“I’m really happy to hear that, Jenna. I’m just so sorry. Maybe he’ll prove me wrong and get in touch with you after he gets back from Hong Kong.” She sighs with what sounds like complete sincerity.
“Maybe so, but there’s no need to be sorry, Valerie. Thanks again for everything and best of luck to you!”
“Best of luck to you, Jenna!”
I hang up the phone and sit in silence to reflect on the conversation. While a small part of me is angry at him for using me, I’m relieved to know the truth and get the closure I need to move on. Still, I can’t help but be sad, as I liked him a lot. Probably more than one should have for only knowing someone for one week. If I’m willing to put myself out there in the dating pool again, I know this won’t be the last time I’m left disappointed.
“Another one bites the dust!” I toast to myself and take a big gulp of my wine.
Have yourself a pity party tonight and tomorrow, you are completely done with thinking of Cal Harrington.
I take the bottle of wine and decide to commiserate with myself in a nice, long hot bath.
17
The next couple of weeks are so busy that I don’t have time to even think of Cal. This time of year is pivotal for us securing Halloween and holiday parties. Our days consist of meetings and answering proposals and conference calls. It is exciting and exhausting, but Robert and I thrive on it. I usually don’t like to travel during the months of April and May or accept any new projects that aren’t close to our norm, but I cannot turn down the monthly featured news segment and the opportunities that might come from it. The added work has been a welcome distraction and has helped push my memories of Cal to the back burner of my mind.
Today was my last meeting with News Channel 3 before going live tomorrow with our first segment. We discussed the spring party concepts that I’ll be talking about and I brought over all the decor to go with each party concept. With Robert being out sick with a stomach bug, Layla was able to help me haul everything over to the studio and set it up.
“What are you going to wear tomorrow?” she asks as we load up my car to leave the studio for the day.
“No clue, and everything is tight on me right now.” I am so bloated from stress that my wardrobe has become limited. I’ve got to get back into the gym…and maybe wire my mouth shut during my stressful months, as chocolate and wine have been my comfort food as of late.
“Sounds to me like this is the best excuse to go shopping!” I nod in agreement and drive us to the closest mall to find the perfect on-air outfit. Shopping with Layla is always the best therapy, as we have a good time catching up and laughing at some of the outfits we try on. Three hours and five stores later, I have a new dress, shoes, and accessories. I treat her to dinner as a thank you for all of her help today.
“What are you going to do if Robert is too sick for tomorrow?” Layla asks as she takes a sip of her margarita.
“I can do it by myself, but I wanted him there and on camera with me since he’s my right-hand man.” So in love was he with the idea of being on television that he has had his outfit picked out three weeks ago. “It’s no big deal if he misses this first one. We’ll have two more trial runs, and if the feedback is good, then we’ll extend for a year.”
“Don’t you love how you put all this work in for only a five-minute segment? It’s almost like having sex. All that foreplay you have to go through for an orgasm that lasts only a minute.” We laugh out loud at her accurate analogy. “Cheers to that, and may we work hard for many more!” We clink our glasses together and drink.
“Maybe you’ll meet some hot news reporter or cameraman to start dating.”
I shrug, as the thought of dating anyone right now is as appealing as trying on a new bathing suit in my bloated state - torturous.
“Aren’t we supposed to be giving dating a second chance?” she asks as she checks out two men who walk past our table. I just smile and raise my eyebrows at her since she has been the more reluctant one.
“This is why no-strings-attached sex is easier.” She catches the eye of one of the guys she was checking out and gives him her best fuck me smile.
“It has its appeal, but even that gets lonely after a while.” I watch him salute her with his beer bottle and turn to say something to his friend who looks over at us. If Layla has her way, these guys will be making an appearance at our table soon.
“How have you been doing about the Cal situation?” She turns her attention back to me and looks me in the eye.
“There is no Cal situation. It is over and done with.” I break her eye contact, not wanting her to see that it has affected me more than I wanted it too.
“He just seemed so into you. I don’t know, I’m kind of shocked by his behavior.”
“Hard to truly know someone’s character in one week. He could be doing the same thing with someone new right at this very moment.” The thought makes me sick to my stomach. I look at my watch and see that it’s getting late. I have a big day tomorrow and I need to get a decent night’s sleep. I signal for the check from our waiter so we can leave.
“Jenna, I think we are about to have company.” She slowly smiles at the men making their way to our table.
“Not tonight, Layla. We are leaving. Together.” I sign the check and get up out of my seat. I grab both of our coats and hand hers to her. She stares at it and looks back at me.
“Come on, Jenna. These men might be our future dates.” I look over at them and see the glint in their eyes, the fakeness in their smiles. They are two sexual predators spotting their next conquests.
“These men only want to fuck, Layla, and you are NOT doing that tonight.” I stare at her until the men reach our table, daring her to defy me.
“Ladies, mind if we join you?” the taller one of the two asks and starts to pull out the empty seats at our table as if we said yes.
“Sorry, boys, but we were just leaving.” I grab hold of Layla’s hand and drag her to the door as she blows them a kiss and waves goodbye to them.
I wake up bright and early the next morning, my previous feelings of excitement now replaced with nervousness. I decide to take the day off of work and pamper myself with a massage and mani/pedi before reporting to the news station at four o’clock. I call Robert to see how he’s feeling, hoping that he’s better enough to make an appearance.
“The throw up has ceased, but the activity from my backside has not stopped. I’m so disgusted with the human body right about now.” I laugh despite the grossness of it all and tell him to stay home. “I really want to be there today, Jenna. I’m sorry! Forward the phones to me, as I can still work from home even if it might be while I am on the toilet.” He sounds miserable and I truly feel bad that he’s going to miss our debut on television.
“Don’t worry, Robert, there are going to be other chances for you to be on. Just feel better and don’t bring that crud anywhere near me.”
“There are no guarantees that I haven’t already gotten you sick. There, I warned you! I truly hope you don’t get this, as I wouldn’t wish this upon my worst enemy. Well…. I might wish this upon my ex.” I’m happy to hear that, despite not feeling well, he hasn’t lost his humor. A sign that he is on the mend.
After I hang up with Robert, I go about my day of pampering and before I know it, it’s time to leave for the station. I get dressed and drive myself over there where I’m greeted by the sight of Layla waiting for me outside.
“You came!” I run up and hug her, so thankful that she was in town this week to be here with me.
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world!” She follows me into the station, where we are escorted into a dressing room. I meet briefly with the entertainment reporter who’ll be introducing my segment, and we go through the questions she plans on asking so I’ll have my answers ready. With only having five minutes, we need to be on time with our cues and keep our answers short and to the point. After she leaves, hair and make-up artists come in and get me all dolled up. B
etween their work and the outfit Layla picked out for me, I look chic and professional. With my confidence soaring, I squash down my fears as we’re escorted to set and I stand at the indicated marker. I take a deep breath when the countdown begins and put a genuine smile on my face as the light on top of the camera turns red to indicate we are live.
Five minutes breezes by and before I know it, the segment is finished. As soon as the red light goes off, everyone starts clapping and my nervousness starts to subside.
“Great job, Jenna! I have a feeling we’re going to get very good feedback about this segment. I’ll schedule a conference call with you next week to discuss next month’s segment and the results we get in.” The producer shakes my hand and exits the studio.
“You were amazing!” Layla squeals as she hugs me tight. She helps me pack up my decor and we load it back into the car. Once that’s finished, we head to dinner to celebrate.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so happy that’s over with!” I laugh when we finally get seated.
“How do you feel about it all? You looked beautiful and you sounded so polished and smooth.”
“I actually feel really good and think it went great! I think the parties we chose had enough detail to grab the audience’s attention and make them curious on what to do next. They announced our website at the end, so we’ll analyze the online traffic tomorrow.” Robert made sure the page was updated with the new segment content by the time I was done. I cannot wait to see if those figures increased during the timeframe I was on.
I look down at my phone as congratulatory text messages come in from Robert, my parents and some other friends who saw the segment. I am on cloud nine right now and can’t believe how hard work can pay off with so many opportunities. I look over at Layla and grab her hand from the table.
“Thank you so much for being my best friend and caring enough to be here with me tonight. There’s no other person I would rather be celebrating with.” I squeeze her hand and lean over to kiss her cheek.
“Girl, I got my make-up professionally done tonight for you. Don’t waste my money by making me cry!” She smiles as she blinks the wetness from her eyes. “We need to make a toast!” We lift up the champagne flutes that she ordered and I smile in anticipation of the epic toast I know she is about to deliver.
“To you, boss babe! May your success continue to bring you much happiness, lots of money and more hot men to your bed!” From your lips to God’s ears, I pray, and laugh as we clink our glasses together in hopes the good wishes come true.
18
Jenna….Jenna…I need you to open your eyes for me…Jenna?”
I am startled by the loud voices that feel like they are screaming in my ear. I try to open my eyes, but my eyelids feel like they have weights on them. I open my mouth to talk back to this person, but sharp pains shoot up my throat and I quickly close it.
“Jenna…can you hear me?” The voice sounds like Layla’s. Why is Layla here? My body starts to shake and although I feel cold, the shaking seems to be coming from the hands that are holding me.
“Stop shaking me because I’m about to throw up all over you.” I croak out, my throat hurting so badly that I never want to talk again.
“Here’s a bucket!” I register Robert’s high-pitched voice. I manage to open my eyes slightly to see their worried faces hovering over me. I groan and try to lift my arm to cover my face, but my arm won’t move.
“Jenna, we need to get you to the hospital. I think you’re extremely dehydrated from the stomach flu.” I start to shake my head no, but waves of dizziness crash into me so I stop any voluntary movement.
“Robert, stay with her while I call downstairs to have them retrieve her car. Jenna, I have a cup of Gatorade with a straw. I need you to SLOWLY try to drink a little.” I watch Layla put the cup on my nightstand and leave the room. Robert sits me up and hands me the cup. I manage two small sips and that’s all I can handle.
“What day is it?” I ask, unable to remember. The only thing I remember is going to dinner with Layla to celebrate the success of my first news segment and then immediately feeling sick once I got home. I figured my stomach wasn’t agreeing with the greasy Asian food we consumed, but as the night progressed, I started to feel worse. That was Thursday.
“It’s Saturday afternoon.”
“What? What happened to Friday?” I try to remember what happened yesterday, but the pounding headache that’s hammering behind my eyes makes it hard to think of anything. I vaguely remember numerous trips to the bathroom due to both ends of my body being in use, and sleeping in between those trips.
“You sent me a text saying you weren’t feeling well, that you think you have what I had, but I didn’t have it as bad as this. When you didn’t pick up your phone or respond to my numerous texts this morning, I got worried and decide to check in on you. You scared the crap out of me when you wouldn’t wake up. You started moaning, so I called Layla and she came over. Have you been drinking water?” Robert asks, as he brings my drink back to my lips for me to try to take another sip.
“I don’t know.” Usually I am good with drinking water and being conscious enough NOT to get dehydrated, but every trip to the bathroom seemed to drain my energy. I take one more sip of my drink and shudder at the taste.
“Car is downstairs, let’s go!” Layla comes back in the room and they both help me stand up. “Do you want to change or go to the hospital wearing that?” I look down to see that I’m in pajama pants and a thin tank top that leaves no imagination to what my breasts look like.
“Can someone please grab a sweatshirt from my bottom drawer? I just need to cover up the girls.” Robert complies and helps me put it on. We step out into my living room where I am completely blinded from afternoon light. Layla grabs my sunglasses and purse and we slowly make our way downstairs.
Once we arrive at the car, Robert adjusts the passenger seat to recline and helps me get in. I hold onto a bucket while Layla drives the short distance to the hospital. After giving the keys to the valet, she wheels me into the emergency room with the wheelchair they provided and gives the administrative registration clerk my information and insurance to check me in. A triage nurse sees us to take my vitals and records any answers I can give to her questions. Fortunately due to the time of day, our wait is brief and I am taken back to the treatment area. I am seen by the attending physician who asks me questions while examining me. I answer as many as I can, with Layla filling in more of the details for me.
“It sounds like you have a stomach bug or food poisoning along with severe dehydration. I do want to run some tests to rule out some other options. Let’s get you started on IV fluids first, though. I will be back.” He leaves the room to go talk to the nurses.
“Can she get another blanket? She won’t stop shivering.” Layla asks the arriving nurse, who grabs one from the bottom of a cart and pulls it over me. I smile weakly at Layla, so thankful that she is here with me as I wouldn’t want to be here by myself with strangers.
“My name is Jackie, and I am one of the nurses on call. I am going to start you on an IV to help with your dehydration. I will need to draw some blood from you in order to run some tests. Is that okay?” I nod my head and keep my eyes closed, knowing that the sight of blood will make me throw up. She pulls up my sleeve and swiftly draws the amount she needs.
“Do you think you can give me a urine test?” she asks and I shake my head no as I have zero desire to pee or try to stand up because of my dizziness.
“Can you tell me your last day of your menstrual cycle?”
“I think I am currently on it.” Go figure that puking and pooping my brains out would not be enough for my body to handle.
“What do you mean by you ‘think’?”
“It’s been abnormal.” I proceed to tell her about it and she records it all on my chart.
“I’m going to run these to the lab. They’re slightly backed up, so it might be a little while. You should start to feel better soon from the IV.
Why don’t you just try to relax and I will be back shortly.” She leaves and I immediately fall asleep.
I am woken up by Layla when the physician arrives. I don’t know how long I was asleep for, but I immediately feel better than before.
“Looks like the IV is doing its magic as you have regained some color in your skin and clarity in your eyes. How do you feel?” The physician asks as he re-examines me.
“Better.” Despite still feeling cold, the shivering has stopped and my headache has lessened. I am able to focus more without getting dizzy.
“Good. Since you were exposed to someone else with the stomach flu, I will rule out food poisoning. But I am not entirely sure if it is the stomach flu or hyperemesis gravidarum.”
“Hyper what?” I ask, not understanding a word he just said.
“Severe morning sickness.”
I grunt and shake my head no, wanting to quickly rule out the option of a baby. “Nope. Not possible. My doctor told me I can’t get pregnant due to my abnormal uterus. So, stomach flu it is!” I look over at Layla, who is watching the doctor closely.
He frowns and looks over my chart. “Well, that’s interesting, because according to your blood test, your hCG levels indicate that you are pregnant. Have you been sexually active recently?”
“Yes, but we used condoms each time.” I start grasping for any excuse that will help prove I am not pregnant, even though I know condoms are not 100% effective.
“Unfortunately, condoms can rip or tear, and the likelihood of you even knowing they are is small. Why don’t we do an ultrasound to confirm?” He nods to the nurse, who leaves and returns with a portable ultrasound machine. “Can you recall the last day of your menstrual cycle?”
“I thought I was currently having my period.”
“That might be from the baby implanting itself in your uterus or from your cervix as extra blood collects there and could be coming out. Let’s just say you aren’t currently in your cycle, do you remember the time before this?”
Heartbreak Warfare (Let Me In Book 1) Page 14
