81- Secret pregnancy

One minute I was extracting my DNA during science class in the eighth grade, then in the next, I was getting the call that I no longer had her.
The possibility of that nightmare happening again suddenly makes it too difficult to breathe, so I turn around and slide my arms around his waist.
His strong sturdy frame is all that I need right now, and he doesn’t stop me. His arms come around my shoulders and hold me close as tears burn my eyes. Soon, I’m able to catch my breath and rein in my emotions so I pull away from him. But I keep my puffy eyes lowered to the ground and hidden as I turn back to my sister. Leaning forward, I place a soft kiss on her cheek and my hand on her belly. I think then of her husband... and wonder if I should call him? But he is so far away and the last thing I want to do is torment him with the news when he can do so little or absolutely nothing at this moment.
Grady’s hand interlinks with mine and it makes me turn my attention to him. “Let’s get you something to drink,” he says.
I’m reluctant to leave. After reassuring me however that we will return soon, I give one last look to my resting sister and follow him out of the room.
All I can stomach is water and by the time I’ve consumed two full bottles of it, I feel somewhat consoled.

I don’t want to head over to the room just yet, so we find the waiting room and settle down beside each other.
I’m exhausted from the strenuous day, and the emotional toil of the evening.
So, I can’t help it then when I accept my body’s desperate call for a rest and proceed to place my head on his shoulder. His pats on my arm are gentle and coaxing and soon enough I drift into a restless but exhausted sleep.


listen to the gentle but sometimes restless rhythm of her breathing, and can’t help but feel sympathy for her. Her intention no doubt had been to briefly shut her eyes for a quick rest,
but instead she had slipped right into slumber. Either way, I am relieved.
It does worry me though that her head is on the muscled edge of my shoulder which I imagine is not very comfortable, but it has been barely half an hour since she started sleeping and the last thing I want to do is wake her up.
As I worry about it, she begins to move uncomfortably and unconsciously, so I put my arms around her shoulders. She is now nestled in my arms and I can see that it helps her to relax a bit better. I turn my attention to my phone and with my free hand, settle into concluding my work for the rest of the day. I go through my urgent emails and manage to respond to all of them before she wakes up again.
She’s startled as her eyes flutter open, especially at the position she now finds herself in. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles half coherently.
I shake my head.
She takes a moment to regain her wits and then rises to her feet.
My attention is back on my phone but it’s quite difficult I realize to fight the impulse to watch her. “I’ll go check on my sister,” she says and begins to walk away.
I also rise to my feet and head over to the main desk to sort out her sister’s private room. By the time it’s ready, my phone begins to ring, so I pick it up the moment I see it’s Blair.
“Did you leave yet?” she asks. “No,” I reply. “I’m just downstairs.”

“Alright,” she says. “I’m so sorry about taking your time tonight. I know more than anyone, just how insane your schedule is for tomorrow.
“That’s alright,” I reply.
Her response is a long, heavy sigh.
“I’ll take you home,” I tell her. “Leave your sister to rest. You can be with her when she wakes up in the morning.”
“No, I'm worried that she’ll wake up in the middle of the night and find herself alone. I’ll stay here with her and don’t worry about work. I’ll make sure to be in on time.”
“There’s no need to come in tomorrow,” I tell her. “I’ll get a temp to handle your work for the day.”
She takes a moment to consider this. “Just for the morning. I’ll be in by 11 AM at the latest, and right before the meeting with West Aurora. You need the report from the DDoS attack and I'm not done proofing it. I will make sure that it’s sent to you on time.”
I pause for a second before speaking again, this time extremely calmly so that it will somewhat reassure her, “Blair, you’re currently dealing with a family emergency. Take the time you need to handle it and then return to work. This doesn’t affect your perceived performance at the office in any way, so don’t be nervous.”
She releases a deep breath. “Okay then. I’ll be an irresponsible employee for the second time this week and take tomorrow off. I will still get the report sent to you in the morning, so please check your email for it. I’ll call you to also remind you.”
“Alright.”
“Also, I’ll be on standby tomorrow so don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything. I’ll be here with her but I have my laptop at home, so I’ll still be able to get anything that you need done.”
“Sure,” I reply, and can’t help the smile that comes to my face. We both know that I won’t contact her but if accepting her diligence makes her feel better, I cooperate with it.
The call comes to an end and I fully cover her sister’s bill. I want to stay a bit longer to ensure that they have all they need, but the special consideration feels a bit unsettling to me, so I make up my mind to head home.
Later that night, I can’t help thinking of her. I wonder how her sister is doing and if she has settled into her private room. I also wonder about Blair and if the extra bedding and blankets I ordered so that she can pass the night there as comfortably as possible have been delivered.

The light in my room is currently turned off, so the space is cast in a dimness that is only slightly illuminated by the moonlight through the glass doors and balcony beyond.