The Doctor's Baby

24

It was three in the morning, Chris hadn't slept since Skye called.

He sat there on the couch, his mind racing with thoughts and regrets. His heart sank as he replayed their phone conversation in his head.

Chris's stomach twisted into knots, and he felt the guilt weigh heavily on his shoulders. He had never meant to hurt her. But, the truth was, he had slept with another woman, a woman he didn't even like, not really. It was all a mistake.

Chris knew he had to make things right, but he had no idea how.

The sex wasn't even that great. It was mediocre at best, and that was putting it mildly. Yes Sarisa was his ex-girlfriend, but she had moved on. Hell, even Chris had moved on.

She had just been there at the wrong place and the wrong time, and the loneliness had gotten the better of him. Not that he was lonely. Was he? God he was confused. He didn't know how to react to becoming a father, let alone dealing with the aftermath of his poor decision making.

Chris sighed, running a hand through his messy hair.

This wasn't him. He was usually confident and self-assured, not wallowing in his own regret. He needed a plan. A strategy. A game plan.

He went to the bedroom where Sarisa was still asleep. He had to get back to Skye. He found his pants on the floor and pulled them onto his waist.

As he picked up his shirt, he noticed his phone and grabbed it.

As he reached for his shirt, he heard some shifting in the bed. He looked up and saw Sarisa sitting up, her hair a mess. "Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving," Chris said simply, not bothering to turn around.

"Wait, what? Chris, we had a fantastic night. This is destiny. Our destiny." Sarisa insisted.

"Our destiny?" He snorted, a mix of bitterness and sarcasm lacing his tone. "Look, this was a mistake, and I'm sorry. It should never have happened."

"You don't mean that," Sarisa pleaded, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Chris ignored her and continued getting dressed. As he slipped his shoes on, he turned to Sarisa and sighed, "This was a mistake."

"So you're going to leave me in the middle of the night again?" Sarisa exclaimed, clearly not accepting his words.

"Yes, and no. I'm not going to leave you in the middle of the night." He paused and glanced at his watch. "I'm going to leave you in the middle of the morning."

With that, he left, not giving Sarisa a second glance. He had already wasted enough time.

He needed to get to Skye.

The flight was long. He hated flying. He felt like a prisoner, confined to a tiny seat, his knees pressed uncomfortably close.

But he didn't care. Nothing was going to stop him from reaching his destination.

Skye.

When his flight landed, he raced to the baggage claim. He grabbed his suitcase and headed straight for the taxi stand.

"Where to, buddy?" the cabbie asked.

"I need to get to 4889 Oakwood Lane."

"That's in  Manhattan, right?" the driver asked.

"Yes," Chris replied.

The cabbie nodded and pulled away from the curb.

As the cab sped through the streets, Chris's heart pounded in his chest. It was 4 in the afternoon, and the appointment started at 5:30. And traffic was terrible.

The first thing he did when he got to his apartment was  take a shower. It had been a long day, and he felt grimy and tired. And Sarisa's scent still lingered on him.

As he stood under the hot water, he tried to relax, but the anxiety was overwhelming. The clock was ticking, and he knew he was running out of time.

After his shower, he threw on some clothes and hurried out the door. He flagged down a cab and told the driver to step on it.

The drive to the obstetrician's office seemed to take forever. With each passing minute, Chris's heart sank a little further.

He couldn't afford to be late. Not this time.

Finally, the cab pulled up to the curb.

"We're here," the driver said.

"Thanks," Chris said, tossing some cash at the man.

He raced into the building knowing that his relationship with Skye was at stake.

And it was his own damn fault.