13. Tyler

I have never felt so scared when I rushed an unconscious Keya to the nearest hospital all by myself. Shit! I may not know her, she’s a complete stranger but when she approached me last week telling that I got her pregnant and after seeing her today heaving on the trash bins on the street, my gut says that I should be responsible for her.

To be honest after I saw her at the diner earlier, I planned to go hire a private investigator to go investigate about her. I indeed insulted her, but it's just really hard for me to trust people right away. I was an asshole when I somehow treated all this thing as a joke and a complete nonsense but when I saw her bleed a while ago it totally freaked me out.

“I’m sorry man, I had an emergency and I’m at the hospital right now. I’ll catch up with you guys tomorrow or maybe the day after tomorrow? I’m still not sure.” I said to Martin over the phone.

I am supposed to fly to Michigan for our two weeks training camp tonight but I wasn’t able to because of what had happened.

“Why? What happened? Who’s at the hospital?” He asked. “Is this about the woman you got knocked up?”

“I’ll tell you when I get there, I promise.” I replied. “Don’t worry I already told Coach Mason that I’m going to be delayed.”

“I’m expecting a detailed report once you get here Ty.” Martin said without bothering for further questions. “Update me.”

“Sure. Now, I have to go.” I then hang up appreciating the fact that Martin didn’t bothered me for long.

Keya is finally conscious when I went back inside the room. She’s clearly concerned about the baby, she’s even on the verge of crying when the OB said that the baby is fine. I don’t know whether if I’ll get surprised with her reaction since she told me earlier that she still haven’t decided on whether she’ll keep the baby or not. If she gets a miscarriage then surely she’ll get relieved but based on how I see her tonight, she doesn’t want it either.

She glared at me when she saw me entering the room and joined them as I sat on the edge of the bed.

“Well, the bleeding you had was caused by sub chorionic hemorrhage. This is just normal during the first trimester.” The OB started explaining. “However, you need to be extra careful, since this might lead you to miscarriage. So as much as possible, no stress!”

And with the mention of stress, Keya just looked at me like it’s as if I was the reason of her bleeding a while ago. The physician seems to notice that and she started to look at me and continued herself from explaining.

“The baby’s formation gets affected by the environment and stress level of the mother. You want a healthy baby right?” The physician asks. “You know, complete hands and complete feet?”

“If I get stressed all the time does that mean my baby will only have two fingers?” Keya started mumbling with a horrified face. “One eye like a Cyclops? One feet like a mermaid? No nose—bullocks! How will the baby breathe?”

Oh my god, this woman is crazy! I mean, where did she get all these scenarios from?

“Well, if the mother’s environment isn’t good for the baby plus the stress level is quite high then, yes!” the physician confirmed.

“Oh my goodness.” The only thing she said as she puts her right palm on her chest right before the physician left us.

“The doctor just said no stress.” I started when we’re finally alone.

“Why are you still here?” She asked starting to get annoyed by my presence again.

“To look after you obviously.” I answered.

“Really? After insulting and judging me?”

“I didn’t judged you.”

“Oh trust me, you did! Metaphorically.”

“Alright, I apologized for doing it okay?” I said. “I am sorry. Now, let me just look after you because that child might be mine.”

“Yeah! Keep telling yourself that.” She mumbles while rolling her eyes and gets out of the bed.

“You know brushing me off is just bullshit, right?”

“Bullshit? May I remind you that you didn’t believed me the first time I told you?” She challenged. “Seriously though, I’m making you a massive favor here!”

“If I’m really the father of that baby then you will let me look after you, until I proved otherwise that I am not.” I finally snapped which silenced her right away. “Now, let me take you home.”

This time, I let her to listen to me. She was just silent the whole time as we hit the road. We did a quick stop on the grocery first and I bought the certain food she needed. I even complained on the many bags of gummy worms and ketchup chips she asked me to buy because it’s clearly not healthy but she told me that she’s craving for those foods and so I just let her.

“So where do you live?” I asked her when I got back and started the car engine right away.

“HSU. Leyton House.”

“Where the hell is that?”

“Right,” she said sighing. “Houston State University campus. Leyton House, college dorm.”

“You’re a college student?” I said in complete surprise.

“Why do you look so surprised?” She hissed. “Do I look like a stripper to you? You might have got me pregnant but—“

“I didn’t said that!” I cut her out. “Would you stop jumping into conclusions right away?”

After I said those words, she calmed herself down and replied primly. “I’m just trying to clear out that I am not the kind of woman you think I am.”

She said which made me even guiltier than I already have. I didn't said those exact words but I insulted her, I even thought about that she's a puck bunny herself, but guess I was wrong. I dropped her on her dorm house few moments later, and since I am way too concerned and curious about what type of environment she lives in, I insisted to walk her on her door, besides she needs help on carrying all the groceries.

“You don’t have to walk me in.” She abruptly said. “The girls might recognize you.”

“No. I insist.” I said as I inverted my baseball cap completely lowering the brim this time. “You need a help carrying all the groceries.”

“If you say so.” She said and started walking. He slowly opens the door right before signaling me to come in. I am completely relieved that there are only two to three people on the hallway as we walk heading to her room. Not that I am way too full of myself for thinking that girls will hover down on me once they spot me but this is a college dorm for girls and I am certain for a fact that ice hockey games held in Texas is always full of college girls.

Surely, someone in here do recognize me somehow.

“My room is on the second floor.” She said as I follow her to the staircase.

While we walked on the corridor further ahead I heard screaming coming from a room not too far from hers, noisy music on another room and all kinds of noises present on dorm rooms.

“Is it always like this in here— like the noises?” I dumbly asked. I have never been on a college dorm before. I have never been to college, my life was pretty much about hockey. I started traveling everywhere for hockey at a younger age and after I graduated from high school I started focusing on it by playing on the Canadian junior hockey development programs, competing on different leagues to put myself out there and get drafted for pros.

“It’s Friday night.” She replied as juggles her keys to her room on the end of the hall. “Everyone is allowed to do that noises since majority of the people in here are out partying their asses. The noises happening around is below the usual noises you heard in here every day. You should hear the noises in here every morning when everyone is rushing on the communal bathrooms.”

“And you’re fine with all of this?” I asked her.

“I don’t have any choice.” She said juggling her keys to the dorm. “Living on the dorms is cheap— I mean living on a sorority houses is much cheaper but that’s even noisier in there. Plus the drama and the constant house parties, so this is fine.”

We entered her room and I am even surprise about the place. The room is a mixture of white and brown tones. There’s small single bed on the corner next to a small dresser, a little night stand filled with books above and underneath.

“No roommate?” I asked.

“Nope. I’m an upperclassman.”

She empties out a small sofa filled with another bunch of books and offers me to seat on there. There’s a mini kitchen with a cupboard filled with only instant food. And then there’s a window with few pots of plants next to a study table filled with a bunch of papers and books facing a board also filled with pinned up papers and few colorful sticky notes.

The dorm is fine to live in but if she’ll keep the baby, she can’t live here. Who will look out on her? Jezz! If I am really the father of her baby then I won’t seriously let her live here.

She excused herself to go to the little toilet room and change.

While waiting for her, I decided to mingle around her room and read some of the titles on the textbooks she have on the couch. Some of the textbooks are about mythology, European and Greek manuscripts, there are also books written in French and another manuscript of Shakespeare that didn’t make any sense when I tried reading just one paragraph.

“Smarty-pants my ass.” I commented setting all the books down.

“What did you just say?” Keya asked as she emerges from the bathroom.

“Nothing.” I answered. “So I’m guessing you’re from the United Kingdom?” I’m guessing based on her accent.

She nodded. As she settles on the chair at the study table across me. “Southshields, New Castle specifically.”

“And how did you exactly found yourself here in Texas?”

“Well, Houston State U offers a nice and affordable program in Literature so I flew across the country for that.”

“Anyway, do you have plans on moving out in here?” I tried suggesting. “Like getting yourself a proper apartment?”

“I can’t. I’m not some fancy-Nancy you think I am.” She answered while busying herself from arranging the grocery supplies on the cupboards. “I even juggle two jobs and studying at the moment.”

“And why is that?” I asked. I don’t know what’s up with me but I am literally trying to get to know the mother of my child. I mean, the mother of my possible child.

“Why do you have so many questions?”

“I’m trying to get to know you here.”

“Oh! Right. Well, just so you know. I am also helping my family financially. I am working to sustain my own needs and send some extra money to my mom.” She said. “Do you want some coffee or something? Because it looks like you want to stick around for long.”

And just what I thought, I have to leave. “No, I’m actually leaving. Give me your phone number.”

“Why?”

“Just give it.” I commanded. She hesitated for a bit right before giving her phone. I took the phone and saved it right away. “Call me when you finally decided what to do with the baby.”

“Update me just about the baby.”

“Of course.” She replied without complaining further.