21- Family, 22-Strangers

21. FAMILY

Ryan wasn't sure what to do, so he did what he was told. After successfully unloading Anna's few belongings and a bit of furniture, he waited for her to emerge from the bathroom. He leaned over the counter in the kitchen, thinking to himself about the sudden whirlwind of events.

"So you live close to facility," Anna said, walking out of the bathroom, "That's good. Usually I took the bus to the CEC."

Ryan shrugged, "I still have to drive."

His eyes fell to see the small baby bump that was sitting just below her chest. Ryan swallowed nervously; as though he had just realized the gravity of the situation he was in. Reality often hit Ryan pretty hard.

"You're...you're three months along," he managed to stutter.

Anna glared at him, "What's it to you?"

"If I'm going to take care of you, then I will have to know what stage your pregnancy is at," Ryan said a-matter-of-factly.

Anna snorted, turning to head upstairs to unpack, "You don't have to do that. I can take care of myself."

"If that's so, how'd you end up here?"

Anna stopped in her tracks. She turned around and faced Ryan. His eyes hinted a small sense of fear; as though he knew he'd hit a nerve. But at the same time he seemed...interested.

"I ended up here because I made the biggest mistake of my life. I had drinks with you, I kissed you and worst of all...I slept with you. And that is the thing I hate most about myself; the parts that involve you."

The words hit Ryan's heart like icy shards. Anna bounded up the stairs, tears welling up in her eyes as she entered the guest room. She hated Ryan Miller. She hated him.

"It's probably just her hormones," Daniel Briere said on the phone fifteen minutes later, "She says things she doesn't mean sometimes."

"I don't know, Danny," Ryan whispered, "I feel...I feel like this is just a bad idea."

"No it's not," Danny replied, "Look, pregnant women love to be taken care of, even if they won't admit it. And I know that deep down Anna is a real softie. Just tend to her when the time is right."

"How will I know? She wants to bite my head off."

"You'll know. Trust me, you'll know."

Anna clenched the sheets between her tightened fists, tears streaming down her face as she awoke from her nightmare. She was falling into a deep, darkened hole, and as she fell she passed millions of outstretched hands. But she couldn't reach any of them; they were just too far away. Or maybe, just maybe, she wasn't reaching at all…

A cold hand on her forehead caused her to jump.

"Sorry," Ryan whispered in the dark, "You're feverish."

"What are you doing in my room?" Anna demanded, feeling the cold sweat pouring all over her body.

"I heard you crying," Ryan replied, switching on the lamp by the bedside, "You were calling for help. So I came in."

The quiet, cosy guest bedroom wasn't far from Ryan's room. Although he insisted that he could sleep in the guest room and put fresh sheets on his bed for her, Anna replied dryly that she didn't want to kick him out of his own bedroom. Ryan knew better than to argue.

"I don't need your help," Anna said miserably, turning so her back faced him, "I don't need anything right now."

Ryan bit his lip, "Look, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. It was uncalled for. And I want you to know, that this is just as much my responsibility as it is yours, and I am going to do everything I can to make this work."

Anna was softened by his words. Perhaps Ryan Miller wasn't such an asshole after all...or not as much one as she thought. She decided to turn over and see him again.

"I was dreaming about monsters," she told him quietly, "Monsters in the dark."

Ryan gently touched her cheek, "Are you afraid of the dark?"

Anna nodded, "A little."

Ryan stood up and walked slowly to the door, "Would it help if I turned the hall light on?"

Anna murmured, "Yes."

She waited until she heard the gentle 'click' of the light switch in the hallway. Reassured, Anna started to drift back to sleep, listening to Ryan's footsteps as he walked down to his room.

It was times like these Anna wished she was five years old again, at the family homestead, cuddling with her sock monkey. Not 23, pregnant and living with a hockey player she barely knew.


22. STRANGERS

Anna opened her eyes the next morning and remembered where she was, much to her dismay. Sitting up, she glanced at the clock radio on the bedside table. 11:00 am.

“Fuck,” she muttered under her breath, allowing herself to get out of bed.

Anna never slept late. She was always up at a good, decent time. It became imperative after a bit of wandering down the hall and seeing the rumpled sheets that Ryan wasn’t at home. Where had he gone?

A post-it note attached to the stainless-steel refrigerator explained it.

Anna,
At a kids charity event until four. Will be home with dinner.
If you want I can take you to the facility tonight.
-R

How very husband-y of him to bring home dinner later, Anna thought. She shuddered at the thought of Ryan Miller being her husband, let alone her baby-daddy. Yuck.

So she was gonna fend for herself the first day. Well, that wasn’t so bad. That meant she could explore the house freely and not be tempted to blow up at Ryan every five seconds for being in her face. He was so clingy it was making her sick, and she’d only been there for less than 24 hours.

Living alone, Anna figured Ryan wouldn’t have much, but it was truly an understatement for what she did find. The beautiful, fine cabinets contained little to nothing. One box of cereal, a bit of bread and some old Wheat Thins. The fridge had some juice, a small carton of milk and ketchup. No wonder Ryan was so skinny. He didn’t eat!

After a quick shower and some toast, Anna decided to investigate Ryan’s entertainment library. She didn’t know him very well, but after befriending her now ex-friends in Pittsburgh, Anna knew that looking at someone’s musical tastes could tell you a lot about them. It was like a stranger-to-acquaintance initiation.

Peering into Ryan’s giant television room, she found a stack of CDs by the computer desk. Sifting through them, Anna found more reason to distaste when she discovered Kings of Leon and Pearl Jam in the same pile. It wasn’t so bad to see Dave Matthews Band or Cold War Kids, but Anna was genuinely floored when she discovered both of the Meg and Dia records, including the rare B-sides release. She’d never met a guy who listened to Meg and Dia. Anna loved Meg and Dia. She knew all their songs by heart and had seen them three times.

The phone rang, but Anna ignored it. This wasn’t technically even her house. It finally hit the answering machine and the speakerphone began.

“Hi, I’m not sure if this is the right place, because I got it from Talbot, but this is Julia calling for Anna-”

Anna jumped up from her seat and rushed to the phone.

“Thank god!” she screamed into the receiver.

"I'm here too!" Irma screamed back.

Anna laughed, "I'm so glad you guys called. You have no idea."

"Are you in the mood for a visit?" Julia asked, "I mean, Irma wanted to go on an angry rampage through the streets of Buffalo and cut off Miller's-"

"I did not," Irma interuppted, "Anyway, what's the address?"

Anna frowned, "I don't know the street-"

"Then tell us what number," Julia replied, "Is it...24?"

The phone clicked off and Anna was puzzled. Within minutes, Julia McNeil and Irma Tremblay were standing on the doorstep, with an irritated-looking Carey Price behind them.

"You really better be pregnant, that's all I can say." Carey snarled.