The Baby Favor

2.

"You just need to go in there and get it over with" Jason turned to his manager, Ava, with a frown. They were currently sitting by his poolside deck that overlooked the Pacific Ocean.

"Alright, you've been officially cut off. No more wine for you" Jason picked up the bottle of Chardonnay from the table and moved it out of his friend and employee's reach.

"I'm not drunk, and I'm very serious Jason. Just do it. Right now. Just open the door and step into the nursery, I think that once you do it, you'll feel better. I mean it's just a room, it doesn't have any power over you that you don't give it"

"Thank you, Dr. Phil, I'll take that into consideration, but I'm not going in there right now"

Ava was his best friend and at the moment he was regretting confiding in her about his current situation with Michael. She was from the school of tough love and wouldn't pull any punches if she thought Jason needed to hear the truth.

"Does anyone go in there?"

"The housekeeper does. She cleans it once a week"

"Did Michael ever go in there?"

Jason hesitated to answer, biting the inside of his cheek, the memories of that night flooding through his mind like it had just happened yesterday, "He did once. The night that they took Elijah away. He sat on the floor and cried. Losing Elijah was hard on both of us. Adopting that beautiful and sweet baby had been a dream come true for us after struggling with infertility for so long and sitting on the waiting list to get a baby. It was the best six months of my life. And then when the mother changed her mind...."

Ava reached over across the table and took Jason's hand," I know it was hard on you, and I'm not going to be the jerk who tells you to move on and forget about him, because that's never going to happen. You loved that little boy more than anything. Hell, I couldn't get you to put him down long enough to paint. But I do think that you're being unreasonable about the nursery. It's just a room filled with furniture like any other room. Once Michael and Luna move out, maybe you need to redecorate."

Jason snatched his hand away and furrowed his brows, "Redecorate?"

"Yes, donate the furniture and baby clothes to a family in need. Paint the walls, perhaps turn it into an office or yoga studio. Something that won't haunt you every day about what you lost."

Jason took a sip of his wine and leaned back on his Adirondack chair, Ava was right. He knew she was right, but he just hadn't been able to make himself do it. In his heart, it was Elijah's room. It was there as a baby, as brief as it had been, and changing that room meant that he was giving up on that part of his life. Or at least it felt that way.

"After they move out, I'll consider it" he finally agreed reluctantly and that answer would hopefully be enough to appease Ava, but not require him to march into the house and do something about it right away.

Ava gave him a satisfied smile and took a bite of the homemade guacamole and chips she'd brought with her for their night in.

"When is Michael moving in?"

"The funeral service for Davis is tomorrow so probably tomorrow night or the next morning"

"Are you ready to have your soon-to-be ex-husband living in the house again?"

Jason sighed, he wasn't sure how he felt about it.

"It's hard to say really. This whole situation is so complicated. On one hand, he hasn't been gone that long, so having him back in the house may feel like he's been on an extended business trip, but then again he'll be in the guest room, not in bed beside me"