Legal Prejuduce 3 - Lessons In Life

Chapter 8

Jeremy stared down miserably at his glass. Robyn had left the room, Jack was fast asleep in his crib and Jeremy just had his own shock and misery for company. She'd told him she was pregnant once Jack was asleep, it was clear she had decided the path to follow and he had no part in the decisions she had made. She'd shut herself off emotionally from her husband, stopping him in his tracks when he tried to reassure her this wasn't the only way. He'd said, "There's every chance you wouldn't have the pre-natal depression in this pregnancy Robyn, and even if you did you'd know what it was. We could deal with it. " She's shook her head coldly, "It's my body and I'm not taking the risk of having to go through that again. The decision's made, I'm going on Friday to get the pills to put an end to it." Jeremy had responded, his voice laced with pain, "It? This is our baby Robyn, not an it. Can't you at least wait another week, give us chance to talk about it together? I really want Jack to have a sister or a brother, it's something you and I never had." Robyn had stood up to leave and said coldly, "It's not a baby yet, it's a bunch of cells. And Jack will manage just fine, just like you and I did. I'm going to the doctors on Friday. Apart from you only Allie knows, no-one else will ever know and I don't need either of you to come with me." Jeremy's pain flared into anger, "What does Allie think, because I'm prerty sure she would never have an abortion because she was a coward?" Robyn had her hand on the door handle and she turned in fury before she left, "And there it is, perfect Allie. I didn't ask for her opinion. You might be entitled to one but she isn't, and whilst you're entitled to your opinion I'll say it again, it's my body and I've made my decision."

They didn't speak all the next morning. Robyn got Jack ready and passed him to Jeremy to take to day care wordlessly. When he got to the hospital it was before eight and he knew he was going out of his mind and needed to speak to Allie as the only other person who knew. He glanced at his watch and thought she'd be on Rose's pre-school run. Grabbing his phone he dialled. Allie picked up on the car phone and he said, "Hey, you on your own or is Rose with you?" Allie knew immediately from his tone that Robyn had told him and she said, "Just me Jem." His voice was loaded with wretchedness and he said, "Robyn told me. She said she's got an appointment to get abortion pills tomorrow." Allie wanted to cry just hearing him and she said, "Are you at work?" he sighed, "Yeah." Allie changed lane and said, "I'm coming. I'll be there in ten minutes."

Since it was early she was able to park near the building and she quickly fired a message to Dan and Max to tell them she needed to run an errand. She then rang reception and told Everley she'd be late but there were no meetings to re-arrange. Having bought herself some time she jumped out of the car and headed in carrying just her phone and keys. No-one else was in the area around Jeremy's office so she went straight in, closing the door behind her. He was standing by the window and he hugged her as she said, "Jem I'm so sorry." He didn't answer for a few seconds but having regained some composure he passed her a cup, "I got you a coffee while I was waiting." She took it and stroked his arm as he said, "I don't know what to do Allie, she won't listen to anything I've got to say really. Says I can have an opinion but it's her body so she gets to make the decision. I just feel like she's jumping to do this before she's allowed herself time to get used to it. If we talked about it and she still felt the same way I'd be sad, but I'd accept her choice." Allie nodded and said gently, "Jem did you tell her that, ask her just to take a few more days and then you'd support whatever decision she made?" He sighed, "I asked her to give it another week, but I guess I didn't say I'd support the choice she made if she did that. You know what Robyn's like, she shut down on me, got cold, hard, and it made me mad." Allie put the drink down and pulled him into her arms feeling his breath catch in a sob. She held him for a couple of minutes then pulled back, "Let me try and talk to her, see if I can get her to delay a week to give the news chance to sink in. Why don't you message her to tell her you'll support her regardless if she can just give you that time. Jem, she's scared, she's not doing this to hurt you, and being emotionless is how she deals with stuff she can't handle." He nodded, "Thanks Allie, you're so right. It's just hard to see when she's so closed off and hostile." He gave a humourless laugh, "How can you go from being so happy and overnight feel like your whole world is falling apart?" Allie stroked his face and he smiled down at her, "I really want Jack to have a sibling. I didn't, but I look at Tom with his giant family and the connections he has, and I want that for my son you know." Allie nodded, "I do Jeremy. I remember thinking when my parents died how different it might have been if I'd had a brother or sister to share the load with." Jeremy looked her in the eyes, "You guys are the closest thing to siblings I've ever had Allie, and I didn't meet any of you until I was in my forties. I want Jack to always have that network, that love and support." Allie laughed softly, "I've stopped trying to apply conventional relationship labels to all of us. I mean family definitely covers it, but Max, Margie, John, Susan kind of parents? You, Robyn, best friends, siblings? None of those labels really reflects the depth of what you all are to me." Jeremy kissed her forehead and looked into her eyes, "I sometimes wonder Allie if we'd met years ago, under different circumstances, if we'd have been more to one another." He shook his head, "Sorry, overstepped, shouldn't have said that." Allie smiled and said gently, "It's okay, it's crossed my mind too. In another life as they say. But maybe in this one, we were sent to be exactly what we are to one another?" She laughed and added, "Even if we don't have a conventional label to describe it."

Jeremy took her hands, "How come you never talk about your family in the UK? Dan said they live close to your house there but you never see them." Allie pulled a face, "I've got aunts, uncles, and a load of cousins. We were closer when I was growing up, but you know my parents both died the year I was eighteen?" He nodded, "Well I was left a couple of properties and a fair amount of cash and investments. Once money came into the equation people's motives change, and they all started fighting with one another over how I should be handled I suppose. Thing is Jeremy, even at eighteen I wasn't stupid, and I made my own, if it is me who says so, fairly smart decisions about the assets. They were all deeply offended, and if I was cynical I'd say they were hoping to get compensated for whatever help they wanted to give me. When I worked in London I used to spend Christmas in the house, totally alone. It was better than staying in my tiny London flat, but not much. None of my family invited me. It was like if they couldn't control me, they didn't want me. I tried reaching out when I've been back to visit, but they didn't want to know."

Jeremy felt his heart crack a little, and he pulled her to him, kissing her head. When he let go she said, "Listen Jem I'll have to go, and you must have patients to get to. Let me speak to Robyn, but you send her that message so she knows you're on her side." Jeremy nodded but said, "There's just one other thing Allie. He looked a little sheepish, "I love Robyn, but sometimes she makes it so hard. I got mad when she said I didn't get to be part of this decision, and I said having an abortion out of fear was something you wouldn't do. I shouldn't have brought your name into it, but I could see it hit a nerve. Sorry" Allie shook her head, "Come here." She hugged Jeremy and said, "I'll get my tin hat on. I'll call or message you." Tom was leaning on the reception desk as she left, and he looked surprised to see her and grinned, "Hey, where did you come from? Is this part of the scary British thing that you appear when I don't expect it?" Allie laughed, "Just called in to see Jeremy on my way to work." The receptionist giggled as she added, "Brace yourself Tom, scary British person incoming for a hug."

When she made it into the office Allie logged on and checked her E mails. She crossed over to the kitchen to grab a coffee and went back to sit at her desk, unable to put it off any longer. She messaged Robyn to ask if she could spare a few minutes to come through. She didn't answer but appeared in Allie's office, quietly closing the door. Looking up Allie could see her friend's face was cold and she took a deep breath, "Please don't rip my head off Robyn, I only want to help and there's no judgement from me. I just saw Jeremy, he called me because I'm the only other person who knows." Robyn's features became angry rather than cold but Allie pushed on. "All I was going to ask was could you just delay going to the doctor for one week? Just to give him time to come to terms with it, to talk to him about how you feel?" She paused, fearing what might come next, but Robyn thought of the message Jeremy had sent earlier and stepped back from the brink. She still looked coldly at Allie but said, "I'll delay until Wednesday. I'm not leaving it any longer, and I'm only doing that because the nausea's gone." Allie nodded and just said softly, "Thank you." Robyn was about to leave, but she stopped and turned, "Of course Jeremy thinks you'd never have an abortion. Would you?" Allie bit her lip realising this was one choice she'd never have to make. She sighed, "It's obviously only ever going to be a theoretical debate for me. Honest answer is I don't completely know, quite possibly yes if it was a medical issue or disability, otherwise I don't know because I haven't walked in your shoes." Robyn raised her eyebrows slightly and left. Allie exhaled in relief that the conversation hadn't ended in a Robyn being furious with her and messaged Jeremy to let him know.

She crossed over to Max's office and saw he was at his desk but off the phone. She knocked and walked in and he smiled, "Hey, everything okay?" She took the chair opposite and said, "Yeah, I was just checking how you and Margie got on with Chris last night." Max rolled his eyes, "Margie filled him full of pot roast and had a good talk to him. He's okay, seems a bit down, but he'll get over it." Allie nodded, Dan's going to take him for lunch, try and cheer him up. I'd better get on, see you later Max."