Chapter Three: Uncle Zack

When the clock went off, Zack reached for the snooze button, wondering what on earth had possibly possessed him to wake up this early. It was the first time in what must have been months that he had set an alarm. Then suddenly, his arm reaching for the clock, he remembered the events of the previous day.

Cody, his long-lost twin brother, had a daughter. And Zack had volunteered himself to babysit.

He fumbled around for the off button and finally found it, silencing the alarm. He listened carefully to the sounds of silence all around his apartment. Not a single sound was coming from Steven's side of the home. Maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to make a break for it unnoticed.

Zack crept out of bed and to his dresser. The contents of the drawers were shoved in with no rhyme or reason; he thought there might be a beer stain on one of the shirts bunched up in a corner. Note to self: do more laundry.

He changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. After a quick pitstop in the bathroom to freshen up, he tiptoed into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat before he left. He had just succeeded with finding a Pop Tart in the pantry and was about to make his way to the door, when…

"What are you doing up so early?"

Zack looked up to see his housemate Steven in front of him, an unreadable expression on his face. Steven was still wearing the same clothes he had worn the night before—not that Zack really made much note of anything in his home after his arrival. In that moment standing in the kitchen, Zack didn't know whether he had woken Steven up, or if he had simply not yet gone to sleep. There was a lot that could be said about the two men, but their living situation could best be described as compatible—though they probably could use with cleaning up or buying groceries a little more often. Even through his dark skin, Zack could see the bags under Steven's eyes from how little sleep they had been getting lately. There were only so many hours in the day to play Medieval Magic Quest or drink every cocktail that they had learned to make.

Zack nodded at his housemate. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing. It's just not like you."

Zack ripped open the wrapper to his breakfast. How did he even begin to explain what was happening? He wasn't sure if Steven even knew that he had a brother.

"I have family in town," he said, which wasn't exactly a lie. "Going to see them."

"Cool."

Zack thought he had placated his housemate and was about to leave, but then, just as he turned and bit the corner off his Pop Tart…

"Heard that Michelle dumped you," Steven said.

Zack paused before turning back around to face his friend, swallowing hard past the lump that had formed in his throat. How had he heard that? As far as he knew, Steven and Michelle didn't even run in the same social circles.

"She didn't dump me," Zack said. "She said she had no interest in dating me."

Steven adjusted his glasses, the smallest trace of a smile on his face. "So, she dumped you."

"How did you even hear about that?" Zack asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Michelle told Debby, who told Doc, who told Erin, who told Rachael, who told Zoey, who told Brian, who told Matthew, who told me, that it's over."

If that wasn't the most convoluted game of telephone that Zack had ever heard, he didn't know what was. He had no idea what to think about the fact that Steven was only seven degrees of separation away from Michelle.

He sighed. "She didn't dump me," he repeated. "Okay? I don't think we were ever even together."

"That's not what you told me," Steven said. By then, his smile was undeniable. Zack wanted to smack it right off his housemate's face.

He looked down at the watch on his wrist, if only to buy some time to come up with a good response. It was only when he saw the time—already eight fifteen—that he remembered that he was supposed to be babysitting.

"Forget it," Zack said, ripping off another bite of his breakfast, shoving it in the side of his mouth to finish speaking. "I've gotta go. I'm supposed to be at my—"

He stopped short. How did he even begin to explain to Steven what was going on?

His roommate seemed to understand, though. He nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose again as he said, "Tell your mom I said hi. And ask when she's coming back over to clean."

Though he had no plans to see his parents, Zack said, "Roger," before he grabbed his keys from the hook and walked out the front door.

It wasn't until the keys were in the ignition and the engine roared to life that he suddenly remembered, yet again, what was happening. He took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. It still didn't seem real that his geeky younger twin brother Cody actually had a secret family. Zack was half expecting to pull up to the apartment and find a camera crew recording his reaction, the little blonde girl's real parents emerging from some secret room to reveal that she was just a very talented child actress.

This is real life, he reminded himself as he finally pulled away from his own home. You have a niece now.

Not now, he reminded himself. Cody had said she was five years old. It was just that he finally knew she existed. Just thinking too much about the situation was enough to make his head swim, so he tried to ignore all thoughts of what had happened the day before until he had reached his final destination.

When he got to Cody and Victoria's apartment, a sense of dread and regret began to wash over him. As much as he hated to admit it, Michelle was right. He was irresponsible. He had gotten into college mostly on luck, and had been skating by for most of it. It was going to take him six years to finish what should have been a four-year degree. What did he know about taking care of kids, anyway? He couldn't even keep a goldfish alive (though in hindsight, keeping it in the coffeepot when he was drinking two cups a day was probably not his brightest idea).

Too late to turn back, though. He knocked on the door and waited. It took Cody much less time to answer than the babysitter from the previous day, and when he did, Zack scoffed.

"Whoa, what's with the suit? It's been six years and you're still dressing like a nerd," he announced.

Even after so many years, Zack instantly recognized the look of annoyance that Cody shot him. "This is what you wear when you work as a paralegal."

Zack's face lit up in surprise. "You're a lawyer?"

"No. A paralegal. I'm an assistant to a lawyer. They don't need college degrees in Massachusetts, so this is the closest I'm gonna get to being an attorney in the near future."

"You didn't go to college?" Zack asked in shock. "I thought going to Yale was your dream."

"What part of 'I had a baby at seventeen' did you not understand? Sometimes you have to put your dreams on hold."

Zack nodded. "Right."

Cody stepped aside. "Just come inside."

Zack did, really getting his first good look at Cody's home. He had been so mad when he arrived the day before that he hadn't noticed the pictures that littered the walls. Even though his niece had not been planned, no one could say that she wasn't loved.

As his brother shut the door behind them, Zack asked, "So, is this the part where you leave me alone with…what's her name again?"

Cody folded his arms over his chest. "Her name is Harlow. And no, I need to debrief you first."

"Debrief me on what?"

"We just have a few safety things that we go over with all of our sitters." Cody walked into the kitchen, Zack following closely behind. Cody pulled out a thick binder and slammed it on the counter, Zack jumping backwards in surprise.

"What is all this?" he asked.

"The safety information."

"Dude, by the time you go over all of this, she won't need a sitter anymore. Can I get the Spark Notes version?"

For not the first time, Cody glared daggers at Zack, though opened the binder and began to speak at a rapid-fire pace. "This is the number to my office," he said, pointing at the first page. "And that's the front desk for Victoria's job. These are our cell phone numbers. This is my second cell phone number. It's for work, so please only call that one if you can't reach me on the other two."

Cody flipped through the binder fast. "This is the number for her pediatrician, Dr. Wilridge. You can call her in case of an emergency. This is poison control. These are the local fire and police departments."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down," Zack said, putting his hands up. "I'm not gonna kill your kid—on purpose." Cody's eyes doubled in size as he stared at his brother. "Kidding! I'm just kidding! Harley is in safe hands."

"Harlow."

"It's a nickname!" Zack said, hoping Cody wouldn't see through the lie.

Cody took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Zack tried to ignore the vein popping up on his brother's forehead. "There are snacks in the pantry and precooked meals in the fridge. Harlow has lunch at twelve o'clock. She's allergic to sesame and has an EpiPen and an inhaler in the second drawer, right under the silverware."

Zack knew he had been absent from his niece's life, but he was so overwhelmed by how much he had missed. "She has asthma?"

"Yes." Then, without missing a beat, Cody continued, "We're limiting her screentime, so no TV until after lunch. Do you have any questions?"

"Yeah, when's naptime?"

"Harlow doesn't take daily naps anymore."

"Oh, I meant for me." Zack smiled at his brother, though Cody's face didn't crack. Instead, the vein in his forehead became more protruding. Zack could almost picture smoke coming out of his brother's ears. "Look, man, you don't have to worry. Harper's in good hands."

Cody shut his eyes, pursing his lips tight. Zack wondered what he said wrong. Finally, Cody spoke in a slow, stern voice. "Zack, Harlow is the most important thing in my life. I'm putting a lot of trust in you by letting you take care of her. Don't screw it up."

Then, as though nothing had happened, Cody walked into the living room. Having nothing else to do, Zack followed. There, Cody's daughter sat on the couch moving a doll's arms up and down, babbling to herself as she did. She looked up when Cody spoke.

"Harlow, this is your uncle, Zack. He's going to be taking care of you today." Zack tried to ignore the swell in his chest at hearing the words 'Uncle Zack'.

The little girl, however, looked as though she might cry. "Okay," she said in a timid voice.

"Come here." Cody crouched down and held his arms out for his daughter. She got off the couch and was quickly enveloped in a tight hug by her dad. "Daddy's got to go now. You be good today, okay?" Cody kissed the little girl's cheek and said, "I love you, monkey."

"I love you, Daddy."

Cody stood up off the ground, looked at his brother, and said, "Call me if you need anything. Okay?"

"Relax, man. Everything's going to be fine."

Cody gave one last look at his daughter, then nodded at Zack and said, "Alright. Goodbye."

"Bye, Codester."

Cody walked to the front door, grabbed his keys, and waved over his shoulder before heading out the door. Zack waited, listening for the car to start and take off down the street. Once it had fallen silent, he looked at the little girl on the couch, who was still staring at the front door wistfully. It was at that moment that Zack realized that he was actually alone with a kid for the first time—and he had no idea what he was doing.

He clapped his hands, causing the girl to jump and look at him. "Okay, bedtime!" he announced cheerfully.

"I just woke up," she told him in a voice that was confused, but also betrayed that she still was upset about her dad leaving.

"Then it'll be easier to go back to sleep."

"But I'm not tired."

"Just wait a few years, you'll be tired all the time."

Zack started to panic when he saw that the girl's eyes were welling up with tears. What had he gotten himself into? He didn't know the first thing about taking care of a kid, and he definitely didn't know how to console a crying child.

"Hey, don't cry," he told her, coming to sit next to her on the couch. "It's…you're…um…you… What's your name again?"

Still crying, the little girl told him, "Harlow."

"Okay, Harlow…" He desperately searched for something to say to calm her down, then finally settled on the doll that she had set down on the couch. He picked up the doll and showed it to her. If there was anything he knew about being a kid, it was that distraction was the cure for some of the hardest heartaches. "Here. Who's this?"

She sniffled, then said, "Elsa."

Elsa. He racked his brain trying to figure out where he knew that name from. The icy blonde hair and big blue eyes were so familiar, but he couldn't quite pinpoint where it was from.

"Yeah? What's her deal?"

"She's the Queen of Arendelle, and she's got ice powers and can make it snow and bring snowmen to life, and she put the whole kingdom in winter."

Ice…snow…winter…

"She's from Frozen, right?" Zack said, finally realizing where he recognized the character from.

Harlow nodded. "Uh, huh."

"Your dad said you like Frozen."

She nodded again, seemingly already distracted from her momentary heartache. "It's the best movie ever."

"Yeah, doubt that," Zack said, his voice higher pitched, before returning to its normal timbre. "You ever seen The Godfather?"

"No."

"Rain Man?"

"No."

"Star Wars?"

"No."

He huffed. Kids. "Well, what do you like to watch? Besides Frozen," he added quickly, remembering what Cody had told him the day before. "You like TV?"

"I like Earth to Luna and Doc McStuffins."

"You what? I don't even know what those are." A little voice inside his head started nagging him. Okay, Zack, she's just a kid. He looked onto the coffee table and saw the television remote. "What they got? Netflix?" he asked as he picked it up.

The little girl nodded. "Uh, huh."

"Then we're gonna watch some TV. Just don't tell Mommy and Daddy, got it?"

Zack turned towards the television. He pressed the on button on the remote, then the large Netflix button. Immediately, he was met with the who's watching? screen. There was Cody, then Victoria, and at the end, kids. For a brief moment, he paused on the screen. Despite all the evidence already that suggested it, the television screen just drove home again that this was actually happening.

He pushed that thought from his mind and opened up the kids profile. He pretty quickly found the title card for Doc McStuffins (whatever that was) and clicked on it. Sure enough, the prompt on the next screen was to start the next episode. As he put it on, Harlow settled onto the couch and picked up her doll once again.

On the screen was a little girl wearing a doctor's coat and stethoscope, playing with toys come to life.

The doc is in and she'll fix you up
If you're a toy then you're in luck
It's okay, don't be afraid, the doc really knows her stuff!

Zack rubbed his face with his hand. It had just started, and this show was already proving to be the most annoying thing he had heard all day—maybe even all week. Despite that, though, his niece was completely enthralled with what was on television, so he tried his hardest to put up with it.

The theme song faded out and the episode began. Just his luck, the episode that was on featured a snowy day, just like Frozen. He clasped a hand over his mouth, clenching his teeth. The toy dragon was instantly covered in a pile of falling snow before a toy snowman started complaining about being cold. Before long, the little girl's dad had called her into the house to do homework while he did the laundry.

Unfortunately, the toy snowman had been thrown into the wash with a pink jacket, turning the snowman a rosy color. After he fell on the floor from the basket of clean clothes perched on top of the washing machine, he said to himself, "I hope I didn't break any bones!"

At that point, Zack was outright annoyed. "I can't take this shit. Are you serious?" he said, more to himself than to the girl next to him. He shook his head and paused the program. The little girl looked at him curiously as the scene stopped.

"You like dinosaurs?" he asked. "We're gonna watch something cool. Just don't tell Mommy and Daddy, got it?"

"What can I tell my mommy and daddy?" she asked.

"That your uncle Zack is super cool and really responsible. You know what 'responsible' means?"

"Uh, huh."

He went back to the original profiles and selected Cody's name, then started to search for Jurassic Park. "Man, when we were your age, me and your daddy were really into dinosaurs," he said. "You know what dinosaurs are?"

"Uh, huh. They were the dominant vertebrates during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, and they're related to birds."

Zack stopped typing to turn to look at the little girl next to him. Did she even know what any of what she just told him meant?

He shook his head, going back to what he was doing. She really is my brother's kid, he thought to himself as he pulled up the movie. "Oh, man, you're gonna love this."

The Universal Studios logo filled the screen and he settled himself in to watch. The trees on the screen began to rustle, and the Jurassic Park employees filled the screen. A crane carried in a large metal container and lowered it to the ground. "Okay, pushing team, move in there," Robert Muldoon said to the other workers. The other men ran forward, conversing in Spanish as they did. Man, this was a great movie—

"I want tasers on full charge!"

Tasers?

Right as Muldoon looked into the crate and his eyes widened, Zack looked over at his niece. She was staring at the television set and clutching her Elsa doll tight in her arms. A similar expression to Muldoon was on her face as the creature in the crate roared.

"Jophery, raise the gate!" Muldoon said.

As Jophery began to do just that, Zack suddenly remembered how the film opened. When he and Cody had first watched it as children, the two of them had definitely become obsessed with dinosaurs—after they both had had nightmares for weeks.

Right as the creature was about to grab hold of Jophery and pull him into the crate, Zack took responsibility once more and paused the movie. Harlow suddenly came back to life and looked over at him, still clutching her Elsa doll for security.

"Um," he said, struggling to find words. "On second thought, let's not watch TV. Maybe I'll show you that movie when you're eight."

The little girl continued to stare at him. He had only been in the apartment for ten minutes and he was already drawing a blank. How was he supposed to entertain a kid for eight hours? Come on, Zack, think of something.

"What do you like to do for fun?" he asked.

"Play with my Barbies," his niece said.

"No, that's for girls. What else?"

"Look at stuff with my toy microscope."

"What? No! Come on. Do you play video games?"

"No."

"You have any race cars?"

"No."

"Play Doh. What about Play Doh?"

"Not since I put it in my ear."

"What?" He stared at the little girl next to him, wondering for not the first time how he was ever going to keep her entertained. He sighed, knowing there was one thing that they could do, but it was the last thing he wanted.

He looked at the Elsa doll in her arms and asked, "You have any other dolls?"

AN: Sorry for the delay. I do have most of this story written already, but I was struggling to finish the conversation with Steven for a long time. I took a little inspiration from a Suite Life episode. Let me know if you get the reference. Thanks for reading if you made it this far!