by M. H. Soars
As if summoned by magic, Bill comes into the room, looking a little flushed from his earlier tryst. I fight the urge to vomit. Celine follows him a couple of seconds later.
“Mrs. Reinhardt. I didn’t expect to see you here so early.”
“Early? The event starts in twenty minutes. I’d like to know where you’ve been while Liv here was trying to fix a mistake caused by you, it seems.”
“Uh, mistake? What mistake?”
“You booked the room for 150 people instead of 300,” Rodrigo answers.
“I did no such thing.” Bill’s face turns slightly redder.
“Actually, the contract was signed by Celine,” Carmen chimes in.
He clenches his jaw and levels me with a glare. “Well, only because Liv was taking time off, again.”
“Are you seriously implying this is my fault? How dare you!” I take a step forward, completely done reining in my temper. I don’t care that it’s happening in front of the company’s CEO.
“I don’t like your tone. You’re way out of line.”
“No, you’re out of line. If you weren’t so busy screwing Celine in the staff room, maybe you could have solved the situation sooner.”
Celine lets out a loud gasp and covers her mouth. Bill widen his eyes in surprise, right before his gaze turns murderous. “That’s it. You’ve lost your mind. You’re fired. Get your things and leave.”
“With pleasure.”
I walk around him and when I pass Rodrigo, I say, “I’m sorry.”
As soon as I’m out of the room, the rage turns into sadness, and hot tears spill down my cheeks. I wipe them quickly and don’t make eye contact with anyone. I’m almost running now. On the way out of the building, I cross paths with the first guests. The hotel staff is doing their job, directing them to the area where they can have their pre-dinner cocktails.
When I finally get to my car, I can’t find my damn keys inside my purse. My body is shaking and I have to lean against the vehicle to stay upright. Then a sudden nausea hits me, and I have no choice but to bend over and throw up. I don’t stop until I’m dry heaving.
“Liv, wait up.” I turn and find Rodrigo running my way.
I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, feeling hollow and weak.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“No. I’m truly sorry about what I said back there. It was inappropriate.”
“Was it true?”
“About Bill and Celine? Yeah, I caught them in the act. I took pictures to prove it.”
Rodrigo runs a hand through his hair. “Shit. Mom won’t be happy about that.”
“About what? That I took the pictures?”
“No, that Bill fired you and she has no choice but to let him finish running the event.”
“I’m sorry, Rodrigo, but I can’t go back in there.”
“I know. Are you going to be okay? I’d offer to drive you home, but I’m needed inside.”
“I’m fine. Just a little upset.”
“All right. I’ll call you later, okay? And don’t worry about your job. You’re most definitely not fired.”
I nod, but that’s all I have the energy for. The moment I slide behind the steering wheel, I know I’m not going home. I can’t bear the thought of being alone right now. The drive to Littleton will take longer, but I’m in desperate need of my mother’s cuddling. I guess you’re never too old for that.
Sixteen
LIV
The sound of loud music coming from downstairs tells me it’s most likely late morning and Mom is making something in the kitchen. I stayed up until past midnight chatting with my parents, giving them a summarized version of the hell Bill put me through all these months. I mentioned that I caught Bill screwing Celine, but I didn’t tell them I took pictures, afraid my father, curious as he is, would ask to see them.
I felt a little better after my conversation, but I cried myself to sleep last night. As a result, my eyes feel funny when I peel them open. Reaching for my phone, I see it’s already past eleven. I did oversleep. With a groan, I throw my legs to the side of the bed and sit up. The room begins to spin. I must have gotten up too fast. I close my eyes and take deep breaths until I’m certain I can stand up without falling flat on my face.
When I finally do get up and look at my reflection in the mirror, I cringe. My eyes are as puffy as I predicted, and my usual warm skin color has a sickly tone to it. My empty stomach clenches, but I feel too sick to eat anything.
I head to the shower, emerging ten minutes later feeling a little bit better but not by much. I’m glad I still have some of my clothes here. They’re from when I was still in college, but it’s not like I want to impress anyone. Besides, the old sweat pants and T-shirt are soft and comfy.
As soon as I walk out of my room, the smell of Mom’s famous beef roast hits my nose. It’s one of my favorite dishes, but instead of making my mouth water, it makes me nauseated. Holding to the wall as I slowly make my way downstairs, I fight the urge to gag. The sound of a familiar laugh makes my heart skip a beat. I walk faster, almost bursting into the open kitchen.
“Bas! You’re back.”
He turns to me and smiles from ear to ear. I want to run into his arms, but darkness creeps in from the corner of my eyes, and then nothing.
SEBASTIAN
Liv is smiling at me one second, and the next she’s collapsing to the floor, lifeless. I’m too far away to catch her fall, but Jeremy comes into the kitchen in that precise moment and prevents the worse. I’m in front of them in a split second, taking Liv’s prone form in my arms while my heart is jamming against my rib cage.
“Oh my God. What happened?” Karen asks.
“She just collapsed out of the blue,” Jeremy answers.
“Liv, love. Wake up.” I touch her face, not knowing what to do.
She stirs and a moment later blink her eyes open. “What happened?”
“You fainted.”
“What?” She tries to sit up on her own, but I help her.
“How are you feeling? I think we should take you to the hospital.”
“I’m okay. It was just a dizzy spell. I haven’t eaten anything yet.”
“How about some toast with cheese?” Karen asks.
Liv wrinkles her nose. “No. That will make me sick.”
“Since when does toast and cheese make anyone sick?” Jeremy veers toward the fridge, grabbing a jug of juice. When he tries to drink from it, Karen swats the back of his head.
“I don’t know. Just the idea of it makes me sick.”
“Wait a minute. Nausea and fainting spells? You’re not knocked up, are you, sis?” Jeremy raises an eyebrow.
There’s a moment of silence, and when Liv doesn’t answer, I ask, “Are you?”
“I-I don’t know. It’s possible, but so soon?”
Karen claps her hands together. “A baby? Why didn’t you tell me you were trying?”
Heat rushes to my cheeks, and I see mortification in Liv’s eyes as well.
“Gee, Mom, maybe because they didn’t want to share the private details of their sex life.” Liv’s brother shakes his head and walks to the living room, plopping on the couch opposite ours.
“Oh my God, guys. We’re in the room,” Liv says.
“Jer, go to the pharmacy and buy some pregnancy tests,” Karen orders.
“Are you crazy? Do you want people to think I knocked up someone?”
“You can say it’s for your sister if someone asks,” Murphy replies with a hint of mischief in his eyes.
“Oh, that’s much better. Bas should go. It’s his baby, after all. Wait, it is your baby, right?”
I flip Jeremy off. He was always a brat.
“Hello, anyone home?” Kimmy says from the foyer.
“We’re in the kitchen,” Murphy replies.
Kimmy comes in with Grace in her arms, followed closely by Owen. “Look who’s all better.”
“I didn’t know you were coming home today,” Liv says.
“Liv might be preggers,” Jeremy is quick to supply.
“Wait. What?” Owen looks at me, then at Liv. “For real?”
“We don’t know yet. Jeremy is jumping the gun and being a big mouth, as usual.” Liv glares at her younger brother.
“I’m not jumping the gun. Liv is sick and she fainted. Preggers.”
“Stop saying preggers. I hate that word.” Liv stands up from the couch.
“Fine, knocked up.”
Kimmy gives Grace to Owen, who’s watching everything with a smirk. There’s never a dull moment at the Dawson house, that’s for sure. “I’m going to the pharmacy to get some pregnancy tests, then. I’ll be right back.”
LIV
Kimmy’s trip to the pharmacy doesn’t take more than ten minutes, which makes me suspect she drove way above the speed limit. As soon as she gets back, she drags me to my former bedroom and waits while I pee on several sticks. At least she didn’t come into the bathroom with me.
“What’s with all these tests? Isn’t one enough?” I ask through the closed bathroom door.
“Well, some might not show anything yet. Didn’t you say you started trying a couple of weeks ago?”
“Yes. Shouldn’t I just pee on the one that can detect pregnancies early?”
“Just take the bloody tests, Liv. I’m dying here.”
“Fuck, I forgot how bossy you are.”
Kimmy ignores my comment, continuing the conversation as I read the various instructions.
“So you caught your boss screwing your coworker, huh? Classy.”
“Yeah. I lost my cool and told everyone, including Rodrigo’s mom.”
“Yikes. If he gets fired, he can sue you for defamation.”
“I wouldn’t put it past him. Too bad for him, I took pictures of them in the act.”
“No way! Where’s your phone?”
“Kimmy, no! Leave my phone alone.”
I would have gone back to my room if I wasn’t already in the process of taking the damn tests.
“Good pictures, Liv. I can’t believe you had the foresight to capture the moment. That’s so unlike you.”
“Well, if I hadn’t been so pissed off, I probably would’ve just left the room, more embarrassed than anything else.”
“It’s a good thing you did take the pictures. Now that jerk won’t be able to come after you.”
I put the three pregnancy tests on the sink and wait for the results to show up.
“Liv, are you done with the nasty part of the process?”
“Yes.”
Kimmy comes bouncing in and waits with me. “I didn’t know you were trying. I thought for sure you’d want to wait a few years before you decided to have kids.”
“I thought so too, until I forgot to take the pill and realized it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I got pregnant. Plus, I want to give Bas a family of his own.”
I don’t need to explain what I mean. Kimmy gets it.
The first two tests come back negative, and my heart sinks. “I guess it was a false alarm.”
“Wait for the last one.”
We both stare intently at the fanciest of them all. It’s all digital and shit. When the display shows ‘pregnant,’ I have to blink repeatedly to make sure I’m not seeing things.
“Am I pregnant?”
“It sure looks like it.”
I can’t move, I can’t breathe. It’s one thing to believe you’re pregnant, quite another to realize it’s true.
“Oh my God. Oh my God. I’m going to be a mom.”
“And I’m going to be an auntie.”
“Can I freak out now?”
“Oh yeah. You can totally freak out.”
Seventeen
LIV
Sebastian is more nervous than I am while we wait inside the ob-gyn’s office. First, he couldn’t sit still, looking at all the posters hanging on the walls, then reading any material he could get his hands on. After I made him sit down because his behavior was making me anxious, he began to bounce his legs up and down.
I place a hand on his thigh. “Will you relax? You’re making me nervous.”
He gives me a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”
The door opens and in comes Dr. Zimmerman, the same woman who helped birth all my siblings, me, and also Grace.
Sebastian jumps out of his chair. “Do you have the results? What does it say?”
The good old doc looks at him with arched eyebrows and a twist of her lips. “Yes, I have the results.”
I pull Sebastian’s sleeve. “Sit down, husband. You’re acting silly.”
“Shit, sorry. I’m so fucking nervous.”
“You don’t say.” Dr. Zimmerman chuckles.
“Well, get ready to be even more nervous. Congratulations. You’re pregnant.”
Sebastian and I stare at each other, the significance of this moment hitting us like a hammer. I thought that being almost sure I’m pregnant would lessen the effect of hearing the news officially, but nope. I’m hyperventilating already.
“Oh my God. This is really happening,” Sebastian says with bright eyes.
“Yes.” I can barely get the word out.
Suddenly, Sebastian captures my face between his hands and kisses me soundly in front of the doctor. My cheeks burst into flames, but I don’t pull away. After a couple of beats, Dr. Zimmerman clears her throat, and Sebastian finally pulls back.
“Sorry, Doctor.” He turns to her, lacing his fingers with mine at the same time.
“No worries. It’s good to see couples excited about bringing a new life into this world. It’s no picnic, I’ll tell you. Liv, I’m going to order a few tests, and then you can make your follow-up appointments at the reception desk.”
“When can we hear the sound of the baby’s heartbeat?” I ask.
“Per my calculations, you’re four weeks into the gestation, so probably at your next visit.”
“We’ll need a list of all the things Liv can and cannot do. Also food she shouldn’t eat,” Bas says.
“Hey, I’m right here and I’m still a person, you know?”
“I didn’t say you weren’t.” Bas frowns at me.
“It’s okay, Liv.” Dr. Zimmerman hands me an information packet. “Here’s a list of foods and medication you shouldn’t consume. Other than that, avoid physically demanding activities, at least during the first trimester.”
“All right. It’s not like I did any crazy stuff before.”
“That includes picking up heavy boxes and working long hours too, right, Doc?” Sebastian asks, and I fight the urge to smack him upside the head. I know where he’s going with that line of questioning.
Narrowing my eyes at him, I cross my arms in front of my chest. “You’re not going to turn into one of those men who doesn’t allow their wives to do anything on account of pregnancy, right?”
Sebastian opens and shuts his mouth before turning to Dr. Zimmerman. “A little help here?”
She shakes her head and laughs. “Be glad that your husband is worried about you, Liv. Trust me, you’re one of the lucky ones.”
Oh, I see what’s going on here. Sebastian, with his gorgeous face and easygoing charm, has already won my doctor over to his cause.
“Well, speaking of work, we have to go or I’ll be late.”
I know Sebastian doesn’t like my statement if the clench of his jaw is any indication. Well, too bad.
“We’re done here,” the doctor replies. “Call me if you have any questions. Otherwise, I’ll see you at your next appointment.”
I shake hands with her and walk out of the consulting room without waiting for Sebastian. Yes, I’m a little annoyed with him right now. During the drive to Reinhardt Corp, I look out the window and ignore his attempts to start a conversation.
When he parks in front of the building, he places a hand on my arm. “Liv? Are you mad at me?”
“Honestly
, yes.”
“Why?”
“Why? You’ve already started treating me like I’m made of china. Kimmy told me that Owen tried to pull the same stunt with her when she was pregnant with Gracie. I don’t want to turn into just the body that’s growing your baby.”
“I’ll never treat you like an incubator, Liv. I’m sorry if I came across a little overzealous. I guess with my track record….” He looks out the window, and I finally get where his odd behavior is coming from.
“Nothing is going to happen to me, Bas. Or the baby.”
“You don’t know that.”
Holding his chin between my fingers, I force him to look at me. “Hey, don’t shut me out. Everything is going to be all right. Trust me, okay?”
“I love you so much, and now”—he places a hand on my belly—“I have so much more to lose.”
“If you don’t stop with this ‘woe is me’ attitude I’m going to sign up for wall climbing.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” He pinches his eyebrows together, but the corner of his lips twists upward.
“Oh, I would.” I place a quick kiss on his lips and head out before I’m truly late.
Sebastian doesn’t drive off until I’m safe and sound inside the building. My irritation ebbed away already. I have to remember that he lost his entire family in one fell swoop, a tragedy that tore us apart and sent him spiraling into years of darkness and misery.
I try to concentrate on the work in front of me, but my mind is filled with worry and anxiety. Things will change irrevocably between Sebastian and me, and it’s human nature to fear the unknown. For that reason, I don’t notice Mayara Reinhardt until she taps her long nails on my desk.
“Good morning, Olivia. Am I interrupting?”
I blink a few times to help my brain get into gear. “Mrs. Reinhardt. I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there. Good morning.”
“I was wondering if you have time for a little chat.”
“Yes, absolutely.”
She turns on her heels and heads for Bill’s office. I scramble out of my chair, following her with my heart in my mouth. Shit, she’s going to fire me.
I close the door behind me without being told and notice how clean Bill’s desk is. All his personal belongings are gone. When Mayara sits behind his desk, I get the confirmation that he won’t be coming back.