Page 12 of Baby Blue
“That’s okay. I’ll be on stage by then. But thanks, Polly. As long as she’s okay…”
He heard Polly release a tiny giggle, but he didn’t have the energy to be offended. “Everything’s fine. Nothing to worry about. Actually, she’s a really good baby.”
“Okay, well, talk to you later. Thanks, Polly,” he remembered to say.
“You’re welcome, Mr.Blue. Bye.” With that, the phone went dead. God, he hoped everything was all right. Turning to head back inside, he almost ran smack into Devon.
The lead guitarist fixed him with a piercing stare. “Okay, Wallace, let’s hear it. What’s going on? Somebody leaning on you for a gambling debt? Got a girl knocked up? What’s got you so damn uptight tonight?”
“I, um,” Blue started, then realized he didn’t know how to tell anyone what was going on without sounding certifiably nuts.Oh, well, might as well get it over with, he thought. “I’ve got a baby.”
Devon’s eyebrows hiked up. “What do you mean, you’ve got a baby?”
Blue wanted to shrink and crawl under the nearby dumpster. “I’ve got a baby. An ex-girlfriend left her on my front porch this morning.”
For a few seconds, Devon just stood there, mouth gaped open, and then he started to laugh hysterically. “Oh my god, Blue, you really had me going there for a second! Somebody left a baby on your doorstep! That’s priceless!” He gasped for breath and just kept laughing?until he caught sight of Blue’s face. “Oh my god,” he whispered, “you’re not kidding. Somebody left a baby on your porch.”
“Yes. Somebody really did leave a baby on my porch. Turns out she’s my baby,” Blue replied, feeling his face burning again. It sounded fucking ridiculous, especially since it was true. “I didn’t know anything about her until this morning.”
“Oh my god. You’re not joking. Where is she now?” Devon asked.
Before Blue could answer, the door opened again and Gary stepped out. He took one look at Devon’s face, then at Blue’s, and asked, “Okay, what the hell’s going on?”
“He’s got a baby,” Devon announced before Blue could say a word.
“No. I don’t believe you,” Gary said. “You’re making that up.”
“I wish I were, but I’m not. Old girlfriend dropped her off in a basket on my porch this morning before I got up. She did a ding-dong-ditch and when I got to the door, there was nothing there but a baby in a basket with a note.”
“So where is she now?” Devon asked again.
“With my next-door neighbor. She’s keeping the baby until I get done here,” Blue said, and a pang of guilt shot through his chest. It was really unfair to expect Anne to do that, but she’d offered and he hadn’t had any other options, at least not as far as he could tell.
“What the hell are you going to do with a baby?” Gary asked, mirth dancing in his eyes.
“I’m going to take care of her, I guess,” Blue said, staring down at his feet so they wouldn’t see the fear on his face. He knew it was there; he could feel it, and he knew they could probably see it too.
“Wow,” Devon said, “that’s got to be quite a surprise.”
“Yeah. I’ll say,” Blue mumbled.
“I’m surprised you didn’t bring her to the bar with you. You know, so we’d believe you,” Gary said, snickering.
“Couldn’t. I don’t have a car seat, and it’s a law that you have one for kids,” Blue said by way of explanation.
“Since when did you start caring about the law?” Gary asked, his voice oozing with sarcasm.
Blue just shrugged. “I dunno. I guess since my neighbor said I couldn’t take her in the truck without a car seat.”
“You gonna listen to the neighbor lady? Do what you want!” Gary said.
“But I don’t want her to get hurt. And if I had a wreck, she could get hurt,” Blue said. He was starting to get a little pissed. “Why don’t you cut me some slack, man? I’ve had a shitty day.”
“Whatever do you mean?” Gary singsonged, and Blue cut his eyes to see Devon’s narrowing in Gary’s direction. “I mean, people go out and pick up babies off their porches all the time, man. You know, go out and get the paper, pick up the mail, and drag a baby in on the way back. It’s an everyday occurrence, right?”
“Gary, back off, man. He’s had a rough day,” Devon said before Blue could answer.
“Next thing we know, you’ll be driving a mommy-mobile and going to play dates,” Gary mocked.
