To the Point of Shatter

10. Aiden

        I grab my phone off of my desk in my office and am not even vaguely surprised to see the name on the display. I shut my door and answer it with with a seething,

        "Hello!"  But quiet. I don't want Abby to hear me from down the hall. This is getting out of hand. 

        "Heyyy, Aiden." She is drunk. I can tell by the way she slurs. She is pregnant and drunk. A spark of anger lights.

        "What the hell is wrong with you? Have you been drinking?"

        "A little. Just a little."

        "For God's sake, Chloe. Have you thought about the effect of that?" I know. I have no claim. It just turns my stomach. There is loud music, voices, laughter in the background.

        "Honestly Aiden. What do you care?" I calculate in my head that she is barely 8 weeks pregnant right now. And since she really doesn't drink, that I know of, the baby is probably safe. Some women may not even know they're pregnant this early. But that's hardly the point. I change tacks.

        "Why are you calling? You can't keep calling in the middle of the night. I'm having a hard enough time holding it together without this. I just flat-out lied to Abby about getting fired. That being the reason I'm so weirded out and getting late phone calls. So now to cover THAT, I'm going to have to quit my job tomorrow."

        "I want to see you," she says simply. I am beyond exasperated.

        "I can't."

        "Aiden, you can't just shut me out now that Abby's home."

        "I have NOT shut you out. You're here every weekend no matter how hard that is on me." She is quiet for a minute and I wait her out. I am trying to be both reasonable and smart about what is going on, but I feel the walls closing in.

        "I am all alone." And she may have been drinking, but she's right. I just don't know what to do about it.

        "Chloe." I run my hand through my hair, sagging into my desk chair. She seems to shake it off with a suddenness that nearly gives me whiplash.

        "You know what? Forget it. Forget I called. I won't bother you again." And she hangs up. I am remotely concerned about her. But not enough to call her back. She's a grown woman. Instead of wasting more time on her, I shut off my phone and head back to bed.

        That's when I hear Abby's cell ringing.

        Shit.

        My heart lodges in my throat and I make a beeline for her bedside table. But she isn't asleep yet so she is already answering it by the time I get to the bedroom. I stand there, bracing myself.

        "Hey, Chloe. You okay?" She is holding up a finger to me: just wait. Her face is smooth and calm. "No, no. I'm glad you called. Of course I will. Give me the address."

        All sorts of alarms sound off in me and I furiously shake my head at Abby. She disregards me and writes something on a pad of paper.

        "Abby!" I whisper loudly. She furrows her brow in my direction and shushes me silently with her eyes.

        "Okay. I'll be there in a few. Just stay put." She hangs up and gets out of bed.

        "What are you doing?"

        "She's had too much to drink and needs a ride home. I'm going to get her," she tells me easily. She opens the drawer where she keeps her shorts.