AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s fine, Audrina. She does what has to be done, and I’m paying her more for that. So don’t worry. If you do, I’ll only worry about you, too.” He looked sincere.
“I don’t mean to complain about it. I’m happy I have the time to sit with Sylvia, of course. She’s very uncomfortable.”
“And crying a lot, I understand. You underestimate your contribution. Mrs. Matthews tells me it would be ten times worse if you weren’t right there comforting Sylvia. Just keep up what you’re doing.”
I looked down and shook my head. Tears were coming into my eyes.
“What? What else is wrong?” he snapped, not hiding his impatience.
“Something’s not right with me, Arden. I know you can’t take me to see Dr. Prescott or have him come here, but I am so unenergetic these days. Half the time, I don’t even try to get up out of bed. I don’t care about what I’m wearing. I’ve been in this bathrobe for days, I think. That’s another thing, Arden. I’ve been having trouble remembering things, even things I think I did the day before. I know you haven’t been around that much these past weeks, but surely you see a difference in me. Surely you do!” Now my tears were free to streak down my cheeks. “Look at my hair,” I cried, tugging on the loose, wiry strands. “I can’t recall when I last cared to put on lipstick. I’m turning into some sort of hag, something you accused me of once.”
He rushed over to sit next to me on the bed and put his arm around me. “Oh, Audrina, don’t cry. It breaks my heart to see you so sad when we are on the verge of bringing new happiness to Whitefern. The wonderful sounds of a newborn baby’s cry and laughter will drive away the shadows and dark memories from every corner of every room. We have lived under the cloud of sadness far too long. Both of us losing our parents too soon and your struggle with your twisted past would be far too much for most to bear. We have such strength. You have such strength. Together we’ll conquer it all, Audrina. Don’t cry.”
I sucked back my tears and nodded. “But I’m not feeling as well as I should, Arden. Something’s wrong.”
“I know,” he said, standing again. “Mrs. Matthews told me.”
“What? When?”
“Recently.”
“What did she tell you?”
“She said you are suffering from intense anxiety. She said she has seen it many times, especially with pregnant women, so she is as familiar with the symptoms as any doctor and knows just how to treat you.”
“Treat me? What do you mean?”
“First, you do agree that you have been extraordinarily anxious recently, especially after that last trip to the supermarket, right?”
“I suppose so, but—”
“Well, as we’ve discussed time and time again, Audrina, we can’t take the chance of anything happening to either you or Sylvia right now, and we can’t expose either of you to the outside world. Up to now, we’ve been very successful convincing people that you’re under special care as you draw within the last days of your pregnancy. A day doesn’t go by when I don’t have at least six or seven calls asking after your health. Why, even Mr. Johnson has bought it hook, line, and sinker. That’s why we’ve put all the legal business on hold. You should be proud of yourself. You’re making this possible. Just think how wonderful you’ll feel with the baby in your arms, the four of us on some Sunday outing. That day is coming, Audrina, and it’s coming soon.”
“What did you mean when you said Mrs. Matthews knows just how to treat my anxiety?” I wasn’t going to let him change the subject.
He smiled down at me. Both he and Papa always accused me of being a bulldog whenever I bit into something. “You’ve got to appreciate how lucky we are to have Mrs. Matthews for all this, Audrina. Imagine, someone with her medical knowledge willing to do just as we ask and not only that but do it with enthusiasm and dedication. Why, all this has become almost as important to her as it is to us.”
I stared up at him, holding my expression, still waiting for my answer.
He saw that and walked to the door, peered out, and walked back to the bed. “We don’t want to insult her, Audrina. That’s the first thing and maybe the most important.”
“Insult her?”
“Challenge her instructions or her wisdom when it comes to you and Sylvia.”
“Me and Sylvia? Arden, get it through your head . . . I’m not really pregnant. I don’t need a maternity nurse’s tender loving care.”
He laughed. “Of course you’re not. I didn’t say otherwise. But what I’m talking about, what Mrs. Matthews is talking about, has nothing to do with whether you’re pregnant. It has to do with your anxiety. She says she has seen women as anxious as you are do rather bizarre things. Some show it with aggressive acts, sometimes hurting themselves as much as others.”
“She thinks I would hurt Sylvia?”
“Oh, no. She’s worried you might hurt yourself in some way, and then everything would be lost. She’s only trying to make sure that doesn’t happen, Audrina. It’s not for long.”
“What’s not for long? What is she doing?”
“She’s been giving you some tranquilizers to keep you calm,” he confessed. “With my approval, of course. They’re similar to the pills you took once before, remember?”
“Tranquilizers?” That made no sense. I took no pills. “When? How have I been taking tranquilizers?”
