The Pieces

Chapter 5

May 16, 2025

I walked towards Peyton and Jordan and when I arrived my body started to fall over, my balance lost but I was caught by him. “I think you’ve had enough to drink tonight.”

I laughed when I looked up at him “Hello Peyton”

“I think you need to go home”

“Boooo! It’s fun here”

“What did you come over here for?” Jordan asked

I look over towards Becca who gives me encouraging motions and then my memory get fuzzy again.

“I came here to talk to Peyton”

August 29, 2028

I get to the hospital as quickly as I could legally and dashed over to the nurses station “I need to talk to Dr. Kennedy” I said breathlessly.

“Today’s his day off” one of the nurses replied

“Well then call him and tell him I need to talk to him” I demanded

“Why can’t you call him?”

“I don’t have hi… wait he called me i just have to figure out which one was him” I pulled my phone out and went through my recents section on my phone. “He called yesterday after the lawyer did so the second phone call out of two really close together” I mumbled as I searched through all the numbers. “Aha!” I shouted triumphantly. My heart raced as the phone dialed and when he answered my throat went dry.

“What do you want Kenzie?” he said sounding very upset

“Can we meet up soon?” I replied slowly and nervous

“Why?”

“I found the card”

“What do you mean you found the card?” then the realization of what I meant was audible in his next words “when and where”

“Well I went to hospital to look for you so I don’t know if you live close and would like meetup close to here.”

“I want to see Thea” his voice wasn’t demanding but seemed to hold emotion.

“She’s at my mother’s house and I still want the test to be sure” I replied lowering my voice and stepping away from the nurses station.

“You’re at the hospital set it up and I’ll cover the expense and we can talk about it after the results come in”

“Oh o…” the line disconnected “...kay”

“Where can I set up an appointment for a paternity test is that here?” I asked the nurses

“So you’re getting the test for Peyton and your daughter?” one of the nurses inquired

“Yes I am so is this where I set it up or do I need to go somewhere else?” I reply a little annoyed.

“You can get kits at like d**g stores unless it’s court ordered then you need to get done at a trusted facility”

“Thank you I’ll just ask Peyton to organize all of this and I’ll cooperate with what he does” I walked away and went to my car and called my mom and told her what was happened and how he gets the benefit of the doubt because of all of this.

February 7, 2026

“Sweetie you did great” my mother said as the doctor passes me my newborn baby “so introduce me to my granddaughter” she says after I hold her for a little bit.

“Mom I’d like you to meet Thea Cassidy Brown” I smile weakly as I look at her feeling the responsibility I now had all to much and it was now real I held in my arms my daughter. I whispered softly to her “I’m here and I will be I won’t leave you without trying my hardest to come back as soon as I can. I love you and always will and no man on earth is more important to me than you and will come between us” I kissed her forehead as we stayed like this for sometime. The nurses took her back into the hospital nursery while I rested.

… … …

I was living in my parents house temporarily because children aren’t cheap and I didn’t have husband, fiance, boyfriend, or even baby daddy to help me financially, physically, or emotionally with all of this. After too short of Maternity leave but all I could afford to miss I had to go back to work and work twice as hard for our future.

September 2028

I looked through my mail like I always do and then I saw the results for the test. I put down the rest of the mail and ripped open the letter and read the paper as quickly as I could it even had some graphics and its accuracy percentage. I looked over at Thea who was drawing over at the dining room table.

I walked over to her “hey Thea do you want to go with mommy or go over to nana’s house” I smiled at her looking at the masterpiece she was creating.

“Mommy” she replied finding another marker and drawing some more

“Hey I think I know someone who’d love your artwork do you want to wrap it up and give it as a gift?” I asked as she continued her doodlings she nodded her head and I went and got some tissue paper and a gift bag. Once everything was packaged, we loaded up and headed out. I got a text giving me the address I was going to. When I arrived I gave Thea the bag and held her hand as I walked to the door.

May 16, 2025

‘“You came here to talk to Peyton?” Jordan asked confused

“Yea-ep”she said and hiccupped at the end.

“Well we can have a long conversation on the way home because you need to go home” he lifts me off his lap and tried to stand me up.

“I’m not telling you where I live!” I replied defiantly

“Peyton you’re in no condition to drive anyways” Jordan chimed in “Just get some hotel rooms across the street and get home when you’re sober” is what I think he said he might have suggested getting a ride from a rideshare app. But we ended up across the street booking room 312 and from there we ended up sleeping with each other and somehow I ended up n***d in the bathtub.

November 9, 2033

“Hello I’m Dr. Arnold what can I do for you today” the doctor says as she comes in the room.

“I’m pregnant, again, and I want fetal paternity test” I said quickly and nervously.

“Okay so you have an idea who the father might be then?”

“Same one as my daughter I just need to be sure because if so then it’s going to get as messy as the first time”

“Messy how so?”

“Custody agreements were a nightmare and if we had another kid modifications to the custody agreements may have to be made.”