37. In which Craig's sordid past comes back to haunt him

I really thought that everything would be smooth sailing after that night with Hillary. It turns out that us getting back together was just the beginning of a series of catastrophes that neither of us was prepared for.

It was nearly two months after the night of the battle of the bands that Craig walked into the pharmacy on the corner of Campbell and Andrews. Since that night his life had just fallen into place. It seemed each thing had just shifted right to where it had always belonged. He and Hillary were inseparable. Since that night they had been dating and oh-so-in love.

Also that night was the moment he reclaimed photography. Since that first picture of Hillary he had been unable to stop, shooting shots of anything and everything he could find. Hillary was still his favorite subject, and he had shot endless rolls of her in various locales. At one point he had even gotten her to do a costumed photo shoot.

That afternoon he had shot a roll of her lying in the grass in her backyard. Spring had come early and huge colorful flowers had already sprung up on her lawn. He had dropped the roll off earlier for developing. He missed having his own darkroom, but since he was having his photos professionally developed he had been able to start experimenting with color.

He paid the man at the photo counter, who handed him a stack of prints. Craig thanked him and turned to leave. He was sifting through various shots when he came across one in particular. It was an amazing photo of Hillary on the grass in front of the flowers. Her hair was falling in her face and the flower looked as big as her head. He smiled as he walked, not noticing the person in his path.

They collided with a thud, and Craig's pictures went flying in all directions. The person in his path landed hard on the ground, their things scattering as well. Craig looked down in surprise and found Manny lying there, looking bewildered. He offered her a hand up, which she accepted cautiously.

"Sorry, Manny. I'm in my own little world today." He told her, and she just nodded vaguely as she began to gather up the pictures. Craig joined her in collecting the prints, but watched her motions carefully. She didn't look good. She was pale, and under her eyes were violet half moons. She handed him the stack she had collected and then moved to retrieve another. It was then that Craig found what she had been carrying wedged behind his foot. At first he didn't have the slightest idea what the thing was, but upon closer examination he deduced it was a home pregnancy test. When she saw he had it in his hands she reached out and snatched the kit. He gazed at her, confused. "What's that for?"

"Class project." She lied, and he knew it.

"What class?" he asked, and she shrugged. She was obviously an emotional wreck because she snapped then.

"What do you think it's for, Craig?" she cried, and he just looked at her. She began to fiddle with the cross hanging around her neck, and Craig shuffled his feet.

"How do you know?" he asked, and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm late. Very late." She replied, and his face went blank.

"Late for what?" he spoke, face remaining blank. Her mouth fell open and her head shook with disbelief.

"Are you seriously this clueless when it comes to girls? Did you not you have health class?" she cried again, and a sudden look of understanding filtered over his features.

"Oh." He breathed, not knowing what else to say. Finally he gulped and asked his next burning question. "Do you know who the father is?"

At this Manny's eyes filled with tears and she looked up at him with a mixture of shock, anger, and hurt. She took the remaining pictures she had collected and shoved them into his hands, then picked up her bag and turned on a heel. She was halfway to the counter when she turned. Craig was still standing in the middle of the aisle, looking concerned and confused. Her voice was barely a whisper, and he strained to hear her.

"If there is a baby, Craig Manning, then it's yours. Of course it's yours." She told him, a sudden tear escaping to slide down her cheek. With this she turned and resumed her walk to the counter. Craig's heart had almost stopped completely and he was shaking hard. He looked down to the picture in his hands. The picture of Hillary was creased now, crumpled across the center.