help
you?”
A
disembodied voice asks.
“Luke is awake,” I respond, still stroking Luke’s hair.
“Someone will be right in.”
“Hello, Mr. Williams.” The doctor smiles at Luke and, seeing me curled up at his side, winks at me. “I have good news for you. We’re going to kick you out of here tomorrow. You’re banged up pretty good, but nothing is broken, and according to the CT scan, you don’t have any internal injuries. You are a very lucky man.”
“Thank you. Can I eat?”
“Are you hungry?” I ask him.
“Starving.”
“Sure, you can eat. Start with something light. No steaks today.” I get up off the bed so the doctor can examine Luke. Taking advantage of the time I call Jules and ask her to bring Luke a light sandwich and cup of soup from our favorite deli and then I call Luke’s mom, using the number she gave me earlier, to let them know that Luke is awake and being released tomorrow.
They promise to visit later this evening.
The doctor finishes up as I hang up the phone.
“Jules is bringing you some dinner.” I take his right hand in mine and bring it up to my cheek.
“You should go home and eat, get some rest.”
“I’m not leaving until you do.”
I expect a bit of an argument, but he smiles shyly and caresses my cheek.
“Okay. Will you tell me about yesterday?”
“Persistent, aren’t you?”
“I want to know what happened.”
“Maybe we should talk about this tomorrow, after we’re home.”
“Talk to me, baby.” His face is somber and a little sad, and I close my eyes. Should I tell him about the baby while he’s here in the hospital, or should I wait?
I open my eyes and he’s still patiently watching me, and I know that he deserves to know the truth.
I take a deep breath. “I wasn’t feeling well yesterday morning before you left, but I thought it was just nerves because you were flying, and I was scared.”
I grip his hand in mine and he squeezes gently. “I wish you’d told me.”
“I didn’t want to worry you. When I got back to my place, I got violently sick. I spent a good hour throwing up, even when there wasn’t anything left to throw up.” I squish up my nose in disgust. “Sexy, huh?”
“Keep talking,” he responds.
“Jules made me go to the E.R. when the vomiting showed no signs of stopping.”
“Why didn’t one of you call me?”
“You were in meetings all day, and there was nothing you could do from L.A.”
“I could have caught the next flight out.”
“I just wanted to see what the doctor said. I thought for sure I had the flu and they would tell me to drink juice and sleep it off.” I shrug.
“What did they tell you?”
I bite my lip and shut my eyes for just a moment. “Well, I’m healthy.”
“But?”
Here goes nothing.
“I’m six weeks pregnant,” I whisper.
I’m looking down at our hands. The room is silent.
Finally, after what feels like hours, he whispers, “Look at me.”
I shake my head no.
“Look at me, baby.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Look at my face, Natalie.”
I slowly look up at him, and he is gazing at me with love and wonder and a little confusion. But he’s not mad.
“You’re not angry?” I ask.
“Why would I be angry?”
“Because it’s too soon.” I shake my head and close my eyes. “It’s just too soon.”
“I’m not angry. But Nat, didn’t you say that you were on birth control?”
“I was. I’m OCD when it comes to taking my pill, but the doctor said that just like all birth control methods it can fail, and clearly, it did.”
I look up into his gorgeous face and take a deep breath, steadying myself to finish the story.
“So, the doctor told me I was pregnant, and did an ultrasound to see how far along I am. I have a picture.
I’ll show you in a minute.”
“Okay,” he whispers.
“After the doctor left, Jules was flipping through channels on the TV in the room, and stopped on an evening gossip show, and that’s when I saw you.” I try to release his hand so I can stand and pace, but he holds on tight.
“Don’t go. Finish the story.”
“My world fell apart. I hated seeing those pictures, more than I’ve hated anything in my life. I hated the way you were looking at her…” my voice cracks and I clear my throat.
“Nat, it was nothing.”
“I know, but it didn’t look like nothing, and then I learned that you’d been engaged to her, and I was hormonal and scared and sick and I just wanted to be in your arms.”
“Come up here.”
I lie back down next to him and he cradles me close to him.
“When I couldn’t reach you yesterday it made me crazy. I couldn’t concentrate in any of my meetings. It’s not like you to not respond or answer your phone.”
“At first I didn’t know what to say, and then I was mad at you.”
“I caught a late flight back to Seattle and went straight to your place, and you know the rest.”
“I’m sorry for the things I said.”
“Me too.”
“Luke, I don’t want you anywhere near that woman. I don’t want you to work with her.”
“I called her after I left your place last night and told her that I was going with someone else for the movie. I won’t talk to her again. I’m sorry I hurt you. I wasn’t holding her when we left the restaurant. I certainly didn’t kiss her. I probably hugged her goodbye, but it didn’t mean anything. I don’t even remember what I was doing, but the rags always twist things to look the way they want them to. I was probably thinking about calling you.”
“So,” Luke says and I tilt my head back so I can see his eyes. “We’re having a baby.”
He smiles, widely, and just looks so… proud of himself.
“Looks that way.”
“I guess we’d better get married sooner rather than later.”
“Luke, I don’t want you to feel like you have to marry me just because I’m pregnant…”
“Stop right there. I asked you to marry me before we knew you were pregnant.”