Friday night had finally come, one week down, and only one more to go. Jen was meeting me at the hotel at six. A night of pizza and girl movies was just what I needed.
I pulled into the hotel parking lot, passed my keys to the valet, and headed up to my room. Parker had called the other night while I was asleep, but he hadn't left a message. I had tried calling a couple of times during the day, but he never answered. I was missing him something terrible.
I couldn't wait to relax, so I removed my makeup and changed into a T-shirt and yoga pants. I quickly unpacked my laptop and plugged it in. I had another pile of work that needed to be completed for Monday, and as I looked at all of it, a knock came to the door.
"Your pregnancy test keeper is here with pizza and drinks. Open up," I heard Jen sing from the hallway.
I started to laugh as I made my way to the door. Jen stood there wearing a shit-eating grin.
"Shut up! I don't want the whole building to know," I said, pulling her into the room and shutting the door. I took the pizza from her and placed it on the table.
Jen held out the paper bag between two fingers, rocking it back and forth in front of my face. "Moment of truth?"
"No, let’s eat first. I am starving," I said, sitting down on the couch and turning the TV on. "What did you want to watch?"
Jen stood there looking at me, not saying a word.
"What?"
"Nothing, let’s eat." Jen sat down on the floor across from me and opened the pizza box while I flipped through the pay-per-view movies. I was trying to avoid the subject while praying that the test would be negative.
It was almost eleven by the time the movie was over, and the pizza was gone. "All right, miss, you have avoided this long enough," she said, rolling over and handing me the bag.
I could feel my stomach flip as I took the bag from her hand. "What if..?" I choked, tears forming in my eyes.
"Well, I guess you'll have to stop burying yourself in denial and actually adult up, go home, and talk to him. Accept the fact about what you want and go for it."
I looked down at the bag in my hand, fear building inside of me. I looked back up to Jen, my hands starting to shake.
"Listen, we'll cross that bridge when and if we get to it." She looked at me and rubbed my hand.
I walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. Taking a deep breath, I opened the bag and removed the test. I stared at the box, my hands starting to shake as I opened it. I fought back nausea as I read and re-read the instructions. Tears were clouding my vision until I could barely see. “Please don't let this be,” I whispered to myself. I took the test and put the cap back on it and waited.
"Everything okay?" I heard Jen ask from outside the door.
"Yeah." I pulled the door open and walked out of the bathroom. "We have to wait three minutes before the result. You couldn't have gotten an instant one?" I asked, flopping onto the bed and running my hands over my face. "Is this your form of torture?"
"Oh relax. I'm sure you’re most likely just stressed. We are just ruling this out," she said, grinning at me.
I buried my face under my arms and took a deep breath. "I miss him, Jen."
“You haven't heard from him yet?"
"No, he called the other night while I was sleeping, but he didn't leave a message, and he didn't answer when I tried calling him back. What if he never returns my calls again?" I began to cry.
"I'm sure he will. I mean, he has been waiting for you for all these years."
"My God, stop. You sound like Elliott. Now I know you have been hanging around him too long."
"I have not. It’s the truth, Tatum."
Rolling my eyes, I got up from the bed and walked into the bathroom. Looking down at the test on the counter, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I wiped at both eyes and looked again. A lump formed in my throat and tears burned my eyes. There in the little window sat two pink, perfect little lines.
"Did you hear what I said?" I heard Jen ask from behind me, but I didn't answer. I just kept staring down at the counter. "Tatum? What is it?"
I pointed to the test. "It’s… It’s got to be wrong," I said, holding it up so she could see it. Her eyes left my face and went down to my hands. "Right? It’s got to be wrong, right?" The panic built in me the longer she didn't answer. "Jen, say something?"
"I don't know what to say, Tatum. Maybe it’s faulty." She picked it up and looked at it. "I can run down to the store and grab another. Don't panic. I'll be right back"
Jen was back in ten minutes. I still hadn't moved from my spot, still staring at that little window in my hand. I took the second test, this one a rapid response so I didn't need to wait, and again, the result was positive.
"You and your damn ideas." I flopped down on the bed and broke into a full-on cry. Jen came over and sat at the end of the bed.
"It’s going to be okay, you know," she spoke quietly, smoothing my hair.
"Oh, Jen, what am I going to do?" I sobbed.
"Well, first you need to tell Parker."
"I was afraid you were going to say that. Please, whatever you do, don't tell Elliott. I want Parker to hear it from me, not him."
"You have my word."
I took a break from the paperwork that needed to be finished for Monday morning and decided to watch TV. There was never anything on Sunday nights, and I flipped through the channels trying to find anything that would take my mind off everything.
I picked up my cell and, with a deep breath, dialed Parker. Again, it went straight to voicemail. He must be working or ignoring me. I hung up as soon as the machine came on. Why was I being such a coward?
Another deep breath, another dial, and again my call went straight to voice mail. This time, I decided to leave a message. "Hey, it's me. Can you please call me as soon as you get my message? We need to talk." I exhaled as soon as I put the phone down. Who would have thought that would have been such a hard call to make?
Shutting the TV off, I grabbed my phone and laptop and climbed into bed and continued working while I waited for his call.