by L Chapman
As we walk out of the castle, I feel a huge weight lift off my chest. I can do this. I just need to listen to what Megan said. Believe in myself. I climb back into the car and take my mobile out of my jeans pocket.
We need to talk.
“Rich has texted, saying we need to talk,” I tell Megan.
“Are you going to?” She questions.
“I’ll find out where he is.”
Where are you?
At OUR house.
“Megan, can you drop me off at Rich’s?” I ask.
“Of course.”
The drive there seems long this time. I am so scared of what he wants from me. Why does he think we need to talk? I do need a few more items from the house, so I am willing to go back to pick them up and leave. I just can’t think of anything I want to say to him.
“I’ll wait here,” Megan says as she turns off the engine.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“Yes.”
I stand at the front door of what was mine and knock. “Finally,” he says. “Come in.”
“Hi to you, too,” I say as I walk into the house.
“We need to talk.”
“About?”
“I have a sexually transmitted infection.”
“You what?!” I scream at him.
“I have an STI.”
“Yes, I heard that. How? Why? Who? When?” I question.
“I found out this morning. You have to get checked out.”
“You fucking dirty bastard!”
“I’m sorry.”
“Who gave it to you? Chad?” I question.
He stands there motionless.
“I asked you a question, Rich.”
“Yes, Chad.”
“You didn’t even get Luke to cover for you very well. Did you?”
“I know. Luke will not talk to me now.”
“Doesn’t surprise me.” I pause. “Do you have information about what you have?” I ask.
He walks over to the other side of the front room and picks up some leaflets before handing them to me.
“You have fucked up my life.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” I question.
“Yes.”
“I’m out of here. I’m not staying near you any longer.”
I turn around and storm out of the house, climbing into the car quietly as I see Lucy is asleep in the back.
“And…” Megan says.
“He has an STI.”
“What?” Megan asks, placing her hand over her mouth.
“Yes, exactly.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
I did not sleep much last night because all I could think about was what disease I might have. What a messed up life I have. I spent most of it crying. Megan’s going away today, even though she does not want to. She stayed most of the night in here with me, holding me as I cried.
“Morning, sunshine,” Mia says as she knocks on the slightly open door.
“Morning, Mia.”
“Right, get your arse out of bed so I can paint your toe nails before I leave, like I promised,” Mia demands.
I laugh and slide around in bed. “I’ll get dressed then be down soon, Mia,” I inform her.
“No, PJ party, come on.”
I nod and follow her down the stairs. I do not want to be around people right now. I keep looking at the clock. It is another hour till the doctor’s office will be open for me to ring to sort out everything.
“Morning,” Mark says as he walks past me into the kitchen holding an empty cup.
“Morning, mine’s a coffee,” I say cheekily.
“Oh, really.” He smiles.
I can see why Megan fell for him. He is so sweet. “What colour are we going for?” Mia asks as she sits herself down on the front room carpet.
“Sexy red, of course,” I state.
Alison always told us to wear red nail polish because men love that look on women. I am going to take her word now that I am single and need to look good. I sit down on the sofa.
“Morning, hun,” Megan says as she yawns.
“Morning, I’m sorry,” I state.
“Don’t worry. Mark’s driving.” She tilts her head towards him.
“Coffee all around,” he says as he passes cups out to us all. “What would you like for breakfast? Please do not all shout at once.”
We sit there looking at each other then all shout, “Bacon Butties!”
“Okay, I get the picture,” he says, giving Megan a little kiss on the check before leaving us to it.
The hour seems to fly with breakfast and nail painting keeping me busy. I head up the stairs back to my room and grab my mobile. I take a deep breath and call the doctor.
“That was a quick call,” Megan says as she walks into my room.
“Yes, I have to go to the hospital drop-in. It will be quicker, and I will get the results back in five days instead of seven.”
“That definitely sounds better for you.” She pauses. “Do you want me to take you down before we leave?”
“No, go. I will work it out,” I state.
I quickly throw on some black leggings and a long, tight purple top with a round neck. Perfect. That will do. The sun is shining today. It is going to be a nice, warm day. Hopefully, I can get in and out of the hospital quickly.
“Jenny.” Megan pauses. “You do realise you need to get in touch with the man you slept with,” she adds.
“What if I’m all clear? Then I don’t.”
“But if you’re not, he could get ill or pass it on.” She points out.
“Okay, I’ll ring him.” I shrug my shoulders. I had not even thought about notifying Warren.
“Right, we are going now,” Megan says, coming towards me giving me a big hug.
It takes at least another ten minutes and a lot more hugs before Megan finally leaves. Before saying her final goodbye, she makes sure I know where everything is and informs me that if I say I need her she will come straight back. What a lovely friend she is. I head back over to the bed, sit down on the edge and lift the pillow to find Warren’s card.
Quick. Do it. The faster you do it, the less it will hurt. I try to calm myself down as I dial the number. One ring. Two rings. Three rings.
“Hi, it’s Jenny from the other night,” I state. “Can we meet up? We need to talk.” I pause to listen to him. “Yes, that’s fine. See you then.”
I gather my things and head downstairs. Warren’s meeting me at work in half an hour. I am about fifteen minutes away and without a car, so I will have to call a taxi. I look through my mobile to find a taxi to book quickly. Right, that’s everything done. I just need to get this over with. The taxi is only going to be five minutes, so I make a swift check to ensure I have everything, lock up and head outside to wait.
“Hi, can you take me to Saint Georges Street?” I ask the taxi man as I climb in the backseat.
There are only five buildings on the street, so I will walk down to work. I reach into my bag and pull out my mobile. I see a message from Rich.
Chad has it too.
I shake my head, holding back tears. I do not want to know about that man. If it takes so long for the results to come back, he knew before I caught him in bed with Chad that he might have it. Why did he do this to me?
Oh Great
I scroll down my mobile to see if I have any more messages. I smile when I see one from Megan.
Hun, miss you already. Please let me know how you get on. Mia has left some turquoise nail polish on the fireplace for you. She thinks you will look amazing with it on. Xx
Thank her for me please. I’ll give it a go. It might work well with that turquoise dress I bought the other week. Miss you too. XX
I am happy for these distractions to take my mind off possibly hurting Warren even more with the news I need to tell him. I want a stiff drink. Shame I cannot have one for a while yet. I might pick up a nice bottle of red wine before I head back to Megan’s tonight
anyway and drown my sorrows while looking for somewhere else to live.
“Here you are, Miss,” the taxi man says. I smile, pay and climb out. I had been in my own little world and had not even noticed we had reached my destination.
I walk along the path to the building where I work, taking a seat on the small wooden bench that has “Forever and Always” engraved on the back slate.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I look up to see Warren slowly walking towards me. He is early. He is wearing dark blue jeans and a tight white t-shirt, a very relaxed look compared to what I have seen him wear before.
“Hey babe,” he mumbles as he sits on the bench next to me.
“Hey.” I pause. “Sorry for what I am about to say.”
“Go on.”
I take a deep breath. “My now ex-fiancé has an STI. He has been sleeping with someone else. You need to get checked out.”
“Oh my, are you okay? Have you been checked out?” He questions.
“I’ll be fine. I am off to get checked after I talk to you,” I state.
“Right, it is at the hospital?” He enquires.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I just noticed you have a pot on your foot,” he says, pointing down at my foot. “Why?”
“You are full of questions, aren’t you? I fell down the stairs,” I tell him.
“You can’t drive then,” he adds in a concerned voice.
“Correct.”
“Let me take you to the hospital. We can talk and you can explain the full story.”
“But...”
“No buts.” He pauses. “Come on.”
I stand up and hobble towards his car. Warren holds open the door as I climb in, then closes it behind me before jumping into the driver’s seat.
“Now, please tell me all that has happened. It has been what two days since I left you here? You seem so different now.”
“Different?” I question.
“Yes, not bubbly.”
“Too much is going on. I’ll be back to myself soon, I hope,” I state.
The journey to the hospital is not far. I sit and answer every question. Warren has to hear the entire story about my ankle and Rich. He sits there silent in shock as I try to hold back the tears.
As we pull up into the hospital car park, I suddenly begin to feel sick.
“Let me out!” I yell.
Warren stops the car. “What?”
I jump out and run to the grassy area to throw up. Oh my. I have never thrown up this bad. Ever. Well, not that I can recall. After reading through the leaflets Rich gave me, vomiting was listed as one of the possible symptoms. I slide myself down onto the roadside, place my head into my hands and sit there crying. Crying like I have never cried before. I feel Warren’s arms wrap around me pulling me close. I am so close that I can smell his cologne, a sweet smell, one I have never smelled before. In his comfort, I manage to slow down my breathing as the tears gradually begin to fade.
“You need to get this over with, go home and rest,” he whispers in my ear.
“Being sick is one of the symptoms,” I inform him.
“You never know, babe.” He places a little butterfly kiss on my cheek.
“I am so scared. I have lost everything. I just hope I don’t have a disease on top of it.” I pause. “I don’t want to.”
“Want to what?” He enquires.
“Oh, forget it,” I say, shaking my head.
“Tell me,” he says, taking hold of my hand and rubbing little circles to calm me.
“I don’t want to lose something that might change my life for the better.”
“I hope you don’t either, babe.” He pauses. “Shall we do this?”
I nod, standing up. I wobble and Warren catches me. “Don’t be falling on me, babe.” He giggles.
“I hope I don’t fall. I’m still hurting from the last one,” I state, rubbing the dust from my bum.
“I will protect you as much as you will let me, Jen,” Warren says, turning to face me. “Let’s do this.”
We walk into the hospital side by side, straight into the lift and up to the right ward. Warren takes care of everything. He talks to the receptionist, who then gives us an identification number and a form to fill out. I hobble over to the waiting area to fill out the form.
“It will soon be over,” Warren whispers in my ear. I think he noticed my hand shaking as I was writing.
I face him and give him a delicate smile. “I know. Thank you.”
Leaving me in the waiting area, Warren takes the filled out forms to the reception desk. I watch him lean over the desk and admire his bum. What a view. Those jeans are nice and tight. I giggle to myself. Stop it, Jennifer. Behave yourself.
He turns to face me and places his hand up with all five fingers showing before heading off with one of the nurses. I sit there shaking even more than I had before. I cannot believe I am alone, again.
“ID Number 0504, please go to the reception desk,” the tall lady at the desk shouts. That’s me. I stand and walk over to the desk.
“Hi, just follow me,” she says. On the way down to the room, she explains the procedure is a simple blood test with nothing to be worried about. I am happy I can cope with needles.
She was right. In and out in two minutes. I hobble back to the waiting room. Looking around, I do not see Warren anywhere. I feel tears starting to collect in my eyes. He left me. I shake my head, take a deep breath and walk out of the waiting room to the lift and down to the front desk on the first floor.
I do not need him. He never said he would be back or what I should do once I finished the procedure. I will call for a taxi to take me back to Megan’s.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Jenny.” I turn around to see John, Megan’s ex.
“John, hi,” I say in a shocked manner.
“How are you?” He asks.
“I am good, thanks. How are you?” I kindly repeat the gesture.
“I’m good. My nana passed away three weeks ago. I just came to drop off a thank you card,” he says, pointing down the corridor to one of the wards.
“Oh, I’m so sorry for your loss,” I state, rubbing his arm. I really do not like this man. He is the type of man people just hate, not even love to hate. Just hate. He hurt Megan. I will never forgive him for that. I am happy she has Lucy from it all. She is an angel, such a blessing.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” he states.
“Huh, what do you mean?” I ask.
“I saw Megan pushing a pram the other day in town. Congratulations, you finally got the baby you have dreamed of,” he says, coming towards me with open arms.
I step back. “No, she is not mine. She belongs to Megan and you. If you had cared enough not to cheat and lie, you would have known about her. Oh, I forgot. You love to lie and you changed your number and moved away.”
“What? I have a child?” His mouth drops open.
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t she tell me?” He asks.
“Did you not listen to me?” I pause. “You changed your fucking number, moved away and changed jobs. Now, how the hell was she supposed to tell you anything? You were so ashamed of what you did you fucked off and left her. It was the best fucking thing you ever did for her. If you loved her at all, you will fuck off and leave her to bring up your daughter alone.” I stand there with my hands on my hips. I am not taking any crap from him. Ever.
“Okay, I’m sorry. If she is my child, I’m having contact with her.”
“Why? So you can fuck up her life, too?” I ask, prepared not to back down.
“No, she is my child. I have rights over her. I will be able to gain full custody with no problem since I’m already a father,” he states harshly.
“What the hell?” I yell.
“She is my daughter and I will have her,” he says before storming off.
I stand there with tears falling from my eyes. What? Why? Oh my. I need to call Megan and explain th
e situation to her. I suddenly feel someone’s hand on the base of my back. The feeling startles me and I jump.
“Jen, why are you crying?” He asks.
“Warren.” Relief washes over me. “Megan, that I mentioned earlier, has a daughter. I just spoke to her dad. He is on about having full custody over her.”
“What?”
“Exactly.” I pause. “I’m sorry; I need to go. I need to call Megan.”
“I’ll take you to Megan’s,” he states, returning his hand to my lower back and walking me to his car.
“Thank you.”
Warren continues to be a gentleman and opens the door for me. Once inside his car, I pull out my mobile and immediately send a text to Megan.
Megan, can you talk? It’s an emergency XX
Moments later, my mobile rings. “It’s Megan,” I inform Warren.
I explain everything to her. She flips out, just like I did. I have not heard her swear this much in ages. I just do not know what we can do. I have a lawyer’s number as it looks like Megan is going to need one. I always said John was trouble. From the first moment I saw him, there was something about him that troubled me. I never thought he wanted a child, definitely after his reaction when Megan miscarried previously.
“Megan’s going to ring back later. She is going to see what she can find out on the internet,” I state.
“If she needs anything, let me know. I have contacts,” he informs me.
“What a hit man?” I ask, laughing.
“Well, no not really, but I am sure I could find one.” He smiles.
“It is just over there,” I say as I point to Megan’s house.
Once we make it to the driveway, he pulls up as close to the door as he can and turns off the engine.
“Thank you, Warren.” I smile.
“Any day. Now, can you promise me one thing?” He asks. “Will you contact me if you need anything, and I mean anything? Someone to talk to, somewhere to go. Anything.”
“Okay, I will. Thank you.”
“I mean it, Jen.”
“I know you do.”
I slowly get out of the car and hobble to the front door. Warren kindly walks with me.
“Thank you, again. I would invite you in, but this is not my place. Sorry.” Megan would not tell me off for it, but it would feel wrong to me. I would not like a stranger in my house without me being there. It is just wrong.