"Uncle Nate, your face is funny." Aidan surprises me since I thought he was asleep.

I clear my throat and try to ignore the giant lump of worries and questions in my throat. "Hey, son." You're such an idiot, Nate. "Didn't know you were awake." I sigh again to remind myself of an idiotic thing I did, calling Aidan 'son' and to welcome a 'new me' with a breath of fresh air. Probably nothing will change, but I try to stay hopeful.

Aidan smiles, showing off the gaps between his teeth. I smile a little at a show before me and ruffle his hair. This has officially become our signature move. "You're a joy, buddy, you know that? Mommy and Daddy must be really happy to have you." I say and Aidan stares up at me blankly.

He scuttles closer if that's even possible and apparently it is, 'cause now he has nested himself in my lap, leaning his small head back against my chest.

I kiss his hair. I do care about the kid, one way or another, whether he's mine or Daniel's. I then sigh and lock my arms around his body like a seat belt "You have a great family, kid. Mommy and Daddy love you. Do you love them, buddy?"

Aidan replies me with a nod and a soft boyish squeal "A-ha."

I nod and smile in relief "That's good. Promise me you'll always be good to them even after you'll grow up and become a man."

He nods, even though he probably has no idea what I'm talking about. Somehow I am happy that he's not aware of what I'm trying to say.

I don't even know why I begin to tell him stories from my and Daniel's childhood, it just feels right to do so. "You know, your Daddy has always been the good kid in the family. He never complained or asked for anything. That's why I did my best to get him amazing birthday gifts and cakes and throw him the best parties possible." I smile, but sooner than later my face pales and brows furrow after I remind myself that's what parents are supposed to do. Too bad we had a whore of a mother. "One time, I remember, your Daddy and I went to the library just to get some things for my high school studies. It was raining like hell and the moment we stepped in the library, I slipped like a complete assho-, I mean," I clear my throat before I proceed "-dummy. Your Daddy of course laughed at me. Anyway, we got to the counter and I asked the librarian if they had the books that I really needed. Daddy was getting really annoying and I told him to go look around the place, staring at some cool book covers or find a book for himself. Well, time passed, I got all the books, the librarian already checked them out for me and I said 'Danny, let's go.'. When I turned around he was nowhere to be seen. I probably ran out of the library a few times looking for him, I was getting a panic attack, I was so worried about him only to later found him under the shelf sleeping."

Aidan laughs, but only when I mention that I fall. I can't blame him for that, he's still small and innocent. If I could keep him from harm's and life's way of hurting and taking unexpected, painful turns, to keep this innocence and playfulness in him, God knows that I would do it.

"Uncle Nate?" His voice fills the apartment and breaks the long silence that is often present when I'm at home. Only now I noticed how much it always bothered me and what a breath of fresh air Aidan is at times like this.

"Yeah, buddy?"

He sits up and plumps his lips beggingly, widening his eyes and looks at me from under his brows. The puppy face, which I believe could even conquer the heart of Kim Jong Un "You said we'd go to the playground."

Right. This now. "I did?" I think a little and I do remember mentioning the playground. Excuse me, if I am a little sceptical about getting this kid to the outside world again, previous day wasn't exactly encouraging. "Then we better get ready." And this time I know better than to tell myself taking care of a kid somewhere outdoors can't be that hard or such a bother.

***

One of the great things about Aidan is that he's not as demanding as many other kids may be. I took him to the first playground that had some slides and swings and he was completely content with it.

"Okay, little guy, I'll be right on that bench, okay? You go around and play." I tell him. I don't know if he hears me, he seems to be more interested in trying to reach the sky with swings. 

The moment I stop talking and let go of his hands, he runs away, climbing up the stairs of a big slide and then he disappears into the little house built on the top. I keep my eyes on him all the time more or less, making sure no angry kids or bullies come his way and that he is simply safe. I take a sit on a bench that gives me a great view of the whole playground and finally I can relax a little. 

Aidan is running around and after coming down the red slide for the fifteenth time, he gets tired of it, so he goes to a sandbox. I notice there are a girl and two boys sitting, all playing with small colourful buckets, shovels and rakes. To my surprise, which also restores my hope for the mankind, these three children share their toys with Aidan more than gladly. My heart warms up with joy when I see them building a castle together, cooperating and talking about how they are gonna build it, even though it collapses after every two minutes. 

"Which one is yours?" I am asked by a lady who sits down beside me on a bench, pulling a baby stroller behind her. 

I look at her and smile at the cute face I see before me "One of the boys in the sandbox." I murmur and to my disappointment I see a golden ring on her ring finger. Well, shit. 

She puts breaks on the baby stroller and takes out a pile of blankets, in which it turns up a baby is wrapped. 

"A boy or a girl?" I ask as I glare at the plumptious baby lips and tired closed eyelids. 

She looks at me again, pulling out a smile to die for, then turns her looks to the baby. It's then when I realise she wasn't smiling that bright because of me and the thought is very unsettling. "That's Mary." 

She presses her closer to her chest and weighs her a little. The actions cause the baby girl to hide her face deeper into the blankets and I nearly melt at the cute sight before me. "She's adorable," I add and remind myself I need to keep an eye on Aidan. I quickly scan the place and see him still wrapped up in the sandbox castle. Other two boys seemed to have given up on it and walked away in defeat, while a little girl and Aidan kept on trying. I look at the lovely momma next to me and ask "Mary your only child?" 

She laughs like I've made a really stupid joke and I nearly start sulking away "Oh, no. I got two others." Two?! Jesus... "Eddie is on a swing and Jane is in the sandbox, with I believe, your son."

My son! "My son? Oh, no, no, he's..." I freeze at the moment when I look around and see I'm the only man around here, everyone else appears to be women. Maybe I could get lucky, I see some pretty fine models. "Well, his mother and I aren't exactly sure." To my horror, I realise I am most probably speaking the truth. 

She nods slowly, trying to decide whether she should believe me or not. "A-ha." She looks down at Mary in her arms and wipes a drop of saliva from her face "You going through a divorce?"

The fact I am having a conversation like that should shock the shit out of me since I never even got close to getting engaged or having a serious and steady relationship. But what was more frightening than that was how nonchalantly she sounded as she asked me about getting a divorce, which altogether just proves my point of view. Marriage and all that shit - it's pointless. "No, uhm, kind of complicated. Her mother and I dated some time back, then we broke up and she got a new guy, but soon got a kid as well, so she's on my suspect list."

She lifts a brow and I take it she's not too amused by our conversation, more like enraged "Suspect list? Just having a list like that sounds worrying."

"No, it was just a joke," I add, not telling her that with all other women I am always careful, but she seems to hate free spirits. 

"If it helps, he does look like you," she says and smiles encouragingly. 

Oh, woman, if you knew... I smile and try to hide the fake politeness that creeps into my smile "Thank you."

I look back at the playground and to my luck, the conversation dies. I don't know if I could keep up with it. It would only bring more questions about Patty, Daniel and their son. Speaking of their son, I do my best to find him, only to hear him screaming moments later. I am worried about the screaming, but it doesn't sound like life endangered scream. Trust me, I know my screams. 

It takes me a moment to see him and I am momentarily amazed at his skills. Somehow, he managed to tuck his head between the fence on the playing house. I sigh and politely excuse myself from the woman next to me even though we stopped talking a few minutes back. I get up and make my way to the playhouse, looking up at him "You stuck?"

Aidan cries loudly in response. 

"How did you even do it?" I ask and tilt my head around a little, trying to see the scene from a different angle. 

"Uncle Nate!" he cries desperately. 

I come closer, so he can see me now as well. "Look, just pull yourself back, okay?" 

"I can't, I'm scared!" 

For a kid who doesn't want to get himself in trouble, does that way too much. As a good uncle that I am, I climb up the mini-stairs, nearly killing myself a few times before I make it to Aidan, hitting my head in the low roof in the process as well. Hopefully, none of the ladies saw that. 

"Okay," I tell him and myself since I am still a little dizzy from the climb. "I will grab you and pull, okay? Don't hold for the fence or it won't work, you hear me?" I tell him. His ears must be numbed or his brain is too scared to process my words, so I kindly cover his hands with mine and take them away from the fence. "I will do it, now," I warn him, so he's ready. I hold him gently for his neck, so his head won't pop back too hard, and for his chest. I slowly begin to pull him, gently at first and stronger eventually. He keeps quiet most of the time until his head starts to slip through the fence. At that time he starts crying loudly, but never really protesting. I look at his head and notice few bloody scratches along the way. I let him rest for a while so both of us can calm down, but I don't lay still for long. This has to be done and we both know it.

Sooner than expected, we are both catapulted back and Aidan graciously falls into my arms with red puffy eyes from crying. I hug him tightly and sigh "It's okay, buddy. You're okay now." 

He sobs in my arms for a short while and none of the kids dares to come our way. Damn right. I wipe the blood off his hair with my shirt real quick and check how he's doing. He looks much better and after some encouraging words and at the mention of an ice cream, he's already on his way to conquer the world with his boyish smile. 

Aidan leaves the playhouse going down the slide, while I face a tougher obstacle which nearly kills me again. Once free of all this bullshit I've been put through today, I wipe the dust from my clothes and lift my gaze, only to see few women looking my way. Well, this has possibilities.

***

Even though I could, I didn't. After a rough week like that, I think I need some time off from all of this. I am thinking about calling Dad to watch a game with him or you know, just stay home and enjoy peace an quiet. Besides, I had fun this week, Eliza and Kenzie, both great girls. 

Aidan and I are now waiting for Patty to come and get him. I love the kid a lot, but he's such a dork sometimes I have no patience for all the troubles even if they happen accidentally. We are sitting on a couch, watching some Tom & Jerry, the good quality cartoon which brings back lots of memories. 

The doorbell suddenly rings and Aidan's eyes tear away from the TV with expectations. I nod and smile "It's probably your Mum." 

And that's who she is. Patty gives me a wide smile and hugs me. "Hey, Nate." She kisses my cheek and for a moment I feel priceless and the next second heavy with guilt. "Awh, where's my little man!" she raises her voice and walks in to meet Aidan who runs into her arms.

"Mommy!" he cries of delight and hugs her. 

"Hi, sweetie! Oh, I missed you!" she says and kisses his forehead a few times. 

I close the door and lean against it, just watching them and eventually smirking "Just nevermind me, I'll be right here."

Patty looks at me and rolls her eyes big time. She slowly rises to her feet because she's been crouching before and addresses me "Nathan Price, always looking for attention. How you." 

I chuckle at what she says and I look at Aidan "Hey, kid, go and pack, okay?" 

Aidan nods more than happily, running and jumping on his way to the room. 

Patty observes him on his way and when he disappears behind the walls of the room, she looks at me with a serious expression "How was it? Was everything okay?"

I nod reassuringly, holding back some details for the benefit of us all "Yeah, he was great. There were no bigger problems." Only the biggest ones. 

My reassurance doesn't seem to be enough for her. Her frown is still present and it's making me feel uneasy as if I've failed something. "What about his eating habits? Did he eat enough?" 

"Jesus, Patty, I know how to feed a child." I groan and when I see her tired and exasperated look, I pull myself back and explain myself some more "We had some junk food, cereal and ice cream. The good stuff." 

"Nate-"

"I'm the cool uncle! I feed him things I shouldn't." I protest and that brings a smile on her face. That's better. 

As we wait, I accidentally glance at her pregnant belly. Normally, I'd be happy for her and ask her how pregnancy is going or how she's feeling about it, but all I could think about saying to her now, was: At least this child will be Daniel's. 

"Hey, Patty, uhm, can we talk?" I ask her and suddenly I don't feel so confident or sure about this thing. 

She looks at me with wide eyes, full of expectations "It's not like we have anything better to do." She's feeling playful, but no matter what she says to me, the uneasy feeling wouldn't go away. When she notices my mood hasn't brightened yet or black bags under my eyes are slowly appearing, she shows some concern "Nathan, is everything okay?"

I look at her carefully and stutter before I actually start speaking warily and avoiding the main question. "Being with Aidan, err, it got me thinking," I say and the moment those words are out of my mouth, I realise how they sounded. Looking at her face, she is almost scared. Honey, I'd never! You're Danny's! "'Cause when we were together, a long time ago, you were mentioning family and marriage and all that pretty much most of the time." 

I swallow hard at the thought how wrong this conversation could go when she interrupts me, holding up her hands "Nathan... I hope you're not saying what I think you are..."

I take a deep breath to pump courage in my body and I make a mental note to myself: Fuck it. and then I blurt it out like a typical asshole "Is Aidan mine?"

Patty's eyes widen in horror and I get a desperate feeling I need to calm her down. 

"Look, just listen! When we were together, we had sex. Lots of sex. And sometimes... we didn't exactly use a condom, you were on pills, which aren't that reliable again. 98%, right? But then we broke up and soon you started going out with Danny and the next thing I know, you were 8 months pregnant and you two had a baby!" I talk in a rush, trying to explain her everything before she'd take no more of my shit. She seems to calm down after I've been crying out my reasons for being suspicious, so I calm down as well and speak again "Patty, if Aidan is... you know, my kid-"

"Well, he's not!" she screams at me, firing those words at me like a bullet. "You think I would lie to Danny? Danny is to become my husband! I love Danny! How could you even-" she groans in what I sense as disgust and looks around in disbelief.

"Patty, I didn't mean to-" 

She looks at me like I've killed her children right in front of her. When she speaks, her voice makes me feel like a small baby animal that is to be eaten by a predator. "You didn't mean what? Make me angry? Insult me? Hurt me?" She laughs in exasperation and for a moment I am not sure what we are arguing about "You are so self-centred. Whatever happens, probably happens because of you, right? It's all about Nathan Price and everyone around him are his servants to scrub his shoes and wash his towels!"

"Patty,"

"Don't Patty me!" she yells at me before she slowly bursts into tears. I pull myself back, unsure whether I should try to comfort her or just stay back. I don't want to maker her angrier or sadder than she is. "Who do you think I am? A whore, screwing both brothers, popping out children and not even knowing who is whose later on? Or some bitch desperate to have a guy in my life?" She wipes tears from under her eyes and takes a step closer to me "You know what would happen if Aidan was yours? I would tell you the same day of finding out and then I'd make you fucking stay with me and care for the child, not just sneak away. Oh no, you'd stay, you'd raise a child and you'd stop whoring around the city like you are some A-list celebrity." 

I stare back at her, frozen in time and place. I want to tell her if Aidan was mine, I would stay, that I would change, but I think it wouldn't help anything or anyone at this point anyway. 

"And now I'm gonna take Aidan home and tell Daniel what a shit prick you really are," she says and walks away, leaving me in my own kitchen that is suddenly so intimidating, unfamiliar and is making me downright uncomfortable. Uncomfortable in my own home, who would've figured.

They don't come from the room for a while and I open the fridge to take out a bottle of gin. I need some alcohol for all of this. This is downright stressful and depressing. I pour myself a glass and put the bottle back in the fridge. I have no desire to get myself coma drunk so soon. 

As I am sipping on my gin slowly - I poured myself more than just a shot - I hear footsteps approaching. Great, they're leaving. But when I lift my look, Aidan is standing somewhere in the back, chewing on the collar of his sweater, while Patty is standing before me, challenging me once again. 

"Yes?" I ask her, not trying to mock her or anything. I just can't think of a normal way to ask her what's up without insulting her in any way. 

She shakes her head slowly, tears gathering in her eyes again. 

What did I do now? 

I don't need to ask the question. All I get from her are Kenzie's panties that she throws right in my glass of gin. Oh, fuck. 

I stare at the underwear before me and close my eyes as I realise what the new fuss is all about. "Pats,"

"No. Just don't," she says, her voice breaking in the process. She turns on her heel, takes Aidan's hand and they're about to leave when she surprises me again "Let me get this straight." She lets go of Aidan's hand and traces her footsteps back to me "First you accuse me of... being your family's whore and then... I find out you've been screwing some random woman in here, while Aidan was sleeping?" 

"I'm sorry, okay? Jeez, I don't know what else to say! I didn't mean to!" 

"Is that right? You didn't mean to look me in the eye and ask me if I am deceiving your brother, my fiance, the man I love? And you didn't mean to undress that woman, right? Your dick is just a real monster and you couldn't fight it back, huh?" When I say nothing back to her, she scoffs and bites her lower lip "Spare me, Nathan." 

She walks away again, this time for real. She opens the door, so Aidan and she will leave. Right before they do so, she looks at me one more time and says something that hurt me more than I'd like to admit "When I'll need someone to keep an eye on Aidan again, I'll call May." 

With that, she leaves, closing the door without the loud and angry bang, which makes it all just the worst. It means I pushed her to her limit where she couldn't even stay angry with me, just disappointed to the bits which means she will probably never trust me again. 

'I'll call May.' 

And she officially threw me from her family ring. No more baby updates, no more birthdays, no more Aidan, no more Thanksgivings, no more Christmas celebrations, no more Daniel and no more Patty...

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~ Blackie