“Holy God…” Kate whispered, noticing the black circles under Rachel’s eyes, as she opened the front door to her apartment. “Jesus Christ, Rach… You look like you’ve been through a war or something.”

“Thanks for the warm welcome,” Rachel grumbled, closing the door behind her. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“I came over to feed Manny.” She stated, as her friend’s ginger cat sprinted across the living room. “What on Earth happened to you?”

“You were right,” Rachel sighed, taking a few steps closer to her. The two friends exchanged a cordial hug, before she addressed her again. “I have been through a war. An emotional one.”

“How’s that even possible?” Kate wondered, surprise written all over her face. “I mean, you were in France, having tons of fun with this totally sexy guy. I thought you’d be happy.”

“I was,” Rachel said with a firm nod. “Up until I left.”

“Was he that good in bed?” Kate raised an eyebrow.

“It was a lot more than just sex, Kate.” Rachel said, using an emphatic tone. “Didn’t you read those texts I sent you?”

“Is it bad that I didn’t believe everything you said?” Kate’s usually squeaky voice came out hesitant. “I thought you were just trying to make me jealous.”

“I wasn’t,” Rachel lightly shook her head. “It was real. It was all wonderfully real. And then, I had to leave. I didn’t even have the heart to say ‘goodbye’ to him. I just…” She faltered. “Ditched him.”

“Ok, now I’m worried,” Kate spoke too fast.

“Why?”

“Because you haven’t told me off yet,” Kate explained. “The Rachel I know would at least glare at me.”

“I guess I don’t have the heart to do that, either,” Rachel said, her voice wobbly, as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Look, can we please talk about something else? Have you been to the hospital lately?”

“I was there last night,” Kate said, as a happy smile formed on her face. “Your sister’s condition hasn’t changed much. The doctors are a little more optimistic than they were last week. They said she’s responding to treatment, but it’s a little too early to tell if she will wake up or not. The good news is that they’ll be releasing our baby boy from the NICU, tomorrow morning.”

“Thank God,” Rachel sighed in relief. “I was a little anxious about that, to be honest.”

“Um, Rach?” Kate raised an eyebrow again. “I know it’s not my place to ask, but…” She paused. “Have you thought of a name yet? We can’t just keep calling him ‘baby boy’,”

“I’m going to wait for Marianne to wake up first, before I name him,” Rachel attempted a firm tone. “She loves that name; I don’t think it will take me too long to convince her. ‘Dominic’.”

“What?” All of a sudden, Kate’s voice turned into a high-pitched squeal. “You’re going to name that kid after him? Why?”

“Because it’s the only way for me to feel closer to him,” Rachel lowered her tone, blinking back tears, as she dropped her gaze to the floor. “I miss him, Kate. I miss him already.”

“Oh, my God…” Kate whispered while leaning closer to her, as Rachel bit her lower lip. Wrapping her arms around her friend’s back, she pulled her closer. “It’s going to be alright, sweetheart. You’ll see.”

“No, Kate,” Rachel disagreed. “It’s not. Exactly how is it going to be alright? I have a baby to raise and the man that I love lives across the ocean. Not to mention he’s going to hate my guts for lying to him.”

“Well…” Kate drew in a sharp breath, leaning back. “If he really is the man you’ve described to me, he’s not going to hate you. In fact, I think he’s going to love you even more.”

“I looked him in the eye and I lied to him,” Rachel spoke, her voice wobbly as a tear raced down her face. “Why shouldn’t he?”

Kate took her right arm off her friend’s back and used it to tip Rachel’s chin up.

“Because you had to,” She said, soothingly. “You had to make sure your nephew would have a father growing up and that Marianne would keep her job.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Rachel sniffled.

“Do you have a picture of him?” Kate asked. Then, her friend pulled her cell phone out of her coat pocket and handed it over to her. “Wow…” She cheered, swiping the screen. “Oh, my… The guy’s totally ripped. Look at those abs. Look at that chest. And that mouth? Mama, may I? Ok, get it out of my sight. Quick.” Kate added, shutting her eyes, as she returned the phone to Rachel.

“Kate, what’s the matter?” Rachel asked her friend, her voice filled with curiosity.

“I’m sorry baby, I’m sorry, okay?” Kate spoke too fast once more. “I just pictured him going down on me.”

Rachel’s face cracked, as she burst into loud, hearty laughter. She even leaned in towards her friend, clutching her stomach, as Kate circled her arm around her neck, with a crooked smile on her face.

“Now that’s what I like to see,” She claimed. “Now, can we please, please, go shopping? Little Dominic is coming tomorrow and his room is still empty.”

“Thanks for that, darling. I needed it,” Rachel chuckled. “Sure. Let’s go.”