“Well, hopefully not much longer, or I’ll fall asleep.” Gia smiled from where she sat on the bench with her legs stretched out in front of her.
“He’s been in there forever,” Marley whined.
Gia stretched; her back hurt. “Yeah.”
“I hope it’s okay.” Marley went back to chewing her thumbnail.
“Me too.”
Silence descended as they watched each other. She knew Marley wanted to ask her something but didn’t know how to say it, based on the way she’d open her mouth quickly to say something and then shut it.
“Gia?”
“Hmm?” Gia tilted her head, waiting for the inevitable question.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Um… sure.” She shrugged.
Marley leaned forward and met Gia’s gaze straight on. “Why do you hate Jake so much?” Marley pulled at her sleeves, hiding her poor thumbs.
Do I hate Jake? Is that what it looks like?
“I don’thateJake…”Not after last night…
“But…” Marley’s hands floundered in the air.
Gia sighed, trying to figure out what she could say. “It’s… complicated between us.”
“Do you think you could ever forgive him for whatever he did?”
Marley looked up, her eyes connecting with Gia’s.
“I—”
Suddenly, the door swung open with a whoosh.
Saved by the vet.
“All right, ladies. Come in, we need to talk.” Dr. Luke held the door open as Marley and Gia scrambled to their feet.
Luke gestured to an open exam room, where they could hear the familiar sound of hissing cats and the rattling of cages.
“Have a seat, please.”
“Okay… You’re scaring us,” Gia stated matter-of-factly.
He beamed a crooked smile at her. “Nothing to be scared about, but probably best for you to sit down.”
Marley sat on the bench, while Gia remained standing by the door.
“Okay… What’s wrong with him?” Marley asked as she sat on her hands, probably so she wouldn’t chew on her thumbs again.
Luke cleared his throat. “Well, he is actually a she.”
“Oh, okay.” Marley frowned.
“And… she’s pregnant.”
