I shook my head. “I’m going to rest and then make an egg and spinach omelet.” I was sure that was healthy for the baby.
“I can stay.”
“No. You go home to your family. I’ll be fine. Really.” I smiled hoping it would assure her. I needed a moment to myself to readjust from total fear to elation before calling Cy.
“Okay. Call me tomorrow. If not, I’ll hunt you down.” She wagged a motherly finger at me.
“Really, April. I’m fine.”
She patted my arm. “You’re a tough cookie, Petal. But even cookies crumble under pressure. Don’t be afraid to call me. Anytime. Promise?”
“Promise.”
I let out a breath when she left and pulled out the sonogram. “Hello baby.” I touched the area I remember the sonogram technician identified as the heart. “Are you ready to meet your daddy?”
I snapped a picture of the sonogram and texted it to Cy. Then I entered his number to give him a call, hoping he was happy to see the picture of his child.
31
Cyrus
I was reading about St. John Rivers’ lackluster proposal to Jane Eyre to my mother. I couldn’t blame her for turning him down, although I wondered why she was agreeing to go to India. My phone pinged as I turned the page. I looked over at my mother, who as it turned out, was sleeping.
I pulled out my phone and noticed a text from Petal. Seeing her name filled me with dueling emotions of anger and pain. But also, sadness and longing. For a minute, I thought I’d ignore it for now and look at it later, but then I considered the baby.
I clicked her message and at first, I didn’t understand what I was looking at. And then when I did, my heart stopped.
The phone rang, indicating Petal was calling. I looked at my mom who stirred.
“It’s Petal, mom. I’ll be right back.” I left the room poking the answer button. “Petal. What is this?”
“It’s a picture of the baby. I heard the heartbeat too.”
Anger flooded me. “I told you I wanted to be there for doctors’ visits. You said there wasn’t one until January. Jesus…” I was about to call her liar but I held back. I couldn’t let my anger get away from me.
“This wasn’t a regular appointment. I was having cramps and so I went to the hospital—”
“Hospital! And you didn’t call me? Or have April or Jude call me? What the fuck, Petal?” I sank down on the edge of my bed, wondering how the woman I was sure was the source of the sun rising in the morning could turn out to be so heartless.
“Cy…” She sounded exhausted. “I was scared and being examined. I was too terrified for my baby to think about your feelings.”
Was I being an asshole? I was the father. Didn’t I have a right to know?
“I had Libby call April, who would have called you but it turned out to be nothing. And now I’m calling you,” she finished.
“When did this happen?”
“Earlier tonight. I hoped you’d be happy. The dot in the middle is the heart.”
I pulled my phone down and looked at the picture again. I’d have to print it out to
get a better view. But my heart still swelled at the idea that my child was in this photo.
I brought the phone back to my ear. “Is everything alright?”
“Yes.”
There was a pause. “Are you alright?” As it turned out, I was an asshole to not ask about her and the baby sooner.