TENACITY

CHAPTER SIX

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Royals Private Hospital

12 weeks...

At the hospital's plush waiting room, Lexi felt out of place. Not even the numerous nice smelling plants or the indoors fountain of perfumed water could make her ease up. All around her were several women—most with bulging bellies—who had their partners with them.

One of the men she spotted was rubbing the bump of his woman affectionately, while to her left, two seats after Melissa, was another man who sat with his arm around his partner, rubbing her arms and kissing her on the head from time to time. It pricked at her, and she sought a distraction.

She turned to Melissa, realizing for the first time that Melissa had a shiny magazine in her hand. "What's that about?" she asked.

Melissa gave a small shrug, too engrossed in the magazine to look up, and answered saying, "Pregnancy." After a few seconds, she looked up at Lexi, adding, "It's actually for daddies-to-be. But since I'm the one going to be with you throughout this pregnancy, I figured I should know a few things."

Alexandra cracked, laughing silently—her shoulders shook lightly with the effort it took to stay quiet. "Right."

Annoyed, Melissa smacked her with the magazine. "I am not kidding."

"I know." Alexandra sighed, looking around again only to see more couples cozying up against each other. Her chest only got tighter with pain, so much that she started breathing through her mouth.

"Are you okay?" Melissa asked, her eyes bright with concern. Alexandra simply bit her lip, looking down at her feet. Melissa took her hand and squeezed. "I get that this isn't easy for you—seeing other women together with their partners and trying to hide in plain sight—but you'll be fine."

She grimaced when she realized she sucked at offering comfort and decided to change the topic. "I saw one of the ultrasound machines that has a 3D printer. We could use that— "

"Hello," a voice called out next to Alexandra, cutting Melissa off and foiling her plan. Alexandra still looked sullen, and Melissa scowled at no one in particular.

Alexandra looked up to see a tired-looking pregnant woman. She probably wasn't too far along but her bump was quite visible. "Hi," she mumbled back, forcing a little smile.

"Can I sit here?"

"Uh. . . yeah. Sure." Alexandra pulled her handbag onto her lap so the seat next to her was free, and watched the lady sit, wondering why she chose to sit here when there were spaces all over.

"Sorry if I inconvenienced you, but I really didn't want to play third wheel sitting next to all these couples," she explained in a whisper, and with a nervous smile, she leaned back.

Alexandra felt herself smile back—genuinely this time—because she could relate. Even though she wasn't sitting next to any, she still felt. . . sad? Alone?

Alexandra turned to look at the lady, who looked a little younger than herself, and asked, "You're here alone?"

"Yeah. . ." the lady murmured, biting her lip. She glanced at the entrance of the hospital before turning to Alexandra. "You?"

"Same," she replied with a nonchalance she didn't feel. This woman understood what it was like to be alone—maybe. "Why though?"

The lady sighed and rubbed her bump, pondering the question. "Last week we had an. . . argument, of sorts. He hadn't known I was pregnant and working two jobs. And when he did, he went full-on crazy, asking how I could've kept it to myself."