Page 20 of A Minute Past Midnight

“Hey, girl! What's up?” she asked.

“Hey. Are you busy?”

“Just leaving work. What's up, girly?”

“Nothing. I think I have food poisoning. If you're not too busy, could you take me to the hospital? I can give you gas money.”

“Girl, I don't need no gas money.” She laughed. “Where you at?”

“At work. Heaven on Earth.”

“I got you. I'll be there in ten.”

“Okay. Thank you, Mya.”

“No problem, girl.”

We disconnected the call. I pulled myself together, then headed out of the bathroom over to Valerie's office. I tapped on her door, and she looked up at me.

“Hey. You okay?” she asked.

I shook my head. “That salad made me sick. Is it okay if I leave early? I have to go to the doctor.”

“Did you finish the sketch of the Sanderson home?”

“Not yet, but I'll finish it tonight and have it ready for you in the morning.”

“The deadline is today, Juliana.” She sighed. “I’ll just have Michelle finish the sketch. Give it to her before you leave.”

“Okay.” She dismissed me, and I shook my head.

Damn. No get well soon?

I shouldn't have expected her to say anything of the sort. Valerie was cool, but she only liked me when I gave her ideas or designed something her other designers would have never thought of. My vision to create beautiful homes was why HOE kept me around. They paid me pennies compared to the designers and contractors on staff.

The only reason I stayed at this place was because I loved what I did and hoped it could get me to the next step, and that was actually becoming part of the team.

I wasn't green to the fact they were using me, Kahli, and Anna—their top sketchers—to build their clients' dream homes. While the three of us were secluded to the basement level of the building, the higher-ups were on the floor above us, making deals, giving their input, strategizing, holding corporate meetings, stealing our designs to present to their clients and presenting them as their own.

I knew I deserved better, but all the other architectural firms I applied to were full, and Heaven on Earth was the only firm willing to hire me.

Go figure.

I headed back to the area where I ate lunch, grabbed my bag, and tossed the salad that once tasted like heaven in the trash. Mya texted me a few minutes later, saying she was outside. Without hesitation, I hurried out of the building and over to an awaiting Mya. We greeted one another before she pulled away from the curb.

“Well, Miss Sidora, it's definitely not food poisoning. You're expecting,” the doctor said after coming back into the room.

I blinked successively before looking at him. “Expecting? Expecting what? A bowel movement?”

Mya guffawed but covered her mouth to hide her amusement. I, however, found nothing funny about this.

I know he's not saying what I think he's saying.

Doctor Moore smirked. “No, Miss Sidora. To put it in layman's terms, you're pregnant. From the date of your last menstrual cycle, you look to be about eight and a half weeks, coming up on nine weeks.”

“No, no, no, no, no,” I said, wagging a finger at him.

“Okay, Destiny's Child. You saying no, but the results don't lie, mamas,” Mya said.