Shark Out of Water

by DelSheree Gladden

  At the mere mention of food, Charlotte’s face lost color, her eyes widened and Guy reached for the nearby trashcan on reflex. He held her hair away from her face and rubbed her back as she emptied what little was in her stomach. When she finally collapsed back to the bed, sweat covered her forehead and she looked even more fatigued than before. “This is only going to get worse, isn’t it?” she asked with tears in her eyes.

  “Oui, ma chérie, but I am here for you. Je serai toujours ici.” Guy continued to hold her as the pain and nausea calmed. He had never before made a promise of always to a woman, but with Charlotte, he knew he had no other choice.

  Chapter 21

  Ne Pleure Pas

  Groaning inwardly, Guy wished Frederickson would shut up. They all knew how important protecting their patients’ privacy was. Making them sit through a meeting every year to remind them really was torture. Guy had forgotten about the mandatory staff meeting when he told Charlotte he could pick Warren up from school that day. Unless Frederickson wrapped things up in the next five minutes, there was no way Guy was going to make it.

  He could not call Charlotte. With chemo on Tuesdays and needing Wednesday to recover, she was only working three days a week at her office. Even with a reduced workload, she was struggling to keep up with everything. Desperate, Guy slipped his phone out of his pocket and texted Eli.

  Can you pick up Warren from school for me?

  It took several minutes before he received a reply.

  Have patients all afternoon. Call Leila. She’s working on new designs today so she can probably slip away.

  Time was running short. He composed a message as fast as possible and hit send. His phone buzzed a moment later.

  No problem, just send me the details and tell the school I’m coming.

  Guy wanted to smack himself. He had not even remembered that the school needed to be notified. Charlotte had added Guy to Warren’s list of approved adults who could pick him up from school, but certainly not Leila. Every time Guy had attempted to introduce Charlotte to his friends, she either was not feeling well or shied away from the opportunity. He was not sure what held her back more, worry that she looked as bad as she felt most days, or being afraid of them trying to help her.

  Trying not to step on anyone’s feet, Guy slipped out to the hall to place his call. The school receptionist was very understanding and assured Guy they would make sure Warren and Leila found each other. That was going to be an interesting challenge as neither of them had ever met the other. Leila, at least, had seen photographs of Warren when he had a few rare minutes the previous week to meet them for lunch and tell them about the trip to France. Thinking of the pictures, he asked the school receptionist for her cell number and sent a picture of Leila so she knew who to look for.

  Not being there to pick up Warren made Guy anxious, but he knew Leila would come through for him. He went back to the meeting and sat down to listen to Frederickson’s droning voice. An hour later, Guy could not believe the man had managed to make a meeting that usually only lasted one hour into a two and a half hour ordeal. Guy raced through the hospital to his car, breaking more than a few road rules as he sped toward Charlotte’s apartment.

  His worry proved useless when he pushed into the apartment and found Warren and Leila seated at the kitchen table playing checkers. “Guy!” Warren cried out as he leapt from the table and rushed over to him. “You’re home! Wanna play me next?”

  “Of course. I would not miss the chance.” He settled into one of the chairs, more dropping into it than sitting. “How was school today?”

  “It was fine. We got to go to music today, and Ms. Lowry let us play the little guitars.” Warren moved one of his checkers. “We sang some fun songs, too.”

  Leila smiled at his enthusiasm. “Yes, he sang them for me while we picked up around the house.”

  It was only then that Guy realized the mess of dishes no one had had time to wash the night before and various toys and books and clothes were no longer lying about the kitchen and living room. “Leila, you did not have to do that.”

  She only smiled and patted his arm gently. “Warren was telling me earlier about your cooking adventures. I’m sorry I missed them.”

  Grimacing, Guy ran a hand through his hair. “Did he tell you that I pretty much burn everything?”

  “Even potato soup,” Warren said. “I didn’t know you could burn soup.”

  Leila bit back a laugh. “Well, cooking is pretty tough, little man. It takes lots of practice, and poor Guy has had almost no practice. He’ll figure it out, though.”

  “I wish my mom would just let us order pizza when she’s not feeling good.” Warren sighed dramatically.

  When Leila looked over at Guy, he sighed as well. Warren was not alone in his wish. “Charlotte does not approve of ordering takeout. Even restaurants she is not a fan of because they are not healthy.”

  “Well, it just depends on what you order,” Leila said.

  “Oui¸ but Charlotte is very careful about hers and Warren’s diet, especially now.”

  Leila nodded in understanding. He could see a dozen questions burning in her eyes, but she knew Warren was still unaware of his mother’s illness, so she did not ask. “Well,” Leila said, “maybe one of these nights your mom will let you come play at our house, Warren. My husband, Eli, loves to cook homemade pizza. It’s one of his favorites. I bet your mom would be okay with that, right?”

  The look on Warren’s face was almost laughable. His eyes darted back and forth between Leila and Guy. “Could I? Could I? I wanna eat homemade pizza! Can you ask my mom?”

  Chuckling, Guy said, “I will mention it to your maman.” Thinking of dinner made Guy want to run off to Leila and Eli’s as well. He knew Charlotte would be exhausted when she got home, but he really was a terrible cook.

  “You know,” Leila said, “Warren and I made a pit stop on the way here. I thought maybe you and Charlotte could use a night off from cooking.”

  Unsure what she meant, Guy looked to Leila for an explanation. She was too focused on the game to address it right away. She made a move with her last piece and shrugged in false helplessness when Warren won the game on his next move. “Oh dear, Warren, you are very good at this game. Why don’t you see if you can beat Guy as well while I start dinner?”

  She stood, but Guy caught her arm before she could walk away. When he got to his feet and faced her, she did not back down. “Leila, you do not have to make dinner.”

  “Please, Guy. We’ve all been dying to help. I know Charlotte is reluctant because she doesn’t know us, but we’re worried about you, and her and Warren, too. Eli will be late getting home tonight anyway, and I’d really like to do something for you both. Go play checkers with Warren and let me do this. Please?”

  She did not resist when Guy pulled her into an embrace. “Thank you, Leila.”

  Smiling at him when he pulled back, Leila shooed him away to play checkers. Warren already had the game set back up when Guy joined him. In the week and a half since Charlotte started chemo, it was the first time Guy could remember sitting down and actually relaxing. He had no idea what Leila was doing in the kitchen, other than that it smelled incredible, but he was grateful to her for giving him this moment.

  “Ha ha, I beat you again!” Warren laughed. “Grownups aren’t very good at this game.”

  “They do not seem to be,” Guy said with a laugh, “but maybe it is because they have not played in such a long time.”

  “You played me last night!” Warren said, laughing hysterically.

  “Oui, but before I met you, it had been many years since I played checkers. I need more practice.”

  Warren crinkled up his nose. “Like with cooking?”

  Guy could hear Leila chuckling from where she was standing in the kitchen, but it did not bother him. “Oui, like with cooking.”

  Warren seemed to find his admission quite funny. He laughed the whole time he was putting the game back into the box. As he h
auled his stack of games back to his bedroom, Guy joined Leila in the kitchen. “It smells much better than anything I have attempted.”

  “Thanks,” she said with a laugh, “although, from what I hear, it doesn’t take much to beat your cooking skills.”

  “No, it does not.”

  Leila lifted the spoon she was using to stir an alfredo sauce and turned it toward Guy. “Will you taste this? It seems a little off for some reason.”

  Guy accepted the spoon and tested the sauce. He shrugged. “It tastes perfect, exactly as it should.”

  Huffing in annoyance, Leila turned her attention to the noodles. “Everything tastes funny to me lately. I swear I’m about to get a nasty cold or something. Just what I need. Designing for the new line is going so slowly. I don’t know how Ana pumps out new clothing designs so often.”

  “She has much more practice,” Guy reminded her, making Leila laugh. Guy’s thoughts turned more serious, though. “Have you been feeling all right otherwise?”

  “Just an upset stomach now and then, nothing major. I’m probably just tired out from all the hustle of trying to finalize plans for the new store.”

  Normally, Guy was not the type of man who was so vulgar as to walk around staring at women’s chests and commenting on them, yet, as Leila idly scratched at a spot above her collar, he could not help but notice the buttons on her blouse were being pulled more tightly than usual. Working in fashion design, especially now that Leila had stepped into the role of designer, Guy knew she was always conscious of her clothing choices. He had seen her wear the blouse before, as well, and it fit more loosely at that time.

  “Leila,” Guy said hesitantly, “have you considered that your taste buds may be off for a different reason?”

  She turned and stared at him with a perplexed expression. “Like what?”

  “Forgive me for asking, but could you be pregnant?”

  Her eyes flew open wide. “What?”

  “Upset stomach, more tired than usual, your blouse fitting…uh, more snug than before. It could be a possibility.”

  Looking rather stunned, Leila set down the spoon she had been holding and leaned against the counter. Her expression turned serious, and Guy could only assume she was counting the days, trying to determine if his guess was logistically possible. The look of surprise that popped onto her face seemed answer enough. “I hadn’t even realized I was late. Really late. It’s been so crazy lately, it’s a miracle I haven’t lost my mind yet. Do you really think…?”

  Guy could only shrug. It was possible, and seemed rather likely, but he hesitated to say anything more. “Were you and Eli trying to get pregnant?”

  She shook her head slowly. “No, but it would certainly be a nice surprise, right?”

  Knowing his friends as well as he did, Guy nodded. He smiled at Leila as her shock turned to glee. “Guy, I think I might be pregnant,” Leila said excitedly. She threw her arms around his neck and laughed. Guy was laughing right along with her until he turned and saw Charlotte staring at them both in shock.

  Guy hurriedly pushed Leila back and stuck his hands in his pockets. Startled, it took Leila a moment to realize they were not alone. “Oh! You must be Charlotte!” She extended her hand happily, but Charlotte did not move to accept it.

  “Who are you and what is going on?”

  Not taken aback by Charlotte’s unfriendly greeting, Leila said, “I’m sorry. I’m Leila, a friend of Guy’s.”

  Before Charlotte could get the wrong idea, Guy stepped forward. “Charlotte, this is Eli’s wife. I got stuck in a meeting at the hospital and I asked Leila to pick Warren up for me.”

  “Eli’s wife?” Charlotte asked, not really expecting an answer. Her confusion over walking into her apartment to find her boyfriend with his arms around his best friend’s wife was clear on her face. Luckily, Leila saw it as plainly as Guy did.

  “Please let me apologize for clobbering Guy like that!” Leila said hurriedly. “It’s just that, well, I was telling Guy I haven’t been feeling great and everything tastes funny and…um, and I think I might be pregnant. Guy actually brought up the possibility and I think he’s right. And now I’m babbling. I’m sorry, I’m just really excited suddenly.”

  Finally, Charlotte’s expression and stance softened, but Guy knew she was far from pleased. “Well, congratulations,” Charlotte said with a smile, “if you find out you are pregnant for sure, that is.”

  “Thanks!” Leila glanced between Guy and Charlotte, no doubt sensing the remaining tension. “Anyway, I was just getting ready to leave.” She turned to her friend and said, “Guy, all you have to do is strain the noodles when the timer goes off and add the sauce and chicken. Easy as pie.”

  Guy highly doubted that, but he nodded. “Thank you again for all your help today.”

  “It was my pleasure, really. I’m happy to help.” She turned to Charlotte then. “You have such a wonderful little boy. He’s just darling. Eli and I would be happy to babysit any time you and Guy need a night off. We may be needing the practice.”

  Seeming to understand that hugging Guy goodbye like she usually might would only cause problems, Leila settled for a wave to her friend and a polite nod to Charlotte before making her escape. Guy had been so relieved to have her help earlier, but that feeling had vanished. Now, being stared down by his clearly upset girlfriend, he suspected it was going to be a long night. He tried to avoid it by straining the noodles as Leila had instructed and plating the meal, but Charlotte was not about to let this go.

  “Guy, why didn’t you just call me and let me know you were stuck in a meeting. I would have picked him up myself.”

  “I did not want to interrupt your work. I know you have a lot to do.”

  Her heels clicked angrily across the kitchen tile. “So you sent a stranger to pick him up?” she demanded.

  Guy turned to face her, frustrated by her lack of faith. “Leila is hardly a stranger. I was the best man at their wedding! I knew I could trust her to pick him up and keep an eye on him until I could get here.”

  “She’s a stranger to me! And to Warren! How did she even know who she was picking up?”

  “I had already showed Eli and Leila pictures of you and Warren when I met them for lunch last week and they asked about the trip to France. I sent the school receptionist a picture of Leila as well so she could guide Warren to her.”

  Charlotte hardly look appeased by his explanation. “You have pictures of Leila on your phone?”

  Shaking his head in frustration, Guy brought up the pictures he had taken during the wedding and tossed the phone on the table for Charlotte to see. “They were pictures I took, playing around while we waited for the photographer to set up his equipment at the wedding.”

  She stared at the phone, taking in the image of Eli dipping Leila and almost dropping her as she laughed hysterically, while the rest of the wedding party stood around them. Hardly anything scandalous. When she did not say anything in response to the pictures, Guy approached her cautiously. She did not push him away when he put his arms around her shoulders.

  “Charlotte, please be honest with me. Are you more upset out of jealousy, or because I allowed Leila to help with Warren without your permission?”

  Struggling against his embrace, Charlotte tried to turn away from Guy, but he would not let her dodge the question. With an exasperated sigh, she finally said, “Both!”

  “Why?”

  “Why am I jealous? Because she’s beautiful and I walked in to hear the word pregnant seconds before I reached the kitchen and saw you two acting like you’d just won the lottery.”

  Guy shook his head. “That was explained, but you are still upset about it. Why?”

  “Look at me,” Charlotte said as her eyes glassed over with tears.

  “I am looking at you,” Guy replied. “You are beautiful. You are the only woman I am interested in being with.”

  “But, it’s only been a couple of weeks and I already look like I’ve been run over by a
car…several times.”

  Guy knew she was referring to the dark circles under her eyes, the difference in her once perfect skin, the weariness she could not hide. Guy could see all of that as well, but he still found her beautiful. Loosening his hold on her, he pressed his hands to her face. “Charlotte, you are ill, but it does not make you any less to me.”

  “What if my hair falls out?”

  Guy shrugged. “Then it will grow back later, or you can pick out a wig. It will not change how I see you.”

  Though she still looked doubtful about his claims, there was a second question still left to answer. “I don’t like asking favors of people, especially ones I don’t know.”

  “Why? Leila was very happy to help. They have been eager to meet you and Warren.”

  “I’ve never liked having to rely on people, but it’s more than that. They’re your friends, Guy.”

  Confused, he could only nod in agreement. “Oui, and they want to help.”

  “Do they? What must they think of me? I already feel like I’m taking advantage of you. I know you’re here helping me because you care about us, and I’m so grateful for everything you do, but on the outside, it must look very different.”

  Guy sighed. He was glad to know what was truly keeping Charlotte from allowing his friends to help, but it frustrated him as well that her view was so skewed. He pulled her back into his arms and pressed her close. “Charlotte, none of them think that. They know me. They know I would not be pulled in by someone just trying to use me. They understand how much I care about you and they just want to be a part of our lives.”

  “I just… it’s hard enough already facing people at work and having everyone stare at me and tell me how sorry they are and look at me like I’m so sad and pathetic. I can’t stand the thought of adding to all of that and worrying that they all think I’m some kind of leech.” Her shoulders shook as she started crying.

  Guy knew things were still strained between Charlotte and her mother. He had overheard arguments more than once since their return from France. No doubt, her mother’s feelings about the situation were only making Charlotte’s fears even worse. Guy could only sigh and hold her more tightly.