Page 53 of Plan Interrupted
“Hi, it’s Joe. I just wanted to call and see how you’re doing.”
“Great actually. It feels good to be back and busy.”
“Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?”
“I’d love to, but I’m a little behind, and I don’t know what time I’m going to get home.”
“Well, why don’t you just come over when you get home? It’s okay if it’s late, and if you’re hungry I’ll warm a plate for you.”
He’s still taking care of me. She couldn’t help but smile. “Sounds good. Thank you. I’ll see you later then. Bye.”
She hung up the phone, but no sooner did her hand leave the receiver, the phone rang again.
This time it was Holly. “Hi, Elizabeth. Seeing as you are at work today, I take it you kicked the nasty flu bug and are feeling better.”
Guilt knotted in her stomach for lying to her friend by letting her believe she simply had the flu, but in reality, what good would come from telling her what really happened? None.
“Yes, I’m much better. What’s up?”
“I know you’re probably busy, but I’m having a little crisis and I’m wondering if I can stop by your office and talk to you for a moment. Maybe we can go to lunch.”
“Sure. How about 12:30, does that work for you?”
A crisis for Holly probably meant she couldn’t decide which designer dress to wear for New Year’s Eve.
“Yep, see you then.”
Elizabeth worked diligently until a knock sounded on her office door. She glanced up to find an unusually pale-skinned Holly staring back at her. “Oh my God, are you okay?”
“I don’t think so. I need your help with something,” Her friend’s eyes swam with tears.
Her heartbeat picked up pace as her friend shut the office door behind her and took a seat across from her desk. She cleared her throat, “I think I’m pregnant.”
Elizabeth stared at her for a moment not knowing what to say. Holly had always been the promiscuous one, but she had also always been careful. Elizabeth’s thoughts shifted to her own issues at hand. What if she herself was pregnant? Not willing to think about that right now she forced those thoughts aside and refocused on her friend.
“What, how, I mean, haven’t you been careful?” she asked in a tone more accusatory than she intended.
“I didn’t come here to get yelled at. I came here for support”
Elizabeth thought for a moment about how Joe’s sister might handle such a situation. The kindhearted woman genuinely cared for people and seemed to have a knack for interacting with others, no matter the situation. She found herself wanting to be more like Angelina. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. How can I help you?”
Holly inhaled and expelled a breath. “I was hoping that maybe you would just be with me when I took a home pregnancy test. You know, for moral support.”
As she blew out a mental sigh, Elizabeth secretly wished her friend had sought out Jody for this task; this was hitting a little too close to home. But in Holly’s defense, she had no way of knowing how difficult this would be for her. “Sure, I can do that. When do you want to do this?”
“How about right now?”
Elizabeth pulled a frown and cocked he head to the side. “Now? Do you even have one with you?”
Holly’s gaze shifted about the room. “Yes, I brought two different ones, just to make sure.”
“Okay then. Let’s go down the hall to the bathroom.” On a good note, now meant less time to think about it.
Her friend followed her as she led the way out of her office, past her assistant’s desk, and down the hall toward the women’s restroom.
Elizabeth leaned against the sink area as Holly went into one of the stalls. As she waited, she contemplated making a doctor appointment for herself, she had promised Joe she would, but then she decided to just wait and see if she got her next period. The guilt in her stomach coiled tighter.
Several minutes had passed before Holly exited the stall with two positive pregnancy tests in her hand. She tossed the tests into the garbage can. Tears streamed down her friend’s pale cheeks. Thinking about her own situation caused a few tears to streak down her cheeks as well. She stepped forward and embraced her friend; it was all she could think of to do.