I take a deep breath and finally press send. I gaze out the window, waiting for her answer. After a few minutes, my phone vibrates.
Brinley
I get it, and thank you for telling me. I’ll do my best not to change anything, but if I ever make you uncomfortable, call me out. I love you <3
My heart fills with warmth. It’s such a Brinley answer—thoughtful, honest, and loving. Exactly what I could hope to hear. It makes me wonder why it took me so long to tell her.
It also gives me the courage I need to send the next text.
Maura
Can you do me a favor and spread the news to Cat and Pippa? I’m too tired to have a whole conversation about it.
Brinley
Will do, chief.
Sighing, I sit back against my chair. I still have the pregnancy news to share, but I’ll worry about that later, once I’m further along. For now, at least I have one big secret off my chest.
I glance over at my husband, sitting quietly across the aisle, working on his laptop. His jaw still clenched tightly, his shoulders almost hunched with fatigue. The last few days have obviously taken their toll on him.
I stayed in the clinic for almost a week, before Dr. Dimakos cleared me to fly. My days there were spent mostly alone, while James hopped a ferry to Athens to take his meetings. Occasionally, Kostos stopped by with his wife, always bringing me an interesting stone to examine. I’m guessing that the amount of money James dropped at the quarry endeared us to him.
James didn’t abandon me, though. I know he came back to the clinic at night and slept on the chair, because the nurses told me. He never showed up when I was awake. That may have been by design. I can’t imagine he wanted to talk to me after our argument.
To be fair, though, he might just have been busy with work and the commute, a small part of my brain reminds me.
There’s also the baby.
I’m more than ready to be a mother. Part of me wishes I could just skip ahead to my baby being here, while another part is excited to cherish the whole journey of pregnancy. I have no idea how James feels. He agreed to having a child, but he might not know how he feels yet about actually being a father. Maybe he wants to work out those feelings instead of tarnishing my full, unvarnished joy.
Across the aisle, James closes his laptop and massages his temple, like he has a headache coming on. I sigh. Maybe I've been too harsh on him. He might not have even told the flight attendant I’m sick. She could've figured it out when she met the flight nurse, who’s been quietly sitting in the back, just in case I need her. I don’t even want to know how much James had to pay for that.
I might be frustrated with James, but I'm more annoyed at myself. My body betrayed me, yet again. It couldn't handle a simple hike. And now, I'm not the only one it’s responsible for. My traitorous body has to keep a baby safe, and I don’t know if it can.
My hand goes instinctively to my stomach. I'm impatient to see an ultrasound or hear the baby’s heartbeat. I want to see every kind of proof I can that it's really here. That I'm really going to be a mother. I almost smile at the irony that for once, I’m excited about a doctor’s appointment.
James clears his throat and asks my least favorite question. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine.”
“I just remember you were anxious on the flight over here.”
“That was the turbulence. It's all smooth sailing now. So yeah, I’m fine.”
Silence. I glance back at the in-flight nurse. She's pointedly flipping through a magazine, pretending she can't hear us. I hope James paid her extra for her discretion.
“I believe I misspoke the other day,” James says finally.
I raise my brows. “You'll have to be more specific.”
His hand grips the armrest so tight, his knuckles turned white. “When I was talking about risk profiles.”
“And how I didn’t disclose mine,” I finish.
“Does any part of you think you should have?” His eyes bore into mine, demanding an answer. I cross my arms defensively.
“You’re not entitled to know everything about me, James. I read the marriage contract. No part of it required me to share information about my personal life with you. My health is my business, and I get to decide who knows about it.”
