Page 12 of Enough
“Strong and fast,” the doctor says with a grin.
I smile too, and in that moment nothing else matters but the glorious sound of life.
“I’M SORRY. I forgot.”
“You forgot?” I question in anger as I toss my purse on the couch. “How could you forget something so important? It’s bad enough that you haven’t been to a single appointment, but this was an ultrasound. You missed the first one, and you swore to me you’d be there this time!”
Mike sighs as he rubs his eyes. “You got the little pictures, right? Can’t I just see those?”
I stare at him for a moment before I reach into my purse and toss the prints at him. They flutter to the floor and I stomp into the bathroom I’m currently sharing with Mike and his roommate. I hated having to leave Gwen, but married people are supposed to live together. She said hell no to his roommate taking my place. I slam the door behind me and the mirror shakes in response. I flop down on the toilet seat and bury my head in my hands. “Insensitive asshole,” I whisper.
I hear him rap on the door, and he opens it immediately following the knock. I don’t even glance in his direction.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers as he bends down to me. “I should have been there. I got so caught up in studying that I forgot.”
“I called you and texted you three times!” I say through gritted teeth.
“I turned off my phone. I always do that when I need to focus. You know that.”
“What if there was an emergency and I needed to reach you?” I ask with panic as I stare into his eyes.
Mike sighs. “There wasn’t an emergency. The baby’s good, right?”
I nod.
“Okay then. You know I’m working really hard so I canget a good job when I graduate. I’m doing this for you and the baby. So I can take care of you.” He leans his arms on my legs and stares up into my eyes. He’s got that look. I see his eyes dart from mine down to my growing breasts. They’re about to pop out of my shirt, and I’m suddenly reminded of how uncomfortable my bra is making me.
“You’re beautiful, you know,” he states as he licks his lips.
“No!” I respond. “You don’t deserve me.” I cross my arms over my chest.
He smiles and runs his hand through his wavy blond hair. “I know I don’t deserve you, but I do love you. And I love this baby, with all my heart.” He pushes forward and leans his lips on my stomach, kissing lightly. I move my hands so they can rest on my belly and find my fingers running through his thick hair.
“You smell so good,” he states as he continues to kiss my stomach.
I sigh and feel the warmth of his lips and breath through my shirt.
“Can I see?” he asks.
“I gave you the pictures,” I whisper.
“I don’t want to see pieces of paper with blurry images. I want to see your skin. I want to see where my baby is growing inside you.”
I let out a long breath and lift upward onto my feet. Mike stands with me and takes my hand. He leads me to the bedroom and lifts my shirt to reveal my bulging belly then begins to kiss my stomach. “I love you, baby,” he states in between kisses. “I love your mommy too. Do you think you can get her to forgive me? I promise I’ll make it up to her for the next fewhours if she’ll let me.”
His eyes lift to mine as he stands. I glance up only slightly at his face. He’s not much taller than I am and I’m five eight. He grins and removes my shirt. I stare at him and forget my anger when I feel his hot mouth on my lips. Once again, I find myself forgiving and forgetting. He loves me. I just need to let it go.
IT’S BEEN ALMOST two months since we had sex and nothing has changed. I thought maybe the morning after he might be surprised to find me asleep on the couch, but he didn’t question it. I went on paying the bills, taking care of the kids, and running errands, and he went on working incredibly long hours.
Today is Sunday, and it’s the only day he doesn’t go into the office. It’s almost 11:00A.M.and he’s still sleeping. I’ve been careful to make sure the kids are quiet and don’t wake him. He finally staggers down the stairs and a very eager Kale meets him excitedly.
“Dad, do you want to see the new karate moves I learned this week? I could show you!”
He raises his hand to him. “Hold on, Kale. I’m just waking up.”
Kale nods his head and bites his t-shirt collar, gnawing on it with his teeth. It’s a nervous habit he has that causes the fraying of all his shirts. I’m about to tell him to stop when I find myself chewing on my nail. I huff to myself and hold my words. Apparently he got the biting habit from me.
“Dammit, Kale. Stop biting your collar. Your shirts alllook like we pulled them out of the trash. I don’t work the hours I do so you can ruin every shirt I buy for you.”
