Present Day…
Wes remained slumped on the balcony chair; the city lights blurred through the haze of cheap liquor and painful memories. He barely registered the sounds from inside the lodge until Rackell's voice cut through his stupor, sharp and insistent.
"Wes! Callahan! Get in here!"
He blinked slowly, turning his head. "What?" he mumbled irritably.
"There's a woman at the door!" Rackell yelled back from the main room, annoyance clear in her tone. "Says she's looking for you."
"What woman?" Wes grumbled and took another swig from the bottle.
"How should I know? Said her name was… Latoya, I think."
The name snagged in Wes's alcohol-fogged brain. Latoya… Latoya… He repeated it softly. A flicker of recognition, another memory – this one hazy, fueled by cheap thrills and bad decisions – surfaced. He slowly pushed himself out of the chair and stumbled back inside towards the lodge door.
He pulled it open just as the visitor lost patience and stormed inside. She was a woman with sharp features, brooding eyes, and a confrontational stance. And she wasn't alone. Cradled somewhat awkwardly in her arms was a bundled infant.
"Hey! You can't just barge in here!" Maya started to protest from the couch.
The woman ignored Maya completely; her eyes locked onto Wes. She marched straight towards him and thrust the baby into his arms without preamble.
Wes staggered back, startled, nearly dropping the unexpected burden. "What the hell is this?!"
"He's yours, Wes," Latoya stated flatly. "Mine and yours." She gestured vaguely towards the city. "My boyfriend… he's serious. Wealthy. I have a chance here, a real chance to finally marry well. He can't know about… this." She nodded curtly at the baby.
Wes stared, bewildered. "Ours? How? When?"
Latoya rolled her eyes dramatically. "Don't play dumb, Wes. Those nights last year? After that Guild party? You knocked me up."
Recognition dawned, followed by cold denial. "I told you to get rid of it! I gave you the credits for the clinic!"
"Well, I didn't," Latoya snapped back. "And you think those few lousy credits covered anything? I planned to handle it myself, raise it on my own. But things change. I can't afford it anymore, and frankly, I'm done. I did my part for the past few months. Now it's your turn."
Skepticism hardened Wes's features. "How do I even know it's mine?"
Latoya smirked bitterly, expecting this. She reached into her worn handbag, pulled out a folded document, and threw it flat against Wes's chest. "Valid DNA test. Got a sample from that old hairbrush you left at my place. Read it and weep, asshole."
Wes fumbled with the paper. His eyes scanned the official-looking report, the damning percentages, the conclusive result. Speechless. He tried to shove the baby back at Latoya.
"No! Take him back! I can't–"
"He's your responsibility now," Latoya refused firmly and backed towards the door.
While the two argued, the rest of the team watched the unfolding drama in stunned silence.
"Gods…" Maya whispered, eyes wide. "He actually got someone pregnant?"
Rackell looked utterly disgusted. "And didn't even care enough to check if she went through with the… procedure."
Nala remained silent, but a flicker of pain crossed her face. Her heart clenched tightly when she heard Dodo murmur beside her, almost to himself, "Damn, though… his baby mama's kinda hot. Look at those curves…"
Latoya reached the door. "His things are in the bag," she said shortly, then tossed a worn diaper bag towards Wes before yanking the door open and disappearing down the corridor. The door slammed shut behind her.
Wes stared at the closed door, then down at the baby in his arms, then back at the door. He took a step to chase after her with the half-smoked cigarette still dangling forgotten from his lips. He pulled the door open, but the corridor was empty. Latoya was gone.
He stood there, utterly baffled, the infant stirred slightly in his awkward hold.
SLAP!
Out of nowhere, Rackell's hand cracked across his face, hard enough to knock the cigarette from his mouth onto the floor.
Wes recoiled, stunned. "What was that for?!"
Rackell pointed furiously at the smoldering cigarette butt near the baby's bundled feet. "Are you an idiot?! Smoking right over an infant? What's wrong with you?"
Wes looked down, genuinely clueless. "It affects them?"
The others gathered around with a mixture of morbid curiosity and condemnation.
"Wow, Wes," Dodo said, shaking his head. "A drunkard, a washout Harmonic, and now a deadbeat dad. You're hitting all the low points."
"Is it a boy or a girl?" Maya asked, peering at the baby's face. "What's its name?"
Wes blinked. "I… I don't know."
Maya snatched the DNA test result from his numb fingers. "Says here… Name: Leo. Sex: Male." She looked back at Wes critically.
Dodo chuckled, though there was a hint of envy in his eyes as he glanced again towards the door where Latoya had disappeared. "Congrats, Wes. Officially an old man now."
Maya caught Dodo's lingering gaze and smacked his arm. "Stop being disgusting, Dodo!"
Rackell cut through the chatter. "So, what now, Wes? You can't exactly hunt Unus with a baby strapped to your back. This changes things."
Wes looked down at the small bundle. Confusion, resentment and bewilderment swirled inside him. "I don't know… but I'm not giving up just because of… of some mistake."
"Don't call him a mistake!" Maya scolded sharply.
Their raised voices startled the baby. Leo's face scrunched up, and he let out a loud, piercing wail. Panic immediately gripped the group.
"What's wrong with it?" Dodo asked nervously.
"Is he hungry? Does he need milk?" Maya wondered aloud.
Wes suddenly looked towards Rackell's large chest hopefully. "Rackell, you've got milk in those jugs, right? Feed him!"
Rackell's face flushed with anger. "Are you insane, Callahan?! No, I don't 'have milk'! I'm not lactating, you absolute moron!"
As the baby continued to cry and the inexperienced Harmonics floundered, Nala knelt beside the discarded diaper bag. She quickly rummaged through it. "There's formula in here, and a bottle." She held them up. "I can prepare it."
Wes looked at her gratefully. "Thanks, Nala."
"Don't thank her," Rackell snapped, rounding on Wes again. "He's your son, Callahan. From now on, you learn how to take care of him. You learn responsibility. Got it?"
Wes looked down at the crying infant in his arms, the weight of Rackell's words was heavier than any Unus carcass he'd ever failed to lift. His life had just taken another sharp, unwelcome turn.
…
The warm water filled the small bathtub. Wes sat naked amidst the bubbles, the infant Leo propped carefully against his chest. He used a soft sponge to gently scrub the baby's back. The quiet intimacy of the moment felt alien, surreal. His mind drifted, cataloging the wreckage of his life. A familiar craving surfaced – the need for a cigarette – but he immediately shut it down. Can't smoke, he remembered Rackell's furious outburst, not with the kid around. Another small freedom extinguished.
Leo suddenly giggled, a bubbly, innocent sound that startled Wes. The baby splashed a tiny hand in the water. Wes paused his scrubbing and looked down at the small face tilted up towards him. The infant's eyes were wide and surprisingly clear.
"Leo, huh…?"
Wes muttered the name aloud for the first time. It felt strange on his tongue. He leaned his head back against the cool tile of the tub surround and stared blankly at the ceiling.
What now?
If his parents ever discovered this latest disgrace, this illegitimate heir… they wouldn't just disown him further; they might actually send someone to quietly erase the embarrassment. His future that was already bleak, now seemed utterly lightless. How could he possibly function as a Harmonic, even a low-level one, with a baby?
…
Meanwhile, outside in the cramped living area, the rest of the team sat around the low table. The initial shock had worn off, and now practical concerns took its place.
Dodo leaned back on the worn couch and spoke, "So, what's the plan? We can't exactly haul a baby into an Unus warren."
Rackell nodded grimly. "He's right. Wes was barely pulling his weight before. Now? He's a liability we can't afford on dangerous hunts."
Maya chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Are we talking about… kicking him off the team?"
"We have to consider it," Rackell replied pragmatically. "We rely on payouts to survive. We need five functional members, not four Harmonics and a reluctant babysitter."
Nala's quiet demeanor was troubled. She spoke softly, "But, if we leave him… how will he manage? He spends credits faster than he earns them. Taking care of Leo… it will cost money."
Maya looked at Nala sharply. She noticed the slight furrow in Nala's brow, the uncharacteristic defense of Wes. "Nala? You sound worried about him. Do you… like Wes?"
Nala's cheeks flushed faintly. She looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. "No! Of course not. It's just… the baby is innocent. Wes is irresponsible, but leaving him destitute seems cruel."
Rackell scoffed lightly and waved a dismissive hand. "Please, Maya. Nala has better taste than to fall for a broke, washed-up, deadbeat dad like Callahan. She's just being compassionate." She turned her gaze back to the practical problem. "Cruel or not, we have a guild to run, missions to complete. Sentiment doesn't pay the bills."
The discussion continued unresolved, while the sound of splashing and a baby's occasional giggle drifted faintly from the bathroom.