The Lion’s Cross Species Baby

*****

After resting, bathing, and dressing in fresh clothes, Annie asked Cooper if she could speak with him privately. They had been regaling the group with the tales of their adventure, each of them telling different parts or adding to the others. All agreed they were lucky to have gotten out alive; a human would not have been so lucky. And honestly, Annie had never been more grateful to be a shifter in her life.

She took Cooper’s hand and pulled him into the camper. Before she spoke, she hugged him tightly and kissed him gently. He smiled at her, baffled by her behavior.

“What’s going on?” he asked, bemused.

“Why don’t we sit down?” She led him to the bed, which was the most comfortable area in the camper. She held his hand, took a deep breath, and said, “I have something I need to tell you.”

“Ok,” he said, drawing the word out in confusion. “Are you all right?”

“I’m ok, just a little nervous.” She took another deep breath and looked at him. “Ok, so remember when I was sick earlier this week? Well, I lied to you about what the doctor told me.”

“You lied? What’s wrong with you? Do you have something worse than a stomach bug?”

“I’m pregnant.” She watched his face, which had been drawn in concern, sag into shock.

“Pregnant? How is that possible? Aren’t you on the pill or anything?”

“I’m not. I didn’t even think about it, or about using a condom. I doubt you even have one out here,” Annie said with a short laugh. He shook his head but did not share her laugh. She waved a hand in the air dismissively. “Anyway, next Monday I’m going back to Rio de Janeiro to stay until the baby is born. It’s such a short gestation period there would be no reason for me to come back after the next doctor’s visit. Mark and Leah are finding an apartment for me to stay in while I wait for the baby to get here.”

“Sounds like you’ve planned everything out,” Cooper said quietly.

“Well, it’s kind of what you have to do. Prepare and stuff,” Annie murmured, his tone frightening to her.

“Have you thought about the alternatives?”

“Alternatives? What do you mean?”

Cooper sighed. “Come on, Annie, you know exactly what I mean. Do I have to say it?”

“You want me to get an abortion?” Her voice had risen in both volume and pitch.

Cooper lifted his hands defensively. “I just think it’s something to discuss, Annie. A baby is a big responsibility. A life-changing event that I think we’re too young to deal with right now.”

Annie stared at him, appalled. She hadn’t expected anything from him, but she certainly hadn’t expected him to suggest an abortion. She reined in her anger with a slow inhale and exhale. She looked at him impassively, emotionless.

“Listen, Cooper. I should have started this conversation a different way. I don’t expect anything from you. I don’t expect you to come to Rio and stay. I don’t even expect you to be a part of the baby’s life if you don’t want to be. I can handle it on my own.”

Cooper stared at her. The way she was looking at him, as if he were just some one night stand who had knocked her up, hurt him more than he would admit. “I’m not saying that, Annie. If the child is mine, then I want to be a part of his life.”

Annie raised an eyebrow. “If?”

“You know what I mean,” Cooper sighed. “I’ll take you to Rio next week. Will the apartment be ready by then?”
“Leah said she would do her best. When I get there, I’ll email her and find out. If it’s not, I’ll stay at a hotel until it is.”

The monotonous tone of her voice worried him. If her attitude and voice were any indication, Annie was finished with him. His heart thumped for attention. Fix this, it yelled at his brain. But his brain was working in slow motion. He had to decide how involved in the life of the baby he wanted to be. All he could think about was his career.

“That sounds good,” he mumbled. “I’ll take you on Monday.”

“Ok. Thanks,” Annie replied.

“Um, I’m going for a walk. I need a little time on my own,” Cooper said.

“Yeah, sure. I understand.”

“I. . .um, I don’t really know what to say about all this yet,” he told her, looking down on her from his standing position.

Annie rolled her eyes in exasperation. “You don’t have to say anything right now, Cooper. Go for your walk.” She looked away from him and waved her hand towards the door.

He hesitated. Her voice sounded tearful. He debated for a moment longer, should he stay or go, and after a handful of seconds, he turned and walked out, closing the door to the camper softly behind him.

Annie listened as his footsteps faded. A single tear slipped out of her eye. A decision flitted through her brain, and she rose to accomplish it. She wiped her face and took a quick swig of water to calm herself. She yanked her bag out from under the table and tossed her things in it as quickly as possible.

The apartment would obviously not be ready today, so she would head for the hotel. Buddy had sent a couple of men to retrieve the jeep, and she’d heard them rumble back into camp about an hour ago. She couldn’t just take the jeep, even though that’s what she wanted to do, so she’d ask Buddy to take her. She didn’t think he’d mind.

She finished packing and glanced around, checking to make sure she’d left nothing behind. Her research on the drawings and dig site was incomplete, but with a new baby, Annie had serious doubts she’d finish her degree on time. Or at all. But that no longer mattered to her. What mattered to her was her child and his safety.

With determination, she opened the camper door and walked out, looking in all directions for Cooper. When she saw no sign of him, she walked to Buddy’s camper and knocked swiftly and loudly. A series of banging noises greeted her before the door slammed open and Buddy stared down at her, confusion in his sleep-filled eyes.

“Annie? Is something wrong?” Buddy asked, his eyes clearing quickly as he realized it was her. She’d wiped her face, but her emotions were palpable.

“Um, yes actually. Can you please take me into Rio de Janeiro?”

“What? Now?” he asked, shocked. “Why don’t you ask Cooper to take you?”

“I can’t. Please, Buddy. I’ll explain on the way.” Annie smiled at him. “I’ll even pay for a hotel room for you if you’d like. Think about it. A soft mattress, and you could have a decent breakfast in the morning.”

Buddy shook his head, a grin on his face. “Dang, girl. You sure know how to entice an old man into giving you your way.”

Annie smiled a little. “Sometimes.”

“Let me put on some decent clothes. Give me five to gather up some stuff to take,” Buddy told her.

Annie nodded and left him to it. She walked over to the jeep and put her things in the back. She hoped Cooper would be gone long enough for her and Buddy to leave. She glanced at her watch; he’d only been gone ten minutes. She assumed he’d be gone at least thirty to think things over.

While she sat there waiting for Buddy, she grumbled under her breath, her anger growing again. What exactly does he need to think about? she thought. They were having a baby. That wasn’t something to be thought about. Annie assumed, based on his reaction, that his version of “being a part” of the child’s life was sending money and occasionally stopping in to see him. Annie frowned. She’d honestly rather he not be in the child’s life if that was all he planned to offer, and she would inform him of that, should she actually see him again.

Hell, I’m probably doing him a favor, taking off like this, she mused. I’m taking the decision out of his hands.

Buddy stepped out of his camper and walked to the jeep. He tossed an overnight bag in the back and climbed in, started the ignition, and they sped off towards Rio.