Neighbors

by Ashleigh Royce

  I roll off of him and lie next to his heaving body.

  “Whoa! I don’t know what kind of day you had today, but do you think you could repeat it tomorrow?”

  Tears pour from me. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. I…I just…I needed you. It was like my body took over without checking with my head.”

  Dylan rolls to face me. He places his arms around my sobbing body. “It’s okay. I loved it. It was very erotic.” He kisses me and holds me as we lay on the kitchen floor without another word. Several minutes pass before he says, “Go take a shower. I’ll clean up from dinner.”

  When Dylan is done in the kitchen, he showers, but I’m fast asleep when he gets out.

  * * *

  The next morning, I wake before Dylan. I take care of everything I have to in the bathroom, including controlling the morning sickness with a handful of saltines I hid in the bandage box the night before. As I get dressed, I rub my stomach. What if it’s true? What am I going to do? I look at my reflection, but she’s useless. She doesn’t have an answer for me. I pull my hair back into a ponytail and walk out of the bathroom. Dylan kisses me gently as he passes me on his way in.

  Realizing that bread has become my new friend to combat nausea, I put some raspberry preserves on a couple of pieces of toast and I wash them down with a large glass of orange juice. Dylan walks into the kitchen as I’m putting my dishes in the sink.

  “Done so fast?” he asks.

  “I have to meet with one of the doctors before my shift this morning.” Dylan looks at me with curiosity. “It’s about one of my patients from the other day. She had a procedure done and I just want to make sure she’s okay.” I hate lying to him, but I can’t tell him yet. Not until I know for sure.

  When I get to work, I leave a message with Dr. Mankoff’s office letting them know that I’m in the ER.

  Later in the day, Dr. Mankoff stops at the nurse’s station and asks for me. I’m behind the curtain with Mrs. Anderson. I excuse myself and greet her. I motion toward the staff lounge. It’s empty and I close the door behind us.

  “Well, it’s official. You’re pregnant, Melissa.”

  Shock washes over me as I absent-mindedly lower myself onto the couch, although I don’t know why. I figured this would be the news she was coming to tell me. Gladys is right. Those tests are ninety-nine point nine percent accurate. Dr. Mankoff reviewed the options we talked about the day before during the exam.

  “Now you have to decide if you want to move forward with the pregnancy.” Dr. Mankoff waits for an answer. “You know the faster you make the decision, the easier it will be. If you decide not to keep the baby, I can schedule you for Thursday at the earliest. If you are moving forward, I want you to fill this script for pre-natal vitamins and come to see me in four weeks.” She hands me the small paper with her signature. Then she stands. “Go home and talk about it with your husband. I’m sure the two of you will make the right decision.” She leaves and I’m alone with this heavy news.

  Happiness fills me as my hand rests on my stomach. I’m going to be a mother. It’s so surreal. I think of little clothes and the smell of powder. Dr. Mankoff’s words repeat in my head…“Fill this script for pre-natal vitamins…talk about it with your husband.” My husband? Crap! If Dylan doesn’t want this, I’ll be a single parent, without him. Now what do I do? Nice going, Ace!

  A light knock breaks my concentration. “Come in.” I barely get the words out.

  Gladys pokes her head in. “You okay?” The door doesn’t hide her full-figure.

  I motion for her to sit next to me on the couch. She turns and makes sure the door is closed behind her.

  “Gladys, I don’t know what to do.”

  “I think you should talk to Dylan. Don’t make a decision until you know how he feels.” She pats my hand, and doesn’t say a word as I cry. She waits with me until I have my emotions under better control.

  “I need to get back out there,” she says, squeezing my hand. “They can’t be down two nurses. Take your time in here, I’ve got you covered.” She hands me the box of tissues from the side table.

  I nod. When she’s gone, I cry for another fifteen minutes – both happy tears and tears of anxiety - before I compose myself. I stand, straighten my uniform, and lift my head before going back out to the ER, hoping to get lost in other people’s medical conditions.

  The phone rings and Gladys answers. “Sure, she’s right here. Hold on.” She holds the phone up to her chest. “Dylan.”

  I take the phone from her with caution. Gladys gets up to pretend to look for some kind of medical instrument so that I can have some privacy. She’s so good to me.

  “Hey, beautiful. How about we go out for dinner tonight? I have some good news.”

  I force a smile. “Sure.”

  “Great. I’ll meet you at home and then we have reservations for seven. Does that work for you?”

  “Yes.” My voice is weak.

  I stay on my shift until five, pretending to be busy, even though I’ve checked and re-checked all of my paper work three times. Even a phone call to Tracy doesn’t fill up time.

  “Dylan and I are going for dinner tonight.”

  “That sounds great, but I bet you can’t wait until dessert.” Her implied suggestion makes me smile with irony. It’s not that I don’t appreciate Tracy’s positive outlook, it’s that I think that I’ll have to move in with her once Dylan tells me he doesn’t want to see me ever again.

  “Tracy, it isn’t all about sex.”

  “When a man as fine as Dylan is in your life, sex is all it should be about.”

  “Stop it,” I snap.

  “Relax, Mel. You know I’m only joking with you. Sheesh! When did you get so touchy? I know he’s a great guy. He’s good to you and he loves you.”

  “You think?”

  “You can tell by the way he is with you. Trust me, we all want a guy like Dylan. He’s the total package: looks, smarts, and I’m assuming great in bed.” She giggles. “I’d say you hit the jackpot.” I hear Tracy’s boss yelling at someone in the background. “Uh, gotta go. Boss is comin’. Talk to you later.” She hangs up before I can say good-bye to her or ask her advice on what I should do.

  You shouldn’t tell her before you tell Dylan, I scold myself. And, I’m right.

  With some reluctance, I go home and shower. As I pass the soap over my body, I take extra care along my mid-section. I imagine myself with a big belly, waddling to the ice cream store, then pushing a carriage and changing diapers as I shove pizza in my mouth. My smile melts when I think about Dylan’s reaction. Will he think I did it on purpose to trap him? I don’t even know if he wants children; we never talked about the future. We haven’t known each other that long and we only just moved in together. Will I have to move out now? Where will I go? Joe’s house is rented. I can’t ask the cute couple who just came back from their honeymoon to leave. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to live across the street from Dylan. The thought of staying with Tracy revisits my mind. Can I be without him? No, I don’t think so. Tell him tonight. That way, if you have to start looking for a new place to live, you can do before you get too big.

  I put on my favorite pink sweater and a nice pair of black slacks and sit on the couch, watching television to distract myself. It doesn’t work.

  Dylan walks in at six. “I just want to take a quick shower, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  While I hear the water running, I practice all of the different ways to break the news to him, but my thoughts halt when the water stops.

  I listen to the events of Dylan’s day as we drive to his favorite seafood restaurant. We’re seated immediately. The waiter takes our order.

  Since my nerves are frazzled, I have to steady my hands several times when I pick up my water goblet. Dylan eats three slices of bread while he makes small talk. I can’t take it anymore. The anticipation is killing me.

  “So, what is this fabulous news?” I ask, trying to get the ba
ll rolling. I don’t want to ruin the evening, yet.

  He wiggles in his seat across from me, like a young child with a secret to tell. His eyes light up and his smile is huge. Both dimples are there. “Jack offered me a partnership.”

  I feel a tense smile spread across my face. “Oh, that’s wonderful, Dylan. I’m so happy for you.”

  “No, for me, Melissa. For us. None of this would be possible without you.”

  That doesn’t make sense. My face twists. “What did I have to do with it?”

  “Well, I was telling Jack how great you are and how I can’t be without you, but I don’t want to move forward until I know I can make a more steady life for us.”

  I’m surprised about his thoughts of the future. My heart warms. His future does include me. Then I snap out of it. But I don’t want him to base anything on me, not before he’s heard what I have to say. Once he does, he might be sharing his future with someone else.

  “Dylan…”

  “Wait, Melissa. There’s more. So, Jack offered me a partnership. I thought about it and decided it would be a good move for me, for us,” he corrects. “And the more I thought about it, the more I thought about how much I love you.” He reaches across the table and takes my hand in both of his. His smile morphs to a more serious expression. “These past few months have been… the best. The thought of this new venture with Jack made me realize all the things that are important to me: a steady job working on houses, which I love, and sharing every minute of every day, of every year with you.” The smile returns as he fumbles with his pocket. He places a small black velvet box on the table. “That’s why I’d like to ask you to marry me.” He opens the box. A beautiful round diamond in a simple setting winks at me.

  Between the three of us—Dylan, me, and the waiter, who is holding our food—I can’t formulate words. I want this so badly, but I can’t answer before he knows my secret. Moments feel like decades. I’m motionless and numb in my seat.

  “Melissa? Melissa, you haven’t answered. Does that mean no?” His smile fades.

  “No, no. I do want to marry you, Dylan, with all my heart. I love you. It’s just I…there’s something I have to tell you first. You may not want to marry me after you hear what I have to say.” I look down at my hands.

  A curled finger lifts my chin. “Melissa, you’re scaring me. Please tell me what’s wrong. Greg didn’t-”

  “No!” I cut him off.

  Large brown eyes implore me. My brain presses, Tell him. I inhale and sit straight in the chair. “Dylan, we never talked about our future. I don’t even know what you want in five years from now, or two years from now, or nine months from now.” I wait, but he says nothing. “Dylan, do you want children?”

  “Yeah, of course I want…” It’s then, mid-sentence that the imaginary light bulb turns on above his head. “Melissa, are you…? Really?”

  I look down at my knotted fingers. “Yes. I’m pregnant.” I close my eyes and hold my breath, waiting to open them to find that he’s gotten up and walked away.

  Instead, he jumps up out of his seat and yells, “Whoo-hoo!” The patrons surrounding us stop eating and watch him. He kneels by my side and picks up the little black velvet box again. “Let’s do this right then. Melissa Baxter, I love you with all my heart. I don’t ever want to wake up without you, spend the day away from you, or go to bed without you next to me. Will you, please do me the honor of being my wife and the mother of my child?”

  I can’t see him clearly through the tears welling up, but I answer, “Yes, Dylan. I would love to be your wife and the mother of your child.”

  He lifts me out of the chair and pulls me into his arms. My body feels heavy but relaxed. I don’t want him to let go.

  The other diners applaud, and once the manager of the restaurant hears of our happy news, he insists that dessert is on him.

  Twenty-Five

  The next day, I phone my parents and my brother to tell them that Dylan and I are getting married. Dylan does the same and calls his father. I imagine Maria’s expression when she finds out. She probably really hates me now. Dylan also calls his brother, Michael, who is very excited he is going to be a brother-in-law. A call to Tracy results in a lot of excited screaming, which is the polar opposite of Dylan’s friend, Kyle. He is calm, cool, and collected as he offers a reserved wish of congratulations.

  Once the calls are over, we eat breakfast. “So, what kind of wedding do you want?” Dylan asks as he eats breakfast.

  I shrug. I’m too involved with shoveling eggs into my mouth to speak. “I’ve already done the big, expensive party thing and that didn’t work out too well, but I’ll do whatever you want.”

  “I think I’d like to marry you somewhere quiet, with just our family and close friends,” he says.

  “That sounds nice.” I stuff more eggs onto a piece of toast. I don’t have to hide my eating habits now.

  “It also means we don’t have to wait.” He stands and looks for the phone book in the closet. Flipping through the pages, he picks a name of a Justice of the Peace. “How about next week?”

  I nearly choke on the eggs. “So soon?”

  “I don’t want you changing your mind on me.” He winks.

  “Oh, don’t worry,” I smile. “You’re stuck with me forever now.”

  He smiles and kisses my nose. Since I’m already a bundle of hormones I don’t have too far to go before I’m ready. I clench his shirt by the collar and pull him toward me. I devour his lips in much the same way I did the eggs, and then I stand, pressing my body to his. “You’d better do me now. I won’t be this thin in a few months.”

  “You’ll always be perfect,” he manages between kisses. He takes my hand and leads me upstairs. He points to the bed and I oblige, lying on my back.

  “Close your eyes,” he says. Again, I obey. For several moments I don’t feel anything, but my skin is on high alert—waiting, wanting. Light fingers touch only the buttons on my shirt. My skin reacts with every inch that is exposed. Peeling back the flaps, I feel his warm lips in the hollow at the base of my neck. My pulse is rapid. I can hear the thrumming of my heart from the inside of my ears.

  He unclasps my bra and removes it before gently planting kisses along my neck, across my chest, and down to my navel. My breathing is irregular. I writhe under his lips.

  He moves down to my jeans. I feel him pop the button open and glide the zipper down. Anticipation is building. I lift my behind to help him remove the tough fabric from my body.

  I open my eyes to look at him. “Uh uh. Keep them closed,” he commands. And I shut them tight.

  His cheek grazes the inside of my thigh as he works his way up my leg. His hand is paralleling the sensation on the other leg. Inside me, the pressure is mounting. I need him soon.

  “Mmmm, I love these little silk panties.” His finger slips under the satin and circles my clitoris. Electricity flows through all of my synapses. My hips rock back and forth. “Nuh uh. No moving.”

  My heart is pounding. The sensation is overwhelming. He continues to massage the most sensitive part of my body.

  “You’re so wet,” he says. His voice is filled with carnal desire. He slips his finger inside me. I cry out. He does it again. I can’t hold my hips down. They rise up to absorb the intensity. His thumb caresses my clitoris again. I’m at the edge. “Come for me,” he says and I can’t hold back. My dam bursts and I give in to my orgasm.

  As I attempt to slow my breathing, he leans back and pulls his shirt off. Swift hands work to remove his jeans. Once he takes his briefs off, he springs free. His eyes promise that I’m going to enjoy what he has in store a whole lot more than the last wave.

  “Please,” I beg. I pull my knees up and part my legs as he positions himself at the entrance of my shattered wall. With a fast thrust he’s deep inside of me.

  “Oh!” I cry as I grip the sheet beneath me.

  He offers his own groan. I look at him, my eyes pleading for more. He pulls back slowly and repeat
s the action. Another sharp push and he’s in me again. I cry out again. He eases back again, but when he impels me this time, he doesn’t stop. His rhythm increases. He pounds into me, increasing his speed with each thrust. His mouth is on me and we kiss, gasping for breath in between. I’m building again fast. My body is quivering. I can’t control any of it and I unravel.

  He moans once more and empties inside me.

  * * *

  “Gladys, I need you to take off next Sunday. Eileen, too, if she can.”

  “Why? Will there be a terrorist attempt at the hospital?” Her dark eyes peer over her bifocals.

  “No. I’m getting married.” I lift my left hand and wiggle my fingers so that the diamond sparkles in the light. “It’s only going to be close friends and family and I want you and Eileen to be there.”

  Then something rare happens. Gladys smiles. I think I’ve only seen her pearly whites three times in the five years I have known her. “I knew you were getting yourself all worked up for nothing yesterday.”

  Eileen struts over. “I need you to find coverage for next Sunday,” I say.

  “Sure, why?”

  “I’m getting married and I want you and Gladys to be there.”

  Eileen’s black eyebrows rise high on her forehead and her mouth falls open. “Wow!” She hugs me. “Congratulations! Okay, sure. I’ll go to personnel on my break.”

  “We’re on break now,” Gladys decides. “C’mon, I’ll go with you.” She winks at me as she stands and takes Eileen’s elbow and escorts her to the elevator.

  I cover the ER while they head to the nurse’s personnel to get coverage for Sunday.

  The rest of the week keeps me busy. I enlist Tracy to help, ordering food and hiring the Justice of the Peace to be at the house at noon on Sunday. After work, she runs around with me to the party store for some streamers and paper goods, and to a few dress shops for something to wear.

  I purchase a simple ivory dress that will hide the little bump that’s forming in my middle. “That’s your ‘new.’ You can wear my grandmother’s pearls,” she says. “That will cover the ‘something borrowed’.”