Chapter Text
Shane walked into the hospital as discreetly as he possibly could, making a beeline to the receptionist’s desk.
“Hi, I’m looking for Kayla Dae.”
The nurse looked up, her eyes slightly widening. Then she turned professional.
“Right,” She turned to the computer, “She is in the maternity unit, on floor 3, room 43.”
“Thank you.” He replied before making his way up the stairs, hoping there would be less people.
He ran up the stairs, head spinning, wondering how the hell he got to that point of his life.
Shane had just finished practice, walking to his car, when his phone rang.
Kayla- Incoming call
His eyebrows furrowed. He hadn’t heard from Kayla in months. They went on a couple of dates and hooked up, but it ultimately went nowhere.
She said there wasn’t any chemistry.
He said that he was still early in his career, and that he needed to prioritize hockey.
In reality, it was a blonde, curly haired Russian man that occupied his thoughts.
Shane shook his head and picked up the call.
“Hello?”
“Shane,” Kayla replies, “Um, I need to tell you something but please don’t freak out.”
“Okay? Is something wrong?”
“I had a baby. Yours.”
Shane froze in the parking lot of the Montreal Voyageurs training facility.
“What? When- Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked, trying to sound calm, as more of his teammates started leaving practice.
He hurriedly went into his car throwing his things into the passenger seat, not neatly in the trunk like he always did.
“I thought I could do it alone or put the baby up for adoption or something. I-I know you want to prioritize hockey and I really can’t raise a baby. So, I’m asking you now if you want to keep the baby, or I could put her up for adoption.”
Her.
He has a daughter.
“It’s a girl?” He whispered.
“Yeah, it’s a girl.”
“Which hospital are you at?”
He stopped outside of the room, taking a moment to breathe. He knew the second he walked through that door everything would change.
He opened the door.
“Hey.”
“Hi.”
There was an awkwardness in the air, neither of them knowing what to say.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. It’s just we’re so young and I haven’t even found a job and-” Kayla started.
Shane interrupted, “You don’t have to explain yourself. I just wish you would’ve told me.”
“They put her up in the nursery since they know I’m not gonna keep her. I told the nurses you’d be coming.”
“Ok. Well, I guess this is goodbye.”
“Yeah, bye Shane.”
Shane walked out of the room, closed the door behind him and laid his head against it, closing his eyes.
He needed to breathe.
“Excuse me, are you okay?”
Shane opened his eyes, another nurse next to him, Mia.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I was actually looking for…”
Did his daughter even have a name?
“I don’t even know how to explain it.” He replied, looking down in embarrassment.
“Are you the father of Baby Girl Dae?”
He nodded.
“Okay, come with me to the desk and I will verify that.”
He followed her along the hallway, thankfully only staff were there.
“Okay, Shane Hollander?” Mia asked.
“Yes.”
“I need to see your ID.”
He flimsily pulled out his wallet, giving her the card with shaking hands.
“Alright, are you ready to meet your little one?”
~
He looked down at his daughter.
Mia next to him grabbing her chart.
“Is she okay? Like healthy?” Shane asked, after being brought to the NICU.
“She was born at 37 weeks which is a little early but her breathing is fine, but it does mean that we want to keep her for at least another day. She weighed about 2.67kg and measured at 46 centimeters, a little on the lower side but still perfectly healthy. ”
Shane nodded.
Mia looked at him. He looked slightly pale, as if anything could spook him.
“Do you want to hold her?”
Shane looked up, “Sure, yeah.”
“Why don’t you sit down?”
Shane did as he was told and was handed the baby. His baby.
“I could give you a checklist of everything you need for her.”
Shane looked down at the baby. She was small, and looked almost exactly like him.
Love filled his body, a sense of protection, and he knew.
This was his daughter, and he was going to be a father.
~
Baby Girl, he really needed to think of a name, had fallen asleep. Which meant Shane needed to figure out what to do.
He really didn’t want to call his parents, so he called Hayden instead.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Are you busy?” Shane asked, trying to figure out how to tell Hayden.
“No, the girls finally fell asleep.”
Shane looked at the time, it was already 5.
“Okay, I need to tell you and Jackie something and I’d rather only do it once.”
“Sure, are you okay? Did something happen?” Hayden asked.
Now that was a loaded question.
“Yeah, I’ll explain everything.”
He waited a few moments before Hayden and Jackie were both on the other line.
“Okay, she’s here.”
“Remember Kayla?”
“That girl you dated last year?” Jackie asked, “Didn’t you break up with her?”
“I did, turns out she was pregnant and didn’t tell me. I got a call this morning and… I’m a dad.”
That word felt heavy, dad.
“Shane! What, why didn’t she say anything? What are you going to do?” Hayden rambled before Jackie spoke.
“Do you need anything?” She replied, ignoring Hayden, “I can give you hand me downs, I also have bottles that the girls refuse to take because they liked a different brand. Hayden can go for a car seat. I can give you things that the girls don’t use anymore.”
And with those words for the first time, Shane broke.
“I didn’t know about her until two hours ago. I’m not prepared. How am I supposed to do this alone?” He asked, desperation in his voice.
“Shane,” Jackie said, “Is Kayla not going to be a part of your baby’s life?”
“No, she was going to put up the baby for adoption without telling me. But she changed her mind at the last minute. But I’m going to do this. I’m going to raise her alone.”
“You have a daughter?” Hayden asked.
“Yeah, I have a daughter.”
“Welcome to the club, man! Our kids are going to grow up together and be best friends! Okay, since the girls are asleep, we’re gonna call Jackie’s mom to watch them so we can go visit your kid in the hospital.”
The twins were about 6 months old, Hayden had joked that all his kids were now born in June, so he knew that after the initial shock, the Pikes would be in his corner.
About an hour later, they made it to the NICU.
“Is she okay, why is she in the NICU?” Jackie asked.
Shane gave them both a hug.
“She’s fine, she was born a little early and she’s a little small but they wanted to monitor her for another day, Mia said not to worry.”
“Okay, just like the girls. I’m sure the baby will be fine.” Hayden replied, “Have you thought of a name?”
“No, I didn’t even know how to explain it. Mia had to ask me if I was Baby Girl Dae’s father then they brought me here. Do you want to meet her?”
Only two people were allowed to go in at a time, Hayden went first.
“I’m having flashbacks.” He said.
Shane laughed and went towards his daughter. “Here she is.”
“Dude, you didn’t give Kayla a chance, she looks exactly like you.”
“I know, do you want to hold her?”
“Yeah, the girls are so big now, I forgot that they were this small.”
Hayden picked up the baby. She was still sleeping and looked at her with so much love.
“Thank you for coming. I haven’t called my parents, and I was panicking.” Shane told Hayden.
“Of course, man, we both got you. She has that baby smell.”
After a while Jackie came in, Hayden left to ‘get things ready’.
“Oh Shane, she's precious.” She said, “We brought a couple of things, Hayden is going to go get a crib and carseat and set it up in your place.”
Mia walked into the NICU, heading straight for Shane.
“Okay, dad, I got a list of things you would need before you leave tomorrow. Oh a friend!”
“Yeah this is my friend’s wife Jackie.”
Mia looked at her, “You were here not too long ago.”
Jackie nodded, “I had twin girls 6 months ago.”
“I remember, your husband cried a lot.”
Jackie and Shane laughed, both needing a light hearted moment.
“Alright if you could hand me the little one I am going to check her vitals.”
Jackie handed her the baby and Mia went to the other side of the room.
“I know this is hard, Shane, but you have us and I’m sure your parents are going to love that little girl. You have people and that little girl is going to be so loved.”
“Thank you. I think I’m still in shock.”
Mia came back and handed her to Shane.
“She’s hungry, do you want to feed her?” She asked.
He smiled, “Yes.”