A Life More Complete(96)

I shower quickly and climb into the foreign bed knowing it will be hours before I fall asleep. It’s times like this that I wish I could pop two sleeping pills and watch the world fade into a fuzzy oblivion. But baby comes first, and surprisingly, thinking about the little nugget eases my anxiety and lulls me to sleep.





---Chapter 30---





The next morning I shuffle down to the lobby in my sleeping attire and a pair of gym shoes taking in the free breakfast of powdered eggs and rubbery bacon. Surprisingly it doesn’t taste as nasty as I gathered from the looks on the peoples’ faces that are sitting near me. I grab a free newspaper and read the latest headlines from the Naperville Sun. It’s been drizzling pretty steadily and the temperature has been topping out at a whopping sixty degrees, typical for May in Naperville. I look out the large sliding glass door that leads to the parking lot as it whooshes open and close with busy holiday travelers leaving for an early start. Finally, the rain has halted and the sky is a deep shade of pink. There may be some hope for a decent day.

I toss my plate in the garbage and grab a stale cheese Danish to go. Looking down at my phone as I make my way back to my room I nearly run into Kevin coming down the hallway.

“Sorry,” I say giggling. “This damn thing,” holding up my phone, “gets me every time. Such a distraction.” I try to move past Kevin but he stills me with his hand on my arm.

“Do you have a minute?” he asks.

“Do I look like I’m going anywhere dressed like this?” I ask, wearing a pair of old Cubs jogging pants with the bottoms cut off and a t-shirt with no bra.

Kevin laughs slightly before gesturing for me to head back toward the lobby. We take a seat at a small table for two near the exit of the hotel. I drop the Danish on the table with a small thud. Both of us glancing down at it before Kevin asks, “Are you really going to eat that?” His face looking rather distraught at the thought.

“Probably. I’m not as picky as I used to be since getting pregnant. When I’m hungry I eat.” I shrug my shoulders.

“It’s your stomach,” he says jokingly.

“So Kevin, I know you asked me to join you but, I’d like to apologize for last night. My behavior was out of line and it was inappropriate for me to be so rude when you were just trying to be nice. Please understand that it was in no way a reflection as to how I feel about you or Maizey.”

“No apology necessary,” he says kindly. “I wanted to talk to you while Courtney isn’t around.” I always find it strange to hear someone use her given name. It’s been over fifteen years since Rachel or I have called her that and it still stops me when I hear it. “I love her and she loves you which is why I’m sitting here.” I nod completely understanding where this is heading. “It’s killing her to watch you like this. If anyone is non-judgmental it’s her. Give her a chance. Let her in. You just might find she knows where you’re coming from.”

“Thanks Kevin. I appreciate it,” I reply looking down at my rock hard cheese Danish that suddenly seems rather gross.

“Whatever you do, please don’t eat that Danish, if only for the safety of my future niece or nephew. He smiles as he rises from his chair momentarily squeezing my hand before he walks away.

Back in my room I’m struggling to button my jeans as I lay on the bed sucking in my stomach that just won’t seem to go flat like it once did. I’m already working up a sweat wiggling and shimmying on the rumpled sheets when someone knocks on the door. I stand, reconciled to leaving the jeans unbuttoned, as I yank my sweater down over my pudgy belly.

I find Maizey standing outside the door with a smile on her face. “You wanna go to the outlet mall in Aurora?” She looks down at my pants that are stretched to an extreme. “I think it’s high time you bought some pants that fit.”

“I know. I thought I’d at least get a few more weeks out of my clothes, but shit, I’m miserable.” I pull my sweater down since it’s rolling up again.

“Stop crushing that baby,” she says poking my belly. “Kevin and Paul are spending the day golfing and then heading into the city for the Sox game. I figured we could spend the day together since we’re missing our fun filled weekend.”

“Sure. Rachel coming?” I ask.

“Yep. She should be ready in a few minutes. I’m gonna grab my purse. I’ll knock when I’m ready.”