Dark Truth

by Cooper, Summer

  “Well, I could use some shopping, yes. I can order it; you don’t have to go to that trouble, honey.” I followed the women into my kitchen and tried to hold back tears again. “Dammit, Jessi, Laura, and Ember. Don’t make me cry again. I’ve done enough of that today. I’ll get one of those nasty headaches crying always gives me.”

  “Nope, no tears, sweetheart,” Laura said, brusque as usual, but always loving. “Tell us what you need.”

  I sat at the table with them, and we decided on the things we might need here once Dylan was home. Ember went off to find the mattress made from some kind of special gel that one of the doctors had recommended. Jessi went to get groceries and planned to come back to make a dinner for all of us, and Laura decided to pick up the medicines the doctors had prescribed him. They would all meet back here and take care of everything.

  I kissed each woman, each sister, and then I left. Trent’s driver was waiting for me when I got downstairs and soon had me back at the hospital. I walked in to find the men talking quietly, but happily.

  “Ah, there’s Emily.” Kevin stood up to let me get by him so I could kiss Dylan hello.

  “How are you, darling?” I asked as I brushed hair back from his forehead.

  “Tired, ready to go home. We were waiting on you. Everything’s done, and I’m ready to go.” He smiled at me, tired but happy.

  “Shouldn’t they keep you for one more night?” I asked, but he put his hand over my mouth and smiled.

  “Don’t give them ideas! There’s no immediate danger of death. I’m improving, and I’m taking up space someone else might need. It’ll be fine, Emily. Don’t worry.”

  I stared back at him, my eyes narrowed. “Did you demand to go home, is that it?”

  “No!” he protested but kept his smile. “There’s really no point in my being here now, honey. I promise. It’s going to be alright. I’ll need some help to get out of bed, and time to heal, but I’ll be fine.”

  “If you say so.” I still wasn’t sure, now that I was back in the hospital.

  I’d wanted him to come home, but this seemed like too quick of a discharge. He could move again, and he proved that by sliding out of the bed. He was already dressed, he even had his shoes on, but it just seemed to be too soon.

  I looked at my brothers, and they all nodded. “Fine, but I don’t like it.”

  “It’ll be fine, Emily. I promise.” Dylan pulled me to him, and I let myself lean into him.

  “It better be. Or you’re coming right back here, mister.

  Emily

  I stared at the black and white image on the screen, my heart full of love and wonder. “That’s my baby?”

  “It is. I’d say your approximately six weeks, Emily,” the doctor said and gave me a grin. “Do you want pictures?”

  “Yes, please.” I sighed the words out, too caught up in watching the tiny creature inside of me to speak any louder. “It’s amazing.”

  “Soon we’ll be able to do a scan where you can see the face and body. It won’t be 100 percent perfect, but you’ll get an idea of what your baby looks like.”

  I nodded, still engrossed in my baby. My ears were attuned to the sound of its little heartbeat, faster than my own but steady. The doctor reassured me it was normal for the baby’s heart to beat so fast, when it frightened me.

  “Right, you’ll need to set up another appointment to check how things are progressing. Watch what you eat. You stopped the Topamax, right?” She looked over at me, and I nodded quickly.

  “Good, it has been known to cause some issues.” She looked at me, took stock of my demeanor, and then carried on. “Cleft palette is an issue, one we need to watch for, since you were taking it during the first few weeks.”

  “Cleft palette? Oh no!”

  “The options for children born with cleft palette have increased over the years and can do wonders. I wouldn’t have told you, but you need to be aware, there is a possibility.”

  “I didn’t know.” I’d said this so many times lately that I was starting to feel like I was in a time loop. My baby might have a deformity.

  I would love it no matter what, but the news hit me hard. Especially with Dylan’s revelation. It had been two weeks since he came home, and he’d improved dramatically, but still. It had weighed on my mind, especially with the baby. How would he handle it if he stuck around?

  I didn’t see why he wouldn’t; after all, I’d stuck by his side, even when I knew about his illness. Would he give me that same kind of love; I had to wonder? Deep down, I knew he would; I trusted him, after all. He was the one person I knew I could trust over the last few months. Why would he stop being the one I could go to now?

  Sure, he was dealing with a lot of things right now—the new resort, his health, me, but he would have to know soon. There wasn’t any denying that.

  I dressed myself after the doctor left me and went out to my car. I got in and took the folder out of my purse, the one that had the first pictures of my baby inside. Our baby, I thought as I outlined the baby’s form with my finger. Little more than a shape at the moment, but I could see where the body would form. It was real and growing, ready for life.

  I started the car and drove to my favorite restaurant. I was meeting Jessi there. She was the only one who knew, although I had never quite confirmed anything to her. Like the nurse at the hospital, Jessi had intuited my pregnancy. I knew she’d ask me about it before long.

  I wasn’t wrong, I found out, when she walked into the restaurant and sat beside of me.

  “Have you told him yet?” It was the first thing that came out of her mouth as she leaned over to kiss my cheek.

  “No. I don’t know how to. He has so much going on. I don’t even know if he’ll want it.”

  “I know how you feel. How do you think I felt when I had to tell Trent I was pregnant?” I could tell from the way she sighed that she knew exactly how I felt. As if the world might come to an end once the news was out. “I can tell you, it’s better to get it over with. If you don’t, it will eat you up inside, and you’ll start to resent him. Take your time, but you’ll have to tell him soon.”

  I knew she spoke from experience. It wouldn’t be easy, but I knew I had to tell him soon. Especially since the nausea had increased throughout the day. It wasn’t just the mornings now; it could hit at any time. The cravings were insane.

  “Is it normal to crave Ranch salad dressing?” I asked her quietly, as I looked over the menu.

  “Women crave the strangest things when they’re pregnant. I wouldn’t touch bananas usually, but I ate a ton of them while I was pregnant.” She picked up her menu and started to look it over.

  “I don’t want it on salad or food. I just want to drink bowls of it.” The thought should be disgusting, but it actually made me hungry. This was all quite strange to me, and I hadn’t had anyone to talk to about it. It was nice to have someone listen now.

  “I wouldn’t advise that; it can’t be good for you.” Jessi laughed. “Maybe just have some on salad, even if you don’t want the salad.”

  “I guess. I know I have to eat healthy, but all I want is the salad dressing and tuna. I hate tuna. At least I liked the dressing before the pregnancy,” I mumbled and tried to find something to eat from the menu.

  “Have you found out when you’re due yet?” she asked it casually, but I knew she was paying attention. Laura would be expecting her baby, and it would be nice to share the experience with her.

  “I’m six weeks, so seven and a half months.” It was a question I knew I’d have to get used to.

  “After Laura then. That’s good. Both of you at the same time would be a nightmare.” She laughed and joined her.

  “The family would go mad. With all the babies, I doubt anyone will notice when it’s my turn.” It wasn’t a complaint, but I did feel a little sad that there might not be much excitement about my baby.

  “Are you kidding? That whole stunt you pulled with getting your own place really shook your brothers u
p. Especially after Trent pulled his hissy fit over it.” She looked away, as if embarrassed, but then she grinned. “They’re so much more helpful now and, well, you saw them at the hospital. I think you broke that final wall they all had.”

  “You think so?” I asked, eager to hear more about how my brothers had reacted to my demand for respect.

  “I know so.” She took a sip of water and looked at me. “They realize their little sister felt used, and to be fair, we sisters-in-law realized it too. It was wrong of us to expect so much from you. You were right to do what you did, Emily. So right.”

  The conversation drifted as the waiter brought our order.

  “This Roxie friend of yours? When can I meet her?” Jessi’s eyes glittered with interest, and I wondered how curious Jessi really was.

  “Why?” I asked her, just to see her reaction.

  “I watched some more of her videos. She’s amazing. Maybe I’m curious about that place she works at.”

  “It’s a very”—I paused and took a breath—“very interesting place. There’s a lot more that happens there, but it’s kept very quiet.”

  “I imagine it would have to be.” She put her fork down, wiped her mouth, and sat back. “Places like that aren’t very common, but Trent’s taken me to a few. I just didn’t know about that one.”

  “Really? Stuffy old Trent in a place like that? I don’t want to picture it … actually, never mind. Don’t tell me more.” I held a hand up to her, and we laughed together.

  It felt good to laugh with her. It had been so long, but now, those months apart had melted away. We were the same friends we’d always been. I pushed my plate away, full at last, and looked over at her.

  “Do you want to go shopping with me? I need to get a new dress, and while I have the sitter with the kids, I might as well get that done too.”

  “Sure, I don’t have anything else planned this afternoon. Oh, Jessi? Do you want to see the pictures of the baby?” I had forgotten about the folder in my bag but took it out.

  “Oh, look at that tiny little angel.” Her voice held awe, and when she looked up, I saw tears in her eyes. “I’m so happy for you. You deserve to be happy and with a family of your own, Emily.”

  “Thank you.” I squeezed her hand, and we got up to leave. The bill was paid, and we went out to her car. She drove us to a shop nearby, and I was drawn to their maternity section.

  Jessi came with me as I looked at all the clothes that had been made for a woman’s expanding belly. I felt stupidly happy. I’d need clothes like these soon enough, and she’d be there with me. That did my heart a lot of good.

  “It’s awful how much you cry when you’re pregnant,” I whispered and ducked my head.

  “It’s terrible, isn’t it? You feel like you’ve constantly sprung a leak or something.” She handed me some tissues out of her bag, and I wiped my face. “Do you want to get some of these?”

  “Not yet. I think I should wait until I need them, don’t you?” I didn’t want to jinx anything and kept the rest of the sentence to myself. Now that I’d seen my baby growing in my stomach, I wanted to protect it more than ever.

  “Might be a good idea. You’ve got time. Although, things will start to change other than your stomach size, you know?” She looked at me knowingly as we walked to the dress department. She began to list things off that could happen.

  “I thought this process was all about glowing and blossoming? Not turning into a nightmare.” I looked at her with dread, and she looked ashamed.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just thought you should know. I thought the same thing. Roses and flowers and all that bullshit. Not always.”

  “You’re right, I guess, I should know what to expect.”

  “There’s a book you can get, with a similar title to that. I’d recommend it. Takes some of the surprise out of things.”

  “I’ll have a look for it.” Maybe I’d get an electronic copy of it, I decided. A physical copy would be a dead giveaway, and I didn’t want that to be the way Dylan found out.

  I knew the time was coming, but the longer I waited, the harder it became. I wasn’t exactly afraid of his response, but I didn’t want to shock him into another episode, or make his head explode from stress. The poor man had a lot on his plate.

  Jessi found the dress she wanted, and we left soon after that. She took me back to my car, and I drove home. Dylan was downstairs, doing some paperwork. Not much had changed at home, and he had started to exercise again. We had a new gel-topped mattress, just in case he needed it, and I liked it, so we’d kept it on.

  He’d had handles installed in the shower, and rails along the walls, just in case he slipped or lost his balance, but other than that, we tried to get back to normal. For now, he was improving every day, and I wanted to keep it that way.

  I put down my bag and went into the kitchen.

  I had started dinner and was at the island, scrolling through the book Jessi had recommended when I got a call from Roxie.

  “Hey, you wanted to meet up tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, if you want to. My sister-in-law wants to meet you. Only if you want to. I’m not going to force you into anything you don’t want to do.”

  “Nah, it’s fine, girl. I meet people every day, remember? I’ll charm her pants off and satisfy her curiosity.”

  “I know you will.” I smirked. Roxie was just talented like that. “Do you want to meet at the beach place or somewhere else?”

  “No, that’s fine. Good food, and I can run off if she starts to get weird on me.”

  “I’m sorry you have to worry about that.” I sighed. “I doubt Jessi will embarrass herself like that. She’s pretty level-headed and not a judging kind of person.”

  “We’ll see.” She sounded doubtful, but not upset. “Lunchtime good for you?”

  “That’s fine. It’s not too early for you?”

  “No, not working tonight. I took a little time off to spend with Nathan.”

  “Oh dear. It is serious then.”

  “It’s fucking freaking me out, if I’m honest. I can’t say no to him. It’s gross, Emily. Really gross.”

  “Love is not gross, Roxie!” I barked out with a laugh. “Come on, chill out. Enjoy it.”

  “I think I remember you saying similar words to me at one point, missy.”

  “I probably did. I take it all back. It’s not gross at all. It’s wonderful, awesome, and should be enjoyed fully.”

  “Dang, you’re going to make me sick. Stop it!” I heard a mock gagging sound. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Minus the attitude, please.”

  “You’ll get twice as much for that,” I promised her and hung up. It was nice to have someone to tease about love.

  Emily

  I sat at the table and waited for my two best friends to show up. I had on a light blue summer dress, the temperature had soared early this morning, and a pair of sandals. I hadn’t felt like putting on makeup but had on eyeliner and some lip gloss. My hair was piled up in a sloppy, but artful, mess on top of my head, and I wanted to just go to sleep and make it messier.

  I’d promised to meet these two, however, so I waited patiently. The morning had been really long, but I knew my assistant, a newly hired fella named Neil, had taken one look at me and had started to field calls for me. That was his job anyway, but until this morning, I’d tried to handle everything that came my way. Today, I didn’t protest. I let him turn callers away, and sat in my office, a cold glass of ginger ale and some crackers on my desk.

  I wished there was a medicine to handle this part of pregnancy. I’d give anything to have it. I remembered there’d been something brought out at some point in time that had caused birth defects and felt guilt sting at my heart. I was already worried about my little jelly bean because of the medicine I’d taken for the migraines. I didn’t want to add to it.

  I’d read about cleft palate some more, after Dylan had gone to sleep last night. It worried me, it made me hurt that I might have caused
the defect in my baby, but I was trying not to freak out too much. Roxie showed up just as the waiter brought me more ginger ale, and I stood to greet her.

  An air kiss later and we were both in chairs on the outer deck of the restaurant. We were surrounded by white wicker tables and chairs, and beyond that, the sea. It was peaceful, beautiful, and pricey. The charm eased some of the sting of the prices, though. “I’m so glad you came.”

  “I almost didn’t after that little display last night,” she teased me but gave me some right back with the statement.

  She had on a flowing, sleeveless, pink cotton dress with dark roses embroidered down one side and a pair of black sandals. Unlike me, her face was made up and her hair done properly.

  “I’m surprised you could climb out of bed long enough to come out,” I teased and lifted my sunglasses to wink at her.

  “Hey! That’s not fair! I didn’t tease you when you could barely crawl out of that room after your first night with Dylan!” She lifted her glasses to give me a wink and continued. “I totally could have teased you mercilessly, the way you were walking.”

  “Oh, that’s just cruel!” I felt a little better as our banter continued. “I, at least, had an excuse. You’ve been around that block a time or two more than me.”

  “That’s true. You’re right.” She shook her head and pursed her lips in a totally smug smile. “So many more times.”

  “You’re terrible, really.” She wasn’t, and she knew it.

  Jessi joined us a few minutes later, so the conversation moved to introductions and ordering food and drinks. I had an extra portion of Ranch dressing brought with my salad, and Jessi smirked at me. I narrowed my eyes at her, but she kept her mouth shut. Not without a very naughty wink, though.

  She knew I hadn’t told anyone else yet, but she was excited. I couldn’t blame her. I wanted to tell Roxie, Dylan, all of them, and I would. When the time was right.