Page 136 of Range
I ran my hand down my beard. Range had a way of freeing my mind, though my body was still behind bars.
“Goodnight, my love.”
Rest was essential. In order for her to get any, I had to let her go. I had to end the call, as difficult as it was.
“Goodnight.”
I gazed at the phone,wishing the call could last a lifetime. The sonogram images reappeared. I shut the screen down completely. Instead of grabbing the law book I’d been reading, I pushed it aside and retrieved the book I’d been preparing to read all week.
Fatherhood: The Art of Raising Mindful Individuals.
SIXTEEN
I peeled my eyelids apart. Darkness masked the sky. Exhaustion crippled my limbs. Nausea coated my body.
Slow, deliberate breaths prolonged my stay in bed. I wasn’t ready to begin the day. Because, though tired, I was utterly restless at night. A few hours of sleep were all I managed each night. The urge to regurgitate awakened me so violently.
Every morning.
On my side, I lay with my hands tucked between my thighs. I gazed out of the window and into the backyard of the dwelling that was slowly becoming my home away from home. The blue pool water sparkled under the sky. I was reminded of a place of peace. A paradise. Where the sky’s edge met the center of the water –where the sea and ocean collided.
I dislodged my hands. Then patted around the bed, searching for my cell. The cool sheets had dragged it across the mattress. I collected it and accessed my contacts. Once I retrieved the one I was in search of, I initiated a call.
The first ring turned into a second. I waited patiently for the third. It never came.
“Hello?”
My nervous system regenerated completely.
“Mother,” I pushed out, voice groggy and system rebooting.
I didn’t recognize my tone or the delicacy it possessed.
“Range,” Rhea called out. “Is everything okay?”
“Maybe,” I breathed out, hoping to keep the vomit at bay.
“What’s the matter? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know that anything is wrong, Rhea. Almost everything is right except a small, yet wavering detail.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“I do,” I admitted.
“Then, go ahead, baby. I’m listening.”
“I’m pregnant.”
I was overcome with relief.
“Oh, baby. How are you feeling?”
“Morning sickness has been an interesting journey.”
“I have a few remedies that might help. I’ll send them in a message so you can refer to them any time you’d like.”
“Okay.”
