The Apartment: The Complete Affair

by Amanda Black

  Lily turned into the closest drive through and ordered her the biggest shake they had, refusing to let her pay for it when she handed her money. “Put that away,” she shoved at her hand. “This is probably the only nice thing I can do for you right now. Let me get you your fucking shake.”

  They drove for a few minutes in silence. Well, as much silence as could be had between one sobbing woman and another one making loud slurping noises. After Lily asked which way to turn to get to their house, she spoke again to Maggie.

  “So, why are you pissed?”

  “Because,” she huffed after swallowing a large sip. “This is something I’m supposed to be able to do. It’s one of the only natural, animal functions that we have left as humans. And even that is getting warped by all the women who refuse to breastfeed. I am being denied a basic function, and I want to wring someone’s neck for it. I see so many women, so many young idiot girls, who spit out babies like it’s nothing. They barely bother to get the father’s name, but having a kid is just no big deal. And so many beautiful, precious children are neglected or raised by resentful grandparents. Nothing pisses me off more than seeing some dipshit preteen mother with five dirty kids by five different guys running around her unattended at the store, while I’m not allowed to have one. One! One baby who would be loved and nurtured by two parents who adore it.”

  “I know what you mean,” Lily nodded. “You wouldn’t believe how much of that I see at the office. There are some girls who deserve frequent flier miles for the maternity ward. Every time they come back in, all I can think is, Jesus, again?”

  “Exactly!” Maggie took another long pull on her straw.

  “Well, have you two ever thought of adoption?” Lily glanced in her direction before turning off the highway.

  “We’ve talked about it. We had almost decided to start the process when we found out about the MTHFR mutation. We’d thought for the longest time that I just couldn’t get pregnant, so we looked into adoption. Then I had my first miscarriage. After that, we kept trying since I had actually conceived, and after a few more losses they did the blood work that found my disorder. Once they finally put a name on it and told us what we needed to do to try and fight it, it sort of took over our plans.”

  “That’s understandable, but it still isn’t a guarantee. You could have many more losses before the shots ever work. If they work, that is.”

  “I know,” she sighed. “But I had to try. I couldn’t live with myself if I felt I hadn’t given this my all. I get very optimistic at the beginning, and then very bitter after each loss. Sometimes it even hurts to be around children for a while, and pregnant women make me want to cry.”

  Lily patted her shoulder, not knowing what else to say.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Maggie continued. “After this is over I’m going to have to do a lot of soul searching to see if I can go through it again. Poor Eric gets destroyed each time, watching what it does to me. Every time I think about giving up, though, I remember that my grandmother lost three babies and had an infant who died a few hours after birth, only to go on to have my father. If she had just given up, I’d never be here. That could be my child someday.”

  “You could always adopt now and try again later. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind having two eventually, would you?”

  “No, I’d love two children,” she gushed, her smile beaming.

  “Well, I have seen a lot of women who have struggled for years with infertility issues, only to have a baby with no complications the second they adopt. It’s like having that child that they always wanted helps them to relax and get rid of all the stress they’ve bottled up for years. I knew a girl in college who was adopted, and her brother was barely nine months younger than she was because their parents had a little celebration after they brought her home. You never know—weird things happen every day.”

  “Thank you, Lily,” she whispered after a few minutes of silence. “For just being here. I know that I’m coming off as some sort of baby-obsessed moron right now.”

  “No you aren’t. You’ve had some really horrible news today, and you have an even bleaker afternoon ahead of you. You’re allowed to be emotional.”

  “It’s just that I don’t want you to think that I can’t be happy with what I have. If we never have any children at all, we’ll get by. I don’t believe that only children make a family. My husband is my world, and his family has taken me in like another daughter from the first day I met them. My parents died when I was in college, and I have never felt alone.”

  Maggie turned to face Barbara in the back seat, reaching around the headrest to squeeze her hand. She smiled at her as she watched her wipe her eyes and blow her nose. “Take Weepy here,” Maggie chuckled. “She’s only so upset because this is happening to her daughter again. She isn’t half as upset about losing a grandchild as I am about not being able to give her one.”

  Barbara smiled weakly at her and squeezed her hand in return. “I love you, sweetheart.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Lily pulled the car into the driveway of the largest house she had ever seen in the area. Parking in front of the main door, she was surprised when Barbara invited her inside.

  “Don’t sit out here like the help, Lily. Come in and have a bite while Maggie packs.” She didn’t leave much room for disagreement in her tone, so Lily turned off the car and followed the women inside. Once she had closed the door and looked at the large, opulent surroundings, she couldn’t keep her mouth from dropping open.

  “I know,” Maggie laughed. “I had the exact same look on my face the first time Eric brought me home with him.” She draped her coat over the back of the nearest chair and turned back to Lily. “Why don’t you come upstairs with me? You can help me figure out what to take.”

  “Don’t you two want anything to eat?” Barbara called from the kitchen.

  “We’re going upstairs to pack first,” she called back. “Maybe just a few finger snacks or something.”

  “Alright, I’ll make up a plate.”

  Maggie turned back to Lily before leading her up the stairs. “Don’t worry, she’s in her element now. Her brain functions much better once she can be physically doing something for someone.”

  She led Lily to a large room full of many different trophies and awards. “This used to be Eric’s old room,” she explained when she caught Lily eying the different pieces of sports memorabilia. “Barbara has offered to make him a trophy case downstairs, but he always groans about changing his room. Personally, I think it’s because he likes to feel dirty, like he snuck his girlfriend in the house after curfew.”

  “So he’s not just stuck in the past, reliving old glory days on the field?” Lily laughed.

  “No way! He’s more of the ‘Big Man on Campus’ type in the bedroom only. And when he gets around these damn trophies.” Maggie winked at her and they both started laughing.

  After a few minutes they had grabbed a few essentials and tossed them in an overnight bag. Talking easily back and forth, they joined Barbara in the kitchen for a snack of cheese and crackers. About twenty minutes later they were leaving for the hospital, and Lily was so involved in conversation that she never even noticed the large family portrait as they walked out the door.

  Driving to Mercer County Hospital, Lily tried to keep the lighter conversation going for as long as possible, hoping to avoid another crying jag. “That was a beautiful painting on the stairway, Mrs. Foster. I don’t usually pay much attention to art, but something about that one made me take another look.”

  “Oh thank you, dear. And please, call me Barbara. My son actually painted that.” The pride was unmistakable in her voice.

  “I didn’t know Eric could paint, too!” Lily gasped, astonished at such talent coming from an amateur.

  “No, not Eric. His brother, Ethan.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you had another son.”

  “We don’t exactly see him much,” Maggie explained. “A few
weeks ago was the first time any of us had seen him in years.” Before Lily could ask any more questions, Maggie’s phone rang loudly to the tune of Mr. Big Stuff.

  “Excuse me, it’s Eric.” She hit the send button eagerly, and her one sided conversation was interrupted by brief pauses as her husband spoke in her ear. “Hi baby, where are you? … So that’s only about an hour away, isn’t it? Oh thank God! … Yeah, we’re heading over to the hospital now; you might as well just head straight there. … I know. … I know. … I’m not bad yet. … I won’t. … I miss you, too. Love you, baby.”

  She ended the call just as Lily reached the hospital. After parking in the maternity lot, the three women walked inside and checked in at the front desk. Lily and Barbara waited in the room as the staff prepared Maggie, changing her into a gown and inserting an IV lock into her hand.

  After a while, the nurse returned and told them that she was going to be starting the inducement drug, as well as a very weak morphine drip. She assured Maggie that if at any time her pain increased, she would up her morphine. Before long they could see that the drug was taking effect, causing Maggie to slur her words slightly as she spoke to them. Her eyelids had also gotten very droopy.

  When Maggie started flipping through TV channels out of boredom, it sparked a discussion about the most annoying reality shows that they had ever seen. Barbara voted for Jersey Shore, Lily voted for Cheaters—which she couldn’t help but find ironic—and Maggie once again named Teen Mom. Before they could finish their arguments for why each of theirs was the worst, a large man appeared at the door.

  “Maggie?”

  “Eric!”

  The burliest man Lily had ever seen bounded into the room and sat down next to Maggie on the bed, scooping her up and squeezing her tightly in one swift movement. She pulled back to look at him, and as soon as their eyes made contact her tough facade finally crumbled.

  Maggie Foster burst into tears.

  “I’m so sorry, baby,” he chanted over and over as he rocked her against his chest. “I should have been here. You go through too much alone.” He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head, treating her like the most precious gift anyone had ever received.

  Something tugged at Lily deep inside when she watched them together, and she had to look away. As if sharing the same thought, she and Barbara both quietly left the room, leaving the couple to their privacy.

  “They’ll be like that for a while, I’m afraid,” Barbara said softly. “He won’t leave her side until she falls asleep, and maybe not even then.” She looked wistfully at the door to the room. “Their love has always been such a powerful, tangible thing. From the moment they met they’ve been inseparable. She usually travels with him if he is going to be gone for very long, but they were both worried about the baby.”

  “It’s nice to see a couple that is still so strong after so many years,” Lily replied, still feeling something strange tugging at her when she thought of them. Her eyes were beginning to sting.

  “My daughter is the same way with her husband. Must have been something they picked up at home,” she blushed. After another moment she added sadly, “I only wish that my other son had been half as fortunate.”

  “I’m sorry. Did he divorce?”

  “No, he never married her, thank goodness. I don’t think it was meant to be. He never looked at her the way that my other children look at their spouses.” She met Lily’s gaze to add weight to her next words. “The spark never made it to his eyes. Does that make sense?”

  “Actually, yes it does. It makes perfect sense.” The curious stinging behind her eyes intensified, causing her to blink rapidly.

  “Oh dear, you must be exhausted!” Barbara cooed. “Where was my head? It’s been a long, emotional day for all of us. Let me take you back to your car so you can go home and rest.”

  The two of them traveled the distance in a comfortable silence, listening to the quiet music playing on the radio. They both seemed to realize that the afternoon’s events were a bit too heavy to speak about at the moment, and the time for idle chitchat had passed.

  Barbara pulled into the now empty lot of the clinic and parked next to Lily’s monstrous 1976 Cutlass Supreme. “Goodness, is this beast yours?”

  “That’s right,” Lily smiled.

  “Well it certainly has character,” Barbara smiled in return.

  “That’s what I always thought. Thanks for the lift,” she said, turning to exit the car.

  “Lily,” she touched her shoulder gently. “Thank you so much for your help today. Maggie seems very attached to you and I’m beginning to see why.” With that, she leaned forward and hugged her close. When Lily finally stepped out of the car, she called after her one last time. “I hope that you’ll visit us again sometime—under happier circumstances, that is.”

  Closing the door, Lily nodded and waved before climbing into her own car. Barbara waited until she had started the engine and drove off with a honk in the direction of the hospital. Lily watched as the car disappeared from view, and once she was truly alone she dropped her head onto the steering wheel and sobbed.

  She sobbed for Maggie and the pain she was enduring. She sobbed for Barbara and her sorrow for her family. She sobbed for Eric and his grief.

  But most of all, she sobbed for the love she had witnessed in that room.

  The annoying tugging had turned into a burning ache deep inside her chest. She knew without a doubt that what she had with Scott would never feel like that, no matter how much effort and time she put into it. She had thought she could be content with him, that their friendship could be enough to nurture a deeper connection, but she was most definitely wrong about that. He would never make her feel as if he were the other half of her soul.

  Without thinking, Lily threw the car in drive and skidded off down the street. She had no idea where she was going, only that she needed to go there right now. The tears were still flowing freely down her face, the images of Eric holding Maggie replaying over and over in her mind.

  When the car finally screeched to a halt, Lily was startled to find that she was in the back parking lot behind the dance studio where the residents kept their cars. Weeping and sniffling, she climbed out of the car and tore off across the alley, the open door beckoning her.

  As her feet hit the steps she ran even harder, pounding loudly along the way. She felt pulled, as if by a giant magnet, and by the time she reached the top she was completely out of breath and nearly choking on her sobs. Before she knew it the key was turning in the lock and she was shoving the door open so hard that it slammed against the wall. Any other time she would have been embarrassed at making such a spectacle of herself, but at that moment only one thing mattered to her.

  He was there.

  Ethan dropped his palette in shock when she barged in the door and had no idea what to think as she stood there regarding him with tears streaming down her face.

  “My God, what happened?” he gasped. He barely had the chance to note that she was wearing burgundy scrubs instead of her usual workout clothes before she was across the room and in his arms. An unfamiliar urge to defend and protect rose up in him, and for a moment his vision went red at the thought of someone harming her. “Are you alright?”

  She couldn’t speak, though. She could only bury her face in his neck and cry. Giant, wracking sobs that shook her entire body.

  A sudden panic hit him. “You have to tell me what happened,” he said to the top of her head as he held her. “Hey… hey! Look at me!” He grabbed her by the chin and forced her swollen eyes to meet his. “Did he hurt you? Tell me!”

  Lily shook her head quickly.

  “Then what’s wrong?” The blinding rage began to subside, replaced quickly with the need to hold her as closely as possible.

  “Just… it’s just… I need… I need you…” her words were getting caught between her gasps and hiccups.

  “You need me to what?”

  “No… I just… need you!” His goddess l
ooked up at him with enormous hazel eyes that were puffy and red, the wet lashes surrounding them sticking to her skin in dark points. She had never looked more beautiful to him. “Make it all go away! Please!”

  Ethan leaned down and lifted her in his arms, carrying her into the bedroom. He laid her down gently and followed after her, kissing her soft lips and tasting her tears. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly, returning his kisses with a violent fervor. She would only let him go long enough for him to remove her clothing, and after each article was removed she would grasp onto him again, as if she were reassuring herself that he was still there.

  Once he had worked his own jeans off he covered her completely, and when he slid himself into her welcoming heat they both cried out. He moved inside her slowly, worshiping her body with his own, and as each new tear fell he would kiss it away.

  * * *

  Many hours later, Ethan woke to a very dark room and a very warm body draped across his chest. It felt absolutely amazing, but he knew she would be angry if he let her sleep there through the night.

  Rubbing her shoulder and kissing her lightly, he watched as she began to stir. “Hey beautiful, it’s getting late. Don’t you need to leave?” She stretched her limbs for a moment and looked up into his eyes. With a big yawn she repositioned herself, snuggling even tighter against him.

  “No,” she sighed.

  It was the sweetest word he had ever heard.

  Chapter 17

  Lily woke before dawn, immediately feeling the deep ache in her muscles. As she moved and stretched, each sore spot brought back another vivid memory of the night before. Thinking back through the foggy, sleepy memories, she couldn’t believe how her beautiful stranger had been there to help comfort her through the night.

  She hadn’t been able to sleep for longer than an hour or two at a time. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been comfortable next to him on the bed—quite the opposite, actually—but for some reason she kept waking up in a panic and reaching for him in the dark. His body was so in tune with hers that it was almost scary. Every time her hand would land on his warm, toned flesh, he would pull her to him and love her all over again until she was knocked out from sheer exhaustion.