Page 3 of Something Stronger
“Ok.” I frowned. This had been happening a lot lately. Work always seemed to get in the way whenever we had something planned. I understood that Charlie had to go when they told him to, but it still stung that he missed important family things.
“You know I can’t help this.” He stood and fisted his hands at his sides. I could tell he was trying to hold it together. “You think I like missing things?” His got louder and I cringed. I did not want to fight this morning.
“What happens when the baby gets here, and work calls you to come in during something big? Are you going to choose your job over your child?” An angry tear began to leak from the corner of my eye.
“That’s not fair. This job is what’s paying for you to be able to stay home,” he growled.
“I didn’t want to stay home, remember? I wanted to keep working. The doctor is the one who put me on bed rest.” I pounded my fist into the mattress. “Just go.” I motioned for himto leave. I was overly emotional lately due to the pregnancy and since being put on bed rest, I’d been more frustrated than usual. He stood there for a moment, staring at me, and then turned and left. His shoulders dropped and his back hunched over in defeat as he left the room.
I closed my eyes, willing my stomach to cooperate with me. My heart was racing, and my mind kept playing out all the worst-case scenarios. What if Charlie turned out just like his dad? What if I ended up resenting this baby because I quit working? What if Charlie ended up leaving all duties outside of work to me?
The baby took that moment to move. I don’t know if it was trying to tell me everything was ok, or to calm down. I rubbed my stomach as I pushed all the bad things out of my mind and tried to concentrate on the good. The universe must have known how I was feeling at that moment because just as I was starting to cry, my phone rang, and my sister’s face appeared on the screen.
“Hello?” I started to sob.
“Lou? What’s wrong?” my sister, Codie’s voice came through the line.
“A lot,” I whimpered. “It’s just… I’m stuck in this bed. Charlie’s at work all the time, and I’m here all day alone.” I sniffed as I wiped at my eyes. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too. I had news, but it sounds like you just need someone to listen right now.” She was chipper, almost too chipper.
“It’s ok. You can tell me. I need something to distract me from my life right now.” I kinda laughed through the tears.
“Well, remember a few months ago when Alex and I both had the flu?” Her voice got quiet as if she were telling a secret.
“Yeah?”
“Turns out I didn’t have the flu.” She started giggling.
“Are you?” Suddenly my melancholy mood started to brighten.
“Yeah. I’m having a baby. I found out yesterday that it’s a boy.” A smile spread across my face.
“I’m gonna be an aunt.” I giggled. “I wish you lived closer. Our kids could be best friends like we were.” I sighed. My mind thought about all the years we were inseparable. Codie and I were thick as thieves growing up, and it was hard when she moved away. I miss her so much, but I understand why she left. “You and Alex need to come visit,” I prodded. Codie’s only been back here once, and I’m sure it’s because my wedding was not in our hometown.
“Maybe.” Her voice became distant. “So, tell me about what’s going on with you.” She changed the subject. Home and coming back here were always a sore subject for my sister, and I wondered if I’d even be able to have a relationship with my nephew.
“I go today for my ultrasound. I’ve been going to the doctor once a week since he put me on bed rest. I spend my days watching game shows and Judge Judy. When he’s home, Charlie cooks for me and helps out around here, but I can tell that it’s starting to wear on him. Sometimes I think he stays late at work to avoid coming home. I just don’t know if this is all going to work out. I mean, we’ve only been married a year and we argue all the time.”
“I’m sure it’s just hard with you being stuck in bed. Once the baby comes and you guys can have some normalcy back, I bet it’ll get better,” she urged.
“You’re probably right. I mean, I’ll have a little person here with me during the day, and then we can do family stuff when Charlie gets home each night. It’ll be like when we were little and played in Dad’s office.” I started to picture memories of baking cookies with Mama and Daddy teaching me to drive the watertruck. As busy as they were running the farm, they always made time for us.
“I’m sure Mama and Daddy had a different life before we came along, but they never seemed to mind that we were there,” Codie reasoned. “Mama always told me that I made her life better when I was born.”
“You’re right. I bet this little munchkin is going to make my life better.” I patted my stomach and the baby kicked. “I’m glad you called. I needed this,” I lamented. I looked outside to see dark clouds in the distance. The trees were swaying, and I wondered if the storm would pass before I had to leave. I hated driving in the rain, even though it wasn’t far to get into town. “Well, I need to get a shower in before my appointment, so I better get going but we need to have a girls’ day once these babies get here.”
“Most definitely.” She started laughing. “Maybe you can convince Charlie to take a few days off and come up here. Alex and I have a guest room and there are a ton of things to do around here.”
“I’ll have to ask. It’s hard to get Charlie to do anything that involves being away from the office for too long, but I’ll definitely try.” I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed.
“Call me as soon as you finish your appointment. I wanna know if I’ve got a niece or nephew coming, because you know I’m going to spoil them.”
“I will.” I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “Thanks again for calling. I love you, Sis.”
“Love you too.” Then the phone went dead.
I slowly pushed myself to a standing positing and waddled over to the bathroom. I wanted to take a shower and put on real clothes before I went to the doctor. I reached in and turned on the water and began undressing. I thought I heard the door, butthen remembered that Charlie had left. I brushed if off before climbing in to stand under the warm spray. It felt heavenly. I closed my eyes as the room filled with steam and I sighed as I ran my fingers through my hair. It had been days since I washed it, and as the smell of shampoo filled the room, I relaxed.
