Page 115 of The Last Man on Earth
Ari nods, but she’s still got worry all over her face. And I can’t shake the thought of how she didn’t eat as much as she should have on the island.
“So the baby got what she needed? Cuz we ain’t have a lot of food out there.”
Dr. Ellery nods. “The human body is interesting. Fetuses are remarkably resilient. They get what they need, even when you don’t. Your baby’s weight, heartbeat, and movements are all right where they should be.”
Finally, I smile at that. First good news I done had since I’ve been back.
Now, I relax, listening while Doc talks to us about vitamins, exercise, diet, and what Ari should expect.
After we set the next appointment, I lead Ari to the door. The moment we step out, there’s a fuckin’ camera in our face.
“Fuck!” I step in front of her. “Go back inside. I’ll bring the car around.”
She moves behind me. Once the door is closed, I push through the first man only to see a good ten or fifteen more behind him, cameras flashing, voices projecting a million questions. I dodge them and speed off, driving my Mercedes around the side of the building, hoping they leave us the fuck alone.
I hop out and help Ari in, buckling her up, my eyes darting back and forth. It’s clear back here.
I close my door, then turn to her. “Sorry about that.”
“How’d they even know we were here?”
“Shit. Somebody in the office, probably.” I put my hand on her belly. “Happens all the time. People gon’ do shit like that when they can get a quick five-hundred out of it.”
“Dollars?” she says, her eyes wide.
“Yeah. Fuckin’ leeches.” I look around, making sure we’re still alone back here. “How you holdin’ up?”
She turns her head, looking out her window. “I’m not.”
The baby kicks just then, and I rub the spot, hoping she can feel how much her daddy loves her already.
“You saw that post.”
She nods. “I know in my head that it’s hard for you, but being away from you right now…it’s breaking my fucking heart.”
Damn.
I wasn’t expecting her to say that.
“Fuck. I’m sorry.”
“I’m hurt,” she says with a shrug. “I wish I could turn if off, but I can’t.”
I bring my hand to her chin, turning her head so that she’s looking at me.
“I’m sorry. I really am. I’d do anything to take your pain away.”
A tear streams down her cheek.
“I couldn’t exactly tell that nosy ass blogger that I wasn’t happy to see my family again, right?” I swipe her tear away with my thumb. “What, you wanted me to be like,‘yeah, I’m happy to see my son, but fuck his hoe ass mama'?”
She tries to stop it, but the laugh breaks through, along with a smile. “Don’t call her a hoe. OnlyIcan call her a hoe.”
I laugh at that. “How ‘bout nobody calls her a hoe, and you tell me what you need from me. Right now. What can I do to ease your pain?”
She sighs. “Right now, I’m hungry.”
“Aight. I can fix that. What you got a taste for?”
