The room was spinning and I felt like I was going to vomit everywhere. When was my last period? I can't even remember. Dr. Snow handed me a cup and told me to pee in it. We sat together and she dipped a little paper stick into the cup and watched the color spread across the stick. One line appeared, and then another.
"Fuck" I yelled rather loud and Dr. Snow jumped from my sudden outburst.
"Ahh, I take it this wasn't planned. Stick to Tylenol to deal with your headache, also invest in some saltines and ginger ale. Come see me in my office next week and we'll see how far along you are. I hope you seem more excited the next time I see you!" She walked out rather fast and closed the door behind her.
I hugged my knees and sobbed for hours until I had no more tears to give. Raymond doesn't want kids, if he did, he would have them already. I don't even want kids, I never have, but now here I am. A whore, pregnant with my bosses baby.
Raymond had tried knocking on the door to check on me several times but left when I didn't answer. The penthouse was quiet now, I hadn't heard a single noise in a few hours.
I quietly made my way into the kitchen and turned the lights on.
8:12 pm
About three dozen cupcakes, five pies, two German chocolate cakes, and a surreal amount of muffins later, I was pooped. I hadn't seen Raymond since this morning and I was kind of glad. Baking is my way of thinking things through, and I've had plenty of time to think.
I walk over to Raymond's door and I knock twice. He answers the door and we walk back into the kitchen. I hand him a cupcake and start nibbling on one myself.
"Did Dr. Snow tell you what's wrong?" He started, still looking dizzy.
"Yeah, she just told me to take Tylenol and the throwing up part should go away in a month or two..." I take a giant bite from my cupcake as I watch his face twist into one of confusion.
"Why the fuck would you be..." I drop my cupcake on the floor and he stops talking.
"Raymond, I'm pregnant." It's like everything starts moving in slow motion. His eyes move from my face to my stomach and back up again.
"Well, some guy is going to be a super proud dad when the day comes. Of course, you'll still have your job here, child or not." He finishes off his cupcake in one bite and goes to walk away.
"Raymond" I grab his arm "it's your baby." He stops dead in his tracks and turns to face me.
Tears are welling back up in my eyes and I can't even look at him, I don't want to see his anger. His lips smash into mine, moving frantically. He picks me up and moves me to his bed, kicking the door closed behind him.
"I can't lie to you anymore, Katherine, I was avoiding you. You made me feel something that I have never felt before, and I was scared of that. I didn't want you to have to be involved in this." His lips connected with mine once again, not giving me a chance to reply. "I can't keep my hands off of you, now that I've had a taste I just can't get enough. You're carrying my child, I never thought I would want a child, but with you, all I can feel is joy and love about this baby."
I kissed him to shut him up. A need for him was growing between my hips.
"Make love to me Raymond." The words came out as a whisper, but he heard me loud and clear.
He made love to me until we fell asleep in each other's arms.
4 am
It was hot, too hot. Raymond was sleeping next to me, sprawled out across the bed. I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake him, and made my way to my room.
What was I even doing here? Was this a game to him? There's no way his feelings for me were true. How could I expect this man to feel the way he feels for me and raise a baby with me, the lonely maid that stuttered and tripped over herself far too often. This was nothing but a cruel joke.
I pulled on a pair of jeans and a comfortable T-shirt. I wasn't just going to sit here and be played. With unwanted tears running down my face I packed whatever clothes I could fit into the suitcases that were hiding in the back of the closet. I carried my suitcase out to the living room, stopping to scribble Raymond a note.
Dear Mr. Machado,
While my time working for you has been wonderful, I am sad to say that I am leaving.
Regards,
Katherine Bernard
I wheeled my bag to the elevator and pressed the down button. Taking in the Miami skyline through the window one last time before stepping into the elevator and making my way down to the lobby.
The valet services were 24/7 and they quickly brought Gertrude around for me. I threw my bags into her and sped off, next stop, Miami international airport. Pulling into the airport parking garage I get my parking ticket and pull Gertrude into the closest spot to the entrance. I open my app and check the balance on my card, Raymond must have been making extra deposits, fifty thousand dollars sat in the account, the sight of it was both relieving and terrifying. I've never seen this amount of money before.
I leave the keys to Gertrude in her center console, knowing I wouldn't be able to take her with me. I wheeled my suitcase to the only open ticket desk. A middle-aged Hispanic woman with entirely too much makeup on greets me.
"Yes ma'am and how may I help you?" A forced smile comes to her lips, her voice nice, but with an attitude behind it.
"What's the next flight you have out of here with a seat available?" She looks surprised by my question and quickly flips through screens on her computer.
"I have a first class seat to Seattle Washington, leaving in 45 minutes ma'am." Before she could say anymore I handed her my card and my ID.
She processed the payment and handed me back my cards and my ticket. I guess she could sense how tense I was because she checked my bag without another word. When she was done she pointed me over to the security check, which was thankfully empty and I ran over to it. I put my shoes and purse in the little bucket and walked through the metal detector. Getting through without any issues, I collected my items and walked as fast as I could to my gate. There was still 5 minutes until boarding began, a large group sat, most of them sleeping by the gate.
The big sign showing the flight number and information showed that this flight has been delayed far too many times, originally supposed to have left at nine last night. My phone let out a ding and my heart skipped a beat.
I'm sorry if I scared you away Katy. Keep safe and keep me updated. I won't chase you if you don't want me to, I'm just a text away. -Raymond
I quickly powered my phone off and shoved it into my pocket. The woman at the gate announced that they would begin boarding first class passengers at this time. I rose to my feet, my legs feeling numb at the thought of leaving my home behind. I handed my ticket to the woman and she scanned it and handed it back to me. Walking through the tunnel to the airplane was the worst feeling I've ever felt. I took my seat and buckled up.
That was the longest seven hours of my entire life. My entire body ached the I was more nauseous than ever, the airplane food was absolutely disgusting. I collected my bag off the belt and took a seat in the waiting area. I pulled my phone from my pocket and reluctantly turned it on. Much to my relief, Raymond hadn't text me again. The only notification on the screen was one from my banking app telling me a deposit had been made.
I thrust my phone back into my pocket, I didn't even want to know what kind of ridiculous amount of money he had put on the card. I walked out to the pickup area and flagged down a taxi. The cold Seattle air caused goosebumps to raise all over my body, I probably should have brought a jacket. I hailed a taxi and quickly put my bag into the trunk and got into the back seat.
"Where to ma'am?" The driver asked.
"Somewhere with apartment buildings, close to shops." The driver nodded and took off. Before too long he stopped and I paid him, stepping out and dragging my bag behind me into the large apartment building, much like Raymond's.
After a lot of convincing, a trip to an ATM, and a whole lot of money later, I had an apartment. Not just was it an apartment, but perhaps it was a fresh start.
