The Crying Bridge

The Crying Bridge--Chapter 31

 The next few days flew by in a flurry of activity. Del spent much of her time packing for the trip and trying to manage her morning sickness, which seemed to get a little worse each day. She was wondering what the flight would be like.

She and Evan had agreed on two things. The first was that they wouldn't think or concentrate on the supernatural events that they'd experienced until after they returned from their honeymoon. The second was that Del should meet with Karen Bradley as soon as possible to inform her of their situation. Del didn't want her new boss hearing any of it in the form of gossip.

So at eight-thirty on Monday morning, Del was preparing to drive into town to see Karen. There was however one more thing she wanted to take care of.

She dialed Jenny's cell phone, knowing that Jenny would be at work already. Jenny answered on the third ring.

"Jenny, hi, it's Del."

"Hey! I'm glad you called," Jenny said. "I've been wanting to hear about what happened the other night with the psychics."

"I know, and I will fill you in on all of it when I get back from Jamaica," Del promised. "Jenny, can you step outside or find somewhere private to talk? I need to tell you something."

"Sure," Jenny said. A moment later she said, "Okay, I'm outside. What's up?"

"I'm coming in in just a bit to meet with Karen," Del explained. "To give her the news about me and Evan. But there's a bit more to tell and I wanted to tell you first."

"Are you okay?" Jenny asked with genuine concern. "You sound weird."

"I'm...fine," Del said, fighting a wave of nausea. She'd already thrown up twice this morning. "Jenny, you're not going to believe this, but...I'm pregnant."

"What??" Jenny exclaimed. "Are you serious?"

Del laughed. "Oh, I'm serious, alright. I'm fighting not to puke all over the phone as we speak and my boobs feel like they've been used as punching bags. And don't even get me started on smells."

"But...how?" Jenny asked. "You guys were using every kind of birth control known to man!"

"Well, it turns out we were a little careless that night after happy hour," Del admitted.

"So you're that pregnant?" Jenny said with disbelief. "That's incredible. Are you okay? Happy, I mean?"

"I couldn't be happier, Jenny," Del told her. "And Evan is, too."

"I just can't believe this," Jenny said. "But I'm really happy for both of you. Has Evan told Dan yet?"

"No," Del said. "He's going to tell him today. I just wanted to share this with you before I told Karen."

"Wow," Jenny said. "That's some news. I can't wait to start buying baby clothes!"

Del loved Jenny's enthusiasm. "Thanks. It's going to be fun sharing this with a girlfriend. I'll see you soon."

Del ended the call, ran to the bathroom and was sick again. She brushed her teeth and tried to make herself presentable before leaving for town. She put some crackers into a small plastic bag and grabbed a bottle of ginger ale before heading out.

When Karen Bradley saw Del she immediately frowned. "Del, pardon me for saying so, but you don't look well. Is everything okay? You're very pale."

Del took a seat across from Karen's desk. "Well, I'm not sick with anything serious," Del said. "I need to fill you in on some things, though."

Karen spread her hands before her. "Of course. Please, go ahead."