“My God. Maddy, are you pregnant?”
Maddy gulped. “Yes.”
“The treatment worked?”
“It worked spectacularly, actually. A little too well.”
“Too well? What does that mean?”
“It means you’re going to be a grandma to four little babies.”
Maddy waited while her mother sat in stunned silence for a very long time. Finally, she spoke.
“But you’re unhappy. I know you truly wanted to have children, Maddy, but you’re crying. Now are you going to tell me what happened, or are you just going to make me guess the whole situation?”
Maddy let out a sob as the whole story rushed out of her. How she had been happy to try the treatment, but when Akim grew so distant and cold her heart broke. How she wanted a family, but he seemed to want a business opportunity above all else, putting money and fame ahead of all of them. When she’d finished, she reached for a tissue and blew into it. The babies had grown quiet in her belly while she cried, and she ran a gentle hand along her stomach as though to reassure them.
Don’t worry, little babies. I’ll always protect you.
“Well,” Maddy’s mom sighed. “I can’t say it’s a story I haven’t heard before. Many men believe they are ready for children, but when reality hits, they run and hide. It doesn’t sound like being around him is the best thing for you right now, Maddy. Why don’t you come home?”
It was well over the millionth time her mom had suggested she come back to the States. It was also the first time Maddy had really considered it.
“Think about it, Maddy. You’ve got no one there who can help you, especially with four newborns at once. Your father and I know what we’re doing, and we’re retired. We have the time and the energy to help you with this, so you don’t have to be alone.”
Maddy sniffled. “You really think I should?”
“Of course I do. You have your children to think about now, honey. Do you really want to raise them out there, with a father who will try to drag you around the world, parading you like a bunch of circus animals? I can’t stand the thought of it. Come home, where we can provide a safe, stable place for your children to grow.”
Maddy stared out at the lab, really considering it. Her mother was right, of course. She had the babies to think about, and she would never allow Akim to use them like props he could put on display for the world to see. Maddy wanted the drug to work, and she wanted children, but they could market Chlomerol without even bringing the children into it, if they were smart. Knowing Akim would never see it that way, it didn’t take her long to come to a decision.
“I’m going to book a flight once I figure out a good time, just so I can get everything in the lab ready for my departure.”
Maddy’s mom cried out into the phone receiver. It was the phrase she’d been waiting to hear for a very long time, and Maddy knew it.
“We’ll get your room ready, and then we can start thinking about how we can set up a nursery for four babies. Goodness, four babies will be living here! We’re never going to sleep again!”
She said the last bit as though she had won the lottery, like losing sleep with four infants was some kind of glorious prize, and it made Maddy chuckle, despite her grief and exhaustion. It was nice to hear someone excited about the babies for the right reasons for once. It made her feel confident in her decision.
“I’ll email you the itinerary once it’s done, okay?” Maddy said.
“Okay, honey. You take good care of yourself and my grandbabies now, you hear?”
Maddy grinned. It was nice to hear her mother so excited. Maddy knew she had given up the dream of grandchildren long ago, even as Maddy refused to give up hope that her chance would come. When it finally had, she had landed herself in this complete mess of a situation.
“I will,” she said. “And Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you,” she breathed.
“We’re always here for you, honey. Whatever you need. If you ever need to talk, it doesn’t matter what time it is, you give me a call.”
“I will. I love you.”
Maddy ended the conversation and pressed the off button on her phone. She pulled up a calendar on her computer and began counting when the best time would be to fly, before she really couldn’t anymore. That window was small; she would have to leave in just a few days’ time if she wanted to make sure there would be no issues being on such a long flight.
Taking a deep breath, Maddy opened up her internet browser and booked a flight home. She sent a copy of the itinerary to her mother, who immediately texted her a paragraph of smiley faces.
Then she opened a Word document, and burst into tears.
It was one thing to think about abandoning Akim. It was entirely another typing out her letter of resignation. How did one write a letter of resignation to the father of one’s children?
Thinking about raising four kids without a father made her eyes well up with tears, and she dabbed them away as she thought about what to write.
Dear Akim, she began, then hit the backspace button until the words were gone. Was he dear? At the root of it, all he was was a means to an end, right? She’d wanted children. She’d gotten more than she’d bargained for, but her need had been met, and now she needed to be somewhere where she would be supported.
Clearly that wasn’t Elbazzar.
She squared her shoulders, and began again.
Akim,
While I have been beyond appreciative of your employment, and your assistance in the development of Chlomerol, it is with regret that I must resign from my post, effective immediately.
I wish you all the best in your scientific pursuits.
Madeline Palmerston
Maddy read the note several times before she printed it out and placed it in an envelope, which she folded and put into her wallet.
She would leave it for him the night before she left. It was a coward’s way out, she knew, but if Akim could be cold and distant, so could she.
At least she would give him the courtesy of letting him know she would be leaving. It was far more than he had ever done for her.
FOURTEEN
The weekend passed by uneventfully. Maddy’s stomach continued to grow, and she spent a lot of time talking and making plans with her mother. When Monday arrived, she was fully prepared to leave her letter of resignation on Akim’s desk and head to Portland the next morning.
She got into the office later than usual, and her team was surprised to see her walking in last.
“What?” she asked with a smirk. “I’m allowed to come in late, sometimes.”
If there was one thing she would regret, it would be leaving her team without leadership and without warning. She considered telling them all before the day was out, knowing that if she asked them to keep her secret, they would. Still, it would do no good. She had already lied enough, but it was all for their protection, and she had to remind herself of that every time the truth nearly slipped out.
She headed to her lab station and logged into the computer, getting to work as though she wasn’t preparing to be gone by the next sunrise. Diving deeply into some lab results, Maddy was reading a sentence about chromosome levels when her head grew light and her abdomen was hit with a sharp pain.
“Agh,” she moaned, placing a hand against her temple as her vision turned spotty, and finally went black as she toppled off her chair.
She could hear flashes of conversation, and what seemed like seconds later she was able to open her eyes for a brief moment. Everyone was blurry, a series of blobs hovering over her.
“Please give us some space while I take her vitals, sir.”
Someone whose outline looked like Akim stepped back.
“She’s blinking! She’s regaining consciousness! Maddy, can you hear me?”
Maddy’s head rolled slightly to the side, but it was the only movement she could make.
“They’re going to take you to the hospital, Maddy
. Everything’s going to be okay. I won’t leave your side.”
Maddy knew then that she had to be dreaming. There was no way Akim would promise such a thing, after he had been so hands-off all this time. Not wanting to think about it, she fell back into warm, blissful unconsciousness.
***
A bright light pressed against Maddy’s eyelids, enough to wake her from her slumber. She squinted, cracking open one eyelid at a time.
She was propped up. It was the first clue she had that she wasn’t in her own bed at home. When her focus cleared, she realized that she was in a hospital bed, covered with a very cozy blanket.
Too cozy for a hospital.
Glancing around the room, her gaze landed on Akim’s sleeping form. He was seated upright, his neck tilted back, his mouth slightly open as he breathed in and out. His arms were crossed, like he had fallen asleep while on guard duty or something. The sight of him warmed Maddy’s heart before she remembered she had been planning on leaving him. What day was it, anyway? How long had she been out?
Maddy shifted, her body stiff and uncomfortable. The creak of her mattress instantly woke Akim up, and he started, a hand going straight to the corner of his mouth, lest there be any drool there. It was almost enough to make Maddy smile.
Almost.
Akim’s gaze melted into hers, and in his eyes she found an emotion she couldn’t name, or perhaps was too scared to hope she could.
He leaned in and gently took her hand. “How are you feeling?” he whispered.
Maddy stared at their joined hands for a moment. Who was this man sitting beside her, and what had he done with the cold, callous CEO she had had the displeasure of procreating with?
“I’m feeling like you can talk at conversation level now, instead of whispering,” she said.
Her throat was dry, and her voice sounded hoarse. Akim noticed this, and stood.
“You must be terribly thirsty. I’ll fetch a nurse.”
Maddy almost told him not to, that it would simply be easier if he left, so that she could move on, but she needed to hear that her babies were okay.
Akim returned shortly with a nurse who carried a large mug of ice water, and a doctor, who sat down by Maddy and began taking some vitals.
“How are you feeling, Miss Palmerston?”
Maddy took a moment to evaluate how she felt. Meanwhile, Akim sat on her other side and stared at them all anxiously.