Chapter 119: An Uncomfortable Truth

The Doctor's Office, Lakeshore Ave, Baltiney, New York...

 Grateful tears began to stream down the cheeks of a seemingly pleased Valencia as she noted how strong her unborn son's heartbeat had been. She could tell from the view of him that he'd looked a good deal like his father and she'd been rather proud of it. Ken had said nothing even as he slowly tore his eyes away from the darkened screen. It had been a surreal feeling to come to terms with the fact that he'd gotten Valencia pregnant, it was even worse to see the evidence of it for himself in the images of the ultrasound. He had no plans to sire any more children since awakening from his coma and now he had an unborn son to deal with. While he had not said it aloud, he had felt his getting Valencia pregnant made it as if he had somehow betrayed Sera in some manner. 

Valencia continued to grip Ken's hand as he opted to go back to reading the posters on the wall. The determined younger woman had been of the mind to force the issue of Ken finally acknowledging his unborn son and proceeded to place his hand directly onto her belly. Ken's dark eyes cut to her for a moment as she had done this but he didn't make a show of pulling away despite wanting to, the doctor chuckled a bit believing in his mind that Ken had been somehow nervous about being a father, when he had not wished to be one in the first place. 

"Don't worry about it so much son, every soon-to-be father finds pregnancy to be a scary endeavor." said the doctor who'd been more or less around Coleman Kennison's age. 

It showed a lot he knew, Ken briefly recalled the fragments of memory where he had not been scared when Sera told him of her pregnancies. He'd been more than thrilled each time, the first had been a healthy baby boy, the second an equally healthy baby boy, and the third had been a mystery never to be solved given the tragic events of Sera's death along with their unborn child. After living for years in a house full of boys, she wanted a little girl. Ryker had hoped that she'd gotten her wish but in the end, it wasn't meant to be known by either of them. 

When the doctor returned to the machine, Ken moved his hand from Valencia's belly and folded his arms across his chest, much to her disappointment. While he'd been well aware that she'd been pregnant for the past four months, she'd nearly forgotten that he had not wanted it to begin with and the residue annoyances from parenthood being forced upon him remained. He didn't make much of a fuss about it due to his mother's blackmail forcing his hand when it came to accepting what was inevitable, but he wasn't in the least going to pretend to be thrilled about their strong-arming him into it.

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Parking Lot, Lakeshore Ave, Baltiney, New York...

 Ken Ryker had not spoken since he and Valencia had concluded her appointment. He returned to the waiting room where his mother and Sylvia Ramos immediately crowded Valencia who'd been smiling since she'd gotten the ultrasound confirmation. She shared that the baby was developing properly despite the slight manner of stress she'd been under and that it was a boy, which made Mildred turn her attention to her unusually silent eldest son. It didn't take much to deduce that he wasn't too thrilled about being there but he'd taken his medication and had been as supportive as Valencia needed him to be in this difficult time. Mildred had wished so badly for him to have been able to appreciate the gift he'd been given, a second chance at a family had not often come around for men his age but Ken had remained impassive about the entire affair. Mildred sighed and elected to congratulate Valencia, her future daughter-in-law as she pondered what to do about her son.

Sylvia had been thrilled to hear that her future grandson had been doing well and that they could finally have a theme for the upcoming baby shower she wished to throw for her daughter. Mildred thought it wonderful that Sylvia had been as close to Valencia as she'd once been to her ailing son Ryker, the constant reminder of the apparent distance between them since the accident had not been pleasant despite the good news. 

The women and Ken filed into his car and he dropped them all off at Valencia's apartment where they continued their shower and wedding plan arrangments much to his chagrin. He wanted no part in that and his obligation had been met as far as his mother and Valencia had been concerned. 

Ken made his way back out onto the highway unsure of what to do or what to make of what he'd seen at the doctor's office. Valencia was due to give him another son, a son he'd made without Sera for the first time since he'd registered the ramifications of what was about to take place once Valencia had given birth. He felt sick to his stomach as he envisioned the disappointment and anger Sera would have reminiscent of when she'd come to the college and he'd been in bed with the strange blonde. 

His anxiousness grew as he realized his medication had been wearing off but he kept himself focused enough to drive himself to where he could take the edge off. Ken decided to drown his sorrows at a local bar needing a distraction from his past and present indiscretions as he slowly came to terms with what was taking place. 

Valencia was truly pregnant and the baby boy would be due in a matter of months, and they were to be forcefully wed sooner than that if his mother had anything to do with it. Even as he pulled into the parking lot of the nearest and most distant bar from the world he'd elected to leave behind, all he could see was Sera's face that day at the college campus, the hatred behind her eyes as she looked at him taking in how pathetic and decidedly naked he'd been after rushing to stop her from leaving him. 

He couldn't tell what hurt the most, the fact that he had not meant to betray her or the fact that she had walked out on him determined to never see him again. 

"FUCK!" growled Ken as he beat his hands against the steering wheel before gathering himself for a few moments and climbing out of his car. 

He made a show of adjusting his suit and taking a moment to slick back his hair before walking up toward the very welcoming bar as the weight of the world seemed to once more bare down on his shoulders. He had made up his mind at that moment that come hell or high water, he was going to get himself more than a few drinks.