Damn her nerves. Hikari's hands trembled as she smoothed down the soft material of her dress, her fingers trailing over the growing bump on her stomach. It had only been one night, one she remembered through a haze of alcohol that muddled her memory.
She hadn't been drunk, and she didn't consider herself an easy lay… Maybe her weakness was exploited by good looks coupled with husky whispers that sent tingles down her body. Then again, it could have been his violet eyes that hungrily raked over her sprawled body as she fell back upon his bed.
Hikari shuddered, hugging her arms across her chest as she took in a shaky breath.
It was sheer luck that she had found Chase. From the moment she discovered she was two months pregnant, she spent her time searching for this elusive man. For two months she searched without avail. Luckily one day while cleaning she found his name and number scrawled on a crumpled up napkin knocked under her nightstand.
She could only assume he had written it before leaving, and that somehow it had fallen from its original place and had been swept under the nightstand. She spent an hour on the phone with him, explaining over and over that yes, it was indeed his child, and that no, she hadn't had any other lovers since him. Finally, with an exasperated sigh, what she assumed to be his begrudging acceptance of the situation, he gave her the address to his home and workplace.
At least he promised to go through with a paternity test.
Now Hikari found herself on an island she didn't know existed, glued to the welcome mat in front of a dinky looking restaurant. Her throat was thick, and her stomach twisted in knots.
She could have sworn she was going to puke up the remnants of her breakfast, and if she hadn't already passed through her first trimester she might have. She swallowed down her nervousness as best she could, mustering her will to take the first few steps into the restaurant.
It was just as small as she had imagined. Only a few tables littered the open floor, and a half wall separating the dining space from the kitchen in the back. "Welcome!" An overenthusiastic blonde waitress practically bounded over to her.
"Are you a traveler? Welcome to Waffle Island, I'm Maya, your waitress. Would you like to be seated?" Hikari gave a strained smile as she shook her head. "I'm looking for someone named Chase. Is he here right now?" She asked in as calm of a tone as she could manage.
"Yeah, he's back in the kitchen. Let me get him for you." Maya hurried off nearly as fast as she came, her hair bouncing with her exuberant steps. Hikari's eyes turned down to her stomach, hearing her heartbeat throb in her ears painfully.
She was never good at handling high stress situations. She was barely maintaining her composure.
When she heard footsteps heading back her direction, she turned her gaze up to meet the bubbly waitress followed by the violet eyes that pinned her to her place.
Maya stood with them, her smile wide as her hands folded in front of her. Chase rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, eyeing Hikari up and down before a sigh heaved out of his chest. She saw the recognition in his eyes as he finally met her gaze.
"So, you're Hikari then." His voice elicited memories. She hastily nodded, unable to hold his gaze for long. "I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances." She bowed her head as a sort of an apology.
"Maya, I'm off for the rest of the day. Yolanda already knows. Watch the shop, and don't try to cook anything without Yolanda." Chase added the last part sternly, slipping off his purple apron and hooking it on a coat hanger by the door. Hikari followed the man out of the restaurant, escaping the ears of the waitress who seemed a little overly interested in the conversation.
Hikari caught his eyes lingering on her extended stomach, and she found herself making yet another strained smile. "Four months, right?" Chase asked, his voice cracking as if he was trying to put the puzzle together in his head.
When she nodded, she saw a small tremor in his hand as he reached up to brush back some of his peachy colored hair that had escaped from his bobby pins. "Yes, four months… I found out a few days ago that it's a boy." She replied softly, her hands resting against her stomach.
"Well… first thing's first. Let's get this paternity test over with." Chase gestured for her to follow, and he led her further down the path of Harmonica Town. He walked beside her the whole time, but there was a heavy silence that bore down on them. She had so much to say, but she didn't know where to begin.
She knew she should wait until the results of their paternity test were given before she said anything unnecessary.
When they reached the clinic, Chase propped the door open for her with his arm and let her pass through before he followed her in. Hikari approached the counter with her escort, nodding in greeting to an elderly woman behind the desk. "Is Jin in the back?" Chase asked, leaning against the counter with an arm.
He spoke quietly, his stiff posture a tell-tale sign of his unease. The woman's eyes squinted as she inspected both of them, her eyes locking onto Hikari's hands that protected her baby bump. "Yes, he's in the back." She dragged her gaze back to Chase, giving him a stare down that caused him to fidget before pushing off of the counter.
"Right… this way, Hikari." Chase cast a glance back at her, giving what she assumed to be a poor attempt at a smile.
Hikari could only assume that this small island would spread rumors like wildfire. It was painfully obvious why Chase seemed to wither under the old woman's accusing stare. She hated places like this, when everybody knew every secret you tried to keep under lock.
She felt as if the back of her head was being burned through by the suspicious eyes of the elderly lady as she followed Chase into the back of the clinic.
In the back of the clinic, she was greeted by a stern looking man who she took to be the doctor. He turned in his swiveling stool, eyeing them with the same look the elderly woman had given them. She could practically see the gears clicking in his head as he put the story together before it was even told.
His eyes rolled onto Chase with a look of sheer disappointment before he sighed and stood from his chair. "Hello, I am Doctor Jin." He approached Hikari, his hand outstretching to shake hers. "What seems to be the issue today?" He directed his question to Chase, pointedly staring at him as if conveying every withheld comment he had to say.
"A paternity test. I need a paternity test." Hikari spoke first, drawing the doctor's attention back to herself. Doctor Jin nodded once, adjusting his glasses as he thought. "It shouldn't take long, considering I currently do not have any other patients. At the latest, you might not know until tomorrow afternoon. Just drop by again tomorrow morning and I'll let you know if I have the results by then."
The doctor continued on with his questions. Have you been pregnant before, what partners have you had recently, how far along are you. By the time he had drawn blood, Hikari was mentally exhausted and it showed on her face.
She wearily followed Chase out of the clinic, her feet aching from the long day of walking. Even though it was only a little after 2pm, she felt as if she could sleep for the rest of the afternoon and through the night.
"Hey, you don't look so good. Do you need to sit down or something?" Chase asked, hesitantly reaching out to touch her arm. Hikari gave a tired smile and nodded. "Yeah, that would be nice."
She followed him a little further to a solitary bench, a breath of relief escaping her as she sat back and rested. She felt the bench adjust at the weight of Chase joining her, leaving a respectable distance between them. He was the first to break the silence.
"Look, I don't remember much about that night. It was the night I just graduated culinary school, and I went out with friends to celebrate. I got partially drunk, saw you, one thing led to another, and… well, here we are. So I guess I'm trying to say sorry, but sorry doesn't quite cover a baby, does it?" He let out a dry chuckle, hunching over in his seat and staring at the ground between his feet.
Hikari grimaced, then cast her focus away from the sullen man and off to the ocean in the distance. "It takes two to make a baby. I'm just as much at fault as you are." She reminded, resting her hands on her knees.
Another silence fell between them, and after a time Chase picked his head back up to look at her. "If… What're you going to do with him? Are you going to?..." His voice trailed off, but she knew what he was asking. "I won't get an abortion. I… can't handle that kind of guilt hanging over me. I'd rather raise him alone than have an abortion." Hikari answered firmly, her voice not hanging in timidity for once.
Chase nodded understandingly, following her gaze out to the ocean.
"Well, if the kid is mine, then I'll help you. I'm not a weak man." Chase said as if to reaffirm the decision he had made in his head. Hikari smiled without strain for the first time that day, her eyes closing as an invisible weight lifted from her shoulders. "Thank you. You don't know how much that had been bothering me."
She allowed her head to drop for a moment, twirling her thumbs in her lap. "I was afraid you'd be offended if I asked directly." She admitted, chewing on her bottom lip as her fingers stilled.
Chase let out a dry chuckle. "Not unless you just accused me without bothering to ask." When Hikari looked at him again, she caught his eyes locked onto her stomach, as if he was still trying to soak in the reality of the situation. She fiddled with the fabric of her dress, then cleared her throat. "I… Don't mind raising him on my own. We both have separate lives far from each other. I have a stable job, so I can afford it, but-"
Chase shook his head, causing her words to fall short. "No. No kid should grow up without a father." He spoke solemnly, meeting her surprised stare. "I'll… come up with something."
"Do you mean something like being with one parent for a month and swapping?" Hikari asked with a grimace, her fists curling up against her knees. Sensing the tension between them, Chase forced a smile and stood from the bench. "Let's just wait until we get the results, yeah?" He asked, then offered a hand to help her to her feet. "I'll take you to the inn."
Hikari let herself relax, dropping the subject for now. They had plenty of time to make decisions later. She took his hand and stood, then promptly released it. Chase said nothing against it, and instead led her further into town.
Her eyes wandered over his broad shoulders, a small smile working its way to her lips. He certainly was an attractive man. She thought back to the night they met. The smiles and purposeful brushes of his hands, the way his eyes lured her in, his flirtatious murmurs as his lips brushed her ear… She found her cheeks flushing with color.
Now when she looked at him, his shoulders sagged as if he had the weight of the world on him. His eyes were dimmed and lackluster, and it looked as if he hadn't slept properly in two or three days. It was depressing for her to watch, but what could she do? She was in the exact same position as he was. She knew her eyes were darkly shadowed by the sleepless nights she'd had. Hell, her whole appearance was probably much less glamorous than he remembered.
But she couldn't do this on her own.
When they stopped in front of the same restaurant they had been at before, Hikari looked up to him questioningly. "The restaurant and inn are in the same building. Helps share the cost of running a business." Chase explained when he noticed her quizzical expression.
He then rubbed the back of his neck. She noticed he did that a lot when he seemed uncomfortable. "I'm gonna go… clear my head for a bit. If you need anything, just call me." He turned to face her, checking to make sure it was all right.
Hikari faltered for a moment, but gave him a half smile nonetheless. "That's fine. I'm going to be here for two days before I go back to the mainland." Chase nodded. They agreed to meet at the clinic again tomorrow, and Hikari watched as his peachy head of hair disappeared further into town.