Chapter Text
age 25
“Okay, Kimmy. What’s so important that you had to come all the way out here to talk to me?”
Doug Bailey was almost amused by the shocked expression on his baby sister’s face from across the table where they were having lunch, as if he wouldn’t have clocked that something was going on with her the second she showed up at his door. Kim was nineteen and trying way too hard to establish her independence. Being the baby of the family didn’t help, he was sure, when you had two overprotective parents and three siblings all willing to bury a body for you just as easily as they’d beat you up for no reason at all. He really didn’t blame Kim for wanting to figure things out for herself and become her own person. But there was fear behind her eyes and Doug didn’t like that. He didn’t like it at all.
“Wh-what makes you think that I need to talk to you about something?” Kim asked, and she sounded so damn young that Doug had to remind himself that she was an adult now.
“Kimmy, come on.” He chuckled. “It’s me you’re talking to. In eighth grade I got in trouble for fighting with elementary kids because they were being mean to you. And who was the one who went out and bought you pads for the first time?”
“You.” She muttered. “It’s not my fault Lori failed driver’s ed the first time.”
“The point is, I know when something’s up with my kid sister.” He said. “What, did you fail a test or something?”
“Depends on how you look at it…”
“Okay.” Doug said. “Boy troubles? Are you still dating that guy, what was his name? Troy?”
To his surprise, Kim’s eyes filled with tears. Her chin quivered. “I don’t want to talk about him.” She said quietly.
“Whoa, hey, what happened?” He asked, touching her arm. “Did he hurt you? Kimmy, if he hurt you, I swear to god-“
“I’m pregnant. It’s his.”
Time screeched to a halt. Doug heard what sounded like waves crashing in his ears. He felt a little sick. Had he heard Kim right? He couldn’t have. Or maybe she had misspoke. She couldn’t actually be pregnant, could she? She was nineteen, still practically a baby herself! Granted he had never been one of those guys who was weirdly possessive of his sisters like some of the guys he grew up around, as far as Doug was concerned his sisters’ love lives were none of his business unless they came to him for advice. Of course now that one of his sisters was coming to him for help, Doug suddenly felt wholly unequipped to deal with a crisis this important. He cleared his throat, trying to get his bearings back.
“Okay.” He said. “Okay, you’re preg- you’re uh, you’re pregnant. And you’re sure it’s not anything else?”
“I’ve taken like three tests!” Kim said through tears. “God, don’t look at me like that!”
“Like what?” Doug asked. “I’m not looking at you any special way.”
“Yes you are!” She sobbed. “You’re looking at me like I’m a different person to you now! That’s why I didn’t want to tell Mom or Dad!”
“Okay, okay! I’m sorry, I just-“ He sighed. “I’m trying, okay? You’re my baby sister and this is a huge deal!”
“I know.” She said. “Doug, I’m scared! I don’t know if I’m ready for this!”
“Well, have you considered…you know, the alternative?”
Kim shook her head. “I don’t think I could go through with it.” She said. “But I don’t think I can carry a baby for nine months just to give it up at the end!”
“Okay…” He said. “Have you talked to Troy? What does he think? I mean it’s his baby too, right?”
At the mention of Troy, Kim burst into tears again. Doug wasted no time in getting up from his chair, the legs scraping across the floor, and wrapping his sister in a tight hug. Kim was shaking like a leaf, and she seemed even younger now than she had before.
“H-h-he doesn’t want a-an-anything to do with me or the b-baby.” She said. “He- he tol-told me if I di-didn’t want an abortion, I could f-fi-figure it out on my own!”
“He what?!”
“He w-won’t answer my c-calls.” Kim continued. “He- he told his roommates that I was crazy so they won’t even answer the door if they know it’s me!”
“I’m gonna kill him.” Doug said in a low voice, releasing his sister. “I’m gonna go over there right now and knock some sense into him because apparently, he has none!”
“No!” She exclaimed. “No, no, no, Doug please don’t do that!”
“Kim, he has a responsibility to you and to that baby!” He said. “Do you really think he should get away with just bailing on you?”
“He already has!” She wailed. “Doug you’re the only one who knows and you’re my big brother, please don’t leave me all alone!”
Doug froze, rooted to the spot by his baby sister’s words. He took in her tear-soaked face, she looked so scared. It killed him inside. She was just a kid. A baby having a baby. There was guilt and shame mixed in with the fear on her face, as if it were her fault that she’d been used then abandoned by some sorry excuse for a boy. She certainly didn’t need him to cause her any more grief when she was already in so much pain. He gave a nod. Grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
“Okay.” He said. “Okay, I’m sorry. Look, whatever you need, I’m here. You’re not going to do this alone, you’ve got me.”
“I have an appointment tomorrow at the free clinic.” She said, wiping her tears away. “I don’t even know how long- I think nine weeks? I don’t know anything about what I’m supposed to do, I don’t even know anybody who's had a baby before!”
“We’ll figure it out.” He said. “I’m sure the doctors can tell you what you need to do. Mom probably could too.”
Kim’s face paled. “I can’t tell Ma!”
“She’s going to find out eventually if you’re going to keep the baby.” Doug said. “So is Dad. It’ll be better to just rip the bandaid off and get it over with.”
“I know, it’s just-“ Kim struggled with putting her thoughts into words. “I just know that once I tell them, I won’t be their little girl anymore. Okay? I’ll be their adult daughter who got pregnant and it’ll never be how it was before again.”
“Had to happen sometime.” He joked. Then he sighed. “They’ll come around, you know? You’re a good kid, probably the smartest one out of the four of us, if anyone can rock being a single mom while getting a degree, it’s you.”
“Doug, come on.” She said, rolling her eyes. There was the barest hint of a smile on her face.
“I’m serious!” He said. “You know, if I’d found out I was gonna be a dad at your age, I probably would’ve panicked and married the girl and been divorced by twenty-seven.”
“Yeah.” Kim said with a nervous little laugh. “I bet you would have freaked out.”
“I so would have freaked out.” He chuckled. “It’s gonna be okay, you know.”
Kim smiled. “I know. Thanks Doug.”
Doug smiled back. “Any time.”
Everything had changed that fateful day. Doug had to come to terms with the fact that his baby sister was her own person with her own life and soon, that life would include a child. It was a lot to wrap his head around but Kim needed him. More than anything, he felt relieved that she had felt comfortable coming to him when she was obviously terrified and didn’t know what to do. And he really believed it when he told her that everything was going to be okay. His parents might be disappointed but it wouldn’t last. Even if it took a while, Kim had her brother, and Doug knew that once Lori and Brent found out, she’d have them in her corner too. It wasn’t an ideal situation but he was determined to be there for his sister and make sure that she knew she would never be on her own. Not while he had anything to say about it.