"We sure as hell do!" boomed Matthew. "I told you, young lady, that I was going to insist on having answers to all of my questions tonight. There is no way you're going to wheedle your way out of this. Now, tell your mother and I who the potential father - or should I say fathers - of this baby are."
"I don't know their names," replied Hayley reluctantly. "And I'm not even sure what they look like. I met them at a party, had never seen them before, and haven't seen them since. I'm don't think they're from around here."
Matthew struggled mightily to keep his temper in check as he prodded further. "What party? When was this exactly?"
"About six weeks ago. And, well, I'm not exactly sure where the party was either. I mean," she added hastily at her father's look of disbelief, "I didn't notice where we were driving to. And Brianne didn't remember either. It was dark and raining outside, and no streetlights so neither one of us know where the house was. Somewhere up in the hills, maybe Los Gatos or Saratoga, around there. I don't really know that area very well, and it might not even have been there for all I know and - "
Matthew held up a hand. "Stop. You're rambling on and on and not making a lick of sense. First of all, who's Brianne?"
"She's Hayley's new friend," explained Lindsey. "She and her older brother just transferred to the school this semester, and since Hayley has a big crush on the brother she's sort of latched onto Brianne."
"Is he the one who got you pregnant?" demanded Matthew.
Hayley shook her head emphatically. "God, no! He's a senior, two years older than I am, and doesn't even know I exist half the time. But supposedly he was going to be at this one party that Brianne convinced me to attend, only he wasn't there after all. And, well, that party turned out to be a big dud, so when Brianne met these two older guys there who said they knew where a real party was going on, we went with them."
Matthew closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache coming on fast. "And you have no idea where this other party was, hmm?"
"No. We, uh, might have had a few beers at the first party, and smoked a joint," she confessed sheepishly. "So I was already kind of out of it during the drive. And all I remember about the second party was one of the guys who brought us giving me a drink. Next thing I know we're waking up in Brianne's room the next morning, and neither of us can remember how we got there."
He counted to ten beneath his breath, trying desperately to quell his mounting rage. "Are you trying to tell me," he asked in a dangerously low voice, "that you were date raped and haven't said a word about it until now? My God, Hayley, what the hell were you thinking?"
Hayley quavered in fear at this uncharacteristic display of anger from her normally placid father. "I - I guess I didn't think of it that way," she answered in a small voice. "Being raped, that is. I don't even remember any of it, to be honest."
"Of course you don't." Matthew exhaled sharply, shaking his head in disbelief. "Because those bastards drugged you, and then did whatever the hell they wanted while you were unconscious. Did they hurt you, baby?"
Hayley shrugged. "Not really. I mean, I had an awful headache after and was sick to my stomach. So was Brianne. But I didn't have any bruises or anything like that, if that's what you're asking."
"Why in God's name didn't you tell someone what happened, Hayley?" he asked incredulously. "If you had said something right away one of us could have called the police, taken you in for an examination. They would have taken a blood test, figured out what sort of drug you were given, and might have been able to track down those bastards. Or at least where this party took place. What about the first party you went to? Did you ask anyone who attended if they knew who these two guys were?"
"Oh my God, Dad - no!" exclaimed Hayley, horror-stricken. "You really think that Brianne and I are going to admit to all of our friends that we were stupid enough to go off with some strangers and let ourselves get drugged? Do you have any idea what people would have said about us, the gossip that would have gone around? Brianne and I haven't even talked about it since that morning, we agreed it was best to pretend it never happened."
"Well, you can't exactly do that any longer, can you?" retorted Matthew. "Did these rapists have a first name? And what sort of car were they driving?"