Page 8 of Break

She sighs and plucks her phone out of her pocket of her blue scrubs and my phone vibrates on my desk. “I sent you the info on my doctor. He’s awesome… and hot. I gotta get back to work if you don’t have anything fun to say.” She waves as she scurries off and I dial the number and wait for someone to answer.

That was easy. I usually just have my yearly physicals done with Annika to make my life easier. I’m always in the damn office anyway.

“Dr. Evans’ office, how may I direct your call?”

“Um… Hi. I just found out I’m pregnant last week. I’m looking for an OB.”

“Sure… When was your last period?”

I glance at my calendar and read through the dates. “August second is when it started.”

She taps around on what I assume is her keyboard and hums. “So you’re around five weeks along. We don’t take in new patients before eight weeks unless there is bleeding or cramping, or history of miscarriages. Do you have any of the above?”

I frown. “No.”

“Good! I’ll need your name, date of birth, and your insurance information. I have an appointment available in three weeks, Friday at noon.”

I riddle off the information and confirm the appointment and we hang up.

In three weeks my pregnancy will be confirmed. I might be able to have an ultrasound done to see the little blob…

My heart drops and I just force myself to calm down. I still have several months to go. Dr. Patterson will have more help by then and I’ll be able to take a few months off while I figure out childcare. Everything will be fine.

Right?

Chapter 3

James

____________

It’s been over a week since I’ve seen or talked to Marie… The girls are tight lipped. Her boss refuses to speak to me and I have no idea where she lives. I feel like I’ve lost a limb. We’ve never had a fight like this and I would like to fucking know what the fight is even about.

Yesterday when I got home from practice, I found the girls sitting in Marie’s room with tears in their eyes.

The furniture is still here, but without her clothes thrown around, the scent of her perfume, or her little knickknacks on the desk and dresser… it feels empty.

The house feels empty without her.

She even took all of the kitchen gadgets she loves, the smoker I cooked on several times a week. Even the décor around the house that she chose.

The girls are beside themselves and blame me for her leaving us. I don’t even know what the fuck I did. After she metAlex, she shut down. Was it something Alex said to her? I doubt it, Alex is a sweet, kind woman. Sure, she can come off as snooty, but I blame her upbringing on that. Coming from rich parents and never having to lift a finger.

I pull out my phone and sigh when I still don’t have a reply from Marie. This is the longest we haven’t talked in… ever. We’ve been attached at the hip since our parents started throwing us in a bedroom when we were in diapers so that they could party.

The good old days.

We busied ourselves with broken toys, empty beer cans, and water bottles with pennies rolling around inside. Eventually we got old enough to climb out of the rusted windows and headed to the local ice rink and learned how to skate. Kept us busy, out of trouble.

She’s always been my rock.

She was there when I wanted to learn how to play hockey, she was there when the owner of the local rink asked me if I wanted to join a league. She was there, right by my side, going door to door with me to fundraise for my gear and spot on the team.

She was there when the twins were born when we were ten… Hell, I didn’t even have to beg her to come to Minnesota with me. She offered, practically beggingmeto come to get the hell out of California. We never looked back. We pushed each other towards our dreams. Now I make millions and she’s a PA. Close to the career she’s always wanted.

She wanted to become a doctor but switched when she didn’t get into the MD or DO programs anywhere locally. She refused to leave the girls.

And now? Now she’s abandoned all of us, and I don’t know what the fuck is going on anymore. She’s the one that communicates, organizes everything. She’s basically our fucking mom and now I feel lost, like my mother bird left me alone in the nest.

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