In Need of Advice [Sean]

Midori knew her situation wasn’t exactly common. Not within Hammel’s walls. It was what had made her reluctant to talk to, well, anyone about it. But once she stopped being denial, it was time to start thinking about it properly, and get the advice she needed.

Talking to Sean still held the air of intimidation. That much was obvious as she’d watched the time tick by. She wasn’t sure what, exactly was making her nervous. Facing up to her options, and going over how to talk to her family about it? Would that make it all concrete? Sean himself wasn’t intimidating. Mii knew that. He was a lovely man. He could be trusted.

But the idea of talking with him about this for a long time, it scared her. Seeing as how he’d cleared his schedule for her, however, she had to go. So when she heard his voice inviting her in, she twisted the knob and let herself in. His instructions were heeded, and she perched on the couch. She was fidgety, but that wasn’t uncommon for her. She did manage a nervous smile at the psychiatrist. “Hello, Dr. Neville.”

It was in Midori's nature to be timid. She'd always been the most quiet, of all her siblings. Corbin had always been calm, mature, even as a child. Zachary had always been the loud one, the one testing limits and boundaries. And then there had been her. Always demure, always polite. Even now, when she knew she could be selfish. It just wasn't in her.

She smiled at him, ducking her head a little. "I know. I'm sorry, Sean." It felt a little strange, even though she knew he was right. Settling back on the sofa, the reality of the situation really began to sink in. In just a few moments, they would be kicking off a conversation that was not going to be easy. Thankfully, the distraction of tea came before that began. She took it gratefully, setting it in her lap for a moment. "Thank you. I think tea is fine for now. Morning sickness is not as easy as I hoped it would be." The admission made her blush slightly.

There was something about Sean that made Midori want to relax. He seemed so calm, so... relaxed. She wished she could do the same. But the questions made her tense slightly. "... Early March, is when it's due. It's about..." She thought about that for a moment. "About seven weeks, they think." She ran her finger around the rim of her cup, gaze cast downwards. "I told Darryl just a few days ago. He... didn't take it well." The memory of that was all too clear in her mind, still. She sighed. "I don't know what I'm doing, here." That was why she'd come to Sean. Hopefully, he would have some idea.

Ooc: I edited the weeks - I so wasn't thinking when I posted it before. Sorry! >_<

Sean’s understanding nature was just one reason Midori trusted and respected him. She really knew that she could call him by name. But it was the same respect that often had her calling her boss ‘Dr Campbell’, rather than James, that had spurred her to call Sean Dr. Neville. She’d have to remind herself for the rest of the afternoon to call him by name. As for his comment about the morning sickness, well, logically, she knew that already. But it still made her smile. “So I’ve heard.” Between the literature she’d gotten from Eli, and her doctor’s appointment, she knew. But hearing it again meant that there really was light at the end of the tunnel.

Yes, March. March 15th, to be exact. Of course, very few babies ever actually arrived on their due dates. She knew that. And she was sure that if she asked him, Eli could tell her the exact statistics. Tentatively, she took a little sip of tea. Idle chit chat would only go so far. Even though it was on topic... it wasn’t doing much to address the issues at hand. Of course, they did have all afternoon.

The fact that Darryl had taken the news so badly was still all too fresh in her mind. The fit he’d thrown, the yelling, the harsh words, all of it. (She’d avoided telling Eli that, he was annoyed enough with the other man.) She sighed softly and rested her chin in her hand. “I know. And thank you, for making the time to see me. I appreciate it.” When he mentioned having a friend versed in the legal system, she had to smile. “My brother is in law. If I ever get the courage to tell him about this, he might be able to help as well.” Granted, what Corbin did had nothing to do with family law, but for her, he’d probably find out. As for what to do with Darryl, she still didn’t know what to do. “I don’t even know where to start with that. I don’t even know him that well. I don’t know what kind of father he’ll be. I don’t know if I could trust him.” This was a tiny human life they were talking about. She thought back to the night she’d told him. “He offered his help. Then again, it was right after he flipped and yelled at me.” She still hadn’t entirely forgiven him for that, surprised or not. “I just don’t know what to do.” She had the feeling she’d be saying that a lot, in the near future. There were too many factors, and there was only one thing she knew for sure. She was not going down the path of termination.

Work up to telling them? Mii just couldn’t see how to achieve it. She really didn’t want to just call up to chat, and somehow fit in ‘Oh yeah, and I’m pregnant. Surprise?’ She could always just call up Zach. He had a big mouth, and there was no doubt in her mind that he’d happily spread the news to the rest of their family, all the while gloating that it wasn’t him in her position. Corbin had often told his younger brother that if he continued to act like the free spirited, womanizing, man whore-ish person he was, he’d wake up one day with some major responsibility to face up to. Turns out, it wasn’t the middle child he’d had to worry about. It was just his usually careful, responsible sister. “I don’t know how. I just don’t know how to call them and tell him.” If she had a choice, she’d rather talk to her older brother, first. Maybe he had some idea of what to do, how to tell their parents. It was worth a try.

Yet the most unpredictable factor in this whole mess was certainly the father. Mii couldn’t help but feel that if it had been anyone else, she wouldn’t be so unsure. Darryl was just so... Darryl. Dramatic, childish, and she had very little, if any, faith that he was capable of backing up his offer of help. And she’d been a little leery of him since he’d first yelled at her, stressed or not. She sighed softly. “I’ll have to think about it, find out the options. Then I can talk to Darryl.” As for the rest, well, she couldn’t deny that Sean was right. Darryl had seemed nice enough the day she’d spent with him planting flowers. But then he’d been just a little flirty, and she’d wondered how many women he’d pulled that with, and then she’d woken up beside him. She couldn’t put all the blame on him, she knew that. Like it or not, they were in this together. Even if she didn’t really want to be. “It’s just... even if we had split custody, I think I’d always been worrying about him.” Granted, her worries ranged anywhere from Darryl’s ability to take care of a young child, to what woman he might end up introducing said child to. (Okay, hopefully he knew better than that.) “I know he’s immature. And I don’t have time to wait for him to grow up.” She got the feeling that if Zach ever pulled off this kind of thing, this was exactly what the poor girl would feel like. Her brother and Darryl were freakishly alike.

Her other options (this was so much easier than Eli giving her options) were, for a moment, something she considered. But then she shook her head. “No. I... I want to do this. With or without Darryl, but... I don’t want to give it up.” Was that selfish? Possibly. But she really didn’t want to give it up. It wasn’t the baby’s fault its’ parents had made a mistake.

Mii was most afraid of disappointing the people she loved. It was why she’d apologized to Eli, once she’d told him. Somehow, this felt like something that would lead to disappointment among her family and friends. She’d always been such a good girl. If anyone could have gotten themselves into a similar situation, it was Zach. Always parading around campus with a different girl, bragging about his sexual conquests. Mii was nothing like her brother. Her expectations were that she would find a man she loved, get married, then deal with things like pregnancy. But here she was, standing in unknown territory. “I know,” she admitted softly. But his suggestion didn’t seem so bad. Tell one person. She traced a finger down the hem of her blouse. “I suppose I could start with my older brother. He’d take it the best, I think.” It never mattered what kind of news Corbin heard. He always took it in stride. It was something she’d always envied in him.

Oh, she knew she was in for a challenge when it came to working with Darryl. Even if they weren’t… involved with one another, they still had to work together. Somehow. She just didn’t know how. She didn’t want to trust him with a newborn baby. Hell, how was she supposed to trust him? She didn’t think he had a snowball’s chance in hell of growing up in time to help her out legitimately. … Okay, that might have been hormones talking. “I suppose so. “ She’d figure something out when the time came. Until then, she was content with the idea of shutting him out. (Yes, she was still a little angry with him.)

Mii’s knowledge of child rearing, and the birthing process, was limited to what her mother had told her, sex ed lectures, and the start of what she was learning from the books she’d borrowed from Hammel’s library. Just until she got her own copies. “That’s good. I hadn’t thought about that yet. … Any of that, actually.” Childproofing, Lamaze, nothing. “I’d like to see them.” She shrugged a little. “I honestly don’t know where to start, with any of that.” Gently, she took the card. “Thank you, Sean. Um. I will.” The list of things she didn’t know, or hadn’t thought about was growing by the second. “… How do you know so much about all this?” She toyed with the business card. “Sorry. That’s really not my business, is it?” Her nerves were still going, and the fact that she didn’t know as much as she’d hoped wasn’t making things better.

She nodded in agreement. “He would. ... I wouldn’t mind seeing him. He doesn’t live close by, but I know he wouldn’t mind the drive.” Not if his baby sister told him they needed to talk. That was the only thing she disliked about living in Pilot Ridge. It wasn’t as close to her family as she’d like. But she’d tried being back home, after graduating. She was happier here, working as a recruiter. It was a trade off she’d been willing to make. “If he can’t, I can do it over the phone.” But she would be happier seeing him in person.

“I know,” she murmured. Even though she felt the pressure – her nine months were slipping away – she had to remember that she had time. Sean was right, Darryl didn’t have to be ready by the due date. It would be nice if he was, but it wasn’t necessary. She didn’t have a lot of faith that it would happen, even after the baby was born. But he could try to prove her wrong.

“Just a few,” she admitted, a tiny touch of sarcasm in her voice, but it wasn’t intended to be cruel. Just truthful. She turned her attention back to her hands in her lap. Now she had even more to think about. She wasn’t sure what to do. Child proofing seemed easy enough. But things like Lamaze? She toyed with the business card. Classes like that usually warranted the father being around... or at least someone supportive. Of which she had... Clarisse, and Eli. And she wasn’t about to ask her best friend, nor impose on Clarisse. Maybe... she could just skip that part. She gently took the pamphlets Sean offered, flicking through them with mild interest. “Thank you.” She glanced up at his answer, her head slightly cocked. “I didn’t know you had a nephew. How old is he?” She didn’t mind the spotlight shifting off of her. Not at all.