Giving Her My Baby

“Hey Ella, we got a request for you this morning. Think you can do an interview this afternoon?” Jenny asks in her always-chipper voice. It doesn’t matter what time of the day it is or how busy she is, she always sounds happy.

I glance over at the clock. I should have gotten up thirty minutes ago, but I’m still adjusting to being able to sleep through the night. Out of habit I wake up every few hours thinking there’s a baby to check on, only to remember after sitting up that there isn’t.

I see that it’s already ten o’clock and I have a doctor’s appointment at eleven. I’m going to have to get a move on it. It’s another reason I had trouble sleeping last night. I keep having nightmares that they’re going to tell me that something is wrong with me and I can’t have a baby. Nightmare scenarios like that play through my mind all the time. Then the nagging thought that I’m doing the wrong thing pops up. I keep pushing that one aside, thinking it’s just me being scared of doing this alone, but I know I can. I love babies and they love me. I’m good with them, and I’m going to be a great mom.

“It would have to be after one,” I tell her, sitting up and stifling a yawn. “If that doesn’t work maybe just get someone else?” I fling my feet over the side of the bed and rub the sleep out of my eyes.

“No, this was a request for you specifically. I’ll text you all the details.”

“Thanks,” I tell her before hanging up.

I need to get my butt moving. I hop into the shower, making quick work of my morning routine before wandering into my closet to find something to wear. I’d planned for something casual, but it looks like I’ll likely be rushing from the clinic to my job interview.

It isn’t uncommon for me to hop from one job to the next, and most of the ones I get are referrals. This could possibly be my last job as a live-in baby nurse. If I get pregnant right away, that is. I wonder how I’ll transition into being a regular nurse at a hospital or family practice. I know once I have a baby I can no longer be live-in. I haven’t even gotten pregnant and I’m already thinking way too many steps ahead.

I settle on a simple white dress that falls to my knees with a blazer and flats. I go back into the bathroom and put on some mascara and lip gloss before brushing my hair out one last time. I grab my purse and my phone as I head out, then walk down the street to catch the bus. Maybe I should look into getting a car.

I don’t have much need for one, but I’m guessing with a baby of my own I will. I make a note in my phone to look up the safest family vehicles. When I get on the bus I look at the information Jenny sent over, pulling up the address on Google Maps to determine if I’ll need to call a taxi or if a bus will get me there.

I see that I’ll be meeting with a man. Brooks Renshaw. The name sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. When the online map comes up I realize why the name sounded familiar. Renshaw Banking is the biggest in the state and is on track to become one of the biggest in the country. For all I know, it already is.

Everyone knows who Brooks Renshaw is because of how successful he was at a young age. Something about being good at the stock market, if I recall. There isn’t much more I know about him. I can’t even remember if I’ve seen a picture of him before. I see that our meeting is going to be at his office. I look down at my dress and wonder if I’m underdressed. I remind myself I’m a freaking nurse and not a business woman. I’m not applying for a job at one of his branches.

Maybe I should Google him. I’m sure it will tell me something about his wife. When I type in his name the first thing that comes up is a picture of him, and my breath catches. No, I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a picture of him before now, because this is not a man to be missed. Everything about him radiates power and dominance. From his dark hair to his dark eyes. I click on another picture, confirming what I already thought. The power rolls off him. He’s a big man, and in the picture he’s with a few other men, but he easily towers over all of them. It isn’t just his height either; he’s big all over. None of the pictures I’m scrolling through show him with a woman either. I also don’t notice a ring on his finger.