But wait. Something’s not right. How is she pregnant if we’ve been together all this time? I can’t have children. She knows that.
“Pollen, whose baby is that?”
Chapter 10
(Pollen)
How am I supposed to answer that? I know we promised we’d be honest with each other from now on, but if I tell him the truth we’ll go back and relive our wedding day all over again. But can I lie to him and live with myself? Maybe there’s a way for me to sugarcoat the truth. I won’t lie, I just won’t let on that it could be Glenn’s baby. At least until he regains his full memory. Besides, everybody here has accepted that Marcus is the father, regardless of the baby’s paternity. Yes, I just have to twist the truth a little.
“Dr. Yipolis said that it is possible for you to have children—just very hard. I can bring him in here to talk to you again, if you like.”
“So it’s not Glenn’s?” Marcus narrows his eyes at me, studying every movement for signs of deceit.
“Glenn and I were over a long time ago, Marcus. It’s you that I love, you that I will raise a family with. Glenn is out of the picture. We’re friends now. Even you have accepted him into our lives.”
Why am I so nervous? I’ve had two days to prepare for this. I should have thought this out more carefully, planned and rehearsed what I was going to say, instead of worrying about what he would or wouldn’t remember.
“I’ll go get the doctor. He’ll want to examine you before you leave.” I lean over and kiss Marcus again, quickly this time, so that I can make a quick exit. I need to find Glenn; make sure he keeps his mouth shut. For the sake of both of us.
“Pollen?” Marcus says just as I open the door.
“Yes?”
“I feel kind of weird saying this, considering I’ve lost a lot of time. But I remember everything up until the car crash. There was something I wanted to say to you, but never got the chance before we lost our memories. And now, well, it seems kind of redundant.”
“And what was that?”
Marcus grins. “I’m in love with you.”
***
“Glenn, you can’t tell Marcus about us. About the baby.”
I pace incessantly across his apartment, littered with empty beer bottles and takeout containers. It smells like a college dorm room, like week-old pizza and stale beer.
“I thought you two swore to be honest from now on,” Glenn mocks. “No secrets, remember?”
“Yeah, I know. But this is different. If we tell him the truth he’s going to hate me again. I just can’t handle this happening right now. Not with Evie gone. And not after what the doctor said yesterday.”
While we were walking Marcus back from the perimeter he was disoriented, talking in riddles, and didn’t even acknowledge that Glenn and I were there before he passed out. Glenn carried him back, but then I had to fight through some painful cramping. Once we arrived back in the facility, Glenn dropped off Marcus with one of the Watchers and rushed me down to the medical clinic. I was crumpled up in agony. They hooked me up to all kinds of monitors and injected some drug that was supposed to halt the contractions. Dr. Yipolis said that I was in early labor but they were able to stave it off. He instructed me to avoid stress and stay on bed rest if possible. Yeah, right. Like that’s going to happen.
“So what if he hates you?”
“Glenn!”
“I’m serious, Pollen. You know how this works. His memory won’t be gone forever. In a few days or even weeks, he’ll remember that he forgave you.”
“Just because he forgave me once doesn’t mean he’ll do it again. I’ve got competition now.” Siera’s siren figure pops into mind. I can feel my face contorting in disgust. “I can’t lose him, Glenn.”
Glenn’s lips press firmly together. His face reddens. He won’t look at me. “You should go.”
“But Glenn—”
“No, Pollen! I can’t do this anymore. Do you have any idea what you do to me? How I feel about you? And you expect me to just go along with your plan of convincing Marcus that I have nothing to do with this baby? You know damn well that boy is mine and I’m not going to just give up and let you go when he’s born! I’m going to be the father I never was with Lex.”
“Glenn, I’m sorry.” I sit down on the couch and press my fingertips into my closed eyes to rub out the tears. “I’m sorry for doing this to you. It’s not my intention to hurt you any more than I already have. I will tell him the truth eventually. I just can’t do it now. Please, if you can’t go along with this, just stay away from Marcus. Okay? Just for now? Please?”
Glenn paces as he contemplates for a moment. He sighs and sits down beside me, rubbing my knee with some assurance. “Okay. Look I’ll do what I can to avoid him and I won’t say anything unless he asks. But if he does, I will not lie. Whatever happens, Polly, I’m not going anywhere. I will be a father whether Marcus likes it or not.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. It’s all I can ask for. Everything will be okay once this whole thing blows over and Marcus remembers. Glenn sits back quietly, deep in thought.
“So . . . Kharma, huh?” I say, trying to relieve the tension that threatens to suffocate us both.
Glenn laughs. “Yeah, well, she looked like an easy lay.”
“Glenn!” I smack the side of his head, a little harder than I had intended.
“Ow! What? I thought I’d try out this honesty thing. I guess it doesn’t work out so well for me, huh?”
“The truth can be painful.”
“Yeah, tell me about it,” he says rubbing his face where my hand left a rosy imprint to match the swelling and bruises. “How can you live with yourself, attacking a cripple?”
My stomach tightens and I inhale deeply, pressing my stomach to try to massage the pain away. Another contraction.
“Are you okay?” Glenn asks, seeing the discomfort evident in my face.
“I need to lie down. Can you take me back to my room?”
Chapter 11
(Marcus)
“You’re good to go, Marcus.”
It should be illegal to be that hideously good looking. And a doctor at that. Should I be worried that he is Pollen’s doctor, too? Shit, Marcus, don’t let it get to your head. She’s wearing your mother’s ring. Obviously she’s all about you.
“Thanks, doc.”
“Please don’t hesitate to come back and see me if you experience any new symptoms,” says the doc. His voice is soothing. It reminds me of the gentle purring of a brand new car.
“Sure, doc. But I’m afraid I might need an escort. I don’t exactly know where I’m going from here.”
“Of course. I’m surprised Pollen’s not here yet. She said she’d be back in a few minutes. I’ll have Timber check the waiting room and if Pollen has not returned, she’ll take care of that for you.”
The doctor leaves and I put my ragged shirt back on, pushing through the pain in my back and shoulder. The whites of the bandages peek through the blood-soaked rips. My body is screaming for a hot shower and a shave. I rub the bruise left behind by the I.V. needle and examine the round white scars on my arms. I suppose I should be glad I don’t remember these. Pollen said I was tortured at Crimson. I’d like to introduce my fist to the asshole who did this.
“Hey Marcus,” says a perky, petite girl with big eyes and short blond hair that is flipped up into spikes. “You don’t remember me, do you?”
“Sorry,” I say, scraping my fingers through my hair. It feels so alien. I haven’t had hair this short since I was about fourteen.
“I’m Timber. I’m Pollen’s best friend. Well, besides you anyway.” She smiles knowingly.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you. Again.” Timber laughs and grabs my arm.
“Come on. Pollen’s not here so I called Nicron. He’s going to take you to your apartment.”
“Nicron?”
“Nicron. He’s one of your friends.”
Before we make our way to the waiting area, I stop Tim
ber in the hallway.
“You said you’re Pollen’s best friend?”
“As far as I know. Why?”
“She’s pregnant.”
“Yes,” she says with one extended syllable.
“I can’t have children. I was tested years ago. How is that possible? Did she sleep with someone else?” Timber looks away. Is she avoiding eye contact? That’s a sure sign somebody is evading the truth.
“Marcus, we’ve been through this before. You left her the first time because you assumed the worst before knowing all the facts. Maybe you should go talk to her, so she can explain it all to you again.”
I left her before? But we’re back together now. So I doubted her once as I do now, but it all turned out okay. It must be true. “So I’m going to be a father.”
The grin on Timber’s face stretches from eye to eye. She opens the door to the waiting room for me.
“Nicron should be here in a moment.”
I can’t believe it. Three years ago I gave up all hope of ever having a child of my own. I’ve always wanted to be a father. To do the things with my son that my father never got to do with me. To love and shelter him, and teach him how to play ball. I don’t know what has happened between Pollen and me, but right now, in this very moment, I’m more in love with her than I could have ever imagined. I can’t wait to see her.
“Hey Marcus!”
Across the waiting room lined with chairs, standing in front of a cylindrical glass elevator, a man waves at me. His dark skin and dreadlocks cast an extreme contrast to the clean white shirt and khaki fatigues he wears.
“Nicron?” I ask as I approach him.
“Yeah, man. Hey, you mind if we stop for some food? I’m starving.”
I’m eager to get back to Pollen, but I’m hungry too. It might be good for me to get to know Nicron. Maybe I’ll retrieve some memories after I talk to him. I feel like I’m in some crazy dream, the kind where I show up to my own surprise party, but the guests are all complete strangers.
“Sounds good,” I say. “Lead the way.”
***
This place looks like one of those tasteless crowded shopping malls. The smell is not quite as pungent, though. They must have a good ventilation system here. I follow Nicron through the cafeteria, weaving between tables filled with hungry residents. A voice beckons me. She sounds hauntingly familiar.
“Hi Marcus!”
Siera? I turn around and there she is. Her scarlet hair is just as radiant as I remember it and her eyes just as vicious. What the hell does she want?
“Siera. What are you doing here?” My voice is hard and emotionless—pretty much the way I feel about her.
Her laugh is like a cackle from hell. “Are you serious? We just had this conversation over a week ago.”
Nicron grabs my shoulder. “Hey man, I’m going to go get us some grub. Meet you back here in a few.” I nod and he takes off.
“Marcus, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just . . . hit my head. Lost some memories. It’ll come back though.” I scan the cafeteria, hoping to find something or somebody that I recognize. Something that might spark a memory. Plus I really don’t want to talk to my ex.
“I’m so sorry; I didn’t know.” So what if she did? She’d still be the same sadistic bitch either way. Who else would leave a man who gave up everything for her just because he couldn’t give her a child?
“Of course you didn’t. What does it matter?”
“I still care about you Marcus. I told you I still love you.”
“Look. I don’t know what we talked about a week ago or whatever. But whatever head games you’re playing, don’t. I’m in love with Pollen now.” It feels so awkward saying it, yet so true. “I’m going to be a father soon. Nothing you do or say will ever change the way I feel about her. So just give it up before you even start.”
My hostility hasn’t even provoked her to blink an eyelid. Actually, she smiles at me. That fake, cruel smile that tells me something awful is about to come out of her mouth.
“Marcus, I know you’re the eternal optimist, but you and I both know that kid is not yours.”
“Why would you say that? Of course he is.”
“Because you told me yourself. She slept with her ex. Got pregnant. And supposedly nobody knows the paternity.”
No. She’s lying. Trying to get me to turn on Pollen. She can’t be telling the truth. Pollen would never do that. Would she?
The vision flashes before my eyes again. Pollen in a wedding gown. I’m placing the ring on her finger. Then I’m tearing it off. I see Glenn’s face and then I’m sinking my fist into it. Next, I’m punching a wall leaving splatters of red from my bleeding knuckles. I shake my head to rid myself of the painful images. But the feelings still linger. The anger. The hatred. The betrayal.
Suddenly a massive weight bears down on my chest as a dreadful and humiliating awareness sets in. I can’t breath.
“Wait a minute. You forgot all that stuff and she didn’t even tell you? What, did she think you wouldn’t find out? Damn what a conniving little cunt!”
“Shut up, Siera!”
“Marcus, what’s up?” Nicron sets down a tray on the table next to us. “Dude, you look like a frickin’ beet. You okay?”
“Nicron. You’re my friend, right?”
“Yeah, man. Ever since you moved in.”
“Tell me about the wedding.”
Nicron’s face droops and his eyes lose color. “Maybe now’s not the best—”
“It’s true, isn’t it?” I try to still my trembling hands on the edge of the table, but the energy simply transfers, making the tray of food shake.
“Look, Marcus, chill—”
“She slept with him!”
“Hey, calm down. Let’s talk.” Nicron holds his hands up as if that’s going to settle my nerves.
“Just tell me. Could that baby be Glenn’s?”
Nicron sighs, “Yes.”
My muscles quiver with the buildup of tension within them. I flex my fists to try to tame it but it’s useless. My skin burns with rage. How could she do that to me? After all we’ve been through. And with him of all people. Why the hell do I bother trusting women anymore? Nicron looks at me apprehensively as if I’m a keg of nitroglycerin about to ignite.
“I’m not hungry.”
I try to convince Nicron to take me back to the apartment, but he stalls. He tries to tell me that I’ve forgiven her; that I’ve let it go. Evidently, this guy doesn’t know me too well. I could never let something like that go.
“Sit down man,” Nicron says.
“I can’t,” I say pacing back and forth in front of the table.
A voice beckons from a few tables away.
“Hey Marcus!” The man waving at me is tall and well built, ruggedly dressed in gray camouflage fatigues and a gray tee shirt. He doesn’t smile, but he looks like the type who wouldn’t show any extreme expressions. His green eyes look familiar—like Pollen’s.
“Who is that?” I ask, turning to Nicron.
“That’s Drake, Pollen’s brother.”
“Pollen’s brother is dead.” At least that’s what she told me. Damn, she really is full of lies. How could I be so stupid to believe her?
“No, man. She thought he was. We rescued him from Crimson a few weeks ago. You were there.”
“I’m going to talk to him. I’ll be right back.”
“Alright, man. But I’m keeping an eye on you.”
I jog over to Drake’s table, where he has just sat down to eat a meal big enough for a family of four.
“You’re Pollen’s brother?”
He doesn’t even look up at me as he nods and shoves an entire buttered wheat roll in his mouth.
“Do you know where I live?” I ask, keeping my voice low.
“Of course. I guess you don’t remember, huh? Pollen said you’d lose some memories, but she wasn’t sure how far it would go back.”
“Can you take me there?
”
“What, now? Where’s Pollen?”
“I really need to go now.”
“Sure, I’ll take you.”
Drake takes a sandwich and leaves the tray on the table with the remaining food as we push through the tables to get to the elevator. The door is about to close when I reach my hand in to stop it.
“Marcus!” Nicron calls out behind us. The door closes before he can reach the elevator. I watch as he stomps around frustrated and bangs his fist repeatedly against the elevator button. Too late.
I follow Drake through a huge rotunda and up two sets of stairs to a corridor with a sign that reads “Level Two Dormitories.” There is so much I want to ask about, like all the electronic gadgets and people working down below. But there will be time for that later. This is something I need to deal with right now.
As we march down the corridor I try to think of what I’m going to say. My mind is so cloudy and congested it’s difficult to organize my thoughts. I feel a headache coming on.
“Here we are,” Drake says as we stop at a door numbered 79.
“This is where Pollen and I live?” I ask.
“Yes.” He opens the door—do we always keep it unlocked?—and steps aside, allowing me to enter. I gaze around at the sparsely decorated living room and what little there is to call a kitchen. Then her voice reminds me of what I am here for.
“Marcus? Is that you?”
Drake answers, “Yeah, Marcus is back.”
I spin to the left where the voice drifted from and prancing out of the doorway is Glenn. That bastard. I can’t contain the heat within me anymore, or I’ll explode and take down the entire complex with me. I lunge at him and we both crash onto the floor with a resounding thud.
“No Marcus, don’t!” Pollen screams. At least I think she’s screaming. To my ringing ears it is nothing more than a mouse squeak and too easy to ignore. I draw my fist back, ignoring the burning in my shoulder, but before I can throw the punch, Drake pounces on me and yanks me back.
The Trinity Page 7
