Scornful Revenge

Chapter Twenty

 Alice had gone to Hank's office the following morning to drop off the copies. She had explained to him her mix up with the papers, trying to make light conversation.

"Well, I had told you which one to fill out as well as there being a potential fee." Hank replied.

"Yeah, I know, but sometimes I forget things and stress can really mess with my head so..."

"Forget things? You don't look old enough to be forgetting things."

The two laughed together and that was the first time Alice had genuinely smiled in a long time.

"A while back, Tom and I were in a car accident and I hit my head on the window and I got a contusion on my brain that causes some forgetfulness." Alice explained.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thanks, but I'm good as long as I manage it all."

Once she was finished with Hank, she drove to the hospital for her appointment. She checked in and sat in the waiting area. Not seeing Tom in any of the seats, she decided to call him and see if he was on his way there.

"Hey, Tom!"

"Hello, Alice. Everything alright?"

"Yeah, where are you?" Alice inquired.

"What do you mean? I'm at our tech rehearsal." Tom retorted.

"I know that. I mean in terms of where you are on the road."

"On the road? What do you- shit!" Tom exclaimed. "Oh my god, I completely forgot."

"I reminded you before you left."

"I know you did and I'm so sorry, Alice. With everything going on it just slipped my mind."

"Right." Alice spoke softly, pulling the phone away from her ear.

"Listen, I'm not sure if I can get there on time. Just let me know what the doctor says and I'll be sure to be with you at the next appointment." Tom told her.

"You really can't make it?"

"We're having a lot of technical problems at the moment and I have to make sure every cue is right. I promise you the next time I'll be there. I've got to go, Love you."

"Love you, too." Alice replied, hearing the dial tone.

As Alice was putting her phone away, the nurse entered the room and called her name. Alice followed the nurse to her room and got situated on the table. When the nurse was finished with her notes, she left the examination room and told Alice that the doctor would be there momentarily. As she sat on the table, Alice pulled out her phone and went scrolling through her contacts. It was early in the afternoon and she wondered if Esther or Jamie weren't too busy. She hovered her finger over their names, contemplating whether or not to call. Before she could make a decision, Michelle entered the room and greeted Alice.

"Just you today?"

"Yeah. Tom's busy with work at the moment."

"No problem," Michelle smiled. "You are aware of what today's visit is for?"

"Yeah."

"Good. The nurse will be back with the blood test and afterwards, we'll do an ultrasound, you'll pee in the cup, and then you're all set."

After all the tests were done and Alice was given copies of her ultrasound, she drove home. Once inside the house, Alice broke down, sobbing as she walked towards the living room. There, she laid down on the couch and curled herself into a ball, clutching the pillow to her chest. Moments later, the doorbell rang and Alice gasped as she sat up on the couch.