Page 41 of Sloth
“Shouldn't you be out on the yard?” Mary lets herself in.Again.
“Just heading out there now,” Luke tells her, kissing my cheek and making her smile. “We were just talking baby names,” he tells her, waiting till she turns her back to unpack the groceries she brought with her. “I’m sure Mom can help you with suggestions,” he tells me sarcastically.
Sticking out his tongue, I swear if it wasn’t so skilled, I’d consider cutting the thing off.
“Oh, how exciting.” Mary places a plate of chopped apple in front of me and takes the seat he was just sitting in, beside me.
“Of course, the obvious choice for a boy would be Matthew Junior.” She smiles, and when I look up at Luke, he’s sharing the same horrified look on his face.
“I think Erin was thinking of something a little more current,” he tells her, trying his best to be tactful.
“Oh, I just assumed you’d want to—don’t mind me. I’m sure you have some wonderful names picked out.” She gets all teary, and I could curse Luke when he leaves me to deal with it, rushing out the door to get to work.
“I just think something more modern would be nice.” I pick up a slice of apple and pop it in my mouth. “Do you wanna take a look at the scan photo again?” I offer, hoping it will cheer her up.
I wake up with a start, gripping my neck when I still feel his hands tightening around my throat, and when I realize that I’m lying on the couch with my feet up on Luke's lap, I suck in a gulp of air and remind myself that I’m safe.
“You okay?” Luke asks me. He’s used to my nightmares now; they’ve gotten so much more frequent since I’ve been pregnant, and he always knows exactly how to ease me out of one.
“I’m fine,” I assure him, sitting myself up and rubbing my eyes.
“How long was I out for?” I stretch my arms over my head, wondering how it’s possible to wake up tired.
“A little over an hour,” he tells me.
“You should have woken me.” I snuggle myself up against him, needing to feel him close.
“You need to rest when your body tells you to. You’re making a whole new person in there.” He smiles, kissing the top of my head and getting back to the book he’s reading.
“I don’t need reminding of that. I feel exhausted, and hungry, and…hang on, are you reading?” I suddenly realize what's weird about the scene I’ve woken up to.
“Yeah, I’m reading.” He shrugs his shoulders like it’s no big deal. “There is a lot of confusion about how you should lay a baby down to sleep,” he tells me with a serious look on his face. “And we need to decide if we’re gonna use a pacifier or not; there is some serious controversy over that shit.”
“Just when I think I can’t love you anymore.” I reach up and kiss his cheek. “You are gonna be the best daddy to little Cassius,” I tease, getting up and heading to the kitchen to get some water.
“Did you speak to Liza today?” he asks.
“Yeah, she called just after your mom left,” I answer, filling up my glass and looking out into the darkness through the window. I can’t shake off the feeling that there’s someone out there, watching. I guess it’s gonna be that way until we find out for sure who killed Matthew.
“Was she okay?” he asks, paying far more interest in my best friend than he usually would
“She was fine, why?” I join him on the couch.
“She just hasn’t stopped by in a while; usually, we can’t get rid of her. I was just wondering if she’s finding it hard seeing us together, when she’s facing what she’s doing alone.”
“She’s been busy with work; getting in as many hours as she can before things start getting difficult,” I explain, though when I think about it, it has been a really long time since I last saw her. Almost two weeks.
“I’ll call in on her tomorrow.” I get back to snuggling him, feeling like a real crappy friend. Things are going real good between us right now, even Bryce seems to be more accepting of the two of us. I’ve let it distract me from how much she needs me.
“Now you're worried. I wish I hadn’t said anything.” Luke puts down his book and gives me all his attention. “Don’t stress. You spoke to her today; she’d have told you if something was up,” he tells me, and I know he’s right, but I can’t get that niggle of doubt out of my head. I try and recall the last time I saw her and how she was acting, but she was fine, and she was her usual self on the phone today. But what if, under the surface, she isn’t okay?
“I’m gonna call her.” I stand up and grab my phone, while Luke picks his book back up, shaking his head and delving back into it.
I pace the kitchen floor while it rings, checking the time to see how late it is. “She’s not picking up.” I scratch the back of my head.
“Babe, she’s pregnant too, remember? You said yourself, she’s working extra hours; she’ll probably be having an early night.”
I try calling again, despite what he says, making sense, and once again it rings through to voicemail.
