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Same day, 2:50 PM. * * *
Clark's oversized sweatshirt felt warm, as if he was just in it, and I brought the collar to my nose and breathed in. It smelled like him. Having clothes that smelt like him again—that were saturated with a fresh scent, made this situation just a tad bit better. I sat at the computer desk, my desktop already queued up for the appointment. My webcam was on, and I stared at the distorted image of myself. Purplish bags had bloomed under my eyes, and my hair was limp in its claw clip. Chapped lips were pulled between teeth, and I swept some lip balm over them as the doctor popped onto the screen.
Dr. Flank smiled brightly and leaned forward, "I see you're having trouble sleeping. "
"Oh," I touched my face and began to shake my head but thought again, "Actually, yes."
"I suggest melatonin. Normally, you need your ob-gyn to say it's okay, but under the circumstances." He shrugged.
I nodded, understanding. Dr. Flank advised me to reach out to the OB, he suggested. I wanted to stay with him but knew I would eventually need to go. Once my mom arrived, I'll set up an appointment.
The appointment went well. We spoke about my sleep patterns and stress levels. He was happy to see that my bruises were healing. Before he went, we talked a bit more about when to schedule the next appointment. Soon his screen went black, and I turned off my webcam and logged out left alone with my thoughts for only a brief moment. Next to me, my phone vibrated with an incoming call.
"Hey," I smiled, getting up from my desk.
"I'm heading to your place with some groceries," Clark said. I could hear the bag rustling in his arms.
"Ok, you took off work early?" Glancing at the clock, I saw it was 3:45.
"Yeah, well, your mom is on the way, so I thought I'd make dinner so you don't have to worry about it. She said her flight is in by 5."
"I called her earlier. I - I needed advice, and I know she'll help."
"I'll support you in whatever you decide. You know that, right?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Good. It's about time you called your mom. I was going to do it myself if you didn't by the end of the week. Deciding on whether to keep or abort is a huge decision. And it's not my place to tell you what to do."
"But-"
"Annie, no. It's not. The pregnancy is not ours. I can't speak on it."
I knew he was right. Anger or regret welled up in my chest. It wasn't ours. I swallowed the feeling down and went to my bathroom to set up for a bath.
"You're right," As I set towels down on the counter and pulled out my bath salts, I changed the subject, "How far away are you?"
"Maybe thirty minutes. I went to my place to change. Why? Do you need me? I can be over there in a second."
