The Baby Project

Chapter Nine

“You idiot! You complete and utter idiot, Avery!”

            That’s the greeting I received when I was finally released from Andrew’s grip, and he yanked me inside the warmth of his house. At some point during the hug I’d dampened his T-shirt, but he either didn’t notice or mind. Apparently, his main point of concern at that moment was ensuring his insults got across.

            I opened my mouth to defend myself, but he didn’t let me.

            “You walked here? Jesus Christ, why did you do that? I thought you were going to drive your mom’s car or something. Not walk all the way here in the rain!”

            “My mom was in the kitchen. I didn’t have any choice.”

            “Then you should’ve called me! I would’ve just had to deal with the kid. You didn’t have to do all that to get over here.”

            “Yes, I did,” I said. “You would’ve done the same for me. Wouldn’t you?”

            Andrew paused, his mouth frozen in an O shape as the words died in his throat. “I… that’s irrelevant,” he mumbled eventually, running a hand through the dark waves of his hair. “You shouldn’t have come all the way over here like this. You’ve probably caught pneumonia and it’s all my fault.”

            “I’m fine,” I protested stubbornly. “Stop fussing. Now where’s the baby?”

            “You’re not fine, you’re soaking.” He reached up, beginning to pull the dripping jacket away from my shoulders. When it came away, and his gaze dropped to the flimsy pajama combo I was wearing underneath, I could almost feel the incredulity radiating off him. “And you wore your PJs?”

            “I’m fine,” I repeated.

            “You’re hopeless, Avery,” he said, but his voice was dominated by affection rather than insult. Folding up the jacket in his hands, he slung it over the nearby radiator and pushed a strand of wet hair away from my face. “And you really shouldn’t have done all that for me. Not to mention the fact that your mom’s going to kill you.”

            “I wasn’t going to leave you alone,” I answered. “You sounded pretty desperate on the phone.”

            He bit his lip. “Still…”

            “And I can handle my mom. I’ll just tell her I went out for emergency… girl stuff.”

            Andrew flushed slightly, his gaze finding its way to the floor. “Right.”

            “So where’s the doll?”

            His head snapped back upwards and he shook it vehemently. “No. You’re not doing anything until you take a hot shower and get changed. I’m not letting you stay in those wet clothes.”

            I rolled my eyes. “Just let me try and shut up the baby first. That’s the whole reason I came over here, isn’t it? Then I’ll change.”

            I started toward the living room, where the crying seemed at its loudest, but before I could move my feet a measurable distance, two hands landed on my shoulders. My eyes flickered back up to Andrew, who was frowning down at me.  “That can wait. You’ll get sick,” he stated. “Shower. Now.”

            “Andrew…”

            “No arguing. It’s been over two hours; I can handle another twenty minutes. I’ll leave some of my clothes outside the bathroom door, okay?”