Jason stared at Maxie in shock, his eyes as big as saucers. He barely had time to react when her father lunged at him.
"You sonofabitch!"
"Dad!" Maxie screamed. "Stop!"
"Hey! Whoa!" Jason shouted as he deflected the fist aimed at his face. "What the hell?" He twisted around and managed to pin Mac's arm behind his back. "Calm down, Mac."
"Calm down? You got my daughter pregnant and you want me to calm down?" He struggled, but Jason was stronger.
"Dad, please!"
"What makes you think it was me?" Jason asked. "I never even touched her!"
"You were living together!"
"She was taking care of Spinelli. That's all!"
"Maxie?"
So much for keeping the baby a secret. Now she would have to deal with it whether she was ready or not. She turned away, unable to look her father in the eyes. His disappointment was too much to bear. "I'm so sorry, Daddy," she sobbed.
Jason let go of Mac and he went to his daughter. He pulled her into his arms and held her as she cried. "I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to get so upset. It's gonna be okay."
Maxie clung to him like a scared little girl, but at the same time feeling older than her years.
Jason watched the scene, unsure of what to do. "I'm uh, I'm gonna go." He started to back out of the room.
"Jason, wait!" Maxie pulled away from her father. "Please don't tell anybody about this." She pleaded with her eyes.
He gave her a frustrated look, but finally said, "Who would I tell?"
She mouthed the words "thank you" before he turned and left the room. She braced herself for the inevitable confrontation with Mac. At least he had calmed down. That was good because she really needed her daddy right now. She sat next to him on the bed and rested her head on his shoulder. He gently rubbed her back.
"I don't suppose you want to tell me who the father is."
Maxie laughed. "After the way you just attacked Jason?"
"I'm sorry. I guess I'm a little overprotective when it comes to you. You're all I have left."
"Well you might have more than just me soon enough."
"So you're keeping the baby?"
Maxie didn't reply.
-
Jason came home and found Spinelli on the couch, munching on barbeque chips and orange soda. He watched him for a moment and suddenly realized how young Spinelli really was. How could this kid be ready for a kid of his own?
Spinelli washed down his mouthful of chips and jumped up. "Stone Cold! How fares Maximista?"
Jason didn't know what to say. He had promised to keep quiet. For now. "She's uh… pretty stressed out." That sounded ambiguous enough.
"She didn't reveal the cause of her distress? She said it wasn't because of me, but I can't help thinking I did something wrong."
Jason looked away, hiding his smile. This wasn't funny. "You didn't do anything… wrong." No. He obviously did it right. "Just leave Maxie alone for awhile. She'll call you when she's ready."
Spinelli nodded, feeling no better than he had before.
-
Maxie awoke the next morning and rolled to her side. She was saddened by the fact that Spinelli wasn't next to her. She had gotten used to waking up with him each morning. Suddenly her phone rang. She reached for it. SPINELLI appeared on the display. She smiled brightly and was about to answer it when she remembered why she had left the penthouse in the first place. What would she say to him? Would he hear the fear in her voice? She decided to let the call go to voicemail.
-
Spinelli listened to Maxie's sweet voice telling him to leave a message and smiled. "Maximista! 'Tis I, The Jackal... I realize it's early and you may not be up yet, but I wanted to wish you a good morning and a magnificent day… and… I miss you." He sighed and ended the call.
-
Maxie finished getting ready and went into the kitchen. She actually had an appetite today. She opened the fridge and was surprised to find a bottle of orange soda. She smiled and took it out. It was odd that she was suddenly a fan of the stuff. Or maybe not. She rubbed her still flat belly. "You're probably gonna be just like your daddy." Wait a minute! What was she saying? She wasn't even sure she wanted this baby. Was she? Sitting at the kitchen table, she stared at the bottle of orange liquid, watching the bubbles rise. She imagined a little boy with messy brown hair and bright blue eyes. She shook the vision out of her head.
"That's nutritious," Mac teased as he walked in and turned on the coffee maker.
"What? Oh, the soda. I don't know why I grabbed it. I don't even like orange soda. Well, I didn't."
"How about I make you some breakfast?"
"Thanks, Dad." She didn't have the energy to get up from the table.
"You feel like talking now?"
"No."
"What if I promise not to throttle the guy?" He stared at Maxie who was fixated on the orange soda.
"Dad, I can't talk to you about this. No offense, but I should probably talk to… the guy… first."
"I understand. Just know that you can come to me." He knelt down beside her. "You'll always be my little girl, no matter what. I will always take care of you."
Maxie hugged him. "I love you, Daddy."
"I love you, too."
-
Maxie entered the Crimson office with her phone to her ear. She wiped away a tear after hearing Spinelli's heartfelt "I miss you." She missed him, too.
"Good morning, Maxie," Kate called out.
"Oh, Kate, you're here already! I have your coffee." She brought the cup to her boss.
"Thank you. How are you feeling today?"
"Better than yesterday. So far, anyway."
"Did you talk to Spinelli?"
Maxie frowned. "Not really. I yelled at him and told him I needed my privacy before moving out of the penthouse."
"Ouch."
"Oh, wait. It gets better. After hurting my best friend's feelings I went home and was confronted by Jason. I ended up blurting out that I was pregnant right when my dad walked in."
"No!" Kate gasped.
"Yes!"
"Does he know about Spinelli?"
"No. But Jason does. He said he wouldn't say anything."
"That's good. It really should come from you."
"I know, I know. But how do I tell my best friend that I ruined his life?"
"Hey, you don't know how Spinelli is going to feel about this. He just might surprise you."
-
Spinelli stared at his phone, willing it to ring. He started to dial Maxie's number.
Jason grabbed the phone away. "You can't make her talk to you if she's not ready."
"But I'm going crazy!"
"It's not even lunchtime yet!"
"Lunch! I'll bring her some lunch!"
"No. Just be patient." Jason walked upstairs and pulled out his own phone.
"Good morning, Crimson. This is Maxie."
"Maxie, it's Jason."
Maxie lowered her voice. "Why are you calling me?"
"Spinelli is driving me nuts! I've been trying to stop him all morning from either calling you or going to see you. If you don't tell him soon, I will."
Maxie's heart raced. "I will. I promise."
"You better." Jason hung up.
Maxie stepped into Kate's office. "I need to go. Jason is threatening to tell Spinelli."
"It's okay. If you don't make it back here I'll understand."
"Thanks, Kate. I'll make it up to you, I promise."
-
Spinelli sat on the couch with his laptop, trying to focus on the screen, but his eyes were stinging. He rubbed them and leaned back. He looked over at Jason who was reading through some paperwork at his desk. "Stone Cold?"
Jason squeezed his eyes shut, feeling a headache coming on. "I'm not giving you back your phone!"
Spinelli pouted. A quiet knock at the door made him look at Jason hopefully as he opened it. "Do you think it could be--?"
"Maxie!" Jason called out.
She eyed him nervously. He stepped back to reveal Spinelli on the couch, the scene of the crime. She started to hyperventilate.
Jason looked at her with concern. "Are you okay?"
"No." She turned away, ready to run, but he caught her arm and pulled her into the penthouse.
"Maximista?" Spinelli stood, watching the scene with confusion.
Maxie looked at his sweet concerned face and her heart melted. She smiled at him, but a tear ran down her cheek.
Spinelli was by her side in an instant. "What is it? Please tell me." He brushed the tear away with his thumb, making her tremble slightly. Isn't this how she got into this mess?
Jason looked uncomfortable. "Do you want me to stay?"
She nodded "He might need you."
"What?" Spinelli looked back and forth between them. "What was that cryptic remark?"
Maxie silently took Spinelli by the hand and led him upstairs to his room. She took a deep breath and tried to gather her thoughts. "First of all, you didn't do anything wrong and I'm not mad at you. I could never be mad at you. But you might be mad at me. I really messed up big time." She choked on the last word.
"Maximista, The Jackal fears the situation is most dire."
"It is." She looked into his worried eyes and prayed he wouldn't freak out when she finally said the words. "I'm pregnant."
