3. Fallon

Fallon

When I scream, several things happen. First, the baby immediately starts crying, parroting the sound right back at me. Second, my roommates all rush out to the porch. Chloe scoops up the baby and Cassidy puts an arm around me, leading me inside. Then, the neighbor threatens to call the cops if we keep hollering, and finally, my roommates and I stand in a semi-circle around the car seat, reading the piece of paper that has been nestled behind the baby's knee.

Fallon—Surprise! Baby sister. Please watch for a while. Love, Mom.

I turn around, step into the hallway bathroom, and throw up in the toilet. Cassidy appears beside me, holding back my hair as I eject the bison-and-pork-sausage-wrapped-in-French-pastry from my stomach.

I don't know how my mom has my address. I don't know how my mom was capable of even having another baby. I certainly don't know how she managed to find someone to impregnate her. And yet, here was this baby, arrived at my doorstep, staring up at me with wide, frightened eyes.

A baby sister. At 26, I suddenly have an infant sister, who is wailing in my kitchen while my roommates look on with confusion, panic, and pity in their eyes.

"What are we going to do?" Ainsley deadpans, crossing her arms, while Chloe reaches into the car seat and unbuckles the baby, pulling her out.

"Should we…call the police?" Chloe suggests, cradling the baby in her arms. At this, the baby starts to calm down a bit, but still whimpers.

"They'll put her in foster care," Randall says, shaking his head and stepping forward.

We all stand silently for a moment then, letting that sink in. Randall is our own in-house example of why being put in the system is the worst possible situation for a kid.

"Do we…call your mom?" Joey finally asks, his eyes hopeful.

"That might be an option," I admit, "if I had her number."

The silence blooms between us again, and we stand there, watching as the baby quiets and falls asleep.

"No matter what we decide to do," Gerald says, stepping forward, "we're going to need supplies. This baby can't be more than a month old. When she wakes up, she'll be hungry."

"How do you know it's a girl?" Ainsley says, narrowing her eyes at the baby.

"It's my guess," Gerald says, grabbing his keys from the counter. "I'll do a baby supply run. Does anyone need anything?"

"A sedative," I say, still numbly staring down at my baby sister.

"Got it. Dr. Pepper it is."

When the front door shuts behind him, Randall says, quietly, "Does Gerald have kids?"

"No—right?" Joey glances at all of us. "We would know if Gerald had kids, right?"

"He doesn't have kids," Cassidy assures. "He'd have pictures of them in his room."

"You've been in his room?"

"I peek into all the rooms sometimes. It makes me feel closer to everyone."

"You do not peek into my room," Ainsley says, voice flat.

"Well, no," Cassidy fires back, a slight bristle in her voice. "Because you're always in there."

"That's rich, coming from—"

"Guys," I say, quietly, reaching out and putting a hand on the counter. "I think I'm going to pass out."

At Chloe's direction, we all move to the living room. I sit numbly on the couch, staring straight ahead, with Randall on one side and Ainsley on the other. Chloe moves closer to me, clearing her throat softly and holding the baby out like an offering.

The baby. My baby sister.

"Do you…want to hold her?" Chloe asks, eyes gentle. "She's really cute and soft."

When I look up at Chloe, it feels like my entire world is ending. A baby on the doorstep. Unreal.

Then, I hold my hands up and take her. It's like holding a cat, but without the fur, and also the knowledge that if I drop her, she won't land on her feet. My heart pounds, and I have to close my eyes, breathing deeply to keep from having a panic attack.

"What am I going to do?" I ask, a sob crawling up my throat.

"Hey." Ainsley puts a hand on my shoulder. "We're here. We're all here, right guys."

"Damn straight," Randall says. "But I'll be honest: I'm not a big baby guy."

"I understand," I whisper, then holding the baby up, "Chloe, can you take her? I'm sorry, this is just—"

"No, yeah," Chloe says, taking her from my arms. "It's a lot, Fal. But we're here for you. We'll figure out what to do. Maybe—maybe your mom will come back."

"Yeah," I say, weakly. "Maybe."

When Gerald returns from the store with the baby stuff, I pluck the receipt from one of the bags, my soul leaving my body when I see the total.

"A thousand dollars," I say, looking at the bottles and the bibs and the boxes of formula. "No, Gerald, oh my god," I start picking up items and putting them in the bags. "Take this back, take it back, holy shit."

Ainsley pauses, looking up at me from the floor, where she's already putting together a crib.

"Fallon," Gerald says, putting his hands on my shoulders and turning me to look at him. "Listen—it's okay. It's all going to be okay. You can just pay me back whenever."

"How...?" I start, looking around at the mess of stuff on the kitchen counter. How can he afford $1,000 of baby stuff?

Gerald had responded to our ad for a new roommate when Joey and Chloe got together and wanted to share a room. We all figured the only way someone like that would room with college-aged kids was if he had no other choice, financially.

"Thank you," I finally manage, "but, Gerald, I could literally be paying you back from the grave. Or in the afterlife."

"I'm sure they have Venno up there," he says, smiling at me.

"Venmo," I whisper, softly, laughing as he shows me how to make a bottle. "It's Venmo."

***

"It's crying again," Ainsley deadpans, appearing in my doorway. I'm halfway through getting dressed, with just scrubs on my bottom and my bra on top. She looks tired—bags under her eyes, a dead look around her irises—though, that could just be her normal vibe.

"Ainsley," I tsk, taking a breath and leaning down, digging through the pile of clean scrubs at the end of my bed. I just need to find the matching top to these pants. I can't risk being late. When I find it, I sigh and tug it over my head, knowing its wrinkled and not caring. "For the last time, you can't call her it ."

"Are you sure it's a girl?"

"Yes," I sigh, " she's a girl. I changed her diaper. You've changed her diaper."

"I'm just saying, these things can be tricky."

When I look up at her, she raises her hands, palms out, and backs away from the doorway. I take another deep breath, shove my white sneakers on my feet, grab my bag, and head for the doorway. When I get to the living room, the baby is, indeed, crying.

Chloe is holding her, looking panicked. When her eyes meet mine, she grimaces, holding the baby out to me.

"Fallon," she says, as I accept the baby, nestling her into my arms. "I don't know why she's crying. I've fed her, burped her, rubbed her back, changed her—I just wish she could say what it is she wants."

The wailing gets louder. I needed to leave four minutes ago.

Joey walks into the room, shaking his head and taking the baby from me. She instantly quiets down and he sticks a binky in her mouth, murmuring something under his breath.

"Oh my god," I breathe, "are you the baby whisperer?"

Quietly, so only I can hear, Chloe whispers, "I think I just got pregnant."

I shoot her a glare, and Joey waves his hand at us.

"Go," he says, "I can hold down the fort until I have class. Then Randall has her, then Ainsley until you're off work."

"Okay," I say, anxiety rushing up my throat at the idea of leaving the baby here, dumping her on my roommates. "But if anything at all—"

"Fal," Joey says, "we don't want to have to cover your rent if you lose your job. Just go."

I nod, then nod again, turning as Chloe takes my arm and leads me out to the car. She drives in silence, and I look out the window, my fingers working at the strap of my backpack.

When we're pulling into the parking lot, my thoughts return to my mom. I know that she's not coming back. Things like sticking around and returning aren't really her strong suits.

"You know," Chloe says, turning the key in the ignition. "You could probably take some parental leave."

"Yeah, right," I say, as we climb out of the car. "I'm already struggling with pay."

"If you adopt the baby, you could take parental leave…"

Chloe trails off as we walk inside, and I give her a look that says I'll think about it . Inside, I'm wondering how I'm going to get through an entire workday with the knowledge that there's a baby waiting for me at home.

***

"You seem distracted."

I jump a little, realizing I've spaced out again. My hands linger on Brett's leg. I jerk, pulling them back like I've left them on a hot burner. Flames lick up my face as I shake my head.

"Shit," I breathe, "sorry—I'm—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he says, leaning forward and catching my wrists as I start to put my fists to my eyes. When he gazes up at me, his face soft and his eyes shining, it feels like he already knows what's wrong and how to fix it.

"It's okay, Fallon. Take a breath."

"Yeah, okay…" I stop and take a deep breath. "Thanks."

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Pretty sure that's not how this thing works," I laugh, and turn to grab him an exercise ball. " I'm supposed to be the one healing you ."

"Sure," Brett says, accepting the ball and placing his leg on top of it. "But this stuff goes by faster when we're talking. Remember? You told me about the roommates you think like each other."

"Shh," I giggle, glancing at the door and hoping Chloe isn't out there. I've been keeping my suspicions about Ainsley and Cassidy to myself. They're such opposites. I can already imagine Chloe laughing at me for even thinking it, but I get major enemies-to-lovers vibes from them.

"That's different," I mutter, watching Brett as he rolls his leg. "That's other people's gossip, not my own."

"I love gossip." He glances up at me, those chocolate brown eyes shining, a smirk playing on his lips. "So, you would be doing me a favor."

I shake my head, gesturing for him to switch to the other side. "It's family stuff. It's not the good kind of gossip."

After a beat, Brett clears his throat., "Believe it or not, I get family stuff."

When I look at him, he stops rolling, and I realize we're just staring at each other, eyes catching for too long.

"Fallon, you—" Chloe stops short in the doorway, her eyes darting back and forth between Brett and me. I tear my gaze away from him, blushing furiously.

"Your ten o' clock is here," Chloe says, clearly suppressing a smile.

I glance at the clock, heart racing. "Shit, right, sorry, Brett, looks like we're—"

"No, yeah, right, I lost track of time." he rushes.

"The exercises for you are in the thing—"

"Of course, I'll—"

"Well," I say, loudly, embarrassed by how we keep talking over each other. I feel like an ass, and my entire body is hot. Fevered. "See you next time."

"Right," he says, holding his folder in his hands. His gaze sweeps up, then down my body, before returning at last to my eyes. "See you next time."