Alicekai'd 1.21: Ways to Beat the Real World

 

 

     Mark moves in, and he's real sweet about everything. He still has the lease on his place, so we decide to try out both apartments before fully committing to one.

     Then it's time.

     Of course, Mark has to do the daddy freak out dance. We go to the hospital.

     However, when we arrive, he leaves! Oh, he's in big trouble.

 

     My doc turns out to be Eliza Pancakes. I never played her house, so I have no idea what to expect.

     She tries to kill me. At least, that's how it feels to me. If I had to wager a guess, it's all part of the 'entertainment' of the birthing machine.

     Miraculously, it doesn't hurt. Huh. I guess that's one thing this world has over the real one.
     I have a baby girl.

     "Hello, little Carlie Dyer." I smile. "I'm sorry your daddy isn't here, and he'd better have a good explanation."

     I doubt little Carlie is bothered at all.

     When I get home, Mark is sitting in the apartment at the table, eating something. I glare, shake my head, and go to where Carlie magically appeared. (How do people not suspect their world isn't real when there is stuff like this?)

 

 

      I'm back in the hospital gown.

      Carlie has her first meal.

      So... Carlie's MY baby, and I'm from the real world. Does that mean... No, she's probably still bound to this one. It's where she was born anyway.

     Overall, I'm still not sure if I'm ready to be a mother. One thing I AM ready for, and that's to chew out Mark. 

 

     I put her back in her bassinet, and Mark finally has the guts to show up.

     "Hi." Yeah. He knows he's in trouble.

     "I'm not talking to you right now."

     "Alice, come on. I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I just had this inexplicable urge to leave and go back home."

     I roll my eyes. Game bug? "Yeah right." I point to the baby. "And you're not even interested in meeting your own daughter? I named her Carlie."

     He smiles. "You chose the name I wanted." We'd discussed it last night.

     "Well... Yeah. It sorta grew on me."

     He starts walking stealthily towards me. "I can sorta grow on you too." His innuendo is kinda childish.

     "I'm not interested, Mark." I back up. It's, well, only a bit of a lie. I'm definitely upset with him, but... dayum he's hot, especially when he's in seduction mode.

     He cocks his head to the side. "Really?" His eyes rake over me. "I don't know why, but that hospital gown is really doing it for me."

     I crack up laughing. "You're so weird!" Then he grabs me. "Mark, wait!" I get free then dash into the living room, but he follows me.

 

      I growl at him while he kisses me. "I just had a baby, Mark."

     "Yeah. You just had MY baby." He reaches around for the gown ties. "That's so hot."

     "Mark..."

     "So you just had a baby. How about one of my special deep tissue massages?" He smirks.

     "No." I shake my head. Then I turn around, redoing the tie and leaving him standing in the living room. I go to the kitchen, thirsty, so I have a glass of water. When I look at him again, he's still smiling devilishly at me. "Damn you." I stomp over to him and kiss him hard.

     I guess this is another way this world beats the real one: woohoo right after childbirth.  

     If there's one thing Mark is REALLY good at, it's sex. The only problem is I have to be quieter. It's torture, and he enjoys it.

    The next few days are wonderful. Mark completely makes up for leaving me at the hospital like that. He takes over all the midnight feedings, even when he has to work the next day.

    They're finishing out his character in All My Sims, he tells me. At least they're not killing the character. He's just going 'overseas.' This means he could possibly come back. That's good.

     "I'll miss you," he says sweetly, hugging me before heading out.

     I laugh. He's doing the sweet thing to be funny, and I smack his butt. "Get to work, hot stuff."

     He grins, kisses me, and leaves.

     As for my acting career, I'm taking a leave of absence. It's no big deal. Thanks to my books, I'm still the major breadwinner in our little family. Family? Are we a family? I scowl as I ponder this, getting dressed in something besides my pajamas.

     There's a knock at the door. My jaw drops when I see who it is. Sure, I'd texted him to let him know about Carlie, still maintaining a strained sort-of friendship. I didn't expect him to show up at my apartment.

      "Geoffrey?"

     I watch him as he launches into a kind of apology.

     "I'm sorry for just showing up like this. I would've called, but my car just sorta got me over here like it had a mind of its own." He holds up a bag. "Oh, and uh, I got you something." To my expression, he quickly explains, "For the baby!"

     "Geoff, why are you apologizing? I'm just surprised to see you." I can't decide if it's good surprise or bad surprise. You hate me, don't you? Why are you here? 

 

     "Heh heh. Of course you are. I mean, I just randomly show up at your door. I know I could've called, but... Well, I wanted to SEE how you were doing." He gives me a strained smile.

     Ah. So that's it. That's the reason. He feels guilty, and his conscience was bothering him. Sure, he may hate me, but we used to be best friends. And his past best friend had a baby. ... Yeah. That's the reason, right? I honestly don't believe my reasoning, but what else could it be?

     I motion toward the door. "Would you like to come inside?"

     "Yes." He sighs in relief.

     "So, Carlie is...?"

     "Taking a nap," I finish for him.

     "Ah. Okay."

     We have a seat on the sofa, and he hands me the present. It's some baby clothes. "I never got to shop for a girl. I hope you like it." It's a cute pink dress that won't fit her for a few more months. Or... days?

     "Thanks. I love it." I look at the dress. It's too small for toddler wear and too big for her right now. What am I supposed to do with it?

     "I'm sorry I didn't call you. If this is too awkward, I'll just go." He honestly looks like he wants to bolt out the door. Does he hate me that much?

     I close my eyes, trying to fight tears. Damn hormones. "If you don't want to stay, you don't have to."

     His head pops over to me. "I was just wondering whether or not you wanted me here. I mean, we haven't actually spoken since..." He lets his voice trail off. Then he kind of snaps out of it. "Anyway, how are you? How was the delivery?"

     I debate for a moment how to answer that. Then, I decide to tell him what someone would tell their best friend. "The delivery itself was okay. Dr. Pancakes tried to kill me-"

     "WHAT? How is that okay?"

     "It's fine, Geoffrey. That machine is nuts, but that's not the big thing that happened."

     "How is you almost DYING not the big thing?" He looks like he wants to shake me.

     "It was only a temporary machine malfunction." I watch him hyperventilate. "What really made me mad was that Mark ditched the whole scene."

     His voice is deadly. "So not only did you almost die, but Mark wasn't even there." Mark has definitely made Geoffrey's shit list.

     "The way he explained it, I think it was a..." I blush. "...game bug."

     "I'm calling bullshit, Alice. I'm calling him a heartless, spineless coward." His voice is icy now. "I can't believe he left you there by yourself. Of course you wouldn't think of it, but if you'd called me, I'd have been there at light speed."

     For someone he hates? 'Alice, would you shut the fuck up about that? Do you honestly believe he still hates you or ever did?' I can't think about this right now. "I was FINE." I pause. "Besides, he's been doing nothing but make it up to me."

     "How?" Again with the ice.

     "Well, for one, he's been taking over the midnight feedings."

     "He's... living here?" He caught on fast.

     "Y-yes." I nod. "We've decided to co-parent, and we're trying to decide where the best place to live would be."

     Geoff gets quiet, and he looks around. The next thing I know, he stands up and starts gathering dirty dishes.

     He's upset. He's trying to hide his reaction to finding out Mark and I are living together, and he's using dirty dishes as an excuse to step away for a minute.

     Maybe it's just residual feelings coming to the surface from how he felt before he found out I was pregnant with another man's child. That changed everything. 

      Nope, I can't make sense of it. Not really. My first guess is probably the correct one, but how can that be still true?

     I watch him by using the reflection on the television screen. He splashes some water on his face then gets a towel from the ether itself and dries it. Then the towel disappears. Again, how do people NOT see their life is a simulation when stuff like that happens?

     I decide to test it. "Are you okay?"

     He turns around to answer, but at that moment, Carlie starts screaming.

     "Well, she's awake now. Come meet my daughter."

     He nods silently and follows me into the bedroom.

 

     I hold her up. She'd stopped crying the moment I picked her up. "Meet Carlie Dyer." I notice the second I said 'Dyer,' his face broke into a smile. Yes, I gave her my last name. I was too mad at Mark to name her Carlie James when I was filling out the birth certificate.

     "I think," he says carefully, "she's going to be as beautiful as her mother."

     I look at him dubiously. I just can't figure the man out. "That was a nice thing to say."

     He lightly shrugs and looks at the floor. "Well, I'm full of nice things to say if you just give me a chance." His eyes pop back up to me as my heart beats faster.

     Maybe I'm imagining things. I slowly rock Carlie, and he waits in tense silence. The baby falls asleep. "I don't know what you mean by that." Again, I think I'm testing him. "I mean, you always say nice things, but..." I don't know how to finish it, so I put Carlie in her bassinet.

     He rubs the back of his head before quietly asking, "Alice, did you READ the letter?"

     I have to take my turn looking down. "Yes, but you also said you wrote it before you knew about," I gesture to Carlie, "her."

     His foot takes a step back. "That's true. I did. But..." He gets quiet. When I glance up at him, I see he has his hand on his forehead. "You're right. This is a different situation. A-and you're living with Mark, so... Forgive me, Alice. Y-you're trying to do the right thing. That's... that's good. As for me, well, I've... I've got to go get Bruno at school in a little while." He takes a shaky breath. "It was great seeing you again." He starts for the door, but I reach out and grab his shirt.

     "Geoffrey, wait." I don't know what to say, though.

     "No. I'm sorry. I can't. Everything is just too raw right now, and I don't want to do or say something I'll regret." He pauses. "Please call me if you need help with something, but for now, I'll just go." He wrests my hand from his shirt and rapidly walks out the door. I then hear the front door open and close.

     And I fall onto the bed crying.