“HELLO?” I ANSWERED SLEEPILY.
“Are you okay?”
I paused to reflect on the voice I’d just heard before I checked the screen, confirming my suspicions.
“Luna?”
“Yes, it’s me,” she said softly. “Hi.”
I didn’t know what to say to her, so I didn’t say anything at all for a minute. My head hurt, and my eyes were puffy, and all I wanted to do was go back to sleep.
“I hope you don’t mind that I called,” she said. “But I just felt… like you needed me right now.”
Again, I didn’t answer, and she laughed uncomfortably. “I must sound like a nut job to you.”
“No,” I said finally. “You don’t. It’s been… a rough couple of days.”
“I thought so,” she replied. “I’m sure you have a lot going on, but if you’re up for it, maybe we can grab a tea or something.”
I tried to force a smile for her benefit before I remembered she couldn’t see me. “That’s a really nice offer, but I’m just not sure I’m feeling up to it right now.”
“It’s okay,” Luna answered. “I get it. But I’ll be around the city today, if you change your mind.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
We hung up, and I stared at the closed bedroom door. The clock said it was past eight, and I hadn’t heard Lucian get up. He never tried to come in either, and I wasn’t quite sure what I would find when I padded down the hall, but after only a few minutes of investigation, it was obvious I was alone in the house. And suddenly, I didn’t want to be there at all.
I texted Luna and told her I’d changed my mind, and within thirty minutes, I was on my way to tea.
“He has cancer,” I blurted.
“I know.” Luna stared into her cup of tea without moving, and I didn’t want to believe her, but she hadn’t even blinked at my declaration.
“How could you know?”
“I don’t know how to explain it,” she said. “It’s just… a feeling I get. Sometimes dreams. I don’t hear anything crazy like voices in my head. It’s not like that. It’s just… feelings.”
“That’s what you felt that night?” I asked. “Isn’t it?”
She nodded, but it was stiff. I felt like there was more she wasn’t telling me, but I wasn’t sure.
I wrapped my hands around the warm cup of Earl Grey. “What kind of feeling did you get? How did you know?”
“I didn’t know it was cancer.” Her hand moved up to her collarbone, absently rubbing the area. “But I suspected. Something in his chest, right? I felt it.”
“He told me it was bronchitis,” I answered. “But his medical records said there’s a mass in his chest.”
Luna nodded and took a sip of her chai. “I thought so.”
“I’m pregnant too.”
Luna blinked and dipped her head, and a solitary tear fell down her cheek, surprising me. She reached out to touch my arm, and I didn’t back away the way I usually would. “You’re going to be a good mother.”
“I don’t know about that.” I glanced out the window. “I don’t even know how to tell Lucian. I’m afraid he’s going to be angry. And now there are so many uncertainties ahead of us, I’m terrified.”
“He won’t be angry,” Luna assured me. “And no matter what happens, you will get through it. Your blood is strong. You are resilient. I believe in you.”
Her words meant a lot more than she could ever know, and I didn’t realize how much I’d needed to hear them.
“You should do whatever you feel is right,” she said. “Your instincts won’t lead you astray.”
“I wish I could believe that,” I whispered.
“Just trust that everything will work out the way that it’s intended.” She smiled sadly. “What other alternative is there?”