The Good Neighbors

by Kiersten Modglin

  “What will?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, where does that leave us?”

  She thought for a moment. “I don’t have that answer yet, Bryant. If that’s not enough for you, then I don’t know what to tell you.”

  “So, what am I supposed to do?”

  “Whatever you want,” she said with a shrug before turning back toward the hallway. “You’re getting pretty good at that.”

  Thirty-One

  Harper

  The next day, Harper sat in the shower, letting the hot water hit her back. She was miserable. Miserable about Bryant. Miserably sick. She held her stomach, so tired of the way this flu was making her feel. She’d made an appointment to go in and get checked out, though she knew it was useless. There was nothing they could do with the flu. Still, for the length of time she’d had it, she was starting to think it was some rare form.

  She’d talked to her mother the night before, telling her about her sickness and about her new job, telling her about the town, telling her about everything except Bryant. She wasn’t ready yet. She couldn’t go there. Every time the conversation took a natural turn in that direction, she directed it elsewhere.

  She reached up, turning off the water and remaining still, trying to avoid any sudden movements. After a few moments, she stood, steadying herself before pulling the towel from the rack. Her legs lifted one-by-one over the sides of the bathtub cautiously, as the towel warmed her shivering body. She felt weak—both from lack of food and lack of sleep. Approaching the mirror, she couldn’t deny the fact that her eyes were practically lifeless, her skin sallow.

  It had been nearly three weeks since she’d been able to keep a meal down, just over two weeks since she found out about her husband, and one week since she’d been able to force herself to suffer through a day at work. It was ridiculous the amount of hours she was missing, and though the hospital had been extremely reasonable with her, they needed to see a doctor’s note at this point, and she couldn’t blame them. So, she’d finally given in and made the appointment. She hoped and prayed that they could remedy this somehow. A girl could only take so much ginger ale and saltines.

  Once she had pulled on her sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt, she descended the stairs, walking toward the front door slowly. With her purse on her arm and her cell phone placed in the inside pocket, she reached for her keys, pulling them off the hook and easing out the door. When she closed the door, it was with all of her strength, and she jiggled the handle extra for good measure. This routine was a habit she’d picked up since the Myrtle Beach trip. Luckily, there had been no more issues with doors being left open.

  She walked down the small sidewalk, pressing the button on her key fob to unlock the car. When she stepped to cross in front of her car, a sudden movement caught her eye. A black and brown snake darted out from behind her tire, shooting across her path. She jumped back, letting out a horrified scream and losing her balance as she fell to the ground.

  SNAP. She heard the sound as she hit the pavement, felt the pain radiating up the wrist she’d landed on.

  “Oh god,” she cried out, too tired and nauseous to move. She looked around, watching for the snake. She hadn’t seen exactly where it had gone. As she finally tried to sit up, another pain shot through her wrist. She bit her lip, fat tears suddenly filling her eyes. She lay back on the ground, letting self-pity finally find her. What on earth was she going to do? Not just about this moment, but about her entire life? It wasn’t supposed to go this way. None of it. And now that it had, she wasn’t sure what to do to fix it. Or if she even wanted to.

  Just then, she heard a door slam. She looked up to see Jason rushing toward her, throwing a T-shirt on over his head. She didn’t have time to appreciate his chiseled chest as he lowered himself down beside her.

  “Oh my god, Harper, are you okay? Are you hurt?” His hands hovered above her, afraid to touch her.

  She shook her head, feeling embarrassed. “I think I broke my wrist.”

  “What? Here, let me look at it,” he said, holding his hand out. She placed the throbbing wrist in his hand cautiously, noticing the already-swollen lump.

  “Oooh,” he said, inhaling sharply. “Yeah, that looks bad. We need to get you to the hospital. Where are your keys?”

  She pointed to her bag where it had fallen from her grasp. “I’m okay, honestly. It just hurts.”

  “You can’t drive yourself. Not like that. Here, come on,” he placed a hand around her waist, “let me help you up.” He lifted her easily, practically carrying her to the passenger’s seat and helping her to buckle in. He was insanely close to her, and she noticed for the first time, that he smelled like fresh soap and his hair was slightly wet. He must’ve just finished showering.

  He rushed to the driver’s side and pulled out of the driveway quickly. “Hold on, okay?” he told her, looking directly into her eyes before he turned off their road. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

  She leaned her head back on the seat, swallowing. He had no idea how badly she hoped that were true.

  Thirty-Two

  Harper

  Harper laid in the hospital bed, the pain still radiating through her at lightning speed. It was ridiculous how painful it was. She’d never broken anything, but with the ever-growing amount of purple surrounding her swelling, she was almost positive that was what had happened. Finally, she saw a familiar face approaching her.

  “Uh-oh, what happened?” Doctor Andrews asked as he approached her.

  “I fell,” she said, holding up her wrist. “And I heard a snap.”

  The doctor winced. “Yeah, that doesn’t look good. We’ll take you up to X-Ray and see about getting it confirmed. You know, if you didn’t want to come to work, you could’ve just told us,” he joked, looking over at Jason who was waiting patiently in the chair beside her. “This must be your husband. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  Harper felt as red as Jason grew. “Oh, no!” They both attempted to correct the doctor at the same time.

  Jason laughed, conceding to let Harper finish. “Sorry, no. This isn’t my husband. Jason’s my neighbor. He saw me fall and drove me here.”

  “Oh. Well, nice to meet you, anyway,” the doctor said, typing something into the iPad in his hands. “I’ll get a nurse to take you down to X-Ray shortly, okay? Sit tight.”

  Harper nodded. After a few moments, a nurse appeared. Jason agreed to wait by her bed while Harper was taken down the hall. Once they were away from him, a nurse that Harper didn’t recognize asked, “Okay, so I do have to ask…there’s no chance you could be pregnant, is there?”

  Harper shook her head, but froze. “I have PCOS, so my cycles are irregular. I’ve been told it will likely be hard for me to conceive, so probably not.”

  The nurse nodded, a look of genuine concern on her face. “Okay,” she said patiently, “well, let’s take a test just to be on the safe side, and then we’ll get you in.”

  Harper agreed, taking a cup as the nurse grabbed one from the wall and handed it to her. She walked into the bathroom, her hands shaking. There was no way she was pregnant…her sickness had only been the flu, right?

  Thirty-Three

  Bryant

  Bryant sat in class, staring at the heads of all of his students as they took a pop quiz. Tests and quizzes were the only quiet moments he was allowed in a day, and so he had been taking advantage of that as much as possible. He needed the quiet. He needed time to think.

  He checked his phone again. He was used to updates from her throughout the day, but they’d abruptly stopped after his accidental confession. What an idiot he’d been. If he hadn’t confessed, there’s a good chance none of this would’ve ever come out. If he hadn’t done it in the first place, it definitely wouldn’t have come out.

  When the bell rang a few minutes later, he patted his desk. “That’s the bell. Everyone hand in your quizzes as you leave. See you guys tomorrow.”

  The teenagers stood fro
m their desks, beginning with their usual chatter as they slid their papers into the tray he had waiting for them.

  He locked his drawers, closing his computer and grabbing his phone from his desk as he headed out of his classroom and locked the door.

  On his way home, he dialed her number, waiting to hear her voice. He eventually did, but in the form of her voicemail message.

  “Hey,” he said, “just wanted to say I’m thinking about you. I, um, I miss you. A lot. I’m thinking about you…about us, all the time. I hope you’re feeling better. I’ll see you soon.”

  He closed his phone, praying she would call him back. He had to win her back. He had to earn her trust again. Without Harper, he was nothing.

  When Bryant walked in the house, he was surprised by the quiet. Harper had told him she was calling in that morning, so he was sure she would still be home. He glanced at the empty lock screen of his phone once again. Where could she be?

  He glanced out the window, looking at his sole car in the driveway, and began dialing her number again.

  This time, she picked up.

  “Hello?”

  “Harper, where are you?”

  “I’m pulling in now,” she said. “I’ll be in, in just a second.” He felt relief wash over him at her words, sliding the phone into his pocket as he heard the call end.

  “I love you, too,” he whispered, long after she was gone from the line.

  Thirty-Four

  Harper

  Harper and Jason climbed from the car in front of her house. She wanted to tell him thank you for helping her and for not asking questions when she’d returned from her X-ray with tears in her eyes, but she was having trouble forming words. He seemed to understand, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in for a hug.

  “It’s going to be okay,” he promised, his warm breath in her hair.

  “You don’t know that.”

  He nodded, his chin resting on her scalp. “I do. Eventually, it’s going to work out.” Without waiting for permission, he pressed his lips into her forehead. “Call me if you need anything,” he whispered. “Please take care of yourself, Harper.” As he began walking away from her and up his driveway, he called over his shoulder, “I mean it.”

  Harper stood still, feeling the impression of his lips on her skin as she watched him walk away. Her feelings were all over the place; she was a complete mess. How on earth was she going to deal with all the news the doctor’s office had given her? How was she going to deal with her failing marriage now that a baby—a baby she’d thought she couldn’t have—was thrown into the mix?

  She walked up the cement walkway in a trance, headed for the front door. Bryant opened it quickly. “Oh my god, what happened?” he asked, staring at her cast.

  She stepped past him and into the house. “I fell,” she said simply. “On my way to the doctor.”

  “And it’s broken?” he asked, reaching for it.

  She kept it away from him. “Yes, it’s broken.”

  “Are you…I mean, are you okay?” he asked. “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “I’m fine,” she said. “I just…I didn’t think about it.”

  “You didn’t think about it?” he demanded, obviously upset.

  “I had other things on my mind, Bryant. I was in pain. I was sick. My first thought wasn’t to call you—”

  “You’ve always called me when you were hurt or sick or—”

  “We aren’t who we were then!” she shrieked. “Everything we do now…every decision we make, it’s all different. We have to handle it differently.”

  “What does that mean?” He tilted his head to the side.

  “I don’t know,” she said, pressing her fingers to the bridge of her nose.

  “I love you, Harper…”

  “I know.”

  “You know?” he asked. “You don’t love me, too?”

  “Of course I love you, Bryant. That doesn’t just go away.”

  “Then we can fix this, right? We have to fix this.”

  “I don’t know.” She stepped back as he moved toward her. “I want to go take a bath. I feel disgusting.”

  “Okay,” he said, his face falling slightly. “Let me help you.”

  “No,” she said too quickly, holding out a hand to keep him from moving any closer. “I’ve got it.” Without waiting for a response, she turned away, headed up the stairs.

  “What did the doctor say?” he asked. “Do you have the flu?”

  She closed her eyes, not turning back around to face him from the stairs. She hadn’t made the decision to lie until right at that moment. It was instinct. She had to protect herself, and giving away that secret made her vulnerable. “Yes,” she said coolly, continuing up the stairs. “Just the flu.”

  Thirty-Five

  Harper

  Two days later, Harper set out for her first day back at work. The medicine the doctor had prescribed for morning sickness had worked wonders, and she was finally back to feeling somewhat normal again.

  She held a cup of coffee in one hand—decaf—and her keys in the other. Bryant had already left for the day, seemingly over his fear of disturbing her as she got ready. As she climbed into the car, her phone began ringing, causing her to jump. It was a number she didn’t recognize. She maneuvered her purse over her cast carefully, using her unbroken wrist to lift the phone to her ear.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello, may I speak to Harper Page, please?”

  “Speaking,” she said, not recognizing the cool voice on the other end of the line.

  “Mrs. Page, this is Cara from The Women’s Center. I’m calling to confirm your appointment for two o’clock today.”

  “I’m sorry, my what?” she asked, wrinkling her brow in confusion. She turned the knob, lowering the volume on the radio, though she knew that wasn’t the issue.

  The woman cleared her throat. “Um, your appointment. We have you down for two o’clock, is that not correct?”

  Harper shook her head. “I don’t understand. What is the appointment for? I never made any appointment.”

  The woman hummed, clicking her tongue. “Well, perhaps there’s been a mistake. You didn’t make an appointment with us? You’re sure? I can remove you, but it may be a while before we can get you in again.”

  “I didn’t make any appointment,” she confirmed. “There has to be a mistake.”

  “Okay,” the woman said, sounding like she didn’t totally believe her. “Well, I’m sorry to have bothered you. I will get that cancelled right now.”

  “Thank you,” Harper said, hanging up the phone and feeling frazzled. She sat in the driveway, staring into space as she tried to figure out what had just happened. The Women’s Center—that was what the receptionist had called it, right? What was that?

  She Googled the name, finding a few results before she located one in Shallotte. She clicked on the website, scrolling through a pink layout. The four options on her screen were: STDs, Abortion, Birth Control, and Emergency Contraceptive. Below that, she could enter a zip code to find a local branch. She bit her bottom lip as she read over the list again.

  Was this some sort of sick joke? Why would that number have called her? Why would she have an appointment with them? She closed her eyes. The only person who knew about the pregnancy was her doctor. But why would he make an appointment without even contacting her? She took a deep, haggard breath. Maybe she was being dramatic. Perhaps the center dealt with pregnancy and he had scheduled her a prenatal appointment. Had he mentioned that? Honestly, her brain was so fuzzy with memories of that moment, she couldn’t remember. That had to be it. How else would they have her phone number or know about her condition? If she could catch him today at work, she would be sure to ask him.

  Placing her phone back into her bag, she turned up the radio once again and drove away, trying desperately to calm her racing mind.

  Thirty-Six

  Harper

  On her lunch break, Harper roamed the ha
lls of the hospital, waiting outside the room where Doctor Andrews was seeing a patient. When he walked out, she nearly jumped up as she rushed toward him.

  “Oh, hey, Harper, what’s up? How’s your wrist feeling?” he asked.

  She glanced at it as if it were an afterthought. “Oh, fine. It’s fine. Listen, can I talk to you?” she asked.

  “Of course,” he said, pointing to the empty room next to them. “In here?”

  She nodded, following his lead into the small room and sitting on the exam table out of instinct.

  “Is everything all right?” he asked as he shut the door, laying the chart in his hands down on the counter so his attention was solely on her.

  “I’m fine,” she said, touching her stomach. “I just…I got a weird call this morning.”

  He cocked his head to the side. “Okay…”

  “From The Women’s Center?”

  “Oh,” he said, nodding seriously. “Are you considering having an abortion?” He asked it with no judgement, though she instantly felt judged.

  “No, of course not. I…I mean, this baby…I just wasn’t expecting the phone call, is all. I didn’t know if maybe you’d called them for me.”

  His eyes went wide and he cracked a small smile as if he thought she were joking. When she didn’t smile back, his faded. “Harper, I would never. You know we couldn’t do that. Now, of course, if you asked us to set you up with someone—here or otherwise—we would be happy to. But I would never do that without your consent.”

  “I guess I knew that, I just don’t understand how they could’ve gotten my number.” She crossed her arms as a cold chill ran over her. “It’s strange timing, that’s all.”