I clutched the phone tighter as my heart raced. It took me a minute to answer, but I finally got up the courage. “Hi Celeste, this is Anna Leonard.”“Oh, hi Ms. Leonard. We’ve been trying to reach you for a follow-up appointment.”The gremlins clawed at my stomach, and I moved closer to the bathroom. I managed to keep the vomit down on the ride home, but I wasn’t sure I could continue to do so.“Mrs. Leonard?”I leaned against the wall. I’d been a coward, but I couldn’t keep avoiding this. “I’m here. I’m just calling to make that follow-up appointment.”“Great, we’ll get you booked in right away.” I could hear typing on the other end of the phone. “Okay, how is a week from today?”“That works.”“Does a morning appointment work for you?”I told her it did, and she booked me in for an early slot. As much as I wanted answers, I still had responsibilities. I’d have to pick myself up and get back to work, regardless of what I found out. Arthur and all the rest of my clients would be expect
The rest of the week went by, and I didn’t see Barnett once. I even went to Stand Up a few times, but he wasn’t there and the man at the desk said he hadn’t been around in a while. I hadn’t heard from Lily either and I couldn’t help but worry. What if she somehow dug up the truth, even with doctor-patient confidentiality? I knew she’d tell Barnett what she found, if he even still cared to know, and I didn’t want that.I knew they’d be mad at me for not telling them, but even if they couldn’t see it, I had a good reason. I didn’t want them to worry about me, and I didn’t want my last weeks and days to be concerned about my cancer. Time was already running out for me, and I wanted–no, needed–to make the most of every second I had left.The day of my appointment arrived, and I woke up nauseous from the nerves. The feeling followed me as I dressed and got everything together for my clients. I took my Corolla for the added privacy and drove to the doctor’s office.I was a little early, but
My first reaction was confusion. How could I be pregnant? “I don’t understand,” I said.Dr. Williams handed me a piece of paper. “These are the results of your blood work. They clearly show that you’re pregnant. You’re a couple of weeks along now.”“I don’t understand,” I said again.My first thought was that they were Bob’s, which was terrible news. What if he wanted to be a part of their lives? The last thing I needed was to be tied to Bob forever. Just being divorced was bad enough, considering he couldn’t seem to leave me alone.Then it dawned on me that the timeline didn’t add up. “You said I’m a few weeks along?”Dr. Williams nodded.“Oh.”It hit me like a brick wall. They were Barnett’s babies, just like in my dreams. The night we hooked up after Lily’s party, we hadn’t used a condom. I didn’t have any in the house and I was far too drunk to think responsibly about protection.Then the other part hit. “What about my cancer?” I said, nearly whispering. “Can I even have the babie
I knew I needed to find Barnett as soon as possible. If I put it off too long, I’d never get up the nerve to tell him the truth. I tried to find him at his apartment building, but no one answered the door when I knocked.I went down to the front desk, thinking I could leave some sort of message for him. The man behind the counter looked up as I approached. “Hi, Mrs. Leonard,” he said. “What can I do for you?”“I’m looking for Barnett, but he isn't here. Can I leave him a message?”“Oh, Mr. Cogsworth hasn’t lived here in a while. In fact, he rarely stays here. I think he’s been staying at one of his other properties.” Other properties? How many did he have?“Oh, okay. Never mind, then.”He gave me an apologetic smile before turning back to his computer. I trailed back across the lobby, my thoughts all over the place. If he hardly ever lived here, why was he around the whole time I stayed in that apartment? Was it just to be near me? Could Lily have been right about his intentions this
Julia moved closer, but she stopped when she saw the look on my face. She had nothing on but a silk robe. She hadn’t even bothered to put on shoes before she came outside. I noticed, with some satisfaction, that she had ugly feet. It was nice to know she wasn’t perfect everywhere.“What do you want?” she said.“Nothing from you,” I snapped. I didn’t know where it came from, but I couldn’t hold my anger back. “I’m looking for Barnett.”Her gaze darkened. “He’s not here.”“Fine. Do you know where I can find him?” It was a long shot, but I was getting desperate. He needed to know the truth.“He doesn’t want to see you,” she said, taking another step forward. “And you’re not welcome here.” She took out her phone and typed something into the screen. A moment later, a guard walked up.“Ms., I’m here to escort you off the property,” he said, gesturing for me to get back into my car. It wasn’t like I could refuse him. He was a wall of muscle.I glared at Julia. The embarrassment made my heart
Arthur put me in touch with his producers the next day, and I spent part of the morning on a business call with them.“We really want you on the show,” Mr. Cooper, the creator of the show, said. His co-producer, who introduced herself as Irene, nodded along with him. “Arthur has said wonderful things about you, and your work with Freyja has impressed us.”“Thank you,” I said.It felt weird to hear their compliments, and I had to remind myself to just accept t
We were leaving in two weeks, and I had to break the news to my other clients. The hardest was StarRise. She was my biggest client aside from Arthur, and even though it had been challenging, I had a great time working with her. She was a lot of fun to style.“I can’t believe you’re leaving me,” she said for the millionth time since I’d told her.“I know, but I couldn’t turn down the opportunity.”She nodded. “It’s going to be so huge f
Two weeks came and went, and suddenly it was the day before Arthur, and I had to leave for our first location. Nerves pricked at my stomach, mingling with the almost constant nausea. I really hoped the morning sickness wouldn’t be as bad during my second trimester. I didn’t think I could handle it much longer.There were a few things I still needed to do before I left, but I’d been putting them off. Lily was still in Egypt, and I hadn’t seen or heard anything from Barnett. Despite his office being in the same building, I never ran into him anymore. He was clearly still avoiding me. Maybe he’d never return to his office at all,