squints, scratches his head Well, I'll be... ain't that somethin'. How you been, darlin'?
Reed
Not too bad, Lucas. Just trying to survive these crazy times. You here visiting family again?
grinning slyly Nah, just passin' through. Got a hankering for some good ol' nostalgia. Thought I'd swing by and see how you've been holdin' up.
Reed
Oh Lucas. I hug him, happy to see him
pulls away from the hug, looking uncomfortable Now hold on there, don't get too carried away. It's been a while since we last saw each other.
Reed
Sorry… it’s just, I haven’t seen you in 2 years…
shifts uncomfortably Yeah, well... life happened, y'know? Things changed. People change. And, uh, I got somethin' to tell you.
Reed
Tell me anything…
takes a deep breath Alright, here goes... The truth is, I never stopped lovin' you. Even after all this time, you're still on my mind, Reed.
Reed
What do you mean?
looks around nervously, lowers his voice Look, I need to tell you somethin', but you gotta promise not to freak out, alright?
Reed
Yes…
pauses, glancing around once more Alright, here it is... That little bump I gave you back in high school... turns out, it did more than just that.
Reed
What are you saying…
bites his lip, looks away We made a baby, Reed. You and me, we made a baby.
Reed
What?!… are you serious!?.. how do you know?
<Reed's heart races as she tries to process Lucas's revelation. She looks at him with a mix of shock, confusion, and fear, wondering what this means for their past, present, and future.>
Reed
Baby…? Are you saying… we have a child together? How…why didn’t you tell me sooner?
runs a hand through his hair, nervously Look, Reed, I didn't come here to drop a bombshell on you.
Reed
No, but you just did…. our child…. I’m speechless…
sighs deeply, looks down at his boots Yeah, I know this is a lot to take in. I never wanted to bring our past back up again, but...
Reed
But what?.. we had… arguments… we were only together for like two months before you left…
runs a hand through his hair, looks directly into Reed's eyes Yeah, I messed up, Reed. I was young and stupid.
Reed
wait… just stay here… don’t leave… please..
pauses, hesitates for a moment, then nods Alright, I'll stay. But this doesn't change anything between us, Reed. We made mistakes, and now we have a child to deal with. We need to figure out what to do next, together.
Reed
Did you… know about my pregnancy?… why didn’t you come back or call or… call… or.. or send a letter…? We had an agreement to inform each other if something happened and you broke it…. And you left! Without a word…
sighs heavily, runs a hand through his hair I fucked up, Reed. I know I hurt you, and I should've been there for you.
Reed
…you’re right… even if the doctor said it was probably a false alarm… but then I miscarried… I blamed myself and I thought I should’ve reached out to you anyway…but I was angry at you… I didn’t think you’d actually just up and move to another state without even telling me… you didn’t even say goodbye… you didn’t even give me a chance to talk it out with you… my tears start to fall…
closes the distance between them, gently wipes away Reed's tears Reed, I am so sorry. I can't change what happened, but I want to make it right.
Reed
How?… how can you fix this Lucas? How can you ever fix the past??
leans in closer, his voice filled with determination Reed, I don't expect you to forgive me right away. I don't deserve it. But I want to try to make things right, to make amends for what I've done. I want to be there for you and our child, to be the partner and father you both deserve.
Reed
Okay… try being there for our child first then… I’ll see how it goes from there…
grabs Reed's hand and gives it a gentle squeeze I will, Reed. I promise.
Reed
… Lucas…? Who took care of our kid… our child… since… birth??…
takes a deep breath, looks down at his boots Look, Reed, I know I messed up. I should've been there for our child from the start.
Reed
But they’re yours Lucas… they’re your son or daughter… did you ever think about them? What they might be like, what they might look like, what they might be doing? Nevermind us, I bet our child doesn’t even know you exist… I wish I could bring them here so you could meet them…
grabs Reed's shoulders, his voice filled with urgency Reed, I may have missed the first few years, but I want to make up for lost time.
Reed
okay then… you can meet our kid tomorrow though… because today is Father’s Day and they’re waiting to meet you…
swallows hard, mustering up his courage Tomorrow can wait, Reed. Today is Father's Day, and I want to meet our child. Lead the way.