I wake up the next morning with Ari's arm draped over my waist. Sunlight's pouring through the window and I can hear the waves rolling onto the sand. Ari starts stirring behind me and I take that moment to slip from his grasp, heading for the bathroom. "Is this the part where you sneak out and away from me again?"
"I think you more than made up for it when you left me after the funeral to go back to your wife and baby."
"Do you really want to do this now?"
"No, because there's more to this story than what I'm going to deal with at sunrise." I say before grabbing some clothes and moving to the bathroom. I turned the shower on adjusted the heat before getting in.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I hear him say from the other side of the shower curtain before it's ripped open.
I sigh before ripping the curtain back. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."
"No. I want to talk about this now."
*Flashback, 6 years ago*
"How long have you known?" Ethan asks as I come out of the bathroom, wiping the water from my mouth.
"A couple of weeks." I answer, not looking him in the eye.
"You should have said something. We could've pushed back the start of your training."
"I'm fine for now Ethan. I needed something to distract me... from everything."
"Well I need you to be cleared by a doctor for now. Once you're too far along, we'll pause your training."
"Ok. Do you know of anyone?"
"There's Dr. Navon. He can give you the preliminary check up we need for clearance and then point you in the direction of the appropriate doctor." He says before writing down the address on a piece of paper.
"Thanks Ethan." I say before leaving.
I head over to the clinic. "I was wondering if I could set up an appointment with Dr. Navon."
The receptionist looks me over before flipping through her appointment book. "He has an opening in 20 minutes if you can stick around that long."
"That's perfect, thank you."
"Take these, fill them out, then bring it back up to me." She says, handing me a clipboard with papers and a pen.
I go and sit down, mindlessly filling out the forms. After my thorough medical exam/history with Mossad, that hadn't revealed I was pregnant yet, this was nothing.
I brought it back up to the receptionist and waited. "Miss Bodnar, the doctor will see you now."
I follow the nurse to the exam room and take a seat on the chair. The door opens and in walks the doctor, about my age, with shaggy hair. "Hello Ilana. I'm Dr. Sammy Navon. What brings you in today?"
"I need medical clearance for work and Ethan Levin recommended you." He huffs out a short laugh. "Something funny?"
"You're Mossad?"
"Yes... Just like I know you are, at least sometimes."
"Why does Ethan need you to get medical clearance?"
"I'm pregnant. At least 8 weeks. It didn't pop up on the Mossad exam."
His eyes widen for a second before he schools his features. He starts the exam, making casual conversation and clears me for minimal training pending an appointment with an actual OBGYN. As I leave his office, one of the nurses gives me the number of a good one and I head back out into the heat.
The door to the clinic opens again and I see Dr. Navon exit. "Hey, I'm off here in an hour. Can I buy you a cup of coffee at the café down the street?"
I didn't really know anybody here yet so I respond yes and head back to my apartment to change into more comfortable clothes. An hour later I'm sitting at that café, having ordered a tea instead, waiting for Sammy to show up.
He slides into the chair across from me and smiles. "How are you liking Israel?"
I look at him, confused. "How did you know I just moved here?"
"You told me at the clinic."
"No I didn't." He won't meet my eye. "What is it?"
"How he described you doesn't do you justice."
"How who described me?" I ask, nervously.
"Ari."
I suck in a breath, panic setting in, then turning to anger. "So, you're friends with Ari."
"Most days," he says, setting back in his chair.
I let out a laugh, "Well I certainly understand that sentiment." We spend the rest of the afternoon together, Sammy showing me around the city as I hadn't done much exploring.
*End Flashback*
"So you were pregnant? You had my baby?" He asks, shock and confusion dueling for the front spot on his face. "Why did you never tell me? Why are you here? You should be at home."
"Because," I start, taking a shuddering breath, "I lost the baby shortly after that first appointment with Sammy."
YOU ARE READING
Desert Sunrises ✓
Fanfiction~Completed~Ilana Bodnar knew Ari Levinson was going to break her heart. They grew up together, in a small suburb outside of NYC, two of the few Jewish kids in their school. It was inevitable that they would end up together. But as soon as he turned...
