Never Too Far
I sat in the waiting room and tried hard not to look at the other pregnant women also waiting. There were three of us. The woman across from me was snuggled up against her husband's arm. He kept whispering into her ear making her smile. His hand never left her stomach. There was no possessiveness in his demeanor. Just protectiveness. It was if he was protecting his wife and child with that simple gesture.
The other lady was much further along than either of us and her baby was moving. Her husband had both his hands on her stomach as he stared at her in awe. There was a sweet worshipful look on his face. They were sharing a moment and just glancing over in that direction made me feel as if I were intruding on it.
Then there was me. With Woods. I had told him he didn't need to come with me but he said he'd like to. He wasn't going back in the exam room because I wasn't about to let him see me almost naked in a thin cotton exam robe but he was going to sit in the waiting room.
He had fixed himself a cup of the complimentary coffee and since he'd only taken one sip I assumed it tasted horrible. I missed coffee. It would probably be delicious to me. I needed to buy some decaffeinated coffee.
"Blaire Wynn," the nurse called out from the doorway leading back to the exam rooms.
I stood up and smiled down at Woods. "I shouldn't be too long."
He shrugged. "I'm not in a hurry."
"Your husband can come back with you," the nurse said cheerily. My face was instantly warm. I knew without looking my cheeks were flushed.
"He's just a friend," I quickly corrected her.
This time she was the one turning pink. She obviously hadn't read over my record to see that I was single. "I'm so sorry. Uh, well he can come back too if he wants to hear the heart beat."
I shook my head. That was too personal. Woods was a friend but I wasn't ready to share something as important as my baby's heartbeat with him. Rush hadn't even heard the baby's heartbeat yet. "No, that's okay."
I didn't glance back at Woods because I was embarrassed for both of us. He was just helping out. Being labeled as the baby daddy hadn't been what he'd signed up for.
The exam didn't take long. This time I'd been able to hear the baby's heartbeat without having a wand stuck inside me. It had been just as loud and sweet as before. The pregnancy was progressing well and I was cleared to go with an appointment for four weeks from now.
Walking back out into the waiting room I found Woods reading a Parenting magazine. He looked up at me and smiled sheepishly. "The reading material here is limited," he explained.
I stifled a laugh.
He stood up and we walked out of the door together.
Once we were in the car he looked over at me. "You hungry?"
I was actually but the longer I spent with Woods the more uncomfortable I felt. I couldn't shake the feeling that Rush wouldn't like this. He had never liked me being around Woods much. Even though I had needed a ride I was starting to worry this was a bad idea. It was better if Woods just drove me back to Rush's house.
"I'm more tired than anything. Can you just take me back to Rush's?" I asked
"Of course," he replied with a smile. Woods was really easy to deal with. I liked that. I wasn't in the mood for difficult.
"Have you talked to Rush yet?" he asked.
That wasn't a question I wanted to answer. So much for not being difficult. I just shook my head. He didn't need an explanation and if he did too bad because I didn't have one. I'd broken down and called Rush two nights ago and it had gone directly to voice mail. I'd left him a message but he hadn't called back. I was beginning to wonder if he was hoping I'd just be gone when he returned. How long was I supposed to stay at his house?
"He isn't dealing with this well, I imagine. He'll call you soon," Woods said. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he didn't even believe what he was saying. It was just to make me feel better. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep so he wouldn't say anymore. I didn't want to talk about this. I didn't want to talk about anything.
Woods turned the radio on and we drove in silence the rest of the way back to Rosemary. When the car came to a stop I opened my eyes to see Rush's house in front of me. I was back.
"Thank you," I said, looking over at Woods. His expression was serious. I could tell he was thinking about something that he didn't want to share with me. I didn't need to ask to know what it was. He thought I should leave too. Rush wasn't going to call and there was a chance he might not come back. I couldn't just live in his house.
"Call me if you need anything," Woods said meeting my gaze.
I nodded but I'd already made up my mind I wasn't going to call him anymore. Even if Rush didn't care what I did it just didn't feel right. I opened the car door and stepped out. With a final wave I headed to the front door and back into the empty house.