She knocks on the door, secretly praying that no one is home. She hears footsteps, and after a few seconds the door comes open. The party on the other side of the door looks at her, in confusion. He shakes his head.
"Jackie, what are you doing here?"
"We need to talk."
"You have been avoiding me, for months, and now you just show up on my doorstep? What gives?"
"Can I come in?"
"Sure," he nods, and steps aside to let her in.
He closes the door behind her. She keeps her distance. He waits for her to initiate the conversation, but is clear she isn't going to.
"Jackie what are you doing here?"
"I told you, we need to talk," she answers.
"Then talk," Cruz suggests.
"I don't know where to start," she admits.
"Why don't you start with why you're here."
"I'm here, because I there is something that I wanted you to know.""What could you possibly want me to know? You are the one who walked away. You are the one who was afraid."
"Mike I was still married."
"That never mattered before, did it?"
"You're right, it didn't."
"What are you saying?"
"I was wrong then, too."
"Don't tell me that you're here to give me some sanctity of marriage bullshit."
"That is not why I'm here."
"Then why the hell are you here?"
"Why are you so angry at me?"
"Because I thought that we had something, and you just walked away. Jackie I had just lost my son, and the one person I thought that I could count on, walked away. What am I supposed to feel?"
"I am sorry."
"I here you saying that you're sorry, but I don't hear any explanation as to why you're here."
"You know what, maybe this was a mistake."
"This relationship?"
"Coming here. I thought that we could have a civilized conversation, like to adults, but clearly we can't. You're too much of a petulant child to do that."
"Come on."
"I am sorry that you're an asshole," she turns to leave.
He steps forward, and grabs her by the upper arm. She spins around, and glares at him.
"Let go of me."
"We aren't finished here," he insists.
She peels his fingers off of her arm, "Yeah, we are," she storms out. She slams the door behind her, and drives home.
She walks through the door, and finds Zoey in the living room, sitting on the couch. She quietly folds laundry. Jackie tries not to make eye contact, as she makes a beeline for the stairs.
"Where are you going?"
Jackie freezes. She takes a deep breath, as her nostrils flare. She turn and looks at Zoey, and she can't keep it together, anymore. She lowers herself to the ground. Her back rests against the wall, as she sobs.
"What happened?"
"I am an idiot, that is what happened," Jackie reveals.
"Where did you go?"
"I kept telling myself that you weren't right. I tried to convince myself that I didn't need to tell him. Unfortunately you had to take me to that freaking baby store, today. And I was standing there, and all I could think was how unfair it is. The kid is already getting a shitty, screwed up mom. The very least I could do was give it a chance to have a halfway normal life, and a halfway normal father."
"You went to tell Cruz?"
"Yeah."
"He didn't react well?"
"I never told him. I got there, and he was a complete asshole."
"You should have told him."
"He was completely full of rage. He was so angry at me, for abandoning him, or some bullshit. He is a grown man, and he was acting like a child."
"Jackie you never wanted to tell him."
"I am not trying to justify it. I just couldn't tell him."
"Tonight?"
"I can never tell him."
"What makes you say that?"
"I don't want someone like that in my life. He is poison."
"Jackie..."
"No," she shakes her head, "I am never going to tell him."
"That isn't fair."
"I don't want him in this kid's life. He is unstable. I think that what I saw tonight were his true colors."
"He is grieving."
"That doesn't mean that it is ok to take it out on me. I didn't take Charlie away from him. I didn't take his son away from him."
"What about now? You're taking this kid away from him, aren't you."
"He never has to know. He isn't at the hospital anymore, and I think it's better this way."
"Jackie how do you plan on doing this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Who is going to watch the baby, when you're at work?"
She shrugs, "I don't know. I'll figure it out."
"You have got to stop living in denial. The baby is going to be here, before you know it. You have to deal with it. Mistake, or not, its time that you face it."
"I know that, but it doesn't make it any easier."
"I know."
"What if I screw this up? What if I screw this kid up just as badly as I did my girls? At least they have Kevin in their life. I screwed them up, and I didn't even see it."
"It's not the same. You're clean."