Chapter Thirty-eight - Natalia
Chapter Thirty-eight
Natalia
B efore Natalia knew it, she was booked on a morning flight to Cantania. She knew that it was extreme but decided that she needed to see Nic face-to-face. She had questions that she needed answers to, and she wanted to serve him with the divorce papers that he’d dodged by retreating to Sicily much too soon. She needed closure, but currently she had none. She was a woman scorned and wanted to confront the man who had left her heart tattered into pieces.
Her suitcase was packed and sitting next to the garage door. She slipped her sneakers onto her feet and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Her purse hung on her shoulder, and she dug into it to make sure she had her passport. It was there. Her phone was lodged in the back pocket of her jeans. Her nerves on edge, her stomach topsy-turvy, she grasped the doorknob. Nausea and dizziness descended upon her, causing her to run to the hallway powder room at record speed.
With her head deeply immersed in the toilet bowl, she vomited. Just when she thought she was done, she vomited again. She stood up and then balanced herself against the sink. She turned on the faucet and rinsed her mouth, glared at herself in the mirror.
“Is this COVID?” she whispered to her reflection.
Natalia made her way upstairs to her bedroom. She sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, needing to collect herself. She went into the bathroom and stood over the sink, brushed her teeth, and rinsed with mouthwash. Her phone rang and she pulled it out of her back pocket. She glanced at the screen and saw it was Kenya. To answer would mean having to explain to her why she had done something so impromptu and irrational as booking a flight to Sicily without warning or permission. She didn’t feel like explaining. She’d call Kenya once she’d arrived at her destination.
She heard the ding, an indication that Kenya had left a text message.
Where are you, Nat Pack? Pick up. I have good news. Need to celebrate!
She must’ve won her case! Natalia beamed. She was proud of her friend, but she couldn’t tell her that just yet.
After collecting herself, she made her way back downstairs to complete her mission. This time she walked out to the garage, her luggage in tow. She tossed the bag onto the back seat of her car and then hopped into the driver’s seat. Her stomach still topsy-turvy, she pulled out of the garage and made her way out of the neighborhood. As she slowly made her way to Route 47, she felt as if she might faint and pulled over on the side of the road. She grabbed the steering wheel and attempted to gather herself. When she looked in her rearview mirror, a car had pulled in behind her and a gentleman headed toward her car.
“Natalia, I thought that was you,” he proclaimed once she let down her window.
“Zach?”
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I just felt a little dizzy, so I pulled over. I just need a minute to get myself together.”
A look of concern on his face, he asked, “Where are you going? Can I drive you?”
“No, no. That won’t be necessary, Zach. I’ll be fine.”
“You don’t look so good. You sure I can’t help?” he continued to press.
Natalia needed air, so she opened the door and stepped out of the car. She hoped to catch a good breeze before continuing on her way. Her legs became weak and gave out on her. Soon everything went black.
* * *
Natalia opened her eyes and squinted to make sense of where she was. She glanced at the needle that had been lodged into her arm and held into place with medical tape. She followed the intravenous tube to its source—an IV drip.
“Well, hello, sleepyhead.” Lu leaped from her chair and greeted her.
“What am I doing here? What happened?”
“Well, sister, you passed out on the side of the road. Luckily, Zach was there. He brought you here.”
“Where’s my car?”
“Zach came and got me, and I drove it here. We didn’t want to leave it on the side of the road,” Lu told her.
“Oh, thank goodness.”
“Were you headed somewhere? You’ve got a suitcase in your back seat.”
Natalia looked sheepish, turned her head away.
“I got here as quick as I could!” Kenya rushed into the room, nearly out of breath. “Nat Pack! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just passed out.” Natalia attempted to sit up. “Might be COVID or something. You both might want to put masks on.”
A doctor walked into the room, a smile on his face. “Hello, Mrs. Oliveri. I’m Dr. Ramos. How are you feeling?”
“I feel okay.” She swallowed hard, noticed that her throat was extremely dry.
“I have good news for you. The baby’s fine,” Dr. Ramos said with a smile, as if what he said was perfectly normal.
With a shaky voice, she asked the question that Kenya and Lu were probably asking too. “The baby?”
“Yes.” He looked at her chart, and then up at her. “You didn’t know there was a baby?”
Kenya walked over to the bed, grabbed Natalia’s hand, and held it tightly.
“No, I didn’t.”
“Well, I hope that it’s good news for you. You’re eight weeks along.”
Her body grew completely still and her eyes bulged. She couldn’t believe her ears. Her free hand shook as it made its way to her belly. She touched it gently.
Lu walked over to the bed and touched Natalia’s stomach, too. “Oh my goodness, Natalia.”
“I’d like to keep you for a few more hours just for observation.” Dr. Ramos walked toward the door. “But after that, you’re free to go.”
He walked out.
Natalia trembled. Her mind raced. “I know I should be happy about this, but . . .”
“Yes, you should be happy about this. You’ve wanted this for so long,” Lu interjected.
“Isn’t this what you’ve always hoped for . . . worked hard for?” Kenya asked.
“It is, but . . .”
“But what?”
“Nic’s gone back to Sicily . . . for good. I’ll have to raise this baby all by myself.”
“Good riddance,” Kenya exclaimed. “And how do you figure you’ll have to raise the baby alone? What are we, chopped liver?”
Natalia looked away. A lump formed in her throat.
“We’re here for you Natalia,” Lu added.
“What’s wrong, honey?” Kenya asked.
“I’m just . . . just really sad.” Tears streamed down her face and she wiped them away with her hand. Her chest heaved up and down.
“Oh honey, don’t cry.” Kenya grabbed her hand again, squeezed it. “That baby has the best aunties on the planet, who will punch anyone in the face if they try to mess with her.”
“Or him,” said Lu.
“Or him,” Kenya agreed. “It’s probably a girl, though. She’ll be a badass, like her Auntie Kenya.”
Natalia couldn’t hold in her laughter. Suddenly, she felt giddy. “I’m actually pregnant.”
“You’re actually pregnant,” Lu repeated it.
Kenya lowered her voice, as if the nursing staff could hear. “You’ve got to put the bottle down, though, sister, because you’ve been drinking like a fish lately.”
Natalia laughed heartily. “Kenya!”
“I’m just saying.”
“What did you want to tell me? Your good news,” Natalia said.
“You won your case, didn’t you?” Lu asked.
“I won my case. The old man walked. The church is happy. My father’s happy. All is well,” Kenya quipped. “And now we have a new little girl coming . . .”
“Or boy,” said Lu.
“Whatever it is, I just hope she or he is healthy.” Natalia smiled.
“Indeed,” Kenya agreed.
“Lu, to answer your question about the suitcase on my back seat . . . I was on my way to the airport before I passed out on the side of the road. I was headed for Sicily to confront Nic and get him to sign the divorce papers.”
“What?” Lu and Kenya asked at once.
“Are you out of your mind?” Kenya asked.
“I know. Bad idea, huh?”
“Incredibly bad idea. Nic has made his position clear. And as painful as it is, you have got to move on. Not just for you, but for your baby.”
“I agree,” Lu said. “Focus on your miracle.”
She was amused by how much her life had changed since she’d left home that morning. A smile crept into the corners of her mouth. She liked the sound of that. Her miracle .