Turn Towards the Sun Book Two: After the Rain

by Jennifer Domenico

  “After your appointment today, I need to do some work at Girasole. I’m finalizing the plans with Dax and Alex. Do you want to come with me? I can see if Checca is coming by today.”

  I don’t feel up to it. “No, I think I’ll just stay home.

  “Okay, bella, as you wish.”

  He pulls into the medical park and finds a parking space. I start to open my door when he waves his finger at me.

  “Signora, you should know better by now.” He grins at me and walks around to my side of the car to open my door.

  “I must have forgotten for a moment that I was with the most romantic man in the world,” I say.

  Enzo smiles. “Ah, well then, I must work harder.”

  “Let’s chalk it up to my recent illness and not a reflection of your performance.”

  “Fair enough. Andiamo?” He offers his arm for me to take.

  We walk into the stark office building and enter the elevator. Enzo hits the button for the tenth floor and leans back against the wall.

  “If you were feeling better, I might like to take advantage of you in this elevator,” he remarks with a wink at me.

  “If I were feeling better, I would let you. Where did you find this doctor?”

  “I’ve been seeing her for years. I trust her and she offers private appointments, so I can come when it works best for me.”

  We walk into the waiting room and check in.

  “I know you’re a big deal here, Enzo, but it’s so strange to me to need private doctor appointments and bodyguards, and having paparazzi chase us. It just feels so surreal, like we’re celebrities or something. Well, I guess you are.”

  Enzo shakes his head. “I’m not a celebrity. All the media attention recently is unusual for me, too. I’m used to some mild interest when I attend events and the occasional gossip column chatter, but I’ve never been pursued to this extent. I chalk it up to two things – my marriage to you, which was unexpected and happened quickly, and this book. Everyone loves a fairytale and a scandal, no?”

  I nod my head. “Unfortunately, yes.”

  A woman dressed in a lab coat comes out of a door and approaches us with her hand extended. “Enzo, hello,” she says.

  “Hello, Dr. Warner. Good to see you again. This is my wife, Ava.”

  “Hello, Ava. Pleased to meet you,” she says, extending her hand to me.

  I smile back. “Likewise.”

  “Come on in, and let’s take a look at you.”

  We follow the woman into a back room. It looks more like a house than a doctor’s office, with plush furniture and hardwood floors. The walls and furnishings are in lovely earth tones. It’s a very soothing environment.

  Dr. Warner seems out of place. She looks like a person who spends a lot of time outside, hiking and communing with nature. I imagine she’s a vegetarian; no, vegan. She doesn’t wear an ounce of makeup and has long, brown hair flowing down her back. I imagine she spends time thinking about her carbon footprint.

  The doctor opens a door and motions us to go inside her office. I sit in a chair that is comfy enough to read in, and glance around. I notice her degree on the wall. Ah, she’s a naturopathic doctor. That makes sense.

  She sits down across from us and gives me one of the warmest smiles I’ve ever seen. “So, Ava, tell me what’s been going on with you.”

  “Over the last few days I’ve had a hard time keeping food down,” I reply.

  “Any foods in particular or just in general?” she asks.

  “In general.”

  “Do you have an appetite?”

  “Off and on,” I reply.

  She writes down my answers. “Any fever, chills, diarrhea?”

  “Not really, no.”

  Enzo speaks up. “She’s been under an enormous amount of stress in recent weeks, doctor. I think that may be a factor.”

  The doctor nods her head and writes that down too. “Any chance of pregnancy?”

  “I don’t think so. I’m on the pill,” I explain. “I never miss taking it.”

  She looks up briefly, but then writes that down, too. “Well, it’s best if we go ahead and examine you, and see if we can figure out what is going on. I’ll take you to a room where you can change.”

  Dr. Warner leads us down the hall to a room that is just as inviting as the rest of the office. She grabs a cloth gown from a drawer, along with a soft, warm blanket. “You can undress and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Thank you, doctor.”

  She leaves the room and I start to take my clothes off.

  “Do you want me to leave, amore?” Enzo asks me.

  I shrug. “It doesn’t matter to me. I don’t know what kind of exam she’s planning on, so we can play it by ear. Not sure you want to see what a woman goes through though.” I smile.

  He grins. “Maybe I would.”

  The doctor knocks on the door and re-enters. “Okay, Ava. Lay back, please, and I’ll start on your abdomen.”

  I lay down on the examination table and the doctor starts pressing on my tummy. “Just let me know if anything hurts or if you feel any tenderness or pressure,” she tells me.

  “Okay.”

  I look over at Enzo, who is pacing the room with a worried look on his face.

  “Anything, Ava?” the doctor asks.

  “No. It feels normal.”

  “Okay. Sit up.”

  Dr. Warner listens to my back and my heart, and then looks down my throat, up my nose and in my ears. Then she takes my temperature.

  “Everything looks really good. It could very well be a reaction to stress. Would you like me to do a pregnancy test, just to be sure?”

  “Yes,” I reply. “In fact, would you be able to do my pap smear, too? I’m almost due for my annual.”

  “Oh sure, I can do that. Give me a moment to get my things. In the meantime, you can go through this door to the bathroom and leave a urine sample for me.”

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  “Enzo, I’m fairly certain you would rather wait outside for the rest of the exam,” Dr. Warner says.

  Actually, the expression on his face suggests he would like to stay, but he isn’t going to ask the doctor. Instead, he says, “Yes, of course,” kisses me quickly on the cheek and leaves the room.

  In the little bathroom, I start to feel nervous. There was only one other time in my life that I thought I might be pregnant and I was horrified – with my very first boyfriend. Fortunately, I got lucky and it was just a false alarm. Now I’m sitting here again, several years later, praying for a negative test result. As much as I love Enzo, I’m just not ready yet.

  Leaving the room, I climb back on the examination table to assume the position for my annual. Is there anything in the world less pleasant than a pap smear? I would rather have a root canal.

  The doctor comes back with an assistant. “Okay, Ava, scoot down to the edge of the table. I’ll make this as fast as possible.”

  “Okay.” I move down to the edge and put my feet in the stirrups. Immediately, my knees lock together.

  “Uh, Ava, this will be a lot easier for both of us if you open your legs and relax,” Dr. Warner says, smiling.

  “Sorry doc, reflex.”

  She laughs. “I hope Mr. Milano has better luck.”

  I blush, but laugh too, and relax my legs.

  The doctor does her job efficiently and allows me to regain my dignity quickly.

  “You can sit up,” she says, as she removes her gloves. “I’m pretty sure there’s no baby in there, but the test results should be back in a few minutes and then we can confirm.”

  I exhale with relief. “Thank you doctor.”

  “You can get dressed. I’ll be back in a minute. Want me to send Enzo back in?” she asks.

  I nod. “Sure.” Cleaning myself up, I dress, and then Enzo knocks softly on the door and asks, “Posso?”

  “Come in.” I smile as he enters. “What does posso mean anyway?” I ask him, remembering hearing France
sca say it once.

  “It means ‘can I?’ How did it go?”

  “Good, I think. She doesn’t think I’m pregnant, but she said the test will be ready in a minute. Like you said, it’s probably stress,” I reply.

  “Yes, probably. Too bad it’s not a baby.” He looks at me with sad eyes.

  “We’ll have a baby, Enzo. Just not right now.”

  “More than one, no?” he asks.

  “Yes, more than one, God willing.”

  He squeezes my hand.

  The doctor comes back in the room. “We got the test back. You’re definitely not pregnant. At this point, I think you’re healthy, but stressed. I would recommend some rest and avoiding whatever is causing you worry, if you can.”

  Enzo frowns. “I’m the cause of her stress.”

  I sigh. “That’s not true, babe. External issues are the cause, not you.”

  The doctor looks at both of us. “Maybe you would both benefit from a break. Enzo, you look a little run down too. Can you take some time off?”

  Mr. Stoic reappears right in front of my eyes and replies, “I just got back from my honeymoon. I don’t need any more time off.”

  I don’t know why he has such a hard time admitting he is human and might need help too.

  “I know you can work from anywhere. Isn’t there a quiet place you can go until things die down again?” Dr. Warner asks. “I’ve seen the news, you know.” She crosses her arms over her chest.

  He sighs. “No. I’m very busy and I need to be in the states.”

  “I know where we can go,” I speak up.

  “Where?” Enzo asks, looking at me.

  “Colorado. It’s perfect. No one knows you there and we can stay with my parents. You can see where I come from. It’s in the same time zone as Arizona. You can work from there, no? Just until things calm down, like the doctor says. Cass and Chris can take care of the house and Maximus.”

  “Is that what you want, amore?”

  “Yes.”

  “As you wish then.”

  The doctor smiles and rubs my arm. “Good. I think it will be beneficial to both of you.”

  “Thank you again, doctor,” I say, shaking her hand.

  “Sure. Come back anytime. I should have your pap results in a week or so. We’ll call you. In the meantime, rest.”

  “I will.”

  We walk out of the building and get into the car. Enzo sits quietly for a moment before starting the car. “Do you really want to go away again?” he asks.

  “I do. In a week or so, no one will care about this dumb book. Then we can come back and get back to normal.”

  “Okay, amore. I’ll go wrap things up at Girasole and talk to Checca. I’ll have Alex take care of the legalities while we’re gone.”

  “Are you mad?” I ask.

  He laughs softly. “No, of course not. I just thought you didn’t want to travel anymore.”

  “I want a normal, anonymous life. I don’t want to be chased by cameras everywhere I go, and I don’t want our lives on the news.” Suddenly, I burst into tears.

  “No, Ava. You know I can’t stand it when you cry.”

  “It’s just been a lot to handle.”

  He kisses my hand. “I know. We can go tomorrow. Don’t cry.”

  “I want you to see Emma. Finish this, Enzo.” I look up and wipe the tears from my face.

  He nods. “If it will make you happy, I’ll do it.”

  “I just think you need to. I don’t think it is right the way it is now. You won’t admit it, but I know it bothers you how you treated her and how it ended. Enzo, she’s going to die.”

  “I know, amore. I will go see her. I swear.”

  “Call now,” I tell him. I’m afraid he’ll procrastinate if I don’t push.

  “Call who?”

  “Emma. Didn’t she call you?”

  “I’ll call when we get home.”

  “No, now, please,” I insist.

  “Ava, this is not appropriate. I’ll do it later.”

  “Why isn’t it appropriate? Just tell her you want to talk to her, and arrange to meet up. As soon as possible.”

  “I erased her number,” he admits.

  “Come on. You can make anything that you want happen. Make this happen.”

  Enzo pulls out his phone and gives me a look of defeat. “I don’t get it, Ava. But I’ll do it, for you.” He dials.

  “Alex, I need you to find Emma’s phone number for me,” he says. “Don’t ask me any questions, please. Just do it.”

  Hanging up, Enzo looks at him. “He’ll call me back as soon as he gets the number. Can we go home now?”

  I wipe my nose with a tissue I found in my purse. “Yes. Thank you.”

  “Tell me why it’s so important to you,” he asks, as he pulls out into the street.

  “I don’t know exactly. I guess I just imagine this poor, misguided woman baring her soul and having it blow up in front of her. Then, to top it off, she finds out that she’s dying. I’m guessing she doesn’t have anyone in her life who loves her. Not like I do. It’s just so sad.”

  “Yes, it’s sad and it’s my fault. That’s why this bothers you so much, isn’t it? Because I’m the one who hurt her?” he asks me.

  “It’s not your fault. It’s just who you were at that time. But you have it in you now to make it right.”

  “Okay, amore. I’ll take care of it. I promise.”

  “Thank you.”

  He pulls out his phone again and dials. “Grayson, we’re on our way home. Are they still there? Okay, thank you.” He rubs my cheek. “They’re gone.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief.

  “When we get home, you can book our tickets to Denver. Just go one way. We’ll leave it open-ended and come back when we feel like we can.”

  I smile. “Thanks, baby.”

  “Anything for you – you know that.”

  The big iron gates that lead to our house open. Already, I feel like my old self again. Just knowing that we can get away from here, and be alone where no one cares what we do, and we won’t be treated like ‘Brangelina’ everywhere we go, is a huge relief.

  We pull into the garage and I look at my sweet, little Fiat sitting there. It reminds me of fun times that seem so long ago, but, really, it was only a month earlier.

  “Don’t be worried, amore. Things will get back to normal,” Enzo says, rubbing my hand.

  It’s funny how he always knows what I’m thinking.

  His phone rings again. “Yes?” he answers. “Okay. One sec.” He pulls a pen out of his pocket and writes down a number on a slip of paper. I assume it’s Emma’s. “Thanks, Alex,” he adds, getting out of the car. Walking around to my side, he opens my door.

  “Well, I have her number now. I’ll call,” he tells me.

  “I’ll wait.”

  “You don’t believe me, do you?”

  “I do believe you,” I insist. “I just think you don’t want to, and I think you’ll put it off as long as possible. I’d rather just get this over with, so we don’t have to keep talking about it.”

  “Good point, signora.”

  We walk inside the house and sit down together on the couch in the living room. I watch Enzo as he flips open his phone and takes a deep breath. He dials her number slowly. Any jealously I once felt over the situation is now completely gone. I just want him to make peace with the whole episode.

  “Emma, it’s Enzo,” he says. His face changes to sadness as he listens. “Don’t cry, Emma. We need to talk. Can you meet with me?” He stands and paces the room. “That isn’t important.”

  I can tell this is a tough conversation for him. She must be crying and pouring out her soul, because he’s quiet for several minutes and wearing an awkward look on his face.

  “Listen, Emma, we can talk through this in person. My wife wants this to happen. Yes, she knows. Do you feel well enough for visitors?”

  Enzo listens again and runs his fingers through his hair. “It has
to be today. I’m leaving town tomorrow. Don’t worry about that, okay?” His tone finally softens. “Alright, I’ll be there in two hours. Does that work?” He looks up at me. “Okay, see you then.”

  He closes the phone. “That was tough. She cried the whole time.”

  “I assumed.”

  “She feels terrible, of course. She wanted to talk to you, but I don’t think it is necessary. You agree, no?” Enzo asks me.

  “I admit that I did want to talk to her at first, before I knew why she did this. That urge has passed, thankfully.”

  “I don’t think I would be comfortable with it,” he says.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going with you. I’m going to make travel arrangements. I’ll be here when you get back.”

  He smiles. “Promise?”

  “Where else am I going to go?”

  “The Amex card is on the table over there. I’ll call later today to get a card in your name. In fact, we need to get your name changed.”

  “When we get home we can do that,” I suggest. “I hope we’ll only be gone a week or so.”

  “I’m going to Girasole now for a few hours to get some things in order. Then I’ll be going to Emma’s.” He sighs.

  “Are you going to her house?”

  “I was planning to, yes.”

  “What about the media?” I ask him.

  “She said no one was there. After her health announcement, they’ve left her alone. Maybe there is hope for humanity after all.”

  “Maybe…”

  “You’re sure you want me to do this?”

  “It’s already done. Besides, it obviously means a lot to her.”

  He nods his head. “Okay, then, a presto,” he says, kissing my cheek.

  “Ah, new phrase. A presto?”

  “It basically means ‘see you later,’ loosely translated.”

  “Ah, well in that case, a presto,” I say, grinning.

  Enzo leaves again, and I stand in the vast living room looking around. The house is just so big – we definitely need to fill it up someday. It helps a lot that Cassie and Chris are here, even though they’ve been spending their days getting to know the area. It suddenly hits me that I’m starving. Wandering into the kitchen, I look around for something to eat, but only find some fruit and a lot of vegetables. Opening the freezer, I find a tub of soup. Perfect. As I pour it into a pot to warm it up, I hear my phone vibrate across the dining table.