Alyssa paused. “Okay … It’s gone.” She released a breath of air. “I don’t know? Don’t you think I would know if I had a contraction?” She was utterly clueless. “I imagine it would be much worse, right?”
“Where’s my mom? Go ask her.”
“Johnny, it’s midnight and she’s sleeping. I’m not waking her up.”
“Dammit Alyssa! What if something is wrong with the baby?”
“There’s nothing wrong with him. And it passed.”
John was quiet. He wished he could be there for her instead of four hours away. “How long does it last?” He knew next to nothing about pregnancies which just made him realize what an asshole he was because he should have read up on it.
“Just a few seconds.”
“Well, if it happens again you better tell me. I don’t care what time it is, tell me.”
“Okay—“
“You there?” he asked.
“Yeah … Oh shoot. It’s doing it again.”
“For the love of God,” he gritted. “Go get my mother.”
A few seconds passed. “Phew. It’s gone. So tell me, what kind of training are you doing now?”
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.” Alyssa chuckled from the other end of the line. “It’s hard to say because each day is different, so I never know what to expect. Aviation is intense and extremely challenging, but I love it. There are so many different areas to learn. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever be able to learn all of it.”
“When will you be done?”
“About another few weeks then I’ll be going to my station.”
Alyssa’s bit her lip. She hoped he wasn’t placed far away, or in another country. “Where’s that?”
“My base will be MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina.”
“What does MCAS mean?”
John smiled. He could hear the tiredness in her voice. “Marine Corps Air Station.”
“Oh. I should’ve figured that out,” she laughed shakily. “So,” she took a deep breath, “I have the arraignment coming up with Ben.” Just saying his name made her shiver.
“When’s that? I can try and see if I can get down there for it.”
“John, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t need you to hold my hand. I’m not a child. I can do things on my own. Plus, I don’t think it would look good for Ben to see you. He might get the wrong idea.”
“I know you’re not a child, Alyssa, but it doesn’t hurt to have someone supporting you there.” He paused, growing agitated. “And the wrong idea how?”
“You know, thinking we’re a couple and all. I don’t need any more drama in my life.”
“Just curious, what are we?”
She bit her lip. “Nothing? Friends?”
“Nothing,” John deadpanned. “Nothing?” Was she serious?
“What do you want me to say, John? I need to figure my life out. You’re away. We’re friends like we always have been. Nothing more.”
A tick worked in his jaw. “I see. Well, friend, I’ll talk to you later. I have to be up early.”