I was getting dressed for work when Damien walked into our room. I assumed he was just going to sleep. We don’t speak as much as we used to anymore; My graveyard shifts made sure we almost never saw each other. I was about to leave the room when he started talking to me. “Hey Charlie? Can you come here for a second?” I turned around and sat down next to him. “I don’t have a lot of time. I’ve got work in 20 minutes.” Damien brushed his hand through his hair and sighed. “I- I’ve got something really important to ask you, and please hear me out without jumping to conclusions.” Did he really think I was that hot-headed? “I’m listening.”
“I- I want us to have a child together.” He what?! I stood up and walked to the door without saying a word. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back down on the bed. “This is exactly what I mean! You won’t hear me out before I’m done telling the whole story!” I scooted away from him and tensed up.
He knows I hate being yelled at. He swallowed, quieting his voice a bit. “plum, sorry. I know you hate yelling. Please let me explain Charlie.” I relaxed a bit. “I’m sorry too. Your explanation better be good, because I’m not buying anything so far.”
He took a deep breath and started talking. About his dream, about his desire for a family and our parents’ condition. I knew Mika didn’t have much time left and James was going gray as well. But I hadn’t heard anything about my dad in a while. The last time I saw him was at the wedding, already months ago. He’d looked fine, but then again; look what happened to Mika in that time. He looked at me, unable to hide hoe desperate he was.
I sighed. “Damien, I need to think about this. You can just say these sorts of things, but I have to carry and give birth to this baby. Not to mention the …conceiving part. I mean, we’ve never... you know...” He put his hand on mine. “I know. And I can’t even imagine what it will be like for you. But look at the bright side. You get to be a mom. There will be a little person we made that loves you unconditionally, and that you can love more than anything in the world. The little person will become a big person to be proud of, to continue our legacies.”
We both smiled at this idea, and hugged. “Like I said, I’ll think about it."