Page 81 of Falling Slowly
“She just called from town, asking for directions.” She turned to Charlie. “And your father?—”
“Told you he already knows and sent a helicopter?” She nodded, and Charlie gave her a wry smile. “So, you’re saying if we go right now, we might still get dinner?”
He got up and helped me to my feet. Or rather, one foot.
“Excuse me.” He pushed past the receptionist to get out the door. “We’re a bit hungry.”
My eyes caught her name tag again. Harley. She must have reprinted it. Harley followed us outside and all the way to the main building, asking endless questions of our night in the mountains. Charlie gave her terse answers with enough information to satisfy her curiosity until she finally left us alone with the Malaysian curry. Its heavenly scent had already infiltrated my brain, making me half-float towards the pile of plates, gently bouncing on a dispenser.
Finally, with my mouth full of delicious chicken, my body decided to send me a terrifying message. A tiny twinge deep in my abdomen.
The morning-after pill!
My fork-holding arm halted in midair and everything I’d already eaten started second-guessing its intended direction. I took a deep breath, determined to keep my food down. I’d have to figure this out.
“Charlie,” I whispered as my stomach gradually settled. “The pill.”
Charlie put down his fork and swallowed. “What pill?”
It was a reasonable question since he’d earlier picked up a bag of them for me.
“The pill. The one I need within twenty-four hours.”
His eyes widened in understanding. “Sorry, I totally forgot.”
My face felt hot. “Me too. This is a disaster.”
“Mommy!”
I turned towards the sound and saw my daughter. She ran across the floor with her arms outstretched. Behind her marchedmy mother, eyes wide with worry. “You’re here! They just called to tell me. I’m so relieved!”
Celia climbed into my lap, snuggling against my chest and holding on so tight I could barely breathe. I felt Mom’s hand on my head, patting my hair. Too many emotions crowded my heart and mind, making it difficult to speak. How much my child had missed me. How much they cared. And how sweet it felt to hug her, despite everything. Through my turmoil, I heard Charlie greeting my mother, asking her about knitting. Where had he learned about her hobby? Mom was part of a Ladies Yarn-Bombing group that covered trees in colorful knits and was always happy to talk about it.
Listening to their chatter, I regained my equilibrium. After a moment, my eyes searched for Charlie. It was like my body knew I needed to see him, even when my mind was undecided. He smiled at me across the table, then waited to catch Celia’s eye. She gave him a shy smile.
“Did you miss your mom?” he asked.
Celia nodded, burrowing her head into my chest.
Charlie offered my mom a seat at the table and we shuffled to make room for her. That’s when she noticed my moon boot.
“She’s okay.” Charlie jumped in before Mom could react. “The foot’s been X-rayed. It’s not fractured, but there’s possibly a torn ligament. She needs a lot of rest and some physical therapy, but she’ll be fine. I’ll make sure she gets any treatment she needs.”
“Good.” Mom sighed, fixing her wispy strawberry blond bob as she collapsed in her seat.
She’d always been a hopeless romantic. She’d fallen for the Irish poet, lived in Dublin and believed everything would work out. Until it didn’t. But, despite her own misfortune and my horrible luck in love, she still believed in fairytales, insisting that I should look for true love. Or failing that, a dependable wageearner who I’d grow to love. And there, watching her carefully assess Charlie from head to toe, I wondered if the ankle injury had made me telepathic, because I could hear the thoughts in her head.
Handsome. Wealthy. Responsible. Hang onto this one.
A week ago, I would have scoffed at ‘reliable’, but now the word slipped through without raising any alarm. I’d been relying on Charlie. I’d been hanging onto him for dear life and we’d made it out safely. But I couldn’t hang onto Charlie by getting pregnant. I had to get that pill somehow, from a town where nothing seemed to be open after five p.m. My eyes felt teary, but it was probably some sort of panic sweat from my brain.
Panic was contagious though, and I had to make sure Mom didn’t get onboard.
“I’m sorry you had to come all the way here.” I gave her my most reassuring smile, under the circumstances. “I tried to message you, but my phone died and Charlie didn’t have any reception. But we are both fine, I swear.”
Mom studied me for a moment, trying to decide if she could trust my words. My delivery was a little shaky, but the message was one she wanted to hear, and that helped. She grabbed my napkin and tried to fan herself with it. “I’m so relieved! The thoughts I had running through my head on the drive…” She sagged lower in her seat, sniffing dramatically.
“That must have been awful. I’m sorry.” I offered her my half-eaten plate. “Are you hungry?”
