Tell Me What To Do

Chapter 3

"What the fuck is thaaaaat." Michael mumbles in his sleep. He had been fast asleep when he heard a faint screetching noise in the background. Opening his burning eyes, he hears it again.

"What is making that- Oh shit."  

Realizing that it was his own child making the noise, he slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Christ this kid never shuts up."

Dragging his feet to his child's bedroom, he steps on one of the toys, making him shout out, "Ah fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck." Cursing all the way to the cot where the child is screaming.

Sighing, Michael picks up the baby, walks to a nearby chair and plops down, "Whats your deal, huh?" 

The baby, Daniel, looks more like his mother by the day. His hair growing lighter and eyes getting paler. Michael has grown to hate looking at the boy because of the close resemblance to Gracie. It has been two weeks since Michael brought Daniel home and the struggle has almost shattered him. Being an architect has its demands and juggling his job and a newborn is crippling. Daniel's grandmother, Pam, is not around to look after him as she is an author and is currently doing a book tour. Calum, Luke and Ashton are the only usual ones, in Micheal's eyes.

Michael got up, still carrying the screaming child and walked to the kitchen where Calum had prepared some formula while Michael was away on a business call. Silently thanking Calum, he began to feed the baby who immediately took the bottle.

"Thank god you have finally shut up." 

The sun was already up and, realizing he had slept in, Michael phoned Luke.

Yawning, Michael waited for Luke to answer the phone. "C'mon answer the phone." He sighed impatiently.

"Hello?" 

"Luke! Man, I need a giant favour."

"What is it?"

"I need you to look after Daniel today."

"Again? Do you ever spend time with your own kid?"

"Yeah, I mean- Yeah of course I do."

"Really? What colour are his eyes?" 

"Er..."

"What the fuck man, I know more about that little guy more than you do. Look after him yourself." Luke put down the phone. 

"Fuck."

Michael looks down Daniel, who is beginning to close his eyes. "Finally cried yourself to sleep huh?" Michael stared and gently ran a finger down the child's cheek, almost trance like. 

Sighing, he got up and put Daniel in his high chair, the one Gracie had set up just days before she died. 

Gracie.

It has been a few days since she has entered his mind. He has been so busy trying to juggle his career, Daniel and his drinking habits that he hadn't thought about the mother of his child. Christ, even after she's gone I'm still a bad boyfriend, He thought. 

Tugging at his hair, he makes himself coffee and sits down opposite Daniel and looks at him. "I'm not too good at this, am I?" 

As if in response, Daniel lets out a burp, making Michael chuckle for the first time in a few days. "Nice one."

*****

"This fucking clip!" Michael yells as he is trying to fasten Daniel into his car seat. After 10 more minutes of struggling, he finally gets it right and slams the car door, giving Daniel a fright and start to cry.

"Just shut up, will you?"

The nice moment Michael had shared with his son that morning hadn't lasted long. Behind on his work, he had started to work on a new building project for work. This project would be able to get him where he needed in his firm and to finally be respected as an architect by his boss. He was close to finishing when Daniel decided to bring up his breakfast all over the only copy of the building Michael had. 

"You have got to be fucking kidding me! You little shit!" He had screamed, almost raising his hand to the child before his better judgment reminded him that it probably wasn't a good idea to hit a 2 week old baby.

Now, speeding down the highway, Michael was taking the boy to his mothers, a woman he hasn't seen in over two years.

 After knocking on the door, he waited patiently, Daniel in his arms.

The door opened slowly, a man on the other side. 

"Michael?" The man said, shocked. 

"Yeah, yeah, it's me. Where is she?"

The man, eyeing him one last time, turned around and walked in the house. "Darcy! You better come see who is at the door."

Soon after, Darcy appeared. A woman in her sixties, looking good for her age with blonde hair and green eyes. Just like her son.

"Michael, oh my god. You're here and- Is that a baby?"

"No, mom. It's a sack of potatoes. Obviously it's a baby. Can I come in, please?"

Brushing passed his mother, he walked in the house and looked at the man standing in front of him, "I don't want you here for this conversation. I don't consider you my father and I don't even see you as a step father and therefore you have no right to hear what I am about to say." He said sternly.

The man held his expression and gave a short nod and walked upstairs.

"You can't talk to him like that, Michael."

"You don't get to say what I can and can't do, mother, you forfitted that right a long time ago when you decided to cheat on dad and marry my history teacher."

"Are you ever going to forgive me for that? It has been too long."

"Look, I'm not here to talk about the past okay? I need help."

"What is it?"

"It's this baby. I don't know what to do anymore."

"How did this even happen?"

Michael sighed and sat down on the couch after handing his mother the baby. He proceeded to tell her all the details he has neglected to tell her over the past two years. 

"Wow. I am so, so sorry to hear about Gracie." Darcy said after he was finished telling her everything. She looked down fondly at her grandchild, "He has your lips."

"Don't say that."

"Why not?" 

"It doesn't even feel like that child is mine. I never wanted it to begin with. I was only happy because Gracie was happy and I even treated her like shit towards the end of it all. I'm still not over it and im stuck, mom, I'm fucking stuck."

"Listen to me, Michael. First of all, never and I mean never  refer to your child as 'it'. He is a human being and he is your flesh and blood. This boy is relying on you, he is putting his faith in you as a father. Now I know I have not been the best mother and you can scoff all you want, but I am telling you from experience, you do not want this child growing up to hate you. 

Michael looked down at his hands, "I don't hate you mom. I just don't agree with what you did and what you did to dad. It's not right and it never will be"

"I know and I am sorry I put you through that. But this is not about us right now. You have another life to care of and you need to get your act together boy or you will regret it."

"Look, can I just leave him with you for the weekend? I'm beat."

"Sure. But take this weekend to think about what I said. It was good seeing you,Michael."

"Yeah mom. You too."