Ruth Sadelle Alderson

Also on AO3. I hope you enjoy it even though this is probably not the part of the story you were thinking about.


"You look like shit," Hallsy says when Jordan logs into Skype for their twice-weekly three-way call.

"You really do," Nuge says. "What's going on?"

Jordan rubs his eyes. He knew he was going to have to talk about it, and he still doesn't really know what to say. "The last time Lauren and I broke up," he says, "for good." He fidgets, and sighs, but he has to say this. "She was pregnant. I have a kid. I didn't know until two days ago."

Hallsy's, "What the fuck?" overlaps with Nuge's, "How could she not tell you?"

Jordan holds up a hand, trying to stop them. "I don't know," he says to both of them. "I don't know how literally no one told me about it all this time. But now, I don't know. I'm trying to figure it out."

"What the fuck?" Hallsy asks again.

"It's my kid," Jordan says.

"Do you want us to come out there?" Nuge asks.

"No," Jordan says. He wants to see them, really, but it's complicated enough already. "I'm dealing, okay?" He manages a smile and doesn't look down to the corner of the screen to see how good it is. "Maybe later." He doesn't mean it, but neither of them seem to pick up on it.

*

Hallsy Skypes him between their scheduled calls. "Are you sure you don't want us there?" On the screen, Hallsy looks worried. "We can help."

"Taylor," Jordan says, "you're the person I love second-most in this world-"

"Second? How did Nuge get to be first?"

"Second to Lily," Jordan says, "my daughter. I love you second-most in the world, but you would not be a help right now."

"I'm good with kids."

It's true, and Jordan smiles at him for it. "I know. I'm trying to get some kind of custody or something so she grows up knowing me. You'll get a chance. Just not yet."