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I nodded. But how should you really respond when a doctor says you’re the trigger for your fiancé’s seizures?
“I’ll get the driver to come so that he can take you back to the house. I’m going to stay here and see what they can find out about my son.”
There was little that I could say or do to protest. I didn’t want him to get sicker because of me. But I’d already caused enough issues. Claudia retrieved my things, and I headed to leave the hospital. I made it down the hall before everything started being wonky. The floor seemed to swallow me at the same time that my stomach dropped and then so did I.
* * *
“Did you know that you’re pregnant, Ms. Martine?”
I swallowed but held my tongue before finally speaking.
“I suspected as much. The pregnancy test that I’d purchased in the airport had told me so, but I think that I’ve gotten so preoccupied with Raphael that I didn’t consider the fact that I really could be.”
“Well, you definitely are. We need to get an ultrasound so we can see how healthy the babies are.”
Claudia walked in, smiling but wary at the same time.
“You’re just in time for the ultrasound.” I tried to smile and be happy, but the whole thing was just sad.
The father of my child has a seizure every time that he sees me. I’m in Dublin and am so far away from home. And last, I've never felt so alone, afraid, and unsure in my life.
Chapter Twenty
ANISE
The weird thing about Raphael and me was that we seemed to have an unhealthy pattern. A cycle. And all of this was making me wish that there was a way to break it. He swoops in, romances me, making me all melty for him, and then we part ways after he shows me with every fiber in his being that he really loves me despite what I think but never says it. Chaos. London was messy, filled with heartache. New Orleans was emotional, followed by heartache. And now… here we are on that same bullshit rollercoaster in Dublin. That’s the reason I’m standing in an airport, where this reckless thing began but in a different city. Heartache.
“Now boarding flight 3467 New York-bound. Passengers…”
True to the cycle, a tear slipped free. Always did. London, New Orleans, and so why should it be different in Dublin?
“From what I know about you, this seems like the cowardly way out, Anise.”
I didn’t turn to look his way, even though he held my full attention. Why was he here?
“He’s only trying to figure this out. He’s confused and needs to find his fresh path. His memories conflict with what he’s hearing about his present. He loved her. Not as much as he loves you, but he felt… something for her.”
His words were simple, but his mixed accents from being just as worldly as his son were difficult to ignore. He was also here pleading a case he knew nothing about. And there was a bit of unease heard in his last words.
“How would you know any of this? He hasn’t talked to you in forever. Did Claudia put you up to this?”
“Quite the contrary. She thinks that everything I touch turns to shite. I’m here because of the last conversation that I had with my son.”
“And when was that?” I scoffed in disbelief.
“We had a long chat before his flight. He wanted to know why I broke his mother’s heart. I wish I could tell my boy that it was for a good reason. I wish I could tell him something that wasn’t like ‘Son, I was a fool.’ He told me he didn’t want to follow in my footsteps. He wanted to be better. Braver than I was. That’s when I knew he was more his mother’s son than I thought. She was always the smarter one.”
His voice trailed off at the end and the sorrow lacing each syllable made me want to console him. I didn’t know the story, but when I turned in his direction, something etched every regret he had into his features. Dare I say that he still loved Claudia?
“I know he loves you. I also know that he’s been a fool all this time. Give him a chance to catch up. Let him show you he can be what you need. He’ll come around. I promise you. Us Dubois men are always stubborn and late to the party. We like grand entrances.”
“Why? Why are you here?”
“He’s my son. And though he can’t ask for his second chance, he still wants it. It’s my job to make sure that he has it."
"I need to get home. I have a life back there." Excuses. I knew it and the words he retorted with called my bluff.
"I'm a doctor. I can get you the time off that you need."
