BILLIE
Birthday update: lavender bath salts make a fantastic gift for heavily pregnant women.
Not least because they’re soothing my aching body, but they’re also helping to calm my racing mind.
Everything had to go to shit the second Mom left for a last-minute girls’ trip with Maria to Fort Lauderdale. The baby’s movements have been reduced for a longer period than normal, and because she can’t get a flight back for the next few hours—even if Maria physically flew Mom home—Dad is going to take me for an urgent scan at the hospital.
All I have to do is wait for him to leave work and drive the twenty-minute commute back home, keep calm, and not stay in this bath for too long even though the warm water and lavender scent are all that’s preventing me from spiraling into unhelpful thoughts over what could be wrong.
When my phone buzzes on the shelving unit next to the tub, I reach up and grab it, an influx of mixed emotions hitting me whenTuckerfills the screen. I knew I needed to reach out and let him know what was happening, but I also correctly predicted thatI’d be met with his voicemail. This is him returning my initial worried call—twelve hours later. I might not be his priority any longer—or ever at all—but his baby should be.
“Hi,” I immediately say after hitting Accept.
Other than brief texts about potential baby names—which we still haven’t agreed on—this is the first time I’ve spoken to him since I left Austin.
My hand shakes as I pull the phone away from my ear to check the call is still connected and that he didn’t butt-dial me by mistake.
“Hi.” Tucker’s clipped, almost-dismissive tone flips my stomach.
“I called to tell you that?—”
“What is it you need, Billie?”
When he cuts me off with venom, I physically pull back in shock, water splashing over the sides of the bath. In the past, I’ve witnessed Tucker’s annoyance, but this is different. He’s never spoken to me like this before.
“Because if it’s money, then my parents already made their position clear.”
“Excuse me?” My voice is hoarse and not as strong as I’d like. Clearing my throat, I straighten my shoulders. “If you’d given me a chance to speak, then you would have already known the reason for my call.”
He mumbles something inaudible. It’s not even lunchtime in Austin, but I can tell he’s out. Music and laughter in the background clueing me in.
When he doesn’t speak again, I take it as my cue to continue.
“I called because over the past twenty-four hours, the baby’s movements have been more irregular, and the doctors have asked me to head to the hospital for a scan and monitoring.”
“I don’t see why that’s a problem. They’re getting bigger, so moving won’t be as easy.”
Inhaling a deep, lavender-filled breath into my lungs, I blow out a sigh.
I will not lose my shit.
“Mothers are told to keep an eye on fetal movements and note down any change in pattern. Regardless of whatever you might think, the doctors know best.”
Another mumbled noise.
“I don’t see why this concerns me, Billie. You decided to move back to Brooklyn, so it’s not like I can take you to the hospital.”
It’s not like you ever would anyway.
I fight back a sarcastic retort, eager not to let this conversation descend into a fight, like so many in the past.
“I’m keeping you in the loop as the father,” I tell him, amazed that I have to explain myself.
“Who’s taking you to the hospital?” It’s the first decent question Tucker’s asked me in a while.
My shoulders drop an inch from where they were sitting around my ears. “Dad. He’s on his way over to pick me up.”
The conversation grows even more stilted when a few beats pass with only the sound of music and more laughter, confirming that Tucker didn’t hang up.
