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Elissa is pregnant.
“Fuck,” I blow out, scrubbing a hand across my jaw as I sink to the tiled floor of the laundry. I stare at the test again, at the big bold word that hasn’t changed in all the time I’ve been staring at it.
When did she do this? And why?
It must have been in Phoenix, but she never said anything to me. Does my sister know? My Mom? And why hasn’t Elissa said anything to me about it? She’s having a baby,our baby, and I know nothing about it. Is this what she wants to talk to me about tonight?
I pull my phone from the pocket of my sweats, knowing I have to call her, have to find out what this is about. I don’t care if she’s at work because this is way more important than that.
But as my phone wakes up, the picture of me and Lis filling the screen, I stop, my brain still struggling to process everything and what it all means. I know Lis is on the pill, I’ve seen her take it every morning since I’ve been back. But she’s also been sick and maybe that wasn’t a stomach flu but something else.
Something a little more permanent.
And as my gaze moves from the photo of the two of us on my phone to the pregnancy test, I know this isn’t a conversation we can have over the phone either. I have to see her, see her face when she tells me what’s going on here. But just as I realize that, a text message pops up on my phone.
Coach:Great to see you today, Nick! And don’t worry, we’ll have you back skiing in no time! Let’s chat soon.
Fuck.
He wants me back on the team. Told me to my face that he wants me out on the slopes, skiing again. Wants me back at Park City. But as my eyes once again flick back to the pregnancy test in my other hand, the word pregnant glaring out at me like a neon sign, everything that happened this morning no longer sounds as good as it could.
Because how the hell can I go back to the team if Elissa is having a baby? I can’t ask her to travel with me now, not pregnant, and definitely not with a kid. I can’t even ask her to leave Badger Creek and her mom and friends, because that is all sorts of selfish and fucked up.
And if Elissa can’t come with me, then do I even want to go back at all? I thought I did, but that was before this, before the weird meeting with my coach this morning, before all of it.
“Fucking hell,” I moan, my head falling back against the washing machine with a thud.
4
ELISSA
Well, I’m certain Arizona will be the last vacation I take at this time of the year. The lodge is packed, and the staff is struggling to keep up. Not their fault, and really not mine either for traveling during our peak season, but rather the fact that this is the first year with all the new updates. We’ve never been this busy, now able to compete with the surrounding lodges and resorts.
I let out a yawn, barely able to keep up, knowing this baby is already taking a lot out of me. As shocked as I was to find out I’m pregnant, I did come to terms with it while at home with my mom. I started Googling, seeing what to expect, and my mom did have a few books left from when she got pregnant with me.
Turns out being totally fucking exhausted is on the list, and it’s kicking my ass. Covering my mouth, I yawn again, just as Russ flags me over.
Russ has been working here for a few years with the hopes of finishing his courses to become a ski medic like Max. It’s going to suck when he does because he’s one of the best I have working here.
“What’s up?” I ask, meeting him at the check-in counter where he’s currently standing with a customer.
“Lift ticket is from yesterday,” Russ tells me, showing me the scan code on the man’s phone. “But he just arrived today. Didn’t realize the date, I guess,” Russ kind of whispers to me, giving a shrug.
“Sir, your lift ticket is for yesterday. I understand that this is an honest mistake, but we are fully booked today,” I tell him, and I see Russ swallow hard, obviously he’s already had this conversation.
“I’m here and I don’t understand why you don’t reserve reservations for this specific purpose,” the man replies, his face pinched, and his breathing accelerated.
“We can’t do that, sir. We book up months in advance, and we can only guarantee a lift ticket to the people who have paid for their specific dates. I do know that Eagle River Lodge tends to have daily lift tickets available since they are on a smaller mountain. I can help arrange a ticket for you to use there today, and we can book you here tomorrow.”
It doesn’t matter what I say right now, this man doesn’t give a shit. He’s pissed off about his lack of planning and somehow, he thinks it’s my fault. The worst part of customer service is that I have to keep pretending this isn’t a ridiculous conversation.
“I’m not leaving here till I get a lift ticket or a refund,” he demands, a line growing behind him, a line that contains people who have paid for tickets today and are growing impatient having to wait, worried they won’t get the good equipment.
I turn to Russ, asking him to grab the iPad and begin checking people in, telling him to get a few staff from the back to help out. It feels like I’m going to be here a while with this guy.
“Sir, issuing a refund is not an option. I would be happy to transfer your lift ticket to tomorrow or you can purchase a ticket at another resort if you wish to ski today.” I try to keep my words firm, but as all this is going on, I can feel that wave of morning nausea that had been in full swing last week. It certainly wasn’t the stomach flu like I originally thought.
There’s no ignoring it despite my attempt to try, and I swallow hard. Growing sweaty as this man begins to raise his voice, carrying on and being loud as he looks around hoping to find someone who will support him. Not a person in the lodge moves, more concerned about getting their lift tickets printed and their rented gear collected.
