Mrs. Independent

Chapter Four: Dada

Chapter Four: Dada

After my clothes had dried, I realized I had no phone with me and everything in my bag is soaked.
I sat on the dock and laid them out to dry in the sun while I breastfed Caiden.
Thankfully, my wallet, keys, and passport were in a ziploc bag, but all of Caiden's diapers and everything are soaked.
Even the container of wipes were full of seawater.
I put all the stuff in the bottom of the stroller and buckled Caiden back in. I walked to the first place I could find and asked if they could call me a cab to which they did, and now I'm in an hour and a half car ride through England with a baby that isn't in a car seat and a taxi driver who looks like he's about to ask for my number.
Upon arriving to London, I thanked myself for taking out a thousand dollars to spend while we were in the United Kingdom, and I paid for a hotel room.
The room had a shower and a bath, but I took a shower with Caiden instead of taking a shower and then giving him a bath. I put all of our clothes in the washing machine downstairs before bathing.
There were a few dry diapers in the stroller that didn't end up in the sea, so I put him in that, and now I'm in a robe in a hotel room and he's lying next to me with a large robe covering his body.
I asked somebody to bring the clothes up to my room when they're done.
I decide that maybe Josh has reception, so I grab the room phone and dial his number.
It goes straight to voicemail.
I listen to the automated voicemail.
When the tone beeps, I sigh.
"Hey, I know you probably won't get this until tomorrow," I start, looking at Caiden. "But uh, I got a cab to London and we're in a hotel for the night. I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I guess I'll figure it out. All of our stuff is soaked, so I don't have diapers or wipes. I don't have food for him..." I rub my forehead and feel like I'm going to cry. "I don't know. I hope you get this. I'll...see you when I see you, I guess. Alright, love you, bye."
I hang up the phone.
A moment later, I hear a knock at the hotel door.
I pick up Caiden off the bed and walk to the door, securing my robe.
When I open it, a worker stands there with a bag of our clothes.
"Thank you." I say.
"You're welcome."
He walks off, and I go into the room and get dressed in the clothes I was in before. I dress Caiden in the clothes he was in before, and then I use the baby comb that was in the diaper bag to brush my hair.
I fix Caiden's hair, and then I cover the area around him in pillows and let him lie on the bed.
"Come on, Katherine, think!" I whisper to myself.
I need some sort of plan.
Rubbing my forehead, I sigh.
I bet Isabelle would have some plan, but I don't have her number.
My head snaps up then.
I may not have her number, but any Perfectly You branch does.
And we're in London.
Which has a branch.
I fist pump the air and call a cab.
I gather all of my things, along with Caiden, who goes back in the stroller, and I leave the hotel.
The cab is waiting for me and I get in, telling him where to go.
He starts the drive and I can honestly say I have no clue what I'm going to do.
When I get there, I remove all of the stuff from the cab and enter the building, walking straight up to reception.
"I need to speak to Elizabeth." I say.
Reception raises her eyebrows at me.
"I'm sorry, who are you?"
My eyebrows shoot up in shock.
What?
"Miss Wellington!"
My head snaps to the left at the sight of Elizabeth, who runs this branch.
"It's Elwood now." I say. The girl at reception has eyes the size of saucers when she realizes what she just did.
I shoot her a pointed look and turn back to Elizabeth.
"Can we go to your office?"
"Of course." She says.
She calls the elevator and we take it straight up.
"What's going on? Normally you let me know when you're coming to visit."
That's true. Last time I made my yearly runs to check up on the other branches, I was four and a half months pregnant and wanted to get it over with before Caiden came.
"I need to speak to my assistant Isabelle. She's probably at her office, so if you get the number for New York, you use extension 620."
She's already typing on the work phone.
She hands it to me and it asks for the extension.
I punch in the number, running my hands through my damp hair.
"You're reached Katherine Wellington's office, how can I help you?"
"Isabelle." I say.
She pauses.
"Katherine? I thought you were on a ship, in, like, the middle of nowhere."
"I was. It's a long story. Listen, I don't have my phone, but I need a huge favor."
"Sure, yes, anything." She says.
"I need you to find the soonest flight from London to Belgium, as close as you can get me to some, uh, some city called Z something, Z-"
"Zeebrugge?" Elizabeth asks.
"Yes! Zeebrugge."
"Okay, let me look."
I can hear her typing on her computer.
"Uh, it looks like the soonest flight that's not fully booked is tomorrow at, uh, ten in the morning? You would get there at about oneish?"
"Can you book that for two?" I ask.
"Yeah, but the seats might not be together."
"No, the seats have to be together, it's just me and Caiden."
"Why don't I just sent your jet?" She suggests.
I groan, my hands shaking.
"How long would it take? That's like a ten hour flight. No, I can't do that to Jerry."
"Okay, well let me call the airlines right now and see if I can get you two seated together."
"Okay."
I hear her press a button on her phone and then silence.
A few moments later, she starts talking again, but into another phone.
"She can seat you two together." She says.
"Thank you, thank you." I say.
I hear her book the flight and I recite my credit card information over the phone.
"Okay, it's booked. I'll fax the information to Elizabeth's office right now."
"Thank you." I say.
"Katherine, you realize everyone in Belgium speaks, like, some different language, right?"
"Yeah." I say. "Dammit, how am I going to do this?"
"Google Translate." She says.
"I don't have my phone."
"So get a driver." Elizabeth says. "Have them drive you to where you need to go."
"That's a good idea. Isabelle, did you hear that?"
"Already on it." She says. "Okay, great. The driver will be waiting for you with a sign."
"Okay, does he know I don't know his language?"
"His language is French." She says.
"Oh, okay. Well still, I'll have trouble understanding."
"I'll tell him." She says.
"Thank you, Isabelle, you're a lifesaver."
I hear the printer spitting out my flight information and everything I need to get on the plane.
I know I need to go shopping for baby food and probably get another car seat, but today was spent walking around and the ship left at five, and it's already eight.
At this point, I want to tell Isabelle to cancel the flights and just get one to the city, but what good will that do? Josh will have a heart attack if he doesn't see me for another week, and honestly? The feeling is mutual. I haven't spent a single night away from him since the wedding.
Tonight is going to be a long night.