My Neighbor's Wife

Chapter 35

Today is the day that Mrs. Lovett will find out of the condition of her baby. After lunch, the doctor- Mr. Thomas, will be arriving to check on her. To say that she is nervous is an understatement; after the incident with Lucy, she always wakes up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat as she have nightmare after nightmare of losing her child. It's been a torture, and now she can only hope that her nightmares remain as what they are- fiction.

She has her bags packed already. Whatever result the doctor will tell her, she will still follow through with her plan on leaving. It is a good thing that David, upon asking him, has not hesitated to join her; somehow, she always know the he will always have her back. Right now, she feels scared not only for her baby, but also on what the future holds for her. She doesn't have a direction; she has no clue on where they will be going, she can only hope that everything will work out for her, for them.
***************************

Ben paces in front of the big window in his shop; he is aware that in a few minutes, the doctor will be coming to check on Nellie. He is genuinely scared knowing that there's a chance that his first child can now be dead inside her. He doesn't like to dwell much on the idea, but he knows that he has to prepare himself for it. If this is hard for him, then he's certain that if ever that happens, it will be harder for the baker.

However, this is not the only thing in his mind. Tomorrow, Nellie will be leaving with David, going to someplace he does not know where. Truth be told, he still cannot see the reason why she is taking their child away from him, yet allowing David to be recognized as its father; it still makes his blood boil whenever he thinks about it. He doesn't even know why he has allowed her to go, but he promises himself that he will look for her no matter what happens. He will not allow her to just cut him out of her and their child's life.

Deciding it's time for him to go downstairs, he grabs his jacket heading straight to the bake shop. Once he's inside, he immediately finds the baker sitting at one of the benches, looking anxious while she plays with the hem of her dress. He approaches her; she doesn't acknowledge him, it's as if she is in a different world. Grabbing hold of her hand that's on top of the table, he gives it a light squeeze earning him her attention.

She shifts her gaze from the floor to him, but she is quick to avert it away. Sighing in defeat, he stands up from his seat and scoots himself next to her, wrapping his arms around her while she voluntarily rests her head on his shoulder. He starts caressing her hair, smelling its lavender scent. A tear escapes his eye, which he hastily wipes away. This woman beside him that he's holding will be gone tomorrow, and he doesn't know how long it will take before he sees her again.

"Please, don't go." He says in a whisper, a feeble attempt at making her stay for he knows that she has made up her mind. She buries her face on the crook of his neck and embraces him tightly, crying softly; this is the only response he has gotten.

They stay like that for what seems like eternity, only breaking contact when they both hear the bell in the shop rings, signaling them that someone has entered. They look up to see that it is the doctor. Ben entangles himself from Nellie and stands up to greet their visitor.

"Sir, it's very nice of you to come back." He says, holding his hand out for the man to shake.

He smiles warmly at him, taking his hand. "Just doing my job, sir."

The doctor looks around, spotting Nellie who's looking very much worried. He approaches her, and takes the seat across her, bringing out the stethoscope inside his bag. "How are you feeling today, ma'am?"

The baker looks at Ben who is now standing beside her, it's as if she's begging him to answer for her. Squeezing her shoulder, he takes a seat and replies to the doctor. "She's scared, sir. It'll be better if we just let this get over with."