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“Okay, thank you,” I said, getting up.
But she still didn't look at me. I walked to the kitchen and a plate with eggs, toast, and bacon was waiting for me on the countertop, but I wasn’t hungry.
I walked back to the living room. I wasn't much of a talker, but perhaps we should talk about what had happened yesterday. We were both shocked and had reacted badly. There were a lot of worries and fears in the air.
Suddenly, through the large picture window, I could see a figure standing on a ladder outside the house. It looked like Elise. As I moved closer, I could see that it was Elise, indeed. She was standing on the ladder and was about to start painting the front of the house.
We had plans to repaint. We thought it was something we could do in our free time instead of hiring someone to handle it. I knew Elise wanted to keep her hands busy, and she wanted to repaint the house as her way of getting her hands dirty. And I’d encouraged it. But that wasbeforewe found out she was carrying not just anybody’s child, butmine.
“Elise!” I shouted, bolting out of the house and onto the front porch.
She looked down at me and frowned.
“What is it?” she asked.
“You need to get down.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re on a fucking ladder! That’s why,” I huffed.
“Stop,” she growled at me. “Stop treating me like a child!”
The way she moved her arm caused the ladder to shake beneath her, and she tried to steady herself. As fast as I could, I rushed toward her, but it was too late. In terror, I saw the ladder slip free from the house and land with a crash on the ground. Elise fell with it. The horror of the scene almost made me vomit.
I thundered to her as fast as I could. When I reached her and lifted her up, I could see she was in pain by the way she wrapped her hands around her stomach.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
Back in the car in the hospital parking lot, I watched as Elise rested her head on the car seat and was sleeping peacefully. The doctor had told us she would be fine as there was no bleeding and the pain had stopped.
Nothing had happened to the baby.
The relief was indescribable. Now we only needed to get her home, and Elise needed to rest, eat, and do things that wouldn't put the baby in danger. No more climbing damn ladders, for instance.
I started the car and drove us home. When we arrived, I ran to her side of the truck and lifted her off the seat.
“You know I can walk, right?” She glared at me.
“Yes, I know. But I don’t care. No more stress today.”
I closed the car door with the side of my arm, pressed the lock button, and carried her inside the house. There, she asked to be put down so she could walk to the couch and lie down on it.
“Please stop staring at me like that,” she said, looking over at me.
“We need to talk, Elise.” I frowned and sat beside her, lifting her legs off the floor to put them on my lap.
“I’d rather not.” Her eyes flickered up to me.
I stared at her face for a second, but her expression gave nothing away. It was totally blank. I wanted to give her space, but the fear of losing the baby had triggered something inside me. Something I had never felt before.
I nodded. “Elise... I know you’re scared.”
“Scared?” Tears started to form in her eyes. “I’m freaking terrified. For the first time in years, I felt happy again. This place… you. I couldn’t believe my luck. Then this pregnancy happened and it’s almost like I can see the resentment in your eyes.”
She looked away. “In fact, I can’t even look at you, that's how much it hurts. So if you want me and the baby gone, just say it now.”
“Elise, stop.”
