrs. Wolf hugged her. "Good morning."

"Morning."

"Are you hungry?"

Marissa nodded. She followed her mom downstairs, to the kitchen. It was time for another day of being babied, and Marissa was going to take full advantage.

****

Marissa and her dad went to the airport to get the girls the next day. Mrs. Wolf had invited them to spend the night. The next day, all of them, including Marissa, were going home to their apartments in Huntsville. But how were they supposed to resist a night of being taken care of? Even Sabrina was going to stay.

"So," Cecelia said once they were all sprawled out in various positions around Marissa's bedroom. "Have you given any more thought to the abortion?"

"No." Marissa hugged her pillow tighter to her chest. "I was too busy with all the other issues."

"You're almost ten weeks along now," Cecelia pointed out. "You need to discuss this with Brian before it's too late...unless you no longer consider it an option?"

Marissa groaned. "I don't really want to discuss anything with Brian."

"He's the father," Cecelia said sternly. "It's fair."

"He doesn't want it. He'll probably be relieved that I'm thinking about an abortion." A thoughtful expression crossed Marissa's face. "Then again, if he's like Zacky..."

Carmen's brow furrowed. "Zacky? Did you talk to Zacky about an abortion?"

Marissa shook her head. "Not exactly. I just mentioned an abortion in passing and Zack, like, got all weird and...disapproving."

"Yeah, but Zee actually wanted the kid," Jess said. "Brian doesn't."

"Still, he knows he's the father now," Cecelia reasoned. "His opinion matters."

Marissa sighed. "I know. And I'll talk to him. Eventually."

However, two days later when Marissa returned to work, she still hadn't called Brian.

"Hey, Lulu." Danny waved a hand in her face.

Marissa blinked and looked up.

"You've been staring into that box for, like, five minutes. Everything alright?" He took the box from her and began stocking the contents.

"Not really. I have to call Brian and the very thought of talking to him makes me ill."

"It's strange..."

"What's strange?"

Danny tossed the empty box aside. "You used to talk about Syn like he was a god and could do no wrong. And now..."

"Yeah, well, I was a fucking idiot."

"No, you weren't. Anyone would've done what you did. You got your chance, and you took it, just like you always said you would."

"I'm kicking myself for it now."

"Why do you have to call him?"

Marissa hesitated. Usually, she could talk to Danny about anything, but she wasn't sure what his opinion on abortion was and she couldn't stand the thought of offending him.

"If you don't want to talk about it--"

"I'm considering an abortion and since he's the father, I figured he deserved a vote." She didn't look at Danny as she said this.

"I'm not sure I agree with you on that one."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that if he doesn't want the kid and treated you like shit, his input isn't worth anything."

Marissa dared a glance at Danny's face. His expression was neutral; they could've been discussing the weather for all the emotion she saw there. "So, you--" She licked her lips, hating herself for pressing this when it needed to be left alone. "You don't think I'm a horrible person for considering an abortion?"

"Does it really matter what I think?"

"I guess not."

"Marissa." Danny waited until she met his eyes before continuing. "Sometimes, in the long run, maybe...maybe it's better. I can't say for certain until I've been where you are."

Marissa managed a smile, dropping her eyes and hoping Danny hadn't seen the tears that were burning her nose.

"Do you want to call him now?" Danny asked. "You can go in the back."

Marissa nodded. "Okay." She headed for the stock room.

"Lulu!" Danny called right as she reached the door.

She looked at him questioningly.

"I'll be right here when it's over," he said.

Marissa pushed through the swinging doors and crossed to the back corner of the large room. She breathed deeply for several seconds, steeling herself. Then, she scrolled through the numbers in her phone, finding and selecting Brian's.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bri."

"Hey."

"Um, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"Whether or not we're keeping the baby."

There was a long silence. "You want to have an abortion," Brian said finally.

"I've never wanted children and--"

"Then maybe you should've kept your legs closed," Brian muttered.

"I didn't hear you complaining," she shot back. She bit her lip. "Bri, can we please not fight for once?"

He sighed. "Okay, okay. So this is something you're serious about?"

"Well, yeah. I'm not ready to be a mother, and you obviously don't want to be a father."

"What about adoption?"

"I'm not sure I could handle that. Spending nine months sharing my body with it and watching it grow inside me just to give it away?"

"Because killing it is so much more humane." Brian's voice was filled with sarcasm.

"You know what? My friends were wrong. You don't deserve an input. You're not gonna be around anyway! Why the hell should I care what you--"

"Marissa!"

She broke off.

"I won't abandon my child," he said calmly. "I don't think you should have an abortion, and you don't want to put it up for adoption. Right?"

"I don't know." She swallowed hard, fighting tears. "Maybe, if they never let me see it..."

His voice was much more gentle when he spoke again. "This doesn't have to be decided today. Why don't you mull over the adoption idea, and...I'll try to see the abortion option from your perspective. I'll call you in a few days, okay?"

"Okay."

"Marissa."

"Hmm?"

"You know everything will work out in the end."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just am. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye." Marissa shoved her cell back in her pocket.

Danny stuck his head into the stock room. "Lulu?" He spotted her and started towards her. "What happened?"

She didn't say anything. It startled her when Danny wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face against his chest and cried.

An hour later, while she was on her break, she realized that she and Brian had both referred to the baby as "it" during their conversation, a sure sign that neither of them had really accepted that they were going to be parents and were still desperately seeking a way out of this situation.