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“Anytime, Attorney.”
When she returned to Alyx’s side, she whispered, “I’m up next.”
Alyx gave her an impressed look. “You actuallyname dropped.”
Fredericka forced herself to shrug. “I do it all the time, it’s normal in my line of work.”
“Yes, exactly.” Alyx’s eyes bored through hers. “You do it all the time at work, but you’ve always been Little Miss Proper in your personal life.”
A server approached them then, handing the two of them a menu.
“This is for free?” Fredericka asked, surprised.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Wow again, Fredericka thought. Rich people’s clinics were sure different. And when she glanced down at the menu to see what was on offer, she was even more impressed, with the drinks ranging from everything between soya milk to freshly squeezed Four Seasons.
“What about coffee?”
The server blinked at her. “But that’s not healthy for the baby.”
Oh. Right. “And tea?”
“Anything with caffeine,” the server said cautiously, “is not healthy for someone expecting.”
“Yes, but I’m not sure I’m expecting—-”
Seeing the militant look in her cousin’s eye, Alyx intervened quickly, saying, “We’ll both have water, thanks.” When the server left, she shook her head at Fredericka, saying ruefully, “You’re exactly like Yanna during her first pregnancy.”Completely unreasonable was what she meant,Alyx thought, but experience taught her better than to speak the words out loud.
Fredericka blinked. “But we’re not even sure if I’m expecting.”
Add to that completely illogical,Alyx thought, but in a rare effort at tact and diplomacy, she managed to say comfortingly, “You can drink all the coffee you want after we have the test results.”
One full minute passed before Fredericka turned to her all of a sudden, her face pale. “What if I really am pregnant?”
Alyx gave her cousin an awkwardly encouraging smile. “Then you’ll do what you think best.” She patted Fredericka’s hand in an equally awkward fashion. “You’re strong and smart, Freddie. You’ll know what to do.”
Fredericka shook her head slowly. “If it turns out I’m pregnant,” she whispered between bloodless lips, “I’m screwed.”
“You’re not screwed,” Alyx said loyally. “But you are in this because you, err, screwed.”
Fredericka’s mouth opened and closed.
“Well, itistrue.”
Fredericka sighed. “Has anyone ever told you you’re bad at comforting people?”
“All the time,” Alyx didn’t hesitate to admit it.
“And you don’t plan to improve or maybe even consider changing your method for comforting people?”
“No.” Alyx gave her a serious look. “I’m already too cute as I am now. If I become less prickly, I’d be perfect, and that would be horribly boring.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at Alyx’s deadpan delivery, and despite everything, she could feel the tension ebbing from her shoulders as Alyx’s joke effectively lightened the mood. But when the doctor’s secretary called out her name, Fredericka’s tension returned with a flash, and when they left the clinic two hours later, she felt like a ton of bricks had just tumbled down on her.
Fredericka looked at Alyx. “I, umm, need to go for a walk. I’ll meet you later, okay?”
“Are you sure you’re okay with being alone?” Alyx asked worriedly.
