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I’m happy to be an auntie. I can’t have kids and the job I want.
I’m sad for you. I can’t imagine anything more amazing than being a parent.
I made my peace a long time ago. I’m sure Olivia will come around, especially when she gets back to work. Like I said—give her time.
The next day, a slight blonde woman knocked on Derek’s office door. “Mr. Blake?” Her voice was gentle. “I am Zuzanna. Your wife sent me?”
“Please come in,” he said. “Would you like some coffee?” She nodded and Derek went to find some. He met Aiden in the hallway. “What do I ask a nanny?” he hissed.
Aiden was little help. He wasn’t married yet and nannies were far outside his area of expertise. “Maybe ask her—I don’t know—what she thinks of Dr. Spock.” Derek rolled his eyes at the reference to the baby specialist.
When he returned with the coffee, Zuzanna asked what he’d like to know about her.
“I’ll be honest with you. I didn’t know anything about you—or my wife going back to work—until last night.”
“Let me start then,” she said in accented, but clear English. “First, I am older than I look. I am twenty-nine years old.” That was a surprise. Derek had her pegged for twenty at best. “I was an au pair in Poland for English families at the embassy. Now I am working in Toronto, but the family I work for does not need a nanny anymore. Mrs. Hastings has told me all about your baby. I will take good care of Leo.”
Derek sat back, taking in all of this information.
“Has she sorted out schedules with you?”
“I will live in during the week and go to my boyfriend’s apartment on weekends.” It seemed Olivia had thought of everything. Derek wasn’t sure if he was surprised or annoyed.
“And you’ll look after him while we’re at work?”
“Yes, and in the evenings if you need.”
“Wow. Well, Zuzanna, it is good to meet you. This is all new to me, but I will look forward to your help. He shook her hand and after she left, he sat back in his squeaky chair wondering how he’d ended up here.
The week that Zuzanna moved in was the same week Linney moved to Jerusalem. Derek would need to remember he seven hour time difference between them now—two more than before. Texting her on the subway home from work was probably off the table. He’d have to think about it at lunchtime now, or very late at night when he was up with Leo. Or perhaps Zuzanna would be up with the baby, he realized. It would be strange to have another person in their condo.
He quickly got used to it. His reliance on caffeine diminished, and the change in Olivia was amazing. She spent her days in silk blouses and pencil skirts, buried in law books, and gaining energy from her work. She smiled again, and there was a bounce in her high-heeled steps. She was finally able to give a little bit of herself to Leo. And to Derek.
* * *
Linney settled quickly in Jerusalem with the help of the fixer and cameraman who had worked with Rory before her. In some ways, it was what she’d expected—a city unified on paper, but meaningfully less integrated between East and West in reality. What did surprise her was how international the city was, with expats from many countries. Among those expats were fellow foreign correspondents in the city, and Linney was pleased to discover that the community shared information freely.
While Jerusalem was where the government was headed, it was Tel Aviv that was the heart of the country’s economy, so Linney frequently travelled the short distance. Other times, she went to Beirut, Tunis, or Cairo. Her stories were sent back to London to wide acclaim. Still, something felt not quite right about it. Linney couldn’t put her finger on it, but the job wasn’t as fulfilling as she’d expected.
* * *
Back in Toronto, Olivia and Derek celebrated Leo’s tenth month in April in the middle of an unseasonably late blizzard by simply sitting with him on the beautiful warm Persian rug they’d recently purchased as he got close to taking his first steps. It would be any day now, and Derek had his phone ready to capture the moment.
Olivia had been working extra hard to make up for her six months away, so the quiet Saturday was welcome, and she took a nap while Leo slept in the afternoon. Even Derek dozed on the couch, pretending to read. He was working just as hard right now on a difficult refugee case, and he missed putting Leo to bed most nights. They couldn’t have managed without Zuzanna. When Leo woke, Derek put his son into his highchair for a snack. Half an hour later, when Leo was knocking over stacks of blocks Derek built for him, Olivia stirred. A few minutes later, she came out of their bedroom, looking pale, and holding up a stick with two pink lines.
Derek’s eyes widened. “Another baby?”
She nodded, and Derek missed the look of panic in her eyes. “You’re pregnant.” It wasn’t a question, simply a statement. This would explain Olivia’s recent exhaustion.
“It’s too soon.”
“It’s wonderful news! Leo will have a little brother or sister.”
Another stack of blocks was knocked over, and even Olivia laughed at that. But she turned serious quickly. “Are we ready for this?”
Derek couldn’t remember the last time she sounded so vulnerable. He kissed her tenderly. “We will be. I’m sure this time will be easier for you.”
But he was wrong. Very wrong. Being pregnant was everything Olivia remembered, and then some. Her morning sickness was worse and even landed her in hospital in her ninth week. Derek was frantic with worry for her over the four days they kept her. But intravenous fluids helped her dehydration, and she seemed to listen to the stern lecture from her doctor about taking it easy. She had no choice.
