The Man on the Moon (The Man Duology)

Chapter 22

Today was the day. The entire road trip had lead up to this moment... My hands shook as they brushed against Ash's home phone. Building up my courage, I inhaled deeply, closed my eyes and pressed the phone's receiver to my ear. Allowing my fingers to dance along the keypad, I repeated a script inside of my heard... Just so that I wouldn't fuck anything up.

A warm lady, whose positivity put me at ease slightly, answered the phone. My heart beat came regular again when she began to speak. Her friendly tone welcomed me, like open arms. "Hello, it's the open clinic here in Aberdeen, how may I help you today?"

"Hi," I choked. Focus, Eleanor. "I would like to book an appointment with... Uh.." Looking down at the piece of paper in my hand, in which Ash had used to scribble down the name of the abortion specialist, I cleared my throat. Ash's handwriting wasn't the neatest, so it was difficult to read. "Doctor Wilson?"

"Of course you can miss," The lady knew. She knew what I was asking for, just like Ash said she would. "May I take a name?"

"Eleanor," Confidence tickled my tongue. "Eleanor Parks."

"We are fully booked for this rest of this week, I'm afraid," She paused, clicking her mouse. "But we can do Monday. Is that okay, Miss Parks?"

"Yes," I jumped at the chance. "That's perfect. Thank you."

"Right, okay, that is booked for you, Miss Parks. We hope to see you on Monday at 11 AM. See you then!"

"See you then. Thank you." I mumbled, hanging up the phone.

Almost instantly, Max poked their head around the door. "Pssst. How did it go?"

"It went as okay as abortion appointments go," I replied, resting my body weight against the phone's table. "Fucking awkward."

Max chuckled and made their way over to me. Eventually, their arms wrapped around me and pulled me into a loose embrace. "You're so brave, Eleanor."

"Thank you," I smiled, genuinely taking a compliment for once in my life. "Hey, can I ask you about something?"

"Of course!" Their smile lit up like fireworks. "What is it?"

"My mum-" My voice trembled slightly. "-left tapes for me as a child... Would it be wrong to ask her for them...? After all this time?"

"I don't see why it would be wrong," They announced, pulling away from me and folding their arms. "Unless she has something to hide."

After Max's guidance, I crept back into mine and Harvey's bed. Cuddling into his back, I heard him gradually awaken from his slumber. After rotating to face me, he sleepily mumbled. "Have you done it?"

"Done what, gorgeous?" I caressed his cheek gently, my eyes looking into his.

"Made the appointment," He smiled, pulling me closer. "I love it when you're mushy."

"Yeah I did," I bit my lip, expecting his mood to change... But it didn't. Instead his smile grew wider, and he closed his eyes. "It's on Monday... We have to wait a little longer, but that's okay. She's not going anywhere."

Harvey's eyes snapped open. "She?"

"I'm sorry... It was just a slip of the tongue."

"No, no, it's okay," He was wide awake now, and sitting up. Pausing for a few seconds, he flashed his sleepy puppy dog eyes. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Harv," This nickname has always made him grin from ear to ear. "We have at least 30 more years to have children. Let's get settled and then think about it," I grabbed his hand and laid beside him. "This is what I want."