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“I’m sorry, I forgot how hungover you’d be.” Riley is sitting on the couch sipping coffee.
“It’s okay.” I go to take a seat next to her when I catch a whiff of cigarette smoke. It sends me running to the bathroom again. That is weird, Riley always smoked but that never used to bother me.
“Luna? Are you okay?” Riley calls through the door, her voice full of concern.
“No.” I pause. “You might wanna go, Ri, I’m not feeling good and I don’t think it’s the hangover.”
“Are you sure? I can get you something.”
“No, I’m sure. Honestly, I should just be alone. I promise,” I add for good measure. We always said if we added ‘I promise’ to a sentence, we truly meant it. I don’t want to offend her, but I know if she is still out there, I’ll keep getting sick.
“Okay, I’ll call you later to check on you,” she says after a minute.
Riley leaves and for good measure, I hide out in my room until I’m sure the smell of bacon and any smoke is gone. It is weird I was so sick, I must have caught something at work.Oh my gosh!I forgot to call out. They are going to kill me. I glance at the clock; it is already eleven am. In all my time working there, I haven’t had so much as a sick day. Let alone a no call, no show. I am surprised my phone isn’t blowing up with texts and calls from Molly wondering where I am. I find my phone on the nightstand, charging thanks to Riley. She is always good at taking care of me when I drink too much.
I dial Molly’s number and frown when she doesn’t pick up.Where is she?I settle for calling the office and speak to the HR department about not being there. They don’t seem to care and ask me twice to spell my last name. They ask when I’ll be back and I tell them Monday, since it is Friday I am hopeful this is nothing more than a twenty-four hour bug.
I end up napping for a bit, which helps me keep my mind of my life. Waking to the sound of someone knocking on the door, I brace myself expecting it to be Riley back with snacks or medicine. Instead, I surprise both of us by opening the door in my pajamas to find Molly on the other side.
“Molly?”
“Can I come in? It’s rainy out today and I’m freezing!” She’s wearing a raincoat but it’s soaked and her hair is matted to her cheeks.
“Sure.” I step aside and she takes off her boots.
“Here, I brought you everything you might need. You didn’t say anything so I assumed you might be sick, or I thought you might be having a breakup personal day.” She pushes a large paper bag toward me.
“W-what?” I ask confused, but she motions to open it. I place it on the counter and pull out a multitude of things. Cough syrup, candy corn; my favorite, tissues, cough drops, and chapstick. Under it all were some magazines and a romance novel you could buy at a local drug store.
“Thank you, you didn’t have to do all this.” I smile.
“I know, but I thought it might help. I didn’t mean to intrude but things looked tense yesterday.” She waits for me to say something but words fail me. “Anyway, I can go, but I just wanted to drop that off.”
“Would you like to stay for breakfast?” I suggest.
“Are you sure? It’s almost noon.” She chuckles.
“Brunch then, my best friend is a fantastic cook.” I smile and grab the leftovers from the fridge. I’m glad Riley remembered to put them away for me before she left.
“Okay.” She nods and I pull off the aluminum foil, exposing the leftover bacon. My stomach lurches and it sends me right back to the bathroom. Molly doesn’t follow me or say anything, but I still feel bad. I offer her food and then all but throw up on it.
“I’m so sorry,” I apologize when I have the strength to return to the kitchen.
“Oh no, please it’s okay.”
“I don’t even know what’s wrong with me, I have some weird hangover bug.” I look in the cabinet for some Pepto Bismol.
“It’s okay, my sisters were the same way when they were pregnant.”
“I’m, uh, not pregnant…”
“I’m SO SORRY! You’ve just been sick so often, and I noticed some smells bother you.” She looks panicked, but I’m focused on what she’s suggesting.I can’t be pregnant, could I?No, I mean sure Cody and I weren’t always safe but there are no symptoms. Except being sick all the time, and the smells…holy shit.
“Holy shit. Am I pregnant?” I say aloud.
Chapter Fifteen
Ilive for those moments when I first wake up in the morning. Those first few seconds where I’m awake but not really aware of anything. In those moments, Cody is still here, and I don’t have this hole in my chest. In those moments, he is still mine and everything is okay. But then those moments pass and I’m hit with the forceful reality that I’m alone. That Cody left and we aren’t okay anymore because ofme. Today feel particularly worse in those moments, because not only am I alone, but I might be carrying my ex’s baby.
