Chapter 34 #2
Once I was dressed, I pushed through the curtain and headed out.
Multiple conversations were audible, some obviously counseling sessions while others were patients talking to the doctors or one of the nurses.
Even though there wasn’t a lot of privacy, the portable walls had succeeded in muffling the words enough that I couldn’t make all of them out, and I tried not to absorb the ones I did. We had so little privacy as it was.
Marc glanced over his shoulder when I stepped through the curtain and in a low voice asked, “You okay?”
“As good as I can be,” I replied, also keeping my voice down even though we were alone.
He followed my progress with his eyes as I moved around the desk. The intense way he watched me had the hair on my scalp prickling, and I couldn’t help wondering what he was thinking. Was he disgusted? Angry for me? Confused? I felt all three emotions, along with a dozen others.
The silence stretched out, making it awkward and loaded, but was finally broken by the thud of footsteps heading our way.
Marc glanced toward the curtain I’d just stepped through, then back at me. “Meet me on the fourth floor during your free time.”
My heart leapt.
We’d talked, but only in passing other than a couple meetings on the terrace. Getting together on the fourth floor, though, was a whole different thing. It would be private. Intimate. It would be a risk.
I wanted to do it.
“Tonight,” I whispered. “I’ll see you there.”
I said it just in time because a second later, the curtain was pushed aside, and Hilary appeared.
She visibly startled when she saw me. “Did you need something, Miss Murphy?”
Not wanting her to get suspicious, I blurted out the first thing that popped into my head. “Yes, I was wondering if it was okay for me to lie down. I know I have breakfast cleanup, but I haven’t been sleeping well, and I know I’m not supposed to overdo it.”
Hilary lifted her eyebrows as she raised her tablet.
She flicked a finger across the screen a few times, pulled up my information and scanned it, while at her side, Marc stared at me.
It wasn’t a lie. I hadn’t been sleeping well.
I never did when I wasn’t in my own bed, and we hadn’t been here long enough for me to get used to my new surroundings.
My minder clicked her tongue. “I do see some irregular sleep patterns, although they’re not so bad that your wristband has alerted me to them.” Her eyes flicked up to meet mine. “You feel like a nap will help?”
“I do.”
“All right, then.” She tapped the screen a few more times before powering the tablet down. “I’ve marked you as excused from cleanup duty. Get some rest but be sure to eat extra at lunch. We can’t have you skipping meals.”
“Of course,” I said even though I had no intention of eating any more of the cheap cafeteria food than I usually did. Most of the time, the stuff was barely edible.
Hilary had already turned her attention to the door, giving me an opportunity to glance at Marc.
He shot me a subtle wink, and like a teenager with a crush, my insides fluttered.
I quickly looked away, afraid Hilary would notice my flushed cheeks and get suspicious.
It seemed unlikely since even though she was holding the door open for me, she barely glanced my way.
I was pretty sure she was as eager to avoid me as I was her. Which worked to my benefit.
The nap had been an excuse to get some time alone, and I hadn’t thought I’d be able to relax considering how my day had started, but to my surprise, I drifted off pretty quickly after lying down.
I woke hours later to discover that I’d not only missed breakfast, but lunch as well, and it was already early afternoon.
I’d slept the day away, which was going to make getting any real sleep tonight a challenge.
Oh, well. There was nothing I could do about it now.
After getting cleaned up, I slipped into the hall, still a little groggy from my long nap but starving as well, and anxious for snack time. It was for the pregnant women mostly, and I’d never bothered with it before, but after missing both meals, I was eager for it now.
Bette’s door opened before I’d had a chance to get far.
“Ara!” she exclaimed when she saw me. “There you are! I looked for you earlier but couldn’t find you. How are you doing?”
Her hand was on her lower back, which made it seem like she was pushing her stomach out. It looked even lower than it had yesterday, making me wonder if the baby had dropped.
“I’m okay.” I gestured to her stomach, both because I was wondering and because I wanted the attention off me. “How are you feeling?”
“Exhausted. Uncomfortable. Annoyed.” She blew a few strands of blonde hair off her forehead. “The baby is so low I feel like I’m carrying a bowling ball between my legs. At my appointment this afternoon, the doctor said my body is getting ready. I’m already dilated a little.”
“That’s good,” I said, forcing out a smile.
“I think so, but my husband was anxious when we talked yesterday. He said he’s going to do everything he can to find out what the plan is for women who give birth here. Hopefully, he can use his connections to figure out what’s going on.”
“I hope it works out and you can get home.”
“Me too,” she said, then looked at her round stomach. “As long as this guy is safe and we’re together, though, I’ll be okay wherever I am.”