Anhedonia

Kid, Who's Your Dad?

"Wahhh!" Akisha shouted so loud that her voice echoed throughout their house. Hayley turned off the stove and ran quickly outside after she heard her daughter's scream.

"Akisha! What is—!" Hayley stopped on her tracks when she saw the guy standing outside their door, dropping the spatula she was holding.

"Hi?" Jerry smiled widely when he saw his best friend.

"Oh my God!" Hayley gasped loudly.

Liam rushed out of the bathroom when he heard Akisha's scream and Hayley's loud gasp. He covered his lower body with the towel and ran out of the room.

"What happened?!" Liam shouted worriedly but he also stopped when he saw the man on the door. "What the hell?!"

"I thought they were nice?" Jeremy asked while hiding behind Jerry.

Jerry looked down at the kid and smiled warmly. "They are." He said and looked up again. "So—." He didn't have the chance to say whatever he was going to say when Akisha suddenly punched him on his gut and he crouched down.

"Yah! Why did you punch him?!" Jeremy yelled, blocking Jerry from Akish, positioning his body into a fighting stance.

"Who are you?" Hayley asked confusedly, looking at Jeremy.

"I'm Jeremy."

"You son of a b***h!" Liam growled but still pulled up Jerry and hugged the latter so tight. "Where have you been all these years?!"

"Where else? I told you that I'm going home to New Zealand, aren't I?" Jerry chuckled but when he looked at Akisha, he stuck his tongue out.

"Oh my God, Jerry." Hayley cried. Jerry pulled away from Liam and he spread his arms to Hayley, who immediately ran to him and they both hugged each other. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, honey." Jerry mumbled while rubbing Hayley's back soothingly.

"He really dared to go back and show himself here with this little guy here." Akisha said while scanning Jeremy.

"You don't like me?" Jeremy asked.

"I don't even know you, why would I like you?" Akisha scoffed and rolled her eyes. She was about to turn her heels but Jerry grabbed her arm and pulled her into a tight hug. "Let me go!"

"I'm sorry." Jerry said, not wanting to let go the kid.

"Dad!"

"I'm really sorry, princess. Please, forgive me." Jerry begged as he pulled away, holding Akisha's shoulders. "I'm really really sorry for not— ouch!" Akisha punched him again but even if it's not that hard, Jerry pretended that he was hurt and clutched his chest.

"You were gone for 4 years!"

"I know and I'm sorry for not calling you all those years." Jerry smiled at the kid, showing his gummy smile that he knows Akisha loves to see. And he knows he won the kid's heart when Akisha sticks out her lower lips and starts to cry before wrapping her arms around Jerry's neck.

"I hate you!" Akisha cried.

"I missed you too, Princess."

"God, I can't believe that you're back, small bean." Liam released a sigh in disbelief that after four years of gone missing, Jerry is now standing in front of them. Then his eyes landed on Jeremy that he didn't even notice, if it wasn't for Hayley pointing at the kid. "Hey, who's the kid?"

"I'm Jeremy."

"He looked familiar— wait, who's your mom?" Hayley asked.

"Hannah Tucker."

Hayley and Liam both whipped their heads at Jerry and back at the kid and that's when they saw the resemblance of Hannah's features to the kid.

"So you and Hannah—?"

"No." Jerry chuckled as he stood straight.

"Kid, who's your dad?" Liam asked.

"Him." Jeremy pointed at Jerry. "He's my Dad."

"Wait, I'm confused." Hayley furrowed her eyebrows, looking at the two back and forth.

"I will explain." Jerry said, picking up the kid and they all walked to the living room.

Liam excused himself first so he could continue his shower while Hayley finished cooking and Akisha sat next to Jerry, not wanting to go far from him because she missed him so much.

"Why are you hugging my Dad?" Jeremy asked Akisha.

"Because he's my uncle, why don't you look like him if you are his son?" Akisha fired back.

"Because he's not my Dad." Jeremy retorted.

"Then why are you calling him Dad?"

"Because I am his dad." Jerry replied and he laughed at the confusion in Akisha's face.

"I'm so confused."

"Yeah, me too." Hayley said as she stepped out of the kitchen and overheard the conversation. Liam finally dressed up and he was on the phone while walking downstairs.

"Who's that?" Hayley asked her husband after he ended the call.

"Seul-ki, I just told him that the asshole is back." Liam scoffed. "So now, tell me. Who's that kid?" Liam pointed at Jeremy.

4 years ago.......

"Do you want to go with me to New Zealand?"

"Are you serious?" Hannah asked with wide eyes open.

"Yeah, I mean. You can go with me if you want to." Jerry shrugged his shoulders, looking ahead and watched the city lights.

"I can't, my Dad is the only relative I have."

___

"What?! Who the hell is that guy?!"

"You don't even know him even if I tell you his name." Hannah chuckled, she wiped her tears and Jerry could only stare at the woman through the laptop screen.

"It's okay, Hannah. If he doesn't want to take the responsibility for the child, then I will help you."

"Thanks, but I think I can raise him alone."

"Okay then, but if you need help, just call me okay?"

"Thank you, Jerry."

____

"He's so cute! I wish I was there to pinch his cute chubby cheeks!"

"I was wondering if Jeremy will suits him." Hannah smiled, staring at his newborn child and her eyes filled with tears threatening to fall. She was sitting on the hospital bed and nobody's there to congratulate her for giving birth to a cute little angel, only Jerry who's inside the laptop screen while she's giving birth.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jerry asked, putting down his cup of coffee and sat back in front of the laptop.

"I'm not, my Dad didn't know about this and I don't think he would accept m-me."

"Shh, it's okay honey. If everything turns bad, you can go here and I will help you both."

"Thank you, Jerry."

____

"Welcome!" Jerry engulfed Hannah into a tightest hug, but that took only 2 seconds as he pulled away and bent over to the stroller and picked up the little boy. "Hello there buddy, God, you're so freaking handsome just like your Uncle Jerry!"

Hannah giggled at that but her tears rolled down on her face. She was so thankful that Jerry was always there to help her.

"Thank you so much, Jerry."

"You're always welcome, Honey." Jerry put the kid in much comfort position on his shoulder before wrapping his free arm around Hannah's head and kissing it.

____

"N-no no no no!" Hannah shook her head furiously after Jerry told her the results of her test.

"Hey, shhh you'll be fine, the doctor said that you can still get treatment, let's not lose hope, okay?" Jerry pulled the woman and keep kissing her head.

"W-what about my son? What will happen to him? Jerry, he doesn't have his father and losing his mother will—."

"Shh, he's not gonna lose her mom, please don't say that. You will be fine, I promise." Jerry hushed the woman, cupping her face so their eyes could meet. "We can get through this, okay?"

"Jerry.."

"Just please, trust me. Okay? You'll be fine."

"If one day I'm gone, please promise me that you'll take care of Jeremy."

"I will, but please. Let's not think about it first because you will see him grow up."

"Thank you, Jerry."

______

End of flashback....

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry to hear that. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Jerry smiled and even if he won't admit it, Liam and Hayley could tell how much it pains him remembering all of those parts of his life. "I will be fine, I have to, for him." Jerry said those words while looking at Jeremy, who's talking with Akisha in the living room.

"How about Hannah's Dad?"

"He couldn't accept it, but I know, soon. He will be fine, I just need to give him more time and while he's doing that, I'm the one who's going to take care of the kid and if possible, I want to legalise all the documents since Hannah put my name in his birth certificate."

"So you're really going to be a father?" Liam asked amusedly.

"Yeah." Jerry chuckled as he turned to Liam and Hayley. "I love that kid so much."

"We could feel it, don't worry. And you will be the best father, of course aside from my husband." Hayley said and they all laughed.

They started to catch up with their life while eating, Jeremy and Akisha joined them and the couple could see how Jerry takes care of Jeremy as if he were his real son and they were so proud of him.

Those four years have really changed Jerry, not only in his appearance since he grew a beard all over his chin but also the way he would act maturely.

"Yah!" A little loud voice echoed throughout the whole house and there was Seul-ki, running towards Jerry, behind him is Juhyun holding their four year old son Jesu. "You little piece of s**t!"

"Hey there are kids here." Jerry rebuked as he covered Jeremy's ears.

"Wait, who is that kid?" Seul-ki stopped from coming to Jerry when he saw the kid.

"He's my son."

"You have a son?! Oh my God, so you mean you are married?! Who's the unlucky girl?!"

"I'm not married." Jerry chuckled, earning a smack to his head from Juhyun.

"Are you really that stupid?! How could you be so careless—."

"Hyun, come on. He's not mine, okay?"

"So you kidnapped him? Wow, Jerry."

"He's Hannah's son, she died a month ago and Jerry is now his guardian." Liam explained just before Juhyun could hit Jerry again.

"Oh." Seul-ki and Juhyun gasped silently.

"I'm sorry." Juhyun whispered, looking at the kid sympathetically as she walked closer to Jeremy, sitting next to the kid and offering her hand. "I'm Aunt Juhyun, that is your Uncle Seul-ki and this is.." Juhyun pulled his son and held both of his shoulders. "Jesu."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Jeremy." The kid smiled at Juhyun toothily before his gaze shifted down to Jesu. "Hi?"

"Hello."

"It was nice to see a lot of kids in this house, Akiro will be here later to join us for dinner." Liam said it was nothing but his friends and even his wife looked at him confusedly. "What? I called them."

"Why would you do that?" Hayley slapped Liam's arm and when she looked at Jerry, she smiled awkwardly. "I hope you don't mind."

"Who's Akiro?" Jerry asked since he doesn't have any idea about Rosie's daughter.

"He's Rosie's daughter." Seul-ki said, glaring at Liam for his insensitivity.

"Oh, so they also have a son, that's great." Jerry said, genuinely happy for his ex and his cousin for building their own family.

"See? There's nothing to worry about, after all, we are all friends here." Liam smiled at them sheepishly and he turned to Seul-ki, as if he's trying to have a conversation with him using only his eyes.

"We're here!" Rosie announced their arrival from the main door.

"We're here!" Liam yelled back.

"They're in the kitchen, let's go." Rosie pulled his son with him towards the kitchen, but when she's about to enter, she stopped on her tracks upon seeing another guy sitting on the chair with his back facing her. Even if he didn't look back to her, she already knows who it was and her heart skipped a beat at the sight of the man.

"J-Jerry?"

The way Jerry turned his head too slowly and he smiled when he saw the woman. Rosie's heart beat frantically and she had the urge to run towards him and hug him, but when she noticed the unfamiliar kid next to him, her heart sank.

"Hey." Jerry greeted her as he stood up, his eyes landed on the kid Rosie was holding and he furrowed his eyebrows as he felt something meeting those cat-like eyes. "Is that your—." Jerry stopped when the kid took back his hand from his mom and suddenly ran towards Jerry and hugged him on his torso.

"Daddy!"

____________