Champagne Problems (Ransom Drysdale)

Chapter 21 - One More Night

Ransom's mind was in overdrive as he sped along the roads, not caring at what speed he was doing. He had no idea where he was going, but he needed to be out of that house. He was still reeling from the news that she was pregnant and had decided as soon as he'd walked out of the door that he probably wouldn't be returning home that evening.

Eventually he pulled over and ran his hands down his face, trying to piece together how the hell he could have allowed this to happen.

Because he was a dick, and he loved spending his time in bed with his wife too much? Yes. That was it. He admitted to himself that couldn't even remember using any protection since they'd started sleeping together, so of course it was their own fault. Ransom had always been too caught up in the moment that he'd never once considered that perhaps Effie had forgotten as well. Then again he assumed she'd been on the pill.

Either way they had fucked up big time.

He rested his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes for a moment of two.

Nope. He couldn't picture three of them as a family unit let alone a stable one, and Ransom knew there would be no stability whatsoever. His head was throbbing with the amount of messed up scenarios that could happen if they chose to have this baby. He really couldn't imagine taking his child to a Thrombey family gathering,  or being father. He'd never really thought about children as he'd never had any reason to. For a start he'd never planned on getting married, but life just loved to throw him a curveball every now and then. The subject had come up once between him and Effie, and immediately he'd ruled out any offspring. Effie herself had also stated that she'd not wanted them, but now this was happening she'd suddenly had a change of heart? It made him wonder whether she'd only agreed to the no kids rule to keep him happy.

That didn't matter though, because he knew deep down that she would want to keep it.

What he needed was a drink or six, and starting the car up he headed for the nearest bar. Perhaps in a drunken haze he'd be able to make more sense of the situation than he would sober.

Sitting at the table with beers to hand later that afternoon, he noted the missed calls and messages on his phone. All from his wife.

Ransom answer your fucking phone, we need to talk about this – you can't bloody run from this!

He could if he wanted to...

I swear to god if you don't answer me then I'm changing the locks!

Perhaps Harlan was wrong – he thought we were building something from the ground up, instead we seem to have proved the rest of your family right. We won't last. Not now.

He took a swig of beer now imagine the look of pure satisfaction on Walt's already smug face. Everyone said they wouldn't last, and up until now they'd proved to their family that perhaps they weren't as useless as they had thought they were. His mother would relish in this new of course, she's state that it would finally make them grow up, see clearly now that they no longer would look at the world through rose coloured glasses. And the key word she'd use. Responsibility. He'd need to learn and have plenty of that.

His grip tightened around the bottle. His mother clearly thought very little of him and Effie to think that they couldn't look after a baby. Part of him wanted to say, 'fuck it' and just take the chance at having the child purely on the basis at once again proving to his family that he and Effie could do it, however the other part was screaming at him not to, because it would be hard work, and they wouldn't cope.

Would they?

Ransom had thought about the wedding in a similar way when his parents and Harlan had told him. That they wouldn't cope. They wouldn't last. But they'd lasted this long...

Right now he had two choices. One was to stay out all night, sleep in the Beamer and consume copious amounts of alcohol. Or the second was to go home to his wife and see where they stood with each other. As much as the first appealed to him more, he knew that the second had to be done at some point.

Finishing his drink, he got up and headed home. This would either end in an argument or some kind of mutual agreement.

Effie hadn't heard him come home, she'd gone to bed early in the hopes that she could sleep and then wake up and it would be all a bad dream. Sleep had been hard to come by, but eventually she'd drifted off, only walking when the door to the bedroom opened and Ransom had walked in, making no attempt to actually be quiet.

Sitting up, she switched on the light. "Where've you been?"

"Out." he replied

"I know that you prick but where! I've been trying to call you."

"Bar."

She sat back against the headboard and crossed her arms, Watching him pace. "You can't avoid this Ransom, we're gonna have to talk about it at some point."

"I know, that's why I came home – I wasn't planning to."

"And what were you going to do instead?" She wasn't sure if she wanted to know but she asked him all the same.

He shrugged. "I don't know, get drunk, sleep in the car..." and then he looked at her. "But I decided to come back – I needed to get out and think about this."

"And what did you conclude?"

He was cursing inside now, really not believing that he was actually saying this. "If we've actually made an arranged marriage work..." he paused and ran a hand through his hair. "Then perhaps we could actually make parenting work too..."

Effie stared at him; brow furrowed before she finally spoke after a few moments silence. "Are you drunk?"

"Unfortunately not." After this conversation he was going downstairs and drinking the rest of the contents of the bar before passing out on the couch. "Eff...I thought things through and I thought about us. We can't look after a kid, but then the more I thought about it, the more I began to think we could actually do this. We worked together to make living together and all this work – we can do the same for a kid..." He wasn't about to admit that he was worried about trying to keep a small human alive, but he was sure that Effie was feeling exactly the same. 

She blinked a little shocked at his words. "Ransom...are you saying that you want us to have this baby?" Had she really heard him right?

"Look, I still don't like the idea but we got ourselves into this shit. I don't think I'll ever be ready for this, but I guess that I'm gonna have to deal with the consequences...so yes. I'm saying I want us to have this baby." 

"I don't like the situation any more than you do, but I just wonder whether this could actually be a blessing in disguise for us. It could bring us closer than we already are." She hoped that it would. Around his family and others, Ransom's exterior was hardened, guarded, but with her there was a softer side that had emerged. Perhaps once he finally held his child he'd show more of that softer side than he did his usual demeanour.

"Or it could drive us apart."

"Well we won't know that unless we find out." She sighed. "Once upon a time I loved arguing with you, going against everything you said, but now? I hate it, I really do."

He nodded in agreement. "Me too..." and then settled himself next to her on the bed, pushing some hair back behind her ear, a small smile forming on his lips as he knew that despite everything – they were going to be ok. "God I hate you Effie."

She grinned. "I hate you more, Hugh." Her lips brushing over his gently. "So, we're really doing this..."

"I'm up for the challenge if you are."