Page 76 of A Don & His Doll

7:24 am. I miss you too, baby.

Promise took a deep breath as her thumbs raced across the phone screen.

Call me back when you can. I need to talk to you.

Promise hit send then held the phone close to her heart, as if there was some way she could send the urgency she felt to wherever he was. Please baby. Please call me. I need you now. Right fucking now, she murmured, lifting her phone so she could scroll to her OBGYN’s number to make an emergency appointment.

“Hello, this is Karen. Thanks for calling Pure Love OBGYN,” she answered.

“Hi, my name is Promise Montgomery. I need to get in to see Dr. Michelle Williams. I just took four pregnancy tests, and they’re all positive. I need to come in to see if all this is accurate,” Promise said, determined to be seen expeditiously.

Karen, the doctor’s assistant must’ve felt her through the line. “If you can get here in the next hour, Dr. Williams will be able to see you today. She had a cancellation,” Karen said.

“Yes, ma’am, I’ll be there,” Promise agreed, rushing out of the bathroom with all the pregnancy tests she’d taken, placing them back into the box they came out of.

An Hour Later…

Mariah The Scientist’s Rainy Days had been played softly as she pulled into the first parking space she set her eyes on. After grabbing her purse, she picked up her phone that had been resting in the cup holder for the whole ride, and scrolled to Monroe’s number and called him. No answer, so she scrolled to their text thread and sent another message because she really wanted him to be there with her.

Why the hell haven’t you called me back yet? Are you ok? Call me.

The emotional whiplash Monroe was unconsciously inflicting was raising Promise’s anxiety to insane levels. She wasn’t used to him not answering when she called. In almost three years, he’d never not returned her text. She knew the lifestyle he was into, but he’d never made her worry about him. Lately there had been way too much going on for him to be M.I.A. What if something’s wrong, she thought, suddenly feeling nauseous, as she stepped out of her car, and made her way to her appointment.

“Hi, my name is Promise. I have an appointment today with Dr. Williams,” Promise said as she approached the reception desk, exhaustion resting heavy beneath her eyes.

The receptionist looked up from her computer and smiled. “I got you all checked in. Can you please fill out the sign-in sheet? We’ll call you back shortly,” she said.

“Yes ma’am. Thank you,” Promise replied before walking away.

As soon as she sat down in the waiting area, her phone rang and buzzed inside of her Louis Vuitton bag. Without looking down, Promise felt around and grabbed her purse until she found it. When she saw her sister Rae’s name flash on her screen, she let out the deepest sigh, remembering the worry she heard in her voice the week prior. Promise ignored the call and texted her right away.

Hey Sissy! I can’t talk right now. Can I call you when I get off work?

Rae: Hey Missy Pooh! Yes, call me when you get off. You were on my heart heavy today. I just wanted to hear your voice. Love you.

I love you more, sis. Thanks for thinking of me. I won’t forget.

Promise hit send, then rested the phone in her lap. She hated lying to her sister, but the truth at the moment had her emotions reeling out of control, and the very person she wanted to talk to was unreachable. It was all just too much for her, and all she wanted to do was get the official results, then go home and block the entire world out.

“Promise Montgomery,” the nurse called, standing behind the receptionist desk.

“Yes,” Promise answered, rising from her seat and walking in her direction.

The nurse smiled warmly. "Come on back. It’s good to see you, Promise. I love your hair,” the nurse complimented with a warm smile.

A faint smile tugged at Promise's lips. “It’s good to see you too. Thank you,” she returned as they walked through the third door on the right.

“Of course. My name is Jai, and I’ll be the doctor’s assistant today,” she explained. “What brings you here to see us today?”

“I think I may be pregnant. I don’t remember the last time I had a period, and I took four pregnancy tests,” Promise said.

“Were they positive or negative?” Jai asked.

“All positive,” Promise stated, fumbling with her hands.

The nurse nodded, giggling a bit. “You need confirmation to make it real?”

“Yes,” Promise admitted.