“What are you talking about?” I asked quickly.
He sighed. “My daughter was the same when she was pregnant, running to the bathroom every fifteen minutes. What are you… about five months?”
I nodded slowly.
“You’re small for five months.”
I swallowed, unsure what to say. My body tensed automatically, still not used to people noticing, still not used to this pregnancy belonging to the visible world and not just to me.
“You sure you’re going to be okay to handle this?”
I nodded again.
“You got a doc here?”
I nodded.
“What about a fella?”
Caleb’s face darted in front of my eyes.
I shook my head and bit down on my bottom lip. I did not want to lie to Jack, so I told him I did not have a ‘fella.’
He cleared his throat awkwardly. “I think you should see my daughter’s doctor. She was very good and helpful.” He wrote down the doctor’s name and number and handed it to me.
After thanking him, I returned the cheque and drove to the bank. My savings, along with the documents I brought, allowed me to secure a line of credit.
Next, I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Jean Skylar. I wasn’t comfortable with my current doctor, and Jack’s suggestion had come like a blessing in disguise. I had researched a lot on the internet about pregnancy, and talking to Elle helped, especially with my bouts of morning sickness.
After picking up Lucas from school, we headed over to the Maternity Clinic of the Cowichan District Hospital. As I entered the hospital, the smell of antiseptic hit my nose. It carried a slightly bitter scent with undertones of artificial fragrance that immediately made my stomach tighten. Hospitals always had that smell, and it had a way of pulling memories out of me, whether I wanted them to surface or not.
A hollow feeling formed in my chest as I walked through the hallway.
I reached up instinctively and twirled the infinity ring that hung on the chain around my neck. The cool metal brushed against my fingers as memories flooded my mind.
I had said goodbye to Caleb in a hospital room.
He had been unconscious and had no idea I was there. I stood beside his bed, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest, knowing that once I walked away, my life would change forever. I would never see him again.
The memory made my chest constrict as I forced myself to breathe.
That same day, a call from the hospital to Kevin Wong, my real estate agent, set everything in motion.
“Hi, it’s Jiya Flores. Start the process.”
Even now, remembering those words made my stomach twist. Saying them had felt like cutting a piece of my life away.
With a list in hand, I took a cab from the hospital to my apartment. My body ached from the bullet wound, and my arm rested in a sling, but I forced myself to keep moving and follow the list meticulously.
A few minutes after I arrived, two bags of money were delivered as instructed by Eleanor, Caleb’s mother.
I stared at them for a long moment, and then I called Alex. “I need your help. Meet me at my apartment ASAP.”
Alex drove me to the Evans’ mansion in Point Grey. When we arrived, I left the bags of money there with a note for Eleanor.
Eleanor,
Thanks, but no thanks.
