The Journey Home

She looked away. “I’m so sorry I did this to you.” She shook her head, then looked back at me. “I wanted you, but for all the wrong reasons.”

I inhaled deeply. Was she finally going to tell me the truth?

“What were your reasons?” I asked.

She looked into my eyes and grinned. “It doesn’t really matter anymore. I thought I would finally win. But, in the end, I lost everything and she still won.”

I knew in that moment she was talking about Maddie. She took in a shaky breath and slowly let it out. “May I ask you something, Cale?”

“Of course you can.”

She began chewing on her lip. “Do you love me? I mean, at one point during this relationship, have you ever loved me?”

My heart dropped. Do I lie to her? Do I keep living this lie or finally put it all to an end?

I let out a breath and decided to end this now. “Zoey, I know the truth.”

She tilted her head and looked at me. “What do you mean?”

“I know the only reason you went after me was because you knew about the night Maddie and I spent together. You did all of this to make Maddie jealous didn’t you?”

Zoey slowly shook her head. “How did you…how did you find out?”

I was about to answer when the phone rang. Zoey attempted to get up and answer it but I beat her to it. “I got it, Zoey.”

I took a deep breath in and let it out quickly before answering. “Hello?”

“Hello, Mr. Blackwood?”

“Yes,”

The female on the other end of the line cleared her throat. “Mr. Blackwood, this is Doctor Richards’ office. Zoey was supposed to come in this morning, but she never did. Doctor Richards told Mrs. Blackwood that she needed to be admitted to the hospital for the rest of her pregnancy. She’s to be on mandatory bed rest. She said she would go home to pack and would return this morning to be admitted. Did she tell you this?”

I closed my eyes and shook my head. “No. I wasn’t aware of this.” I turned to Zoey. “Zoey? Zoey!”

“Mr. Blackwood, is everything okay?”

I ran over to where Zoey was now slumped on the ground. “She’s fainted or something. Oh God! Zoey?”

“Mr. Blackwood, I’m calling 911 right now.”

My hands shook as I checked for a pulse. “Okay. Please tell them to hurry.” I couldn’t find her heartbeat. “I can’t find her heartbeat. Oh God. Please tell them to hurry up.” I dropped the phone and cried.

“Please don’t do this to me, Zoey. Please…oh God! Zoey please!”

I SENT A text to Jack to let him know I was on the way to Mercy Hospital with Zoey. I wasn’t sure what was going on. All I knew was they were barely getting a heartbeat.

“The baby? What about the baby?” I asked.

The paramedic smiled weakly at me. “We’re doing everything we can, sir.”

Minutes later, I was standing alone in a waiting room, pacing back and forth. I’d called and left a message with Zoey’s parents and my own. Every time the door opened, my heart would drop.

I sat down in a chair and buried my face into my hands.

“Cale?”

I looked up and saw my mother and father standing over me. I jumped up and I prayed that, for once in my life, my mother would act like a mother.

“Mom,” I swallowed hard “Zoey’s heart wasn’t beating very strong and I don’t…I mean…no one has told me…” I attempted to hold back my tears, but terror shot through me.

My mother opened her arms and reached out. I walked into her embrace and sobbed. She held me close, and I felt my father put his hand on my back.

“Shh, darling,” my mother said. “Take a deep breath. They’ll both be fine.”

I let out sob after sob as I pictured them trying to get Zoey’s heartbeat going.

“I overheard them say that the baby was in distress and they would have to get her out as soon as possible. They said to prep for an emergency C-section. Oh, God. Why didn’t I just lie to her? Why didn’t I just tell her I loved her? I did this. I brought it all up and caused her to…”

My mother held me even tighter. “Cale, stop this. Calm down, darling.” She sat down in a chair, and I sat next to her. My father sat on the other side of me. He grabbed my hand and held it tight.

We sat there in silence. My parents didn’t even ask me what I’d had been talking about earlier. They both knew I didn’t love Zoey. I’d told them both about Maddie, I’d told them about the night we shared together. My mother had even put two and two together and figured out that Maddie’s father was Mr. Powers of Powers Communication, but she’d still agreed that I needed to “do the right thing” and marry Zoey.

The doors opened and a doctor came striding out. He looked straight at me. “Mr. Blackwood?”

I jumped up along with my mother and father. “Yes. That’s me.”

He came over to me and extended his hand. “I’m Dr. Philips. I was the OB on call when your wife came in. You have a very healthy baby girl.”

My mother placed her hand over her chest and began to cry. My father let out a deep breath.

I closed my eyes and whispered, “Thank you, God.” I opened my eyes and asked Dr. Philips, “Zoey? Is she okay?”

Dr. Philips swallowed hard but turned as Dr. Richards walked through the doors.

I reached out and shook Doctor Richards’s hand. “Dr. Richards. How is Zoey? Is she okay? Does she know about the baby yet?”

Taking a deep breath, he looked into my eyes. “I’m so sorry, Cale. The pregnancy put a terrible strain on Zoey’s body as it fought to keep her kidneys and liver working. Along with the pregnancy, her heart just couldn’t keep up anymore. We tried everything we could, but…Zoey’s gone.”

My legs felt like they were about to give out on me. I shook my head and whispered

, “No. No. Oh, God, no…”

My father grabbed me and led me back to the chair. “Cale, sit down. Breathe, son. You have to breathe.”

I closed my eyes. All she’d wanted to know was if I loved her. Why hadn’t I just lied? Oh God. I did this,

I did this.

I WRAPPED THE sweater tightly around myself as I walked along the path. It was early June, and the temperatures in Tuscany were still chilly—especially in the morning.

“Buongiorno, Maddison.”

I turned to see Jessica standing there with a huge grin on her face. She was a beautiful girl who’d just started working for Andre’s grandparents. Her strawberry blonde hair fought for attention in the glow of the morning sun. Her smiled made me giggle. Andre had told her to make sure I had everything I needed, which meant that Jessica was following me around like a puppy, constantly asking me what I needed.

“Buongiorno, Jessica. I don’t need anything, but thank you.”

She shook her head. “No, telefonata importante.”

My heart started beating harder in my chest. I’d made sure to text Andre’s cell phone number to Monica, along with the number to his grandparents’ house.

“An important phone call?” I wasn’t sure why I was asking. I knew that was what she’d said.

“Sì, es Monica.”

I quickly walked toward her. “Show me where the phone is, Jessica. Please.”

She nodded and turned on her heels, walking back into the house. She pointed to the phone on the table. I ran over and picked it up.

“Hello? Monica? Are you okay? My parents?”

“Maddie, your parents are fine, I’m fine. I have…um…can you come home?”

I felt my heart start to race. “Why? What’s wrong?”

Was Monica crying?

“Cale needs you, Maddie.”

“What’s happened? Monica, you’re scaring me.”