One Wild Night

Marissa gazed down at the small bundle in her arms.

Jacob Ryan Haner.

Her son. He was six pounds, four ounces. He had big blue eyes and a tuft of dark hair and he was perfect. Marissa had fallen in love the instant he'd been given to her, squirming and screaming at the top of his little lungs.

The door burst open and Jimmy barreled into the room. He stopped short just shy of the bed and, much to Marissa's surprise, seemed to have been struck dumb at the sight of the sleeping child. Brian, who hadn't left the chair next to the bed since Jacob was brought into the world, watched his best friend's face with a slight smile. Apparently, Jimmy had done a celebratory dance in the waiting room when a doctor had announced the arrival of the baby Haner. "He was born on my birthday!" Jimmy had boasted to the confused doctor that had momentarily mistaken Jimmy for the father.

"He's beautiful," Jimmy stated in a hushed voice. Marissa and Brian shared a look filled with pride.

The door opened again and Cecelia, Sabrina, and Matt filed in.

"Can I hold him?" Jimmy asked.

Marissa handed Jacob to the excited drummer, and Jimmy cradled him gently, as if he was handling glass.

"How are you feeling?" Cecelia inquired, smoothing Marissa's hair back from her face.

"Tired," Marissa replied. "And ready to go home."

"It shouldn't be much longer," Cecelia said. "Probably the day after tomorrow."

"I'm going to take the world's longest, hottest shower as soon as I step through the door," Marissa remarked.

"Just don't have sex," Jimmy said, still focused on Jacob. "You'll rip out your stitches."

Marissa, Cecelia, and Sabrina all winced.

"Not a problem," Marissa responded dryly.

Matt shook his head. "Damn, Rev. I'd smack you upside the head if you weren't holding the baby."

Jimmy brightened. "Sweet! Now I know what to do any time I feel the urge to make a dirty comment: make sure I'm holding Jacob."

Brian looked at Marissa. "I'm not sure I like our child being used as a human shield. How about you?"

Marissa giggled. "Definitely not."

"Relinquish the baby, Jimmy," Brian ordered.

"Give him to me," Sabrina said. She accepted the bundle from Jimmy. "God, 'Rissa, he's perfect."

Cecelia went to stand beside Sabrina and the two girls looked at Jacob with identical tender expressions.

"Hey, Matt, can I use your phone?" Marissa queried.

"Of course." Matt passed her his cell.

Brian regarded her curiously. "Who are you calling?"

"My boss." Marissa punched in Danny's number from memory.

Danny answered on the third ring. "Hello?" He sounded wary.

"Hi, Danny! It's Marissa."

"Oh! Hi, Lulu. How are you?"

"I'm...great."

"That's good to hear. What's going on?"

"I have brought a life into the world. A baby boy. Six pounds, four ounces. We've named him Jacob Ryan."

"Congratulations!"

Marissa smiled. "Thank you."

"And everything's fine?"

"Yep. No problems at all."

"I'm happy for you, Marissa," Danny said sincerely. "And I expect pictures."

"Oh, well, I'd send you one, but I look like hell," Marissa joked.

"Ha ha," Danny muttered, his grin evident in his voice.

"I will overload your phone with pictures," Marissa promised.

"Good. I'll talk to you later, Lulu."

"Bye, Danny."

"Speaking of pictures..." Matt took his phone back and aimed it at Sabrina and Cecelia. "Smile, ladies!"

They did, Sabrina angling Jacob so that he would be visible in the photo as well. Matt snapped the picture, then instructed Sabrina to give Jacob back to Marissa. "You get in the picture, too, Dad," Matt said to Brian.

Brian situated himself on the edge of the hospital bed and draped an arm around Marissa's shoulders. Marissa leaned in to him. What neither of them realized was how real the smiles on their faces were, and how they looked so much like a perfect family.

****

Cecelia's estimate had been right. Marissa went home two days later. She stepped through the door, dropped the overnight bag the girls had brought her, and headed straight for the bathroom.

"Be careful!" her mother called after her. Mr. and Mrs. Wolf had decided to come to the house and make sure their daughter and grandson were settled in.

Marissa knew what her mother meant--be mindful of the stitches. You don't have to tell me twice. She'd already caused herself some unnecessary pain, thanks to those stitches.

Marissa stayed in the shower for what seemed like hours. The hot water felt wonderful on her tired and achy body. She washed her hair, but there was nothing she could do for her legs at the moment. Oh well. It's not like anyone is going to care if I have fuzzy legs. I have no one to be intimate with. The thought depressed her. She'd just had a baby. Shouldn't she have someone to share this happiness with? It wasn't about sex; she simply wanted someone to cuddle with, to feel loved and secure with, to lay in his arms and know that they had created that little wonder in the nursery.

Marissa shut off the shower, blinking back tears. This is the consequence of my stupidity. She quickly dried her body and put on a pair of sweats and a tank-top. Wrapping a towel around her dripping hair, she padded out of the bathroom.

She found Brian and her parents in the kitchen. Her mom was busy at the stove while her dad and Brian were seated at the table, both looking exhausted.

"Where's Jacob?" Marissa asked.

"Asleep," Mrs. Wolf said. "Do you want something to eat? I'm making pancakes for the men."

Marissa quirked an eyebrow. "Pancakes?"

"Comfort food," Brian mumbled.

"And then you and Brian are going to lay down and get some rest," Mrs. Wolf said. "Your dad and I will watch Jacob."

Marissa yawned. "He's going to need feeding in a little bit."

"Didn't you feed him just before we left the hospital?" Mrs. Wolf questioned.

Marissa nodded.

"Then he'll be alright for a couple of hours." Seeing Marissa's expression, Mrs. Wolf added "I'll wake you if he needs you."

Marissa trusted her mom. After all, her mom had already done this. Her advice was based on experience. So Marissa and Brian ate their pancakes and went to their rooms.

Marissa snuggled beneath the blankets, closing her eyes. However, sleep wouldn't come. She was tense. Every time she began to doze, she would jerk back to full consciousness, convinced she was about to hear Jacob's cries.

Finally, she gave up and went into the living room. Her parents were watching television. Mrs. Wolf had Jacob cradled in her arms. He was awake and writhing around, but he wasn't fussing.

"Did you get any sleep?" Mrs. Wolf inquired. Judging by her tone, she already knew the answer.

Marissa shook her head. "I kept expecting Jacob to cry."

Mrs. Wolf laughed softly. "Yeah, being a parent does something to your brain. You'll never have a good night's sleep again, not even when he's older."

Marissa plopped down in the armchair that matched the sofa. Pinkly jumped into her lap, tail wagging ecstatically.

"Marissa." Mrs. Wolf was studying her in the dim light. "Are you happy here?"

Marissa shrugged. "I don't know, Mom. There's a lot here that I love, but some things could definitely be better."

"Like your relationship with Brian?"

Marissa sighed. There was no use in lying. "Yeah. I've discovered that he's actually a really attractive person. It doesn't matter, though. I'm the girl that ruined his life. There could never be anything between us."

"You didn't ruin his life," Mr. Wolf piped up suddenly. "He made the choice to have sex that night just as much as you did. And if he considers his life ruined after seeing and holding Jacob, he doesn't deserve for this child to ever call him 'Dad.'"

Marissa sniffled. "Thanks, Daddy."

"You like Brian, don't you?" Mrs. Wolf guessed, perceptively.

"I think so," Marissa said. "I haven't really examined how I feel about him too closely because it doesn't matter. I know how he feels about me. He can love his child and not give a fuck about its mother."

Mrs. Wolf frowned sympathetically. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

Marissa waved a hand dismissively. "I'm fine, Mom. Brian and I will work out a schedule, a joint-custody kind of thing."

"Do you still plan to come back to Alabama?"

"As soon as Jacob is old enough to fly."

Right then, Jacob began to cry.

"Evening snack time!" Mrs. Wolf said.

Marissa got to her feet and approached her mom. Smiling, she once again took her son in her arms. "Order's up!" She carried Jacob up to the nursery and sat in the rocking chair near the crib. She sang to him in a low voice while he fed, but her mind was elsewhere.

Contrary to what she'd told her mom, Marissa didn't think she liked Brian, she knew she liked him. She had been completely honest, however, when she'd said it didn't matter. Brian didn't feel the same way about her. It was obvious in his every action toward her. He didn't even view her as a possibility, which was ironic, given the circumstances.

Oh well. At least he's not turning his back on his child.

With Brian's help, Marissa was positive everything would be okay. He'd assured her of this ages ago. Now, she believed him.