Chapter 2
The heat was way up when Ross walked in. Gunther gave Ross his trademark 'I hate you' stare. Ross didn't really notice. As he took his seat on the big orange couch in the coffee house, a British guy emerged as if from nowhere.
"Psst!"
Ross looked up.
"Are you Ross?"
"Yes, who the hell are you?"
"She sent me here. I'm a friend of hers."
"Well why isn't she here?"
"She didn't want to the conversation you're awaiting in such a public area. It's sensitive information. Just give your address and apartment number, I'll tell her what they are, and she'll be at your door in an hour."
"This is insane. All of it. No."
"Hey, I think you want to find out where this goes."
"Do you know?"
"No. But the way she's so nervous, she doesn't get this nervous unless it's about something very important."
"I...", Ross sighed.
Hesitantly, he gave his address and number to the guy. He headed back to his apartment in a daze.
***
Tippity-tap, tippity-tap, that was the sound Ross's fingers were making on the table. He had had one too many cups of coffee while waiting and was now loaded with caffine. It had been nearly an hour and a half. Where was she? Is this all some kind of joke? Ross kept wondering if he was being punked and if Ashton Kutcher was gonna jump out from behind the curtains any minute.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Ross was startled out of thought as there was suddenly a knock at the door. Ross walked nervously, slowly to the door. Sweat trickled down his hand as he turned the doorknob. Ross felt sick as the door opened. Sick and in shock when he realized the woman standing there was nonother than Emily Walthom.
"...Eh..eh...Emily..."
"Hello Ross."
"What..how..huh?"
"Ross, I know nothing makes sense right now, but you've got to let me explain."
"Oh, I've got to. Why? Are you sure you want to tell me whatever it is you're about to tell me? I mean, considering what your last words to me were?"
"What were they?"
"That you couldn't trust me. I said the marriage wouldn't work if you couldn't trust me, you agreed, I asked if you could trust me, you said no. That was the end of us."
"That wasn't the last thing I said to you, the last thing I said to you was the night before my wedding, I left you a message asking if I was making a mistake, to which you didn't respond."
"Oh, would you have responded, Emily? I had just finally been able to get over you after a month of being miserable because of you, why would I have wanted to see or talk to you at that point?"
"I don't...it doesn't even matter Ross, you have no idea."
"No idea what?"
"No idea about the truth!"
"What truth!?"
"THE truth, the same reason I'm here right now!"
"Then TELL me already!"
"FINE!...fine...do you remember on the day of our wedding, after you said the wrong name, and I locked myself in the bathroom, then I left?"
"No, I don't remember Emily, of course I do."
"Ok, well, Ross, I was taking a pregnancy test in there. I had a suspicion the night before, I felt like I had missed my period. I was going to ignore it, but I felt like when you said..said HER name, it was a sign..or something..just that the wedding shouldn't have been happening, that maybe I was pregnant. I was scared, Ross, I was scared you'd run off with her and not be a good father, so when the test came up positive, I jumped out the window, literally, and did whatever I could to cut you out my life. I was so afraid you'd run away that I decided not to give you the chance."
Ross gulped.
"Wait," he started hoarsly, "wait, are you telling me, that Timmy..is...Emily, did I give my own son to an orphanage this morning?"
"Yes."
"Oh my God!"
"Exactly, so now we have to get him back."
"What the hell do you mean we? Is this my fault? If you had been honest with me six years ago none of this would be happening. You were the one that lied to me, that never even told me I had a son, that married another guy with this knowledge, that..and you expect me to just put everything on hold to go find this kid?" Ross nodded his head, "Does that seem fair to you? No, I can't deal with this right now. Goodbye, Emily."
Ross closed the door in Emily's face. As Ross sat down on the couch, Emily barged back into the apartment.
"Ross, I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything, but you are going to have to start caring about this kid, you HAVE to find it in your heart to forgive me and do the right thing, you HAVE to. Do you realize you haven't even asked me why I'm here now, why I'm telling you this now?"
"I guess I thought guilt drove you to it, but maybe you're not capable of guilt, that's my bad. Alright, tell me, why are you telling me now? And why do I HAVE to find it in my heart to forgive you after all you did? And WHAT is the 'right' thing?"
Emily was tearing up now.
"Ross, I have a brain tumor the size of a golf ball. It's malignant and completely inoperable. I have less than six months to live, and I've been told to get my affairs in order. The guy that I married left me when I told him that Tim was yours. Do you know what that means? When I'm gone, Timmy either goes to his father or to his grandparents. Do you think I want him to be with my father, with whom you can only use the term 'sanity' losely, and my drunken witch of a stepmother? Ross, I love Timmy more than my life, and I will not let him grow up with those people. I've come here to ask you forgive me and to take care of Timmy when I go. That's why I"m here, that's the right thing to do, and that's why you HAVE to find it in your heart to forgive me."
Ross had a blank look on his face.
"So...you...are terminally sick...and you want me to be primary caretaker for the kid I just found out I had?"
"Yes, Ross."
"Uh, this is just a lot to take in at once Emily. You're gonna have to give me some time to think about this."
"Fine. I guess I'll go get Timmy out of the orphanage now. I'm New York indefinitaly. You know my e-mail address. Here's my phone number and address of where I'm staying."
She scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to Ross.
"Ok."
"Ok."
Emily walked down the hall, shaken up, as Ross looked on, absolutely clueless as to how he was going to handle all this.
To be continued...
The heat was way up when Ross walked in. Gunther gave Ross his trademark 'I hate you' stare. Ross didn't really notice. As he took his seat on the big orange couch in the coffee house, a British guy emerged as if from nowhere.
"Psst!"
Ross looked up.
"Are you Ross?"
"Yes, who the hell are you?"
"She sent me here. I'm a friend of hers."
"Well why isn't she here?"
"She didn't want to the conversation you're awaiting in such a public area. It's sensitive information. Just give your address and apartment number, I'll tell her what they are, and she'll be at your door in an hour."
"This is insane. All of it. No."
"Hey, I think you want to find out where this goes."
"Do you know?"
"No. But the way she's so nervous, she doesn't get this nervous unless it's about something very important."
"I...", Ross sighed.
Hesitantly, he gave his address and number to the guy. He headed back to his apartment in a daze.
***
Tippity-tap, tippity-tap, that was the sound Ross's fingers were making on the table. He had had one too many cups of coffee while waiting and was now loaded with caffine. It had been nearly an hour and a half. Where was she? Is this all some kind of joke? Ross kept wondering if he was being punked and if Ashton Kutcher was gonna jump out from behind the curtains any minute.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Ross was startled out of thought as there was suddenly a knock at the door. Ross walked nervously, slowly to the door. Sweat trickled down his hand as he turned the doorknob. Ross felt sick as the door opened. Sick and in shock when he realized the woman standing there was nonother than Emily Walthom.
"...Eh..eh...Emily..."
"Hello Ross."
"What..how..huh?"
"Ross, I know nothing makes sense right now, but you've got to let me explain."
"Oh, I've got to. Why? Are you sure you want to tell me whatever it is you're about to tell me? I mean, considering what your last words to me were?"
"What were they?"
"That you couldn't trust me. I said the marriage wouldn't work if you couldn't trust me, you agreed, I asked if you could trust me, you said no. That was the end of us."
"That wasn't the last thing I said to you, the last thing I said to you was the night before my wedding, I left you a message asking if I was making a mistake, to which you didn't respond."
"Oh, would you have responded, Emily? I had just finally been able to get over you after a month of being miserable because of you, why would I have wanted to see or talk to you at that point?"
"I don't...it doesn't even matter Ross, you have no idea."
"No idea what?"
"No idea about the truth!"
"What truth!?"
"THE truth, the same reason I'm here right now!"
"Then TELL me already!"
"FINE!...fine...do you remember on the day of our wedding, after you said the wrong name, and I locked myself in the bathroom, then I left?"
"No, I don't remember Emily, of course I do."
"Ok, well, Ross, I was taking a pregnancy test in there. I had a suspicion the night before, I felt like I had missed my period. I was going to ignore it, but I felt like when you said..said HER name, it was a sign..or something..just that the wedding shouldn't have been happening, that maybe I was pregnant. I was scared, Ross, I was scared you'd run off with her and not be a good father, so when the test came up positive, I jumped out the window, literally, and did whatever I could to cut you out my life. I was so afraid you'd run away that I decided not to give you the chance."
Ross gulped.
"Wait," he started hoarsly, "wait, are you telling me, that Timmy..is...Emily, did I give my own son to an orphanage this morning?"
"Yes."
"Oh my God!"
"Exactly, so now we have to get him back."
"What the hell do you mean we? Is this my fault? If you had been honest with me six years ago none of this would be happening. You were the one that lied to me, that never even told me I had a son, that married another guy with this knowledge, that..and you expect me to just put everything on hold to go find this kid?" Ross nodded his head, "Does that seem fair to you? No, I can't deal with this right now. Goodbye, Emily."
Ross closed the door in Emily's face. As Ross sat down on the couch, Emily barged back into the apartment.
"Ross, I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything, but you are going to have to start caring about this kid, you HAVE to find it in your heart to forgive me and do the right thing, you HAVE to. Do you realize you haven't even asked me why I'm here now, why I'm telling you this now?"
"I guess I thought guilt drove you to it, but maybe you're not capable of guilt, that's my bad. Alright, tell me, why are you telling me now? And why do I HAVE to find it in my heart to forgive you after all you did? And WHAT is the 'right' thing?"
Emily was tearing up now.
"Ross, I have a brain tumor the size of a golf ball. It's malignant and completely inoperable. I have less than six months to live, and I've been told to get my affairs in order. The guy that I married left me when I told him that Tim was yours. Do you know what that means? When I'm gone, Timmy either goes to his father or to his grandparents. Do you think I want him to be with my father, with whom you can only use the term 'sanity' losely, and my drunken witch of a stepmother? Ross, I love Timmy more than my life, and I will not let him grow up with those people. I've come here to ask you forgive me and to take care of Timmy when I go. That's why I"m here, that's the right thing to do, and that's why you HAVE to find it in your heart to forgive me."
Ross had a blank look on his face.
"So...you...are terminally sick...and you want me to be primary caretaker for the kid I just found out I had?"
"Yes, Ross."
"Uh, this is just a lot to take in at once Emily. You're gonna have to give me some time to think about this."
"Fine. I guess I'll go get Timmy out of the orphanage now. I'm New York indefinitaly. You know my e-mail address. Here's my phone number and address of where I'm staying."
She scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to Ross.
"Ok."
"Ok."
Emily walked down the hall, shaken up, as Ross looked on, absolutely clueless as to how he was going to handle all this.
To be continued...