New Lives (A Nathan Gardner Story)

Chapter 9 - My grandaughter's pregnant?

"My granddaughter is pregnant?" Nathan's mother, Maureen, screamed through the phone as he was walking through his front door.

Nathan's eyes went wide and his jaw fell open. "Mom…wh…what?" He steadied himself on the doorframe, trying not to drop the bag from the hardware store.

"It was bad enough knowing that you were letting her be active…."

He choked on his own breath. "Let her? Mom, I didn't walk up to her and say, 'Hey honey, go diddle Charlie all you want!' I found condoms, we had a brief discussion and…what the hell do you mean pregnant?"

"Really, Nathan, as if you wouldn't know about Sydney taking Susan to a doctor…."

"Sydney did what?" His chest tightened. "Mom, did you see something?"

"I got a phone call, which I think is even worse! Look…"

"A phone call from who?"

Maureen paused a moment. "Who isn't important, Nathan. Susan left the office in tears, paperwork in her hands and Sydney's arm around her shoulders. She hasn't even started her senior yet, how could this happen?"

Nathan shook his head, trying to breathe. "Mom, there has to be some miscommunication somewhere…I'll call you later." He hung up, panicking internally. He knew it wasn't an impossibility, but she was smarter than that…then again, accidents happen and even being safe wasn't effective one hundred percent of the time. He went to the sink in Susan's bathroom, thinking a splash of water would help to clear his now anxious thoughts and that's when he saw it. There was a pregnancy test in the trashcan, sitting right on the top of everything else. He peered down and saw a second stick under the first…both read unmistakably positive. "No…" He ran to Susan's room, frantic, and saw the instructions on the desk below her window. "Fuck," he whispered. "Fuck, fuck, fuck…"

In the next hour that passed, he tried calling both Sydney and Susan's cell phones but neither answered. He was unable to process what was happening; Susan pregnant, Sydney going behind his back... "She…she lied," he said to himself. "She said she'd never do anything to come between Susan and…she's not even answering her phone? Susan had to have suspected for a while and Syd didn't even…" Anger welled inside him. Secrets made him sick…made him drink…and Sydney knew this. He was boiling by the time he heard the front door open.

"Dad's home." He heard Susan's voice in the entryway, she'd obviously been crying.

Sydney sighed heavily. "I was hoping to have a little longer before I talked to him."

"I know he's going to be upset, but do you think he'll be disappointed?"

"I don't know," Sydney answered honestly, "but it's nothing for you to worry about, Susan. I'll tend to your dad."

Nathan tried not to react, but his temper welled and he shot out from his office into the hallway. "You'll tend to me? Really? How's that going to go, exactly?"  It was the first time he'd raised his voice to Sydney since the night he threw a glass against the wall and he never thought he'd do it again.

"Huh? Nathan, calm down, honey. What's going on?" Sydney's eyes were wide and her stomach began to sink. She had no idea what had just set him off and it frightened her.

"You swore you wouldn't do this, Syd!"

"Do what?"

"Dad, are you drunk?" Susan asked, just as confused.

"Susan, I'll deal with you in a minute…" His voice held the same tone it did right before Charlie punched him so many months ago.

"What did I do? Dad, what the hell's gotten into you?"