It had been a mistake, a terrible, terrible mistake. Evelyn came to this conclusion as she sat at her window looking up at the star lit night sky. Rick O'Connell was the biggest blunder she had ever made. It had started when she was drawn to him in that Cairo prison. She could not seem to help herself. He was so... so fetching in spite of the fact that he needed a bath, haircut, shave and manners. Yes, his flaws were obvious to even a blind woman, but still... there was something about him that arrested Evelyn.
And then he kissed her.
Evelyn admitted to herself that when he beckoned her to come closer, her heart leaped with excitement. Beneath her very proper exterior, she longed for him to kiss her, to place on her lips that very first kiss. But she knew he would never be so bold therefore she had moved closer to him. Her heart pounded as she looked into his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes. Then she saw it. She saw his boldness and before she could back away from the aggressiveness that eluded from him, he had grabbed her.
Evelyn was initially frighten at the sudden move but her fear quickly turned to shock. She was shocked that this man, this prisoner would take such liberties with her. She was even more shocked that she was beginning to enjoy the liberties he was taking.
And then she was disappointed. Greatly disappointed.
The kiss had ended. It ended much too quickly for her. Just when Evelyn was beginning to surrender to the kiss, just when she was beginning to feel warm inside, a coldness swept over her as the warm manly lips that had been on hers and the strong masculine hand that cupped her chin were suddenly snatched away.
Evelyn was confused as she watched the guards yanked him away from the bars and punched him. Evelyn hoped they were not hurting him too badly and wondered why she even cared. "Do it lady!" she remembered him saying as she stood trying to compose herself. She could not understand first of all why she had not found the brief experience unpleasant. In fact she found it agreeable, quite agreeable. She could not understand why she was not appalled and insulted that this filthy, rude American scoundrel whom she did not like one bit had kissed her. She just could not muster up the outrage or the indignation of being accosted by him.
And that baffled her completely.
After saving his life, she convinced herself that the only reason she did it was because she wanted to go to Hamunaptra. Of course she would not want to see anyone, not even a filthy rude American scoundrel, hung but her main reason for saving him was NOT because there was something about him... no indeed. The ONLY reason she saved him was because it was the right thing to do. Yes, it was the right thing to do and besides, she reminded herself, he was her only way to Hamunaptra.
That night when everything was quite and Evelyn lay in bed, her mind keep drifting to that American scoundrel and the kiss he had given her. Evelyn touched her lips, lips that had been waylaid by male lips...
"Evelyn! It was just a kiss!" she insisted. "A silly, meaningless kiss. Stop acting like some mindless schoolgirl."
Evelyn went to sleep that night insisting that the kiss meant nothing, absolutely nothing. There was nothing to the kiss and nothing at all to like about the man who kissed her. And when she saw him at Gaza port with a fresh haircut, shave and bath there was still nothing, absolutely nothing there to like. Yes, yes he was still filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel. Nothing to like there a'tall.
Then why was she insulted, outraged even when she heard his answer to why he had kissed her? 'By the way... why did you kiss me?' Evelyn was hoping he would say he found her beautiful, a rose in the mist of thorns who needed to be plucked. 'I was about to be hanged. It seemed like a good idea at the time.' Well... if that was not a slap in the face, she did not know what was. Evelyn stomped away from him in a huff and just could not admit that she was a little hurt and disappointed that he did not think the kiss was more than just a dying man's final request. 'Oh! For heaven sake girl! It wasn't that good of a kiss anyway!' She tried to convince herself.
Evelyn would remind herself often, especially when her eyes found themselves settled on him, that it was only a kiss, not even a very good one, not that she had anything to compare it too. It was only a kiss, she told herself as she picked the exquisite black dress to trek across the dry hot desert in. It was only a kiss, she told herself as he approached her with the camels in tow, hoping she was looking exceptionally attractive to him. It was only a kiss, she told herself as he had given her the toolkit he had 'borrowed' just for her.
It was only a kiss.
In the mist of their harrowing experience of being attacked by the Med Jai, Evelyn had gotten a few swigs of Jonathan's drink in her and it was still only a kiss. So why not have another? Another kiss that is. Evelyn remembered telling him that she was a librarian, a proud librarian and she was going to kiss him.
Yes she was going to kiss Mr. O'Connell. She was going to kiss Rick. And so she did or at least she thought she did. For some odd reason, Evelyn could not remember that kiss. But she did remember the kiss they shared at the end of their adventure.
And now, after many kisses... and other, more intimate things, she was left with child. A child whose father was not exactly thrilled about the news.
"What a mess I've made!" Evelyn bemoaned as her tears began anew.
Evelyn knew she had been a fool, a complete idiot to fall head over heels for Rick O'Connell. But in spite of being a fool and knowing she was a fool, Evelyn loved him. There was no need to deny it and she did not have the energy or the will to do so. It did not seem to matter that she loved him with all her heart. Regardless of that truth, Evelyn was beginning to believed that the love she thought he had for her had been a fairy tale. After all, he had been her knight in shining armor when he rescued her from being sacrificed by Imhotep.
Maybe, she thought as she shed silent tears, she had confused his exceptional heroism with that silly thing called love. But then she thought of their wedding day. He had vowed to love her, to cherish her, to protect her for the rest of his life. Had he lied to her? Had he lied to the minister? Had he lied to the All Mighty? In her heart of hearts, Evelyn knew... she knew he had not lied.
But, in spite of their love for one another, it was no longer just the two of them. Evelyn laid her hand on her flat abdomen. A baby was nestled there, a baby she and Rick had created. An innocent baby who deserved to be wanted by both parents. Evelyn wanted her husband. And she wanted her baby... but it was apparent by Rick's reaction that he did not. Would he be so callous as to force her to choose between him and the baby? In her right mind, Evelyn knew he would not. But, at the present, her right mind had escaped her. How could she ever be expected to choose one of them, her husband or her baby, over the other?
Evelyn was tormented with the thought that she would have to choose. Choose between her husband whom she loved and the innocent baby she carried, whom she already knew she would give her life for.
What could Evelyn do, what would she do about the great dilemma she was in?
*********************
He loved her. He loved her with everything he had but... it had been a mistake. It had been a big mistake. How could he have let it happen? He had been around the brothel more than a few times and he knew how to keep these things from happening. So why had he been so careless?
"She's your wife idiot, not some whore!" his conscience shouted.
Rick sat at the bar, staring at the drink in his hand as thoughts of a kid drifted through his mind. After a moment, he lifted the drink to his lips and tossed it down.
"Another!" he said as he slammed the shot glass down, hoping he would be able to drown his fears in booze.
A kid. That had been the farthest thing from his mind and the last thing he wanted. He loved Evelyn, damn it! He loved her with all his heart. He was more than sure of that. But a kid? That was territory he did not want to explore.
Why hadn't he taken precautions to keep this from happening? he asked himself.
Because, Rick answered himself, when he was with Evelyn in those loving, intimate ways, he was so lost in her that he forgot all about what he had learned in the company of courtesans.
And now he had a kid on the way.
"O'Connell!" Jonathan slapped Rick on the back. "The old ball and chain let you out tonight?" he said cheerfully as he sat next to Rick.
"Jonathan" Rick said in a solemn voice, as his thoughts were pulled from his kid to his brother-in-law.
"Old mum is gonna have your hide" Jonathan said when he saw the bartender pour Rick's drink. "I'll have what he's having" he said to the bartender.
"You sure you need one of these" Rick said as he lifted his glass to his lips. "Smells like you're already drunk" Rick noted, catching a whiff of the liquor on Jonathan's breath.
"Not drunk old chap!" Jonathan said as Rick downed his drink. "Just extremely jolly. Not too long ago I left off having a private party with a lady friend."
"A lady?" Rick said sarcastically, then to the bartender. "Another."
"If you don't tell Evy on me" Jonathan whispered drunkenly, knowing that Rick knew just what kind of lady he had been keeping company with. "I won't tell on you" he snickered as he watched his brother-in-law down another shot.
Rick listened with half an ear as Jonathan told him of the profit he made from a few pieces of his Hamunaptra treasure. Evy had found a buyer for him and the deal was closed that afternoon and Jonathan was celebrating. He chatted on and on for the next thirty minutes but Rick was not listening and Jonathan was too drunk to notice.
"I'll pick up the tab old chap" Jonathan said when Rick reached for his back pocket.
"Thanks" Rick said as he stood up.
"You're off so soon?" Jonathan said, not wanting him to leave just yet. He liked chatting with his brother-in-law.
Rick did not answer Jonathan but turned and headed for the door. Jonathan frowned slightly and wondered if everything was all right. But then he forgot about his brother-in-law when a dark haired beauty caught his attention.
After leaving the tavern, Rick wandered the streets of Cairo thinking. What would he do... with a kid? He did not know how to act with a kid, how to be a good father to a kid. And a kid needed a father, a good father.
Would Evelyn die giving birth, leaving him and the kid alone? His Ma had died when he gave birth to him and left him and his Pa alone. Would he end up leaving his kid like his Pa had left him?
Rick gritted his teeth as he remembered that day.
"Pa, where we going?" four-year old Rick asked Archibald O'Connell as they approached the big house with lots of windows.
"Well... this here is called a convent" his father said. "And there's some real nice ladies that live here."
"Why we coming here Pa?"
"Cause I cain't take you wit me" his father answered.
"Why not? I wanna go wit you Pa" Rick whined.
"You cain't"
"But why?"
"Cause I said so!" his father said angrily as he looked down at Rick with a frown. "It's dangerous" Archibald softened when he saw the down cast look on his son's face. He then stopped and squatted down.
"Hey" he said softly as he put his finger under Rick's chin and lifted his head. "I wanna take you, but the men said it was too dangerous to have a youngster tagging along."
"I ain't scared Pa! I ain't scared of nothin'!"
"I know you ain't son" Archibald said proudly as he ruffled Rick's hair. "But it's best if'n I leave..."
"But I don't want you to leave Pa" Rick interrupted as he started to cry.
"I don't wanna leave either" Archibald said as he choked back his own tears. "But it's just too dangerous. I cain't let anything happen to you boy. You's all I got" he said as he rubbed his son's cheek.
"Then don't go" Rick pleaded.
"I'm doing this for you. For us. When I get back, we'll be rich and we won't ever have to worry about money or anythin' else ever again. Now" Archibald said as he stood up and started walking up the steps to the house with lots of windows. "These ladies are gonna take real good care of ya till I get back."
Archibald knocked on the door and waited for an answer. An older lady who looked awfully mean to Rick answered the door.
"Hello Sister" Archibald tipped his hat. "This here is my boy I told ya 'bout" he said motioning toward Rick. "Rick, this is Sister Abigail and she'll be watching after ya till I get back."
"Hello young man" Sister Abigail said in a very prim, accented voice.
Rick frowned up at the mean looking lady. She had on a long black dress with a black towel on her head. Rick had learned his letters from a lady friend of his Pa's and he saw that the old lady had a big little 't' hanging around her neck.
"He's a bit shy" Archibald said when Rick did not say 'hello' to the Sister.
"Most of the children that come here usually are" the Sister said.
"I'm gonna miss ya" Archibald said as he again squatted down to Rick. "And I'll be back as soon as I can. I want you to behave yourself till I get back. Alright?"
Rick looked silently at his father, not wanting to be left with Sister Abigail. Not wanting his father to go without him. Archibald knew his son was angry with him and knew there was no need to prolong their goodbye. Rick watched as his father stood up, turned from him and walked away. And that was the last time he saw his father.
The child in Rick cried for the father that abandoned him. The man in Rick refused to admit that even now, he longed to see his father again. He refused to admit that a part of him, a big part of him was still wounded, was still suffering because he had been left alone.
And now, he was about to be a father. Would he desert his kid? He had, after all, overheard Sister Abigail say that 'the iniquities of the father are visited on the children'. She said that whatever iniquities the father had a tendency to engage in, the children would more than likely engage in those same offenses. And Rick had indulged in every sin, iniquity, trespass and offense known to man. And if it was true that his sins would be passed on to his kid... GOD help him.
Rick would never what to cause a kid of his the pain he felt the day his Pa left him. He would never want his kid to go to bed every night disappointed because his Pa never came to get him. He never wanted a kid of his to feel unloved.
That was why he lived such a reckless life and only associated with less than respectable women. He did not want to get attached to anyone. If he got attached, he might fall in love. If he fell in love, he might marry. And if he married, he might want a family. All of that would complicate his life and he wanted none of it
And then she walked into his life.
Rick actually grinned as he remembered the first time he saw Evelyn. It did not take him long to realize that he wanted to get attached to her. And after falling in love with Evelyn, Rick knew he would marry her. Once he had settled in his mind and heart that he would marry Evelyn and after she said 'yes' a small voice whispered that he wanted her to have his children.
Then Rick heard 'I'm... I'm... expecting a baby'. The words rang loud and clear in his ears and they sent bolts of fear rushing through him. He had been a French legionnaire, he had put his life on the line may times. For heaven's sake, he had faced a 3,000 year old walking, talking mummy. He had done all of that without a trace of fear. But now, a baby, a tiny baby struck terror in his heart.
What would he do? He couldn't, for Pete's sake, abandon his own kid, Rick thought immediately. It dawned on him then that he would never leave his kid and that realization lifted a heavy weight off his shoulders. Rick knew he still had a long way to go before he could be happy about the kid, but he felt as if he had taken the first step in that direction.
When Rick finally walked through the front door it was nearing 3 am. He did not quite know what he would say to Evelyn but he knew he would smooth things over with her. When he turned the knob to the bedroom door, he found it was still locked. Rick assumed Evelyn was sound asleep and did not want to wake her, so he went back downstairs and stretched out on the couch.
While Rick lay on the couch thinking about how much his life had changed in the last few months, Evelyn laid in bed thinking about how much her life would change in the next few months.
And then he kissed her.
Evelyn admitted to herself that when he beckoned her to come closer, her heart leaped with excitement. Beneath her very proper exterior, she longed for him to kiss her, to place on her lips that very first kiss. But she knew he would never be so bold therefore she had moved closer to him. Her heart pounded as she looked into his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes. Then she saw it. She saw his boldness and before she could back away from the aggressiveness that eluded from him, he had grabbed her.
Evelyn was initially frighten at the sudden move but her fear quickly turned to shock. She was shocked that this man, this prisoner would take such liberties with her. She was even more shocked that she was beginning to enjoy the liberties he was taking.
And then she was disappointed. Greatly disappointed.
The kiss had ended. It ended much too quickly for her. Just when Evelyn was beginning to surrender to the kiss, just when she was beginning to feel warm inside, a coldness swept over her as the warm manly lips that had been on hers and the strong masculine hand that cupped her chin were suddenly snatched away.
Evelyn was confused as she watched the guards yanked him away from the bars and punched him. Evelyn hoped they were not hurting him too badly and wondered why she even cared. "Do it lady!" she remembered him saying as she stood trying to compose herself. She could not understand first of all why she had not found the brief experience unpleasant. In fact she found it agreeable, quite agreeable. She could not understand why she was not appalled and insulted that this filthy, rude American scoundrel whom she did not like one bit had kissed her. She just could not muster up the outrage or the indignation of being accosted by him.
And that baffled her completely.
After saving his life, she convinced herself that the only reason she did it was because she wanted to go to Hamunaptra. Of course she would not want to see anyone, not even a filthy rude American scoundrel, hung but her main reason for saving him was NOT because there was something about him... no indeed. The ONLY reason she saved him was because it was the right thing to do. Yes, it was the right thing to do and besides, she reminded herself, he was her only way to Hamunaptra.
That night when everything was quite and Evelyn lay in bed, her mind keep drifting to that American scoundrel and the kiss he had given her. Evelyn touched her lips, lips that had been waylaid by male lips...
"Evelyn! It was just a kiss!" she insisted. "A silly, meaningless kiss. Stop acting like some mindless schoolgirl."
Evelyn went to sleep that night insisting that the kiss meant nothing, absolutely nothing. There was nothing to the kiss and nothing at all to like about the man who kissed her. And when she saw him at Gaza port with a fresh haircut, shave and bath there was still nothing, absolutely nothing there to like. Yes, yes he was still filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel. Nothing to like there a'tall.
Then why was she insulted, outraged even when she heard his answer to why he had kissed her? 'By the way... why did you kiss me?' Evelyn was hoping he would say he found her beautiful, a rose in the mist of thorns who needed to be plucked. 'I was about to be hanged. It seemed like a good idea at the time.' Well... if that was not a slap in the face, she did not know what was. Evelyn stomped away from him in a huff and just could not admit that she was a little hurt and disappointed that he did not think the kiss was more than just a dying man's final request. 'Oh! For heaven sake girl! It wasn't that good of a kiss anyway!' She tried to convince herself.
Evelyn would remind herself often, especially when her eyes found themselves settled on him, that it was only a kiss, not even a very good one, not that she had anything to compare it too. It was only a kiss, she told herself as she picked the exquisite black dress to trek across the dry hot desert in. It was only a kiss, she told herself as he approached her with the camels in tow, hoping she was looking exceptionally attractive to him. It was only a kiss, she told herself as he had given her the toolkit he had 'borrowed' just for her.
It was only a kiss.
In the mist of their harrowing experience of being attacked by the Med Jai, Evelyn had gotten a few swigs of Jonathan's drink in her and it was still only a kiss. So why not have another? Another kiss that is. Evelyn remembered telling him that she was a librarian, a proud librarian and she was going to kiss him.
Yes she was going to kiss Mr. O'Connell. She was going to kiss Rick. And so she did or at least she thought she did. For some odd reason, Evelyn could not remember that kiss. But she did remember the kiss they shared at the end of their adventure.
And now, after many kisses... and other, more intimate things, she was left with child. A child whose father was not exactly thrilled about the news.
"What a mess I've made!" Evelyn bemoaned as her tears began anew.
Evelyn knew she had been a fool, a complete idiot to fall head over heels for Rick O'Connell. But in spite of being a fool and knowing she was a fool, Evelyn loved him. There was no need to deny it and she did not have the energy or the will to do so. It did not seem to matter that she loved him with all her heart. Regardless of that truth, Evelyn was beginning to believed that the love she thought he had for her had been a fairy tale. After all, he had been her knight in shining armor when he rescued her from being sacrificed by Imhotep.
Maybe, she thought as she shed silent tears, she had confused his exceptional heroism with that silly thing called love. But then she thought of their wedding day. He had vowed to love her, to cherish her, to protect her for the rest of his life. Had he lied to her? Had he lied to the minister? Had he lied to the All Mighty? In her heart of hearts, Evelyn knew... she knew he had not lied.
But, in spite of their love for one another, it was no longer just the two of them. Evelyn laid her hand on her flat abdomen. A baby was nestled there, a baby she and Rick had created. An innocent baby who deserved to be wanted by both parents. Evelyn wanted her husband. And she wanted her baby... but it was apparent by Rick's reaction that he did not. Would he be so callous as to force her to choose between him and the baby? In her right mind, Evelyn knew he would not. But, at the present, her right mind had escaped her. How could she ever be expected to choose one of them, her husband or her baby, over the other?
Evelyn was tormented with the thought that she would have to choose. Choose between her husband whom she loved and the innocent baby she carried, whom she already knew she would give her life for.
What could Evelyn do, what would she do about the great dilemma she was in?
*********************
He loved her. He loved her with everything he had but... it had been a mistake. It had been a big mistake. How could he have let it happen? He had been around the brothel more than a few times and he knew how to keep these things from happening. So why had he been so careless?
"She's your wife idiot, not some whore!" his conscience shouted.
Rick sat at the bar, staring at the drink in his hand as thoughts of a kid drifted through his mind. After a moment, he lifted the drink to his lips and tossed it down.
"Another!" he said as he slammed the shot glass down, hoping he would be able to drown his fears in booze.
A kid. That had been the farthest thing from his mind and the last thing he wanted. He loved Evelyn, damn it! He loved her with all his heart. He was more than sure of that. But a kid? That was territory he did not want to explore.
Why hadn't he taken precautions to keep this from happening? he asked himself.
Because, Rick answered himself, when he was with Evelyn in those loving, intimate ways, he was so lost in her that he forgot all about what he had learned in the company of courtesans.
And now he had a kid on the way.
"O'Connell!" Jonathan slapped Rick on the back. "The old ball and chain let you out tonight?" he said cheerfully as he sat next to Rick.
"Jonathan" Rick said in a solemn voice, as his thoughts were pulled from his kid to his brother-in-law.
"Old mum is gonna have your hide" Jonathan said when he saw the bartender pour Rick's drink. "I'll have what he's having" he said to the bartender.
"You sure you need one of these" Rick said as he lifted his glass to his lips. "Smells like you're already drunk" Rick noted, catching a whiff of the liquor on Jonathan's breath.
"Not drunk old chap!" Jonathan said as Rick downed his drink. "Just extremely jolly. Not too long ago I left off having a private party with a lady friend."
"A lady?" Rick said sarcastically, then to the bartender. "Another."
"If you don't tell Evy on me" Jonathan whispered drunkenly, knowing that Rick knew just what kind of lady he had been keeping company with. "I won't tell on you" he snickered as he watched his brother-in-law down another shot.
Rick listened with half an ear as Jonathan told him of the profit he made from a few pieces of his Hamunaptra treasure. Evy had found a buyer for him and the deal was closed that afternoon and Jonathan was celebrating. He chatted on and on for the next thirty minutes but Rick was not listening and Jonathan was too drunk to notice.
"I'll pick up the tab old chap" Jonathan said when Rick reached for his back pocket.
"Thanks" Rick said as he stood up.
"You're off so soon?" Jonathan said, not wanting him to leave just yet. He liked chatting with his brother-in-law.
Rick did not answer Jonathan but turned and headed for the door. Jonathan frowned slightly and wondered if everything was all right. But then he forgot about his brother-in-law when a dark haired beauty caught his attention.
After leaving the tavern, Rick wandered the streets of Cairo thinking. What would he do... with a kid? He did not know how to act with a kid, how to be a good father to a kid. And a kid needed a father, a good father.
Would Evelyn die giving birth, leaving him and the kid alone? His Ma had died when he gave birth to him and left him and his Pa alone. Would he end up leaving his kid like his Pa had left him?
Rick gritted his teeth as he remembered that day.
"Pa, where we going?" four-year old Rick asked Archibald O'Connell as they approached the big house with lots of windows.
"Well... this here is called a convent" his father said. "And there's some real nice ladies that live here."
"Why we coming here Pa?"
"Cause I cain't take you wit me" his father answered.
"Why not? I wanna go wit you Pa" Rick whined.
"You cain't"
"But why?"
"Cause I said so!" his father said angrily as he looked down at Rick with a frown. "It's dangerous" Archibald softened when he saw the down cast look on his son's face. He then stopped and squatted down.
"Hey" he said softly as he put his finger under Rick's chin and lifted his head. "I wanna take you, but the men said it was too dangerous to have a youngster tagging along."
"I ain't scared Pa! I ain't scared of nothin'!"
"I know you ain't son" Archibald said proudly as he ruffled Rick's hair. "But it's best if'n I leave..."
"But I don't want you to leave Pa" Rick interrupted as he started to cry.
"I don't wanna leave either" Archibald said as he choked back his own tears. "But it's just too dangerous. I cain't let anything happen to you boy. You's all I got" he said as he rubbed his son's cheek.
"Then don't go" Rick pleaded.
"I'm doing this for you. For us. When I get back, we'll be rich and we won't ever have to worry about money or anythin' else ever again. Now" Archibald said as he stood up and started walking up the steps to the house with lots of windows. "These ladies are gonna take real good care of ya till I get back."
Archibald knocked on the door and waited for an answer. An older lady who looked awfully mean to Rick answered the door.
"Hello Sister" Archibald tipped his hat. "This here is my boy I told ya 'bout" he said motioning toward Rick. "Rick, this is Sister Abigail and she'll be watching after ya till I get back."
"Hello young man" Sister Abigail said in a very prim, accented voice.
Rick frowned up at the mean looking lady. She had on a long black dress with a black towel on her head. Rick had learned his letters from a lady friend of his Pa's and he saw that the old lady had a big little 't' hanging around her neck.
"He's a bit shy" Archibald said when Rick did not say 'hello' to the Sister.
"Most of the children that come here usually are" the Sister said.
"I'm gonna miss ya" Archibald said as he again squatted down to Rick. "And I'll be back as soon as I can. I want you to behave yourself till I get back. Alright?"
Rick looked silently at his father, not wanting to be left with Sister Abigail. Not wanting his father to go without him. Archibald knew his son was angry with him and knew there was no need to prolong their goodbye. Rick watched as his father stood up, turned from him and walked away. And that was the last time he saw his father.
The child in Rick cried for the father that abandoned him. The man in Rick refused to admit that even now, he longed to see his father again. He refused to admit that a part of him, a big part of him was still wounded, was still suffering because he had been left alone.
And now, he was about to be a father. Would he desert his kid? He had, after all, overheard Sister Abigail say that 'the iniquities of the father are visited on the children'. She said that whatever iniquities the father had a tendency to engage in, the children would more than likely engage in those same offenses. And Rick had indulged in every sin, iniquity, trespass and offense known to man. And if it was true that his sins would be passed on to his kid... GOD help him.
Rick would never what to cause a kid of his the pain he felt the day his Pa left him. He would never want his kid to go to bed every night disappointed because his Pa never came to get him. He never wanted a kid of his to feel unloved.
That was why he lived such a reckless life and only associated with less than respectable women. He did not want to get attached to anyone. If he got attached, he might fall in love. If he fell in love, he might marry. And if he married, he might want a family. All of that would complicate his life and he wanted none of it
And then she walked into his life.
Rick actually grinned as he remembered the first time he saw Evelyn. It did not take him long to realize that he wanted to get attached to her. And after falling in love with Evelyn, Rick knew he would marry her. Once he had settled in his mind and heart that he would marry Evelyn and after she said 'yes' a small voice whispered that he wanted her to have his children.
Then Rick heard 'I'm... I'm... expecting a baby'. The words rang loud and clear in his ears and they sent bolts of fear rushing through him. He had been a French legionnaire, he had put his life on the line may times. For heaven's sake, he had faced a 3,000 year old walking, talking mummy. He had done all of that without a trace of fear. But now, a baby, a tiny baby struck terror in his heart.
What would he do? He couldn't, for Pete's sake, abandon his own kid, Rick thought immediately. It dawned on him then that he would never leave his kid and that realization lifted a heavy weight off his shoulders. Rick knew he still had a long way to go before he could be happy about the kid, but he felt as if he had taken the first step in that direction.
When Rick finally walked through the front door it was nearing 3 am. He did not quite know what he would say to Evelyn but he knew he would smooth things over with her. When he turned the knob to the bedroom door, he found it was still locked. Rick assumed Evelyn was sound asleep and did not want to wake her, so he went back downstairs and stretched out on the couch.
While Rick lay on the couch thinking about how much his life had changed in the last few months, Evelyn laid in bed thinking about how much her life would change in the next few months.