Katie didn’t take offense at her friend’s grumpy mood. As Ridley described it, she was about thirteen months pregnant at this point and very over it. She was bloated and achy and tired of waiting for her due date which was still three weeks away.
“I’m exhausted,” Ri moaned. “I just want this baby to come out already so I can sleep with no one kicking my ribs and without getting up for the bathroom every five minutes.”
Katie didn’t point out that in a few weeks, Ri was still going to be exhausted because she’d have a newborn to deal with. Her friend would discover the joy of taking care of a newborn soon enough. Although considering that Ri had the most supportive husband in the world, she’d likely be able to sleep. Katie had mainly been on her own after the birth of each of her sons since her mother had only been able to come stay for a week afterward each time.
“Maybe we should watch a movie?” Katie suggested. “Or I can read to you so you can close your eyes for a while.”
She was on Ri-watch for the next few days until Raina got back. Raina had a business meeting scheduled in D.C. and Ridley had encouraged her not to miss it. She’d argued that Katie and her mother-in-law would watch her like a hawk anyway so it wasn’t as if she’d be alone. Katie could tell that Raina hadn’t wanted to leave so she’d promised to stick extra close to Ridley today. Jackson had taken all the kids out for ice cream so they could have a little quiet time.
Secretly, Katie thought he’d just wanted to get them out of the house and away from Ri’s cranky mood.
“No. I don’t want to watch a movie. I want to know if you’ve made up with Bennett yet?” Ridley glowered at her.
Katie sighed. “He’s out of town, remember?”
“Both of you have phones. You haven’t called him?”
“I’m not going to call him. He made his feelings very clear when he fired me.”
“He didn’t fire you. He gave you a week of paid vacation.”
When she raised her eyebrow, Ridley huffed. They both knew that getting a paid vacation was simply Bennett’s way of avoiding her. No doubt as soon as he got back from the award ceremony, she’d get another voicemail message offering her severance pay. He was probably just trying to figure out how to let her go. Bennett hadn’t done any paperwork since she’d been hired.
“It’s just so odd that he would do that without even talking to you again. It isn’t like Bennett to be petty. Why would he fire you just because of one argument?”
Katie sighed. “He probably thought it would be easier than having to see each other every day. He’s a good person and he wouldn’t want us to be uncomfortable working together.”
“He is a good person.” Ridley smacked her fist into her palm. “Which is why this doesn’t make any sense. Bennett is not the two-timing sort.”
“I don’t think he thinks of it that way. In his mind, Olivia is just a friend and he thinks he’s being loyal. But the reality is that he’s in love with her. We have fun together but they have history I can’t compete with. I’m tired of competing. If a guy is meant for you then you shouldn’t have to comp
ete for him at all.”
Ridley visibly deflated. “I’m sorry, Katie. Now I feel bad for encouraging this. But I saw the way he looked at you that day at dinner. I’ve never seen him look at a woman that way before.”
“Well, I guess that’s because Olivia isn’t here. Although I'm sure you’ll be seeing her around soon since they’re spending the weekend together.”
“I’m still not giving up on you two. Sometimes things aren’t what they seem. Look at me and Jackson. I was worried about him cheating for nothing. Once I talked to him, I realized it was a misunderstanding and we worked it out. Two people who love each other can work through anything,” Ridley insisted.
“He doesn’t love me, Ri.”
“Are you sure? Because I know what an Alexander man in love looks like.”
Ridley struggled to her feet. Katie jumped up and helped support her back until she was upright.
“Now I’m going to take a nap in the office. My back has been hurting all day.”
Katie watched her friend walk down the hall to Jackson’s office. They’d put a daybed in there once Ridley got tired of walking up and down the stairs so much. Once she was out of sight, Katie pulled out her phone. Something about Ri’s crankiness and the amount of swelling in her ankles didn’t feel right to her. She sent a text to Jackson to see how far away he was. When he didn’t respond, she called. After four rings it went to voicemail.
Katie clutched the phone against her chest, the vague unease she’d been feeling all day getting stronger. Maybe she was just being paranoid. Having swollen ankles didn’t necessarily mean something was wrong with Ri. But she knew she wouldn’t be comfortable unless she double-checked so she sent a text to Penny, who was a physical therapist. When she didn’t get a response right away, she finally decided to text Don. He was a doctor and she had no problem swallowing her pride if it would help her friend.
Katie: Ridley has a lot of swelling in her ankles today. Is that dangerous?
Her phone rang immediately. She answered, shocked that Don would call her back so quickly. He’d never answered her calls so promptly when they were married.
“Hey, thanks for calling me. I’m kind of worried.”
“I’m not sure how much help I’ll be. My obstetrics rotation was a long time ago. Did the swelling develop suddenly?"