AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t be silly, Jon. Go! Get it taken care of before the cat bowls float away and you have an angry uprising on your hands.”
“You jest, but that is a very real possibility.” He kissed me goodbye again.
Things weren’t just suddenly right between us—we still hadn’t talked about what had driven us apart—but we had an understanding, a sort of underlying clarity that at least we knew we needed to do that and that we wanted to do that. Half the battle had been won. I was disappointed when he called later to tell me he had a major catastrophe on his hands and would most likely be there the rest of the day trying to get it under control. I mean, I wasn’t going anywhere, but I was anxious to resolve our differences and spend some quality time together getting past all of this.
Of course, it didn’t escape me that things could go wrong. They seemed to have a way of doing that, but something Becky had said stuck with me. Maybe I was the problem, always flying off the handle and thinking the worst instead of just sitting down and letting him talk to me, to comfort me. I had to at least consider that I was the one who needed to get a grip.
As the next few days unfolded, we got little chance to see one another. The rain continued, and so did the mess at his house. He was spending most of his time there, trying to empty buckets of water that leaked in around the giant tarp he, Donnie, and Glenn managed to erect to stop most of the downpour. Still, he managed to stop by and check on me, bringing me meals and eating with me before heading out for bucket duty again.
“I’m sorry, Rain. I want to be here. I know we need to talk, but I’m trying to salvage my appliances and floors. You wouldn’t believe the mess over there. If this storm doesn’t stop soon, I may have to just let it go and try to collect the insurance for the damages. I’m going to be looking at a claim already, but it’s going to be a lot worse if I can’t keep it under control. Are we OK for a bit?”
“Of course we are. You do what you need to do. I’m fine here. Becky and Derrick have also been checking on me, and my ankle is feeling better. I’m able to put a bit of weight on it now.”
“Just don’t overdo it. You’ve nowhere to be right now, so enjoy the downtime.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” I told him.
It didn’t seem like my cards and word of mouth were quite paying off like I had hoped. I hadn’t gotten a single call since being officially open for business. Still, Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’d just have to keep plugging away at it, hoping for the best. I tried not to think about the payment due on the loan to my Aunt Bertha at the end of the month. I was holding on to every extra dime I had to try to cover it, but I was still coming up short and had nowhere to get it. If I didn’t start getting some income quick, I was doomed.
“Do you have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow?” he asked.
“Right. I almost forgot. You don’t need to worry about it though. Becky is going to take me. She has the day off at the bank, and we’re going to get my checkup done and then go out to lunch.”
“Ah, a little girl time. Can’t beat that.”
“I could, but I’ll have to wait until you get out from underwater,” I laughed.
“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
“Damn right you will,” I teased.
The following morning, Becky picked me up and trekked me across town to the doctor’s office. I was surprised when a nurse came to the door to call me back, but instead of taking me to the exam room, she took me to Dr. Hampton’s office and asked me to have a seat. Instantly, I was on edge. Nothing good ever came of being taken to the doctor’s office for a discussion.
“Raintree, how are you?” he asked as he entered the room.
“I’m not sure yet,” I told him, and he smiled knowingly.
“How is the ankle feeling?”
“Much better. I can put a bit of weight on it now.”
“That’s good. Just keep taking it easy on it. Don’t put too much pressure on it too soon. How are you feeling otherwise?”
“Good, I guess. Is there a reason I shouldn’t be feeling OK?”
“No nausea? Vomiting?”
“No. Why would there be?” I asked, growing more apprehensive by the second.
“Because you’re pregnant.”
“I’m what?” I asked, certain I’d heard him wrong.
“Pregnant.”
“Why are you just now telling me this? Shouldn’t you have called me when the tests came back?”
