by Diana W.
“You don’t have to go back.”
“But wouldn’t that mess up the entire reason I’m here.”
“You don’t have to go back,” Cornell repeated himself, signaling the end of the discussion.
The notion still didn’t sit right with Harley. Breaking Justin’s heart in this manner wasn’t fair. He didn’t deserve it. She already decided that she would eat then go back to the room. It was the least she could do. She’d tell Cornell her plans after they ate. She didn’t want to mess up the current vibe they had going.
With a full stomach from her salmon burger and double fries, Harley was back in the bed, wrapped in Cornell’s arms.
“My mother would always take me and my brothers to the beach in Biloxi. It was our reward for doing well in school.”
“She considered that beach a reward?” Harley’s brows hiked in amusement.
Cornell realized how comedic that sounded, too, given how muddy the water was and still is there. “Hey, when you’re used to seeing nothing but trees and swamps, that was a Caribbean trip for us.”
“I bet it was,” Harley laughed. “My mom could barely get us to school on time much less take us on a family vacation. A trip for some ice cream was my Aruba and that was still an every blue moon kind of thing.” She didn’t feel the need to explain any further. If Cornell studied her family background as she knew he did, then he was well aware of her upbringing. “Did your dad ever go with y’all?”
Harley felt Cornell turn to stone.
“Nah, he was always busy at work, trying to get the business off the ground.”
Cornell sounded dry as if he was trying to disassociate from the memory.
“Well, I guess it worked, right? He made something that could be passed down for generations. Isn’t that the goal?”
“It is, but everything comes at a cost.” Cornell reflected back on the missed award ceremonies, football games, and even his high school graduation.
If Harley didn’t already figure out that Cornell and his father’s relationship was strained, this conversation gave her confirmation.
“Well, I didn’t even get a raggedy pot to piss in, so.” Harley tried to lighten the mood.
Cornell gave her a light-hearted chuckle but didn’t offer a follow-up response. He felt that he’d shared enough about his life for the night. It was more than he’d done with any woman to date and it wasn’t as awful as he expected, but baby steps…
*****
Harley’s eyes popped open and she sat up and realized she was still in Cornell’s suite.
“Shit,” she mumbled and looked over to find Cornell sound asleep. Choosing not to wake him, she carefully slid from under the covers and tiptoed to the front room of the suite. She picked her robe up from the floor and put it back on along with her shoes. When she went for her room key and phone, she heard two repetitive hums.
Confused, she grabbed her phone and expected it to be the very name on the caller ID. It was after eleven, and she could only imagine how many times he’d already called. Harley almost ignored the second hum in a rush to get back to Justin, but her gut made her backtrack to the small end table adjacent to the sofa. Her eyes narrowed in on Cornell’s phone, and when her phone rang in her hand, his did too. Although the phone number on his phone didn’t have a name, she knew it was Justin’s number. Harley found herself breathing harder, hoping she was overthinking what was in front of her.
She answered both phones simultaneously and put one to each ear.
“Hello.” She made herself sound extra sleepy.
“Babe, where are you?” Harley could hear Justin’s voice as clear as day.
She switched ears and started talking on Cornell’s phone. Her stomach was turning but her blood was boiling. She almost fumbled her response.
“I’m sorry. I went to the upper deck to look at the stars and fell asleep.” The lie was so smooth that she almost believed it.
“Ok, just wanted to make sure you were good. I know everything was messed up today, but I hope I can make up for that.”
She pulled Cornell’s phone away and stared at the options on his screen including recording the conversation. Still flustered by her discovery, Harley bit her lip, promising herself she wouldn’t cry over this no matter how much it hurt. She’d been disappointed before, but this was different. She felt violated. Betrayed. She could almost bet it was more than her phone calls being monitored. This was the type of thing Bernard did for people all the time, so she was familiar with it.
She cleared her throat and pressed record on Cornell’s phone. Since he wanted to invade her privacy, she was going to give him something worth listening to.
“We’re just fine. Matter of fact, I’m on my way to show you just how much I appreciate you.”
“I’ll be waiting.” She could hear the eagerness in Justin’s tone.
They both hung up and she put Cornell’s phone back in its original position and exited the room. She knew that she would be devastated by the entire situation later when she had time to stew in it, but for now, she was leaving with no fucks to give.
The room door slamming made Cornell jump up from his sleep, thinking somebody might have been breaking in. He instinctively felt the spot next to him and realized that Harley was gone. Thinking she was in a different part of the suite, he got up to search for her. When he realized she was indeed gone, he went for his phone. The minute he grabbed it to call her, it started ringing.
“What up?” he answered, wiping the sleep from his eyes, still confused about why Harley left.
“Cee, we got his ass!”
“Who?” The excitement in Clark’s voice now had Cornell’s undivided attention.
“Justin! We got the son of a bitch!”
CHAPTER 23
Mo placed the can of ginger ale on the nightstand and took a seat on the edge of the bed.
“How you feeling, baby?” He brushed his hand over Mia’s head that was barely visible under the comforter.
“Like my stomach is about to fall out,” she groaned. She’d been throwing up all day, every day, for the past four days.
At first, Mo thought maybe it was food poisoning or some kind of bug, but he figured those symptoms would have subsided by now. He was growing more concerned the longer Mia lay in the bed without eating and only sipping on the clear liquids he brought her. She barely had enough strength to make it the bathroom, which forced him to place a trash can beside the bed.
“I think it’s time to give Dr. Rennis a call.” He knew how much Mia hated doctors, especially Dr. Rennis for whatever reason, but he wasn’t willing to back down from this.
“Ok,” she croaked weakly as another wave of nausea hit her. “Oh God.” She shoved Mo out of the way to grab the trashcan. She was only producing dry heaves, but she continued to hug the can like her best friend.
“It’s ok, baby.” Mo helplessly continued to rub her back. “Let me step out and give him a call.”
Mia nodded and gently placed the can down and laid her head on the edge of the bed, just above where her plastic bestie was positioned. She was starting to think her illness was her karma manifesting fifteen-fold for what she’d done with Clark because it didn’t make sense. She didn’t eat anything unusual to get food poisoning and hadn’t been around anybody but Mo since she came back to the house, so she knew it couldn’t be a bug. She figured Mo would have at least displayed a symptom if he was sick. Whatever this was felt like death.
“Hey, he’s asking when your last period was?”
Mia groaned, trying to recall the date. “I don’t know, like a month ago.” She closed her eyes and threw the cover back over her head.
She heard Mo’s voice grow distant again and just as she felt her stomach settling, her eyes popped open. With the little strength she had, she threw the covers off of her and moved as fast as her body allowed to the bathroom and locked the door behind her.
Lightheadedness overcame her and she stilled herself for a few seconds, hop
ing it would pass. When it thankfully did, she went to her side of the long vanity and looked in the cabinet below her sink. She reached her hand past the cleaning products and retrieved the inconspicuous plastic bag.
She stood up and dumped its contents onto the counter. There were at least five different types of pregnancy tests. When she still hoped for a pregnancy, she would test herself the week of her upcoming period. She would sleep with Mo every, single day while she was ovulating, sometimes multiple times of day, and track everything. However, after one negative test turned into ten, and the fertility doctors couldn’t give her a reason for it, she grew resentful and kept the tests out of her eyesight so she wouldn’t be tempted to disappoint herself again.
She began checking expiration dates and grabbed the first unexpired one. Her stomach clenched as she sat down on the toilet and ripped open the box. There wasn't a need for her to read the instructions; they were tattooed in her brain.
Her breath labored when she placed the cap onto the device and held it her hand. She rocked back and forth on the toilet, counting each second for the five-minute wait.
“Mia.” Mo knocked at the door startling her. “You ok in there?”
“I’m fine,” she brushed him off, irritated that she’d lost count. “I just need a moment.”
“Ok. Dr. Rennis said he can be over in the next two hours.”
Mia went back to counting. She wanted to give it a few more seconds, but she couldn’t wait any longer. She unlocked her hand and held up the test. She clasped her hand over her mouth as the wind left her body. She dreamt of how she would react to being pregnant, but this feeling was nowhere close. Joy was in every inch of her body, exploding like fireworks. Gratitude poured from her tears.
“Mia?” Mo knocked.
“I heard you,” she cried. She was better than ok. She held the pregnancy test to her chest and continued to cry.
Eventually, she pried herself up from the seat and went to the sink to wash her hands. A permanent smile was on her face despite still feeling like crap—physically. Now that she knew the reason for it all, she was willing to weather through it, no matter how long it took. She’d prayed for this moment for too long to be upset by the side effects.
Drying her hands, she became consumed with thoughts of everything baby. She loved the name Phoenix for a girl and Ethan for a boy, but she already knew Mo would probably hate both of them. Maybe he would be too happy to object. They’d wanted to be parents for so long, Mia could probably convince him to say yes to anything. Maybe this was the answer to all the wrong in their marriage. Not that a baby could magically change the infidelity, but it could help redirect Mo’s focus on what was important. The future of their marriage was still questionable, but a baby could be the turning point they needed.
Picturing Mo being a father suddenly froze Mia in place. She’d been so caught up in the excitement that she never thought about the obvious. She did have sex with Mo the same week she left him, but that was no different than any other time. The only new variable in play from then to now was...Clark.
“Shit."
She gripped the counter to steady herself as panic brewed in her chest. It felt as if someone was squeezing her enjoyment for their own perverse pleasure. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, hoping to regain some control. Counting backward, she focused on the baby rather than how she'd gotten to that point. Calm enough, her palm went to her forehead and tapped it rigorously, willing a solution to pop in before the doctor arrived. She knew that Dr. Rennis was going to give her a pregnancy test given her symptoms. He did it any other time she'd been sick.
She could leave. Get in the car and drive somewhere until she figured everything out. Maybe make it to her family this time. They would no doubt convince her to stay and help her raise the baby. The only drawback was that if Mo caught wind of the pregnancy, things would get messy. He had the money and resources to create a custody chaos, which would bring a paternity test into play. She wouldn't want him to find out the truth that way.
“Or maybe he wouldn’t have to find out all,” she thought aloud and stared at herself in the mirror, noticing her sunken eyes. Mo would never request a paternity test on a baby he knew was his. Leaving had the potential to create doubt, but if she stayed, there would be no questions asked. On the off chance that the baby did have some of Clark’s features, he and Mo were brothers, so it wouldn’t be unusual for resemblances to show. She could trust that Clark wouldn't push the issue either. Their understanding of what could never be was clear before she left him.
Mia felt like shit for letting her thoughts get to this point, but if Mo found out the baby wasn’t his or who the real father was, there was no doubt in her mind what he’d do. She didn’t inquire much about his involvement in his family’s business, but she wasn’t blind or naïve. Their lifestyle was more lavish than anything she could’ve wanted for herself, but she’d found her fair share of bloodstains on his clothes and bruised knuckles over the years to know he wasn’t in business meetings all day. With one last look at herself, her final decision was clear.
******
Mo sat next to Mia on their bed as she carefully sat up so as not to disturb the IV in her arm. Dr. Rennis didn’t hesitate to get some fluids into her, based on the answers Mo gave him over the phone and one look at her when he arrived at the house confirmed that she was dehydrated. The nurse he traveled with, Theresa, took her blood and urine samples and carried them to the lab for analyzing, and he was now back to follow up with the results.
“And how are we feeling?” Dr. Rennis checked her vitals again.
“Better. Still crappy but better.”
“That’s good. You were skirting the edge of severe dehydration. The next time you can’t keep even clear liquids down, don’t wait until you’re near death to call.”
Mia knew he was telling the truth, but she hated how belittling he always sounded toward her.
“We won’t.” Mo chose to speak on her behalf to prevent any agitation from Mia. “Do you have any idea what could be causing all of this?”
Dr. Rennis walked by the small table, holding his medical bag and grabbed the folder Theresa handed to him on his way out of the office.
“Let’s see if these tell us anything.” He scanned the lab papers and tensed when he got to the hCG result. “Umm, it would seem... that you are expecting, Mrs. Gaines.”
“Expecting what?” Mo leaned forward as Mia stared blankly. Even though she knew that she was, hearing Dr. Rennis confirm it still felt unreal.
“A baby.” Dr. Rennis looked over at him from above the rim of his glasses.
Mo, in disbelief, looked over at Mia and then back at the doctor. “Are you saying my baby…is having a baby?”
“That’s correct.”
Mia held her hand over her mouth, pretending to absorb the information.
“Are you saying we’re having a fucking baby? Like a little person?”
“Yes,” Mia answered and looked over at him with tears in her eyes. A mixture of happiness and guilt.
Mo’s hands covered his face, and before Mia could ask if he was okay, she heard him crying. Not subtle sniffles but full out sobbing.
Mia extended her arm and rubbed his back, unable to stop herself from crying just as hard as he was.
“I prayed for this for us. I swear I did.” He leaned over and held her face in his hands with reddened eyes. “I won’t mess this up.” His forehead kissed hers. “I know I’ve done a lot of foul shit when it comes to you and this marriage Mia, but I swear on my life I won’t fuck this up.”
Mo always made promises he couldn’t keep anytime she caught him cheating, and she’d become so numb to them that they stopped carrying any weight with her. This one, however, wrapped around her like a warm blanket.
“I’m going to set you up with Dr. Fields, the OBGYN I work with from time to time. Most patients aren’t seen until the end of their first trimester, but given your history, I’ll let her know this a spec
ial case.”
“Ok.” Mia pulled away from Mo to give Dr. Rennis her attention.
“I’m going to send over a list of natural ways to fight your morning sickness and write a prescription for prenatal vitamins. I’ll also prescribe one for anti-nausea in case you find that the natural approaches aren’t working.”
Hearing about the prescriptions brought Mo back to reality. “Doc, I want to switch pharmacies, and they said I had to go through you first. My multivitamin cocktail is almost out.”
“You...you’re still taking them?” Dr. Rennis questioned.
“Haven't missed a day since college,” he grinned.
The papers in Dr. Rennis’ hands fell to the hardwood floor, and he scrambled to pick them up. “I’ll put that in too.” He shoved them back into the folder haphazardly and quickly grabbed his bag. “Uh, Theresa will be by shortly to take care of that IV, and I’ll touch base soon.”
“Wait up, Doc, I’ll walk you out.” Mo went to stand.
“No need.” He held up his hand to refuse the company and hustled down the stairs and out the door. When he made it to the car, his hands were shaking when he dialed Robert’s number.
“Rennis,” Robert answered in his usual dry tone.
“Uh, Mr. Gaines, there’s a problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“One that’s best suited for an in-person discussion.”
CHAPTER 24
Miss Lou Ann sliced the turkey club sandwich in half and placed it on the plate, along with a few handfuls of green grapes. Paired with a glass of fresh sweet tea, she carefully carried all of the items on a serving tray to Selena’s bedroom.
“It’s lunchtime,” she smiled and nudged the door open with her shoulder. She noticed Selena sitting at the wooden desk on the far side of the room with her back to her and her head lowered as if she was reading.
“Did you hear me?” She walked closer, deciding to serve her there rather than on her usual folding tray by the bed.
The closer she got, the more she realized that Selena wasn’t reading but instead writing, something she hadn’t seen her do since Cornell hired her. The prospect of her showing a sign of progress made Miss Lou Ann gently rest the serving tray on the bed and tiptoe over to her so as not to disturb her.