Darry has a kid. He may seem soft but he is realizing he is a dad. Cut me some slack. Sorry it's short. I OWN NOTHING!!
"Revolver." I said looking at the tiny sleeping girl in my arms.
"What?" Sodapop looked at me couiosly from the kitchen.
"Revolver Riot Winston."
"You are naming your daughter Revolver Riot?" He asked suspiciously. "Are you drunk?"
"No. Sober as they come. And you have no room to talk…Sodapop." I smiled evilly and looked from the gorgeous bundle in my arms to the laughing monkey in the kitchen. Revolver looked just like her mother. Red curly hair and green eyes to kill. Her mother left her with me two hours ago with the name Kelly Ann. That would never do. Neither would her mother. Revolver would never know her mother if I had anything to do with it. Kelly Ann. That would never do. Neither would her mother. Revolver would never know her mother if I had anything to do with it. Darry was still at work. Pony was asleep. Steve was God-knows-where. And I was on probation.
I didn't know why but when I helped my daughter I felt like I was okay. Like I could do anything in the world. I had only met four week old Revolver a hundred and twenty minutes ago but I would already kill any one who messed with her. I didn't mind going back to jail.
"She is going to get her ass kicked on the playground." Soda cackled.
"Shut up dick-face." I whispered setting Revolver back in her car seat. All she had with her was four diapers, the stained onesie she was wearing, a bottle with some formula, and a car seat. I walked to Soda and punched him in the arm. It was like Revolver had a spell on me. Anytime I held her it was like I was drugged or something, but I was fine when I put her down. I wasn't sure I liked that too much.
"Darry's gonna be home soon. Whatcha gonna tell him?" I shrugged and swiped a beer from the fridge. Chugging it I thought about that. I didn't have a job and Darry already had seven mouths to feed.
"Damn." I sighed wiping my mouth. I had never been so scared since the night Johnny died and I got shot. Story one I would never tell her. It used to be just me. Mom didn't care 'bout me. Dad down right wanted me dead. And I could do whatever the hell I pleased. Now it wasn't just about me. It was all about the six pounds three ounces of trouble.
I went to the bathroom and when I came back out I saw Darry up in Soda's face.
"What. Did. You. Do." He grunted through clenched teeth.
"She's not my doing. Blame wonder sperm here." He jerked his thumb in my direction and Darry looked at me. He calmed down a bit. Maybe because I wasn't his brother knocking a girl up or maybe because I was older. I dunno.
"Where's the mother?" He sighed sitting on the couch and picking Revolver up. He held her so gently and looked so natural with her a stab of an envy anger mix hit me.
"By now? Arkansas. She came. She gave me Revolver. She left."
"She just left her daughter with an inexperienced nineteen year old with an infant and…wait Revolver?"
"Yeah. Revolver Riot Winston." I smiled proudly at my daughter. Darry looked at me like I was crazy. "What? That's her name. Deal with it or go fuck yourself."
"Hmmmm . Deal with it or go fuck yourself. Good slogan. Put it on a tee shirt." Soda said pretending to be serious. I slugged him and lit up.
"You do know that smoke is not good for babies, right?" Darry said calmly as he bounced her gently. I quickly ran outside to finish. Once I finished I walked back in to see Darry and Soda had gone. My baby was missing too.
"Jackasses." I mumbled knowing where they were. I stormed up to the attic to see Darry and Soda looking at Pony's forgotten baby stuff. Darry was holding Revolvers limp sleeping body and looked at me.
"You want it? Mom kept his old crib, swing, wall jumper thing, high chair. Everything."
"No. I will get this stuff my own. You know I hate charity as much as I hate pity and now I'm getting both at once." I crossed my arms.
"Think of it this way. It's not for you dumbass, it's for Revolver." Soda said. I understood this.
"I don't really have a place to put it." I said pointedly. I was out on the streets right now. As usual.
"Take my room. I'll take mom and dads." Darry said not looking at me put right pass me. No now had really spoken of them much for the past two years and now they were going to the Forbidden Room. No one had gone in that room since the accident.
"You sure?" I said Taking Revolver from him. Her spell washed over me again. I couldn't control it.
"Yeah." We left it at that and went back down stairs.
I fell asleep on the couch with Revolver and stayed that way until a terrifying noise awoke me at two thirty in the morning. I shot up from the couch with her in my arms and saw her wailing at the top of her lungs. Panicked I ran to Darry's room with her by her armpits held out in front of me. I kicked his door and he came slowly.
"What?" he asked rubbing his eyes.
"I broke the baby!" I shouted over her.
"You didn't brake her she is just-"
"Fix her!" I interrupted him. He took Her from me and walked to the living room.
"Where is her stuff?" I ran and got her bottle and the small tin of formula. He showed me how to fix her a bottle and explained to me that a baby needs to be fed every few hours. She kept crying even after she was fed. "Get a diaper." I did as I was told, probably for the first time in my life, and he showed me how to change her. She stopped crying then and she fell asleep in Darry's arms. I took her from him and rocked her gently in the chair. Smiled at me and put a big hand on my shoulder.
"Goodnight." He said smiling at my sleeping Revolver.
"Night." I mumbled kissing my daughter's forehead. I looked down at her beautiful face and felt a hot tear run down my face. I was going to screw this little girl up so bad. I couldn't do this. I wasn't ready and I was incompetent. Hell, I just hated kids.
Could I do this…