Darrell- Chapter 6: Out of Time — Not Suitable for Sims

The woman behind the counter handed him a key. He took it and walked out of the lobby. He stretched and looked at the time: 8 pm. They were still about 5 hours away from home. After such a hectic day, he got a hotel for the night.

He looked into the car but didn’t see Dion. Darrell swore under his breath. Where the hell could that guy have gone? Dion had been acting strange since they left the church. Darrell had never killed anyone before, but he could imagine it wouldn’t be good for someone who already had a bunch of problems.

Darrell looked at the number on the keychain and walked to the room.

It was small and dirty. Plus they would have to share a bed, which Darrell wasn’t looking forward to, but this was all he could afford right now. He sighed. This deal was supposed to clear his tab with Wayne and pay for a few things. He wasn’t sure exactly what would happen now. He got the coke and the cash, but Darrell wasn’t sure if burning a contact the way they did was going to fly.

Darrell sat down on the bed and took off his shoes. Before he could turn on the TV, Dion came walking into the room with a plastic bag. He dropped it on the floor.

Dion ruffled through the plastic bag for a moment before grabbing a few items and heading into the bathroom. Darrell sighed. He had been wearing his sweatshirt for a while and it was getting sweaty. He got up and looked through the bag. Everything looked a little rough, except for a white sweater that managed to be in good condition. He put it on. He heard the water running in the bathroom.

Darrell laid back and turned on the television. He wasn’t exactly sure how to approach Wayne with what happened. Darrell couldn’t see how this wouldn’t end up a mess. He thought about Tammy. It might have been best that they broke up. It seemed like everything about his new job was pushing him farther and farther from the person he used to be. Darrell wasn’t sure if he wanted to change.

Dion came out of the bathroom. Darrell’s jaw dropped as Dion came and sat down beside him.

Darrell stood up and walked out of the motel room. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do about Dion. He had completely freaked out. Darrell walked down the stairs and to the vending machines. They looked a lot nicer than Darrell was expecting, given how terrible the rooms looked, but it seemed like they needed the outward appearances held up.

He grabbed his soda and headed back up to the room. Before he could reach it, however, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He looked at the caller ID. It was Wayne. SHIT, he thought. He hesitated, but after a few more rings he picked up.

Wayne was very quiet on the phone. Darrell thought he might say something, but he didn’t say anything at all. Darrell cleared his throat and continued.

Wayne hung up abruptly. Darrell didn’t think that went well. He rested his hand on the door handle before opening the door. Darrell took a breath and went back into the room. He sat down next to Dion.

Darrell’s phone went off a second time. This time it was a number he didn’t know. He ignored it, but it called again immediately. Darrell walked out of the room and answered the phone.

She hung up in his face. He swore. He fucking hated Erika, but she was Tammy’s best friend from high school. She had been against Tammy moving in with him in the first place. She’d been trying to push him out of Tammy’s life and now she was going to be there for Tammy and he couldn’t. He ran down the stairs and jumped into the car.

***

He sped down the freeway. He kept trying to remember everything he knew about labor times, but then realized he didn’t know anything about them. Didn’t they last for a long time? He wanted to pull over and google it, but he couldn’t waste time.

How could he miss the birth of his own kid? Tammy would never let him live it down. His own mother would never let him live it down. He had to be there. Darrell had to be there for his son.

He finally pulled up to the hospital about six hours later. He asked the front office which room was Tammy’s and went in. Tammy was sleeping on the bed surrounded by balloons and flowers. Erika blocked him immediately.

He walked out of the room and looked around at the signs in the hospital. He saw one that said “Nursery” so he walked in that direction. What a bitch, he thought. Also, he was mad at Tammy. How the hell was he supposed to be there for her if she wouldn’t tell him anything?

He turned a corner. He was furious at himself. How could he have missed it? He felt so ashamed. Darrell wanted to be the best father out there. His own father was out of his life before he had even met him. Darrell didn’t want that for his son. Now he was worried that Tammy would keep his son from him. If she could not call him about this, what else will she not tell him about?

He saw a door that sat “Nursery” He walked in, and looked into the windows at the babies. There were so many of them. He realized that he walked out so angrily he hadn’t even asked the child’s name. He scanned the nameplates for Tammy’s last name: Sanchez. Then he saw it.

As he leaned toward the glass to get a better look, his phone buzzed. He looked at the text on the screen.

Originally published at http://notsuitableforsims.com on September 27, 2020.