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When Cath awoke the next morning it was after seven, she was late. She quickly dressed and skipped breakfast to arrive at work on time.
The only flaw in the day was when Phil asked for a new routine in their reporting structure. It added approval levels to certain ongoing accounts. Cath resented the implication, but there was nothing she could do about it.
She hung up and stuck her tongue out at the phone. She still burned when she thought about the change. But it was not worth getting upset over. She had other things to do.
Leaving work she was pleased to find while it was already dark out, the night was clear and cold. She stopped at a stationery store on the way home, delighting in the variety of Christmas cards available. She even stopped by the birth announcement section, perusing the different ones for boys and girls. She felt a slight twinge low in her abdomen. For a moment she froze. It faded and she breathed easier. Maybe she should go on home and get off her feet. She’d mentioned the sporadic pain to the doctor on Tuesday, but he had seen nothing to worry about. Some minor discomfort would be expected; so far the baby sounded healthy.
Cards purchased, she hailed a cab and was soon back at the apartment. She changed into warm casual wear and then prepared herself an omelet for dinner. She addressed her cards, writing short notes in most of them. Next year she would be including the baby’s name. It seemed so unreal.
Cath felt another twinge low in her abdomen. For a moment she could hardly breathe. Moving from the table, she went to the sofa and sat so she could pull her legs up close to her chest, wrapping her arms around her knees. This position eased the discomfort.
She needed to call the doctor tomorrow. She knew to expect problems, but she wanted some reassurance. She was so afraid she’d lose the baby. As she sat in that position, the pain gradually faded. Almost afraid to move for fear of causing problems, she chanced getting ready for bed.
Sleep was slow in coming. She needed more reassurance than the doctor could give her. There were no guarantees. Please, don’t let me lose this precious baby, she prayed.
She called the doctor the next morning and told him about the slight twinges that she experienced. He ordered another sonogram, hoping to spot any possible problem before it could escalate.
Cath didn’t tell Trace. She went alone and got the results. Non conclusive, according to the doctor. The scarring was obvious. But the baby looked like it was growing normally. He told Cath to make sure she didn’t overdo activities.
Only occasionally did she wonder what it would have been like to be twenty-four and healthy with no problems, instead of thirty-eight, high-risk and so longing for a baby she could hardly think of anything else.
The next week flew by. Cath took every opportunity to rest when it came. She and Trace went out to parties, met friends at restaurants. When she offered to host an event for their company, Trace vetoed the idea, saying it was too much with her workload and high risk pregnancy.
Cath wished he felt the same about her dealings with Phillip McIntyre. The man was driving her crazy. Cath wondered if that was the plan—frustrate her so much she quit. That would sure solve the Brussels’ position, and ensure Trace’s baby stayed in the same city as its father.
But she refused to credit Trace with being so devious. She didn’t discuss the difficulties with him. He wanted to distance himself from her. Didn’t want a hint of nepotism rumors around the company. She could deal with this.
Though when Thomas called from Brussels and told her about Phillip claiming one of the new marketing slogans as his own, she saw red! How dare he take credit for her creativity!
She went to see him to discuss the matter. He was attentive and seemed to give serious consideration to her complaint, but then said they were a team and as team leader anything that came up he presented to management. Surely she did the same thing when one of her subordinates came up with a good idea.
“No, actually, I don’t. I give credit where it’s due. That way when it’s time for promotion, everyone knows who has been contributing and who has come up with great ideas,” she responded.
“Well, no worries there, Trace knows what you’re capable of,” Phillip had said.
She left as frustrated as when she started. But warned at least. Now the challenge was how to circumvent his roadblocks without appearing to be running to Trace behind his back.
The stress was showing. She lost weight instead of gaining it. She had trouble sleeping at night. Not only because of the tension with Phil.
She still resented the way Trace had not told her about the change, letting her walk into that situation blind. It proved beyond anything how little he regarded her. She’d been foolish to think they could forge a bond. She was falling in love with a man who didn’t care about her at all. How pathetic was that?
Her mother called to postpone their visit to the city. They wanted to meet Trace, but would wait until after the holiday rush. What was Cath planning for Christmas?
Cath wasn’t sure. It was a midweek holiday and she had to work on both days flanking Christmas. If she didn’t go home, Cath realized it would be the first Christmas she would spend apart from her family. She’d always enjoyed spending the day with her family, especially once the nieces and nephew came along. Still it would make for a very long day, heavy traffic and the risk of inclement weather.
One Christmas away wouldn’t hurt her. Next year she’d be there with her own child.
“It’d just be too much,” she said reluctantly telling her mother she couldn’t come home.
“I understand. How are you feeling?”
“I’m tired, cranky and sometimes have little pains in my abdomen. I see the doctor regularly. He did another sonogram and everything looked okay, or at least he didn’t spot any problem. But there is so much scar tissue, he’s not sure how things will work out. I try not to think about that.”
She knew she should prepare herself for all eventualities, but she was so hoping she’d have this baby.
“Patience, Cath. It’ll be fine. We’ll call Christmas morning,” her mother said before ending the call.
Cath was glad she was home when her mom called and not at work. Tears welled. She dashed them away. One Christmas away from her family wouldn’t kill her. She had to focus on the next Christmas when she’d have a little girl or boy to be delighted in.
