Broken Sound by Karolyn James

The truth was that being in the small bedroom, filled with everything blue and baby, just hit Davey hard.  He made it down the hallway, looking for a bathroom, remembering it wasn’t his place.  He didn’t feel right to just open and close doors, not to mention the potential of waking Donald. 
    That’s when he ended up in the kitchen and quickly turned the water on, washing his hands.  He stopped, dried his hands, and took a breath.  But the emotions came again.  A lethal mix of anger, regret, pain, hope, thoughts of Anna, thoughts of Cassy, Chasing Cross, new music, wondering when they would tour again.  It literally felt like everything.  All at once.
    It forced Davey to wash his hands two more times, thinking something would click in his mind and change.  It was an intense moment, the closest he had come to crying in years.  He felt himself slipping over a dangerous edge, one that put him in the driver’s seat of little Donald’s life.  He wanted to be his father no matter what.  The baby deserved it, no matter what. 
    Davey touched his pocket again and sighed.  He slid his hand into it and took out a sealed envelope.  It looked small but the contents were anything but.  Davey thought about writing a check to Cassy but decided he did not want to give her his address and banking information. 
    As he held the envelope, Cassy appeared at the entrance to the kitchen, calm and happy.  When Davey looked at her, the emotions tried to come back again.  He looked at Cassy differently now.  Yesterday, she had been some woman.  Today, she was a mother.  A single mother at that.  A single mother with a heavy choice to either pursue Davey or let him make the right decision.
    “What’s that?” Cassy asked and pointed to the envelope.
    “Something for you and Donald,” Davey said.
    Cassy dove at the envelope so fast that it made him jump back.  She attacked the envelope like she had never seen money before.  Or maybe she was just a few days away from having the electric turned off, or didn’t have enough to cover the rent.
    “I hope it’s at least something,” Davey said.
    “I’ll find out,” Cassy said. 
    Her tone changed and she slid her finger along the envelope.  Davey didn’t really mean for her to open it in front of him.
    Cassy took out the cash and counted the hundred dollar bills.  When she got to the last one, she frowned for a second and then tossed the money and envelope to the counter.
    “Let me show you what’s in that black book,” Cassy said.
    Davey looked at the money on the counter, just there like it was a pile of change.  Sure, for him it wasn’t a lot of money but back in the day a thousand dollars would have made him feel rich.  A thousand dollars should cover plenty of food and clothes for Davey.  It should cover a portion if not all the rent.  And that’s all Davey wanted right now, to help until he could sort the details out. 
    “Cassy, that money...”
    “Don’t worry about it,” Cassy said.  “I’ll spend it.”
    “Spend it?  You mean on Donald or utilities, right?”
    Cassy lifted the book off the table and turned around.  “Don’t tell me you’re one of those guys.”
    “What guys?”
    “Guys who tell women how to spend their money.”
    “I’m not... no.  I mean, I know maybe that’s not a lot of money but it’s something for now.  Until we get this sorted out.”
    “Sorted out?”
    Davey’s heart hurt.  He couldn’t bear to question who Donald’s father was.  But it had to be done, right?  It just had to be done.
    “Show me the book,” Davey said.
    Cassy led the way to the couch and he took a seat next to her. 
    She opened the book, the first thing in it was the ticket stub from a Chasing Cross show.
    “That’s the show,” she said.
    Davey eyed the date and tried to mentally figure things out.  Donald’s age.  Nine months before that.  It all seemed to match, give or take a few weeks. 
    Cassy had pictures from the