I looked up at her. “Really? But don’t you have three of them?”
She nodded happily. “Best damn thing I ever did. The first one was terrifying, and I had just become a doctor and was getting my practice started. I had no time or energy for a baby. My boyfriend, Alan, at the time, wanted me to have an abortion, which I didn’t have the courage to do. I was alone and moved in with my parents, who were ashamed. Somehow, I managed everything. I finally found Leon, and we had two more kids, and look at me now. I’m the proud mommy of three children and couldn’t be happier. You’ll get through this. Oh, dear. Do you know who the father is?”
“Yes,” I choked out.
“Do you think he’ll want to be part of the baby's life? You’re not married, are you?” Alice asked, marking something on my chart.
I shook my head. “Not married. The father. I’m guessing he would want to be a father to the baby, but we’re not together, so it would have to be from afar.”
“Any chance you’ll get together eventually?” Alice wanted to know.
“No. No chance of that happening. I’ll figure it out. I’ll be fine.” I was trying to convince myself more than her.
“Yes, you will. You’ll be better than fine, Marilyn. I think you’ll be an amazing mother. You’re a lawyer, right?”
“Yes, a civil lawyer, and I’m up to be made partner soon, I hope,” I told her.
She grinned. “There you go. You’re a strong woman. You’ve made it through, and look at where you are now in your career. You’ll figure it all out, and you’ll have a wonderful son or daughter to be proud of too.”
I hoped she was right.
“You would keep the baby?” Alice asked, narrowing her eyes at me.
“Yes, of course. I couldn’t terminate a pregnancy,” I told her.
“Okay. I know you’re probably scared, but I’ll be with you every step of the way, alright?”
I nodded.
“I want to see you back here in two weeks, and I’ll set you up with your obstetrician. You should look into Lamaze classes as well. Here are the names of the vitamins I want you to start taking. Call me if you have any questions or concerns. I’m happy for you. You’ll see, this will be a wonderful journey for you. Enjoy it,” she told me before I left the room.
I walked out, and Chris was staring at me expectantly. “How did it go? Is everything okay?”
“I will find out the results in a few days,” I lied. I needed time to process everything before I talked to him. That was a conversation I was truly dreading.
TWELVE
CHRIS
It didn’t matter how hard I tried; I couldn’t put it out of my mind that there was something Marilyn wasn’t telling me. I wished I could be a fly on the wall while she was talking to her doctor. What had gone on in there?
“Chris, earth to Chris,” Keith said as he snapped his fingers in front of my face.
“Sorry, I was lost in thought,” I said as I watched Faith running around on the playground. It never bored me to watch her having fun. “Did you have your lawyer send Layla the letter?”
“Yes, it was sent yesterday. I really hope she backs off. It’s stressful enough raising Faith, I don’t need this custody battle to drain my energy too.”
“I’m sure she’ll back off. I would think her lawyer would know she isn’t going to win. Do you know if she’s gone into rehab for her alcohol and drug use yet?” I asked, waving to Faith, who was playing in the sandbox now.
“No, I have no idea. She hasn’t mentioned it, and if she did, it isn’t working. She has left several messages on my voicemail recently, where she is clearly drunk. You know, I honestly think she suffers from depression too. I can remember back to when we were together that there were days when she wouldn’t get out of bed and seemed really lethargic and uncommunicative,” Keith told me.
“That would make a lot of sense. Did she ever go to counseling?” I asked.
“No. I tried to get her to go, but her answer was always that she didn’t need it, that she was fine. Denial was something she excelled at. There was nothing wrong with her, she always said. Eventually, I gave up as it was like talking to a brick wall,” Keith told me.
“Do you know much about her childhood? Was there anything in her past that caused her depression?”
“Yes, her older brother, Bryan, used to bully her all the time, and sometimes his friends would join in. She often felt scared in her own home. When her parents would go out, Layla always insisted she go with them if her brother was home,” Keith said.