The Complete Numb Trilogy
By Amanda Lawrence Auverigne
Copyright © 2011 Amanda Lawrence Auverigne
Smashwords Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Contents
Part One:
Numb
Evan did the strangest thing after they had made love.
He turned over from his usual perch in the sheet covered bed and he pressed his face close to hers. He stared at the long dark lashes that framed her startling gray eyes for a few moments before he wrapped his heated arms around her sweat soaked form. He sighed as he pulled her bronze nakedness towards him.
He pressed his lips against her forehead as he held her sleeping form close to him. He focused his attention on her delicate features.
He watched a small wrinkle appear in the center of her forehead while she pursed her lips in a fitful sleep. He pulled her figure close to him and he ignored the fact that her limbs appeared to stiffen and become like lead as he continued his embrace.
He stared at her face for the longest time in an attempt to memorize every feature of her pale brown face. He gazed at her in this manner until he closed his own eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.
She waited until his arms grew slack around her small figure before she opened one of her eyes. She quickly scanned the dark haired man’s pale face.
His smooth chest rose and fell with each breath he took. She watched his eyes dance lightly behind his closed lids as a small smile creeped across his slightly parted lips.
She wriggled her form from within his embrace. She rolled from atop the sheet covered bed in one swift movement. She landed soundlessly atop the floor and gathered her clothes that had been stripped from her body with care hours before.
She rested her nude buttocks on the floor as she tugged on her underwear, wriggled in her jeans and pulled her cotton tunic over her small yet shapely bare breasts.
She tossed back her mane of shimmering black curls as she crawled along the carpeted floor in search of her bra.
She could not find it.
She rose on her knees and stared in the direction of the bed as a loud groan erupted from the mattress she had just vacated.
Andromeda passed her keen gray vision over the twisted linen atop the bed. She let out a low breath after she saw Evan’s muscle ridden form remain motionless atop the pallet.
She rose from her perch on the thinly carpeted floor. She grabbed her sensible leather shoes from near the opened door. The dark haired woman rushed through the fashionably furnished rooms of the luxury apartment.
She did not stop to gaze out of the ceiling length windows that provided a breath taking view of the city’s glittering skyline fifty stories below.
She paused near a steel chair that rested against the marble bar in a front room and yanked her small leather purse from atop its cushion as she frantically made her way towards the door.
She sprinted through the entrance and closed the metal barrier behind her in a huff. She raised her legs behind her and pulled on her shoes as she walked through the beige corridor and headed in the direction of the shining brass doors of the elevator that lay a few feet ahead of her.
Andromeda thrust her hand within the confines of her bag and curled her fingers around her car keys as she stood before the lift. The doors slid ajar and she rushed within the velvet clad elevator and hurriedly pushed one the lighted buttons that lay atop the panel on the wall in front of her.
The dark haired woman let out a low breath as the doors slid shut ahead of her.
She pursed her lips as she mentally reviewed the incidents of the evening.
As the elevator began its descent, the dark haired woman stared at her reflection within the shining glass doors in front of her.
She tossed back her head of shimmering waves as she studied her pale brown skin and bright gray eyes in the metal.
The doors slid opened and the young woman rushed into the immaculate lobby that was a cavernous maze of gray marble and encased in glass.
She did not look at the two security guards who eyed her figure with raised eyebrows as she strolled the length of the shining floor. She passed their station without a glance in their direction and passed through the large glass doors with a sigh of relief as the cool night air of the city passed over her figure.
As she strolled the near deserted urban boulevards while heading in the direction of her car, she allowed a small smile to creep across her face.
And as she entered the confines of her fashionably large sports utility vehicle, she checked her reflection in the rear view mirror and thought that she had just experienced the best one night stand she ever had.
She stomped on the accelerator and propelled her vehicle forward. She headed home for the night.
He called her the next day.
She was at work and was in the process of firing her assistant, signing court documents and drinking an Ensure.
She listened to his words for a few moments. She turned her attention from the obtrusive headset that was thrust in her ear and tossed a box of tissue in the direction of her incompetent assistant who had flopped into one of her chairs and had commenced to having a hysterical fit.
Two lawyers were in her office and they stood patiently as she perused the documents that had been laid before her for a few moments. She barely heard a word Evan said during the daily tidal wave of chaos that had landed at her office door.
She guessed that he had wanted to see her again.
And when the young man finally ceased his emotionally withering tirade and was silent on the line, Andromeda told him that she would give him a call soon.
She promptly terminated the conversation, signed one of the documents, ripped the other in two, threw the paper shreds in the lawyer’s faces and called security to escort her former assistant from the confines of her office.
As three large guards yanked the screaming young woman from her office, Andromeda sat back and sipped her Ensure.
Chapter 2
After realizing that she had experienced three months without the manual discomfort of the crimson river, Andromeda sat on an eighteenth century stool in her marble tiled bathroom and looked stupidly at the piece of plastic she held in her hand.
The stick had turned blue.
She dropped the white plastic tube on the floor. She stared at the walls that surrounded her in a type of daze.
Andromeda tossed back her head of dark curls as she mentally calculated the odds of the embryo’s prospective father. A series of handsome faces flashed into her mind. Andromeda lowered her head in dismay as the long forgotten image of Evan flashed into her consciousness.
She had not thought of him nor spoke to him since the night of their interlude months before.
He had called dozens of times after the incident in her office, but she did not respond to his inquiries.
It had to be his.
Andromeda lowered her head to her knees as tears stung her eyes. She knew that she was not ready to be a mother. But she also knew that it would be wrong for her to terminate the pregnancy.
This baby needed a chance.
Andromeda sniffed as tears poured from her eyes. She sat up abruptly as a strange salty taste suddenly bubbled from the back of her throat.
The dark haired woman leaped from her stool. She ran across the room and she dived on the floor in front of the ceramic commode.
She wretched into the toilet bowl for nearly a half hour before she fell on the shimmering tiles in a fit of pure exhaustion.
Chapter 3
Andromeda quit her job and decided to pursue her career options through freelancing.
She took her rolodex and an assortment of other items she could not bear to part with as she strolled from the confines of her glass encased office with apparent disdain.
She did not look at the wide eyed faces of her underlings as she passed them. She ignored the sound of someone humming the strains of the melody “Taps” as she made her way to the elevator.
Andromeda knew that it was time to go. She had an inkling that her job as a high powered editor was in jeopardy due to her pregnancy when she burst into a fit of tears after one of her clients informed her that he was leaving her firm.
Luckily, she was able to get to her private bathroom before the waterworks began.
She hobbled through the building while carrying her items. And she could already feel the slight swell of her abdomen beneath the small boxes she had tried to balance in her arms.
She had traded her large SUV for an economy car. And she found it refreshing to be able to simply leap into her car instead of climbing up steps to drive the vehicle.
She also found that she had more spending money at the end of the week due to the fact that she was able to fill the fuel tank at six bucks instead of the required forty that was needed when she was in possession of the large vehicle.
Her friends had giggled with her on hearing the news of her pregnancy.
Her mother visibly frowned when she told the older woman of the particulars of the child’s patronage.
“Will you tell him? Will you get back together?” Her mother Edith asked calmly.
“No. We never were together. Trust me. He doesn’t need to know. And I’m sure that he won’t want to be a part of it. He’s a playboy. He’s only interested in women. His car and his career. He’d probably have a heart attack if he knew. Honestly, Mother. He probably doesn’t even remember me.” Andromeda said.
Andromeda shoved spoonfuls of her mother’s famous banana pudding in her mouth.
“I don’t know about you young women today. Andromeda. The child needs a father.” Edith said.
“I can tell you one thing about these men today, Mother. Most of them don’t want kids. And when they get a female pregnant they generally don’t want a thing to do with her or the kid. And they hate paying child support. All they want to do is have a good time. All they want to do is be with as many women as possible with the least bit of commitment as possible. And knowing this I’ll have you know that I won’t ask this man for anything. Or tell him anything about this baby. This baby is mine. It’s your grandchild too. Aren’t you happy? You’ve been ragging on me to reproduce for years.” Andromeda said between bites of the dessert.
“I’m happy baby. But I want to make sure that you are happy. And I wanted. I wanted a nice son-in-law to complete the picture. I want to see you married and happy.” Edith commented cautiously.
Edith studied her daughter’s blank face from across the table.
“You don’t have to be married to be happy. And if I do get married. The man who fathered this baby would not be my first choice. Is there any more pudding?” Andromeda asked.
Andromeda turned from her Mother. She lifted the bowl of pudding from the glass table. She kept her eyes on the white paste as she commenced to licking the ceramic pot clean.
Chapter 4
Andromeda strolled down the brightly lit aisles of the grocery store. She took intermittent bites of the deep chocolate brownie she had taken off the shelf. She placed the bag of opened goodies in the front portion of her shining metal cart she pushed in front of her.
She had no bananas in the house. Or maple syrup. There was no marshmallow fluff or cantaloupe. And she craved all of these items and a dozen or so more with a vengeance.
She had just completed a lengthy marathon of grocery shopping three days prior and had managed to consume the entire heavy haul during heated internet meetings, frantic calls to her clients and midnight editing sessions that lasted far longer than her constantly filling bladder could take.
Andromeda had awoken in a state of near paranoia within the confines of her new house with cravings for a bowl of ripe bananas, cantaloupes, raisins, maple syrup and marshmallow fluff.
She rummaged through cabinets, the refrigerator and her pantry but merely found graham crackers and an assortment of dust.
Andromeda threw on a velour track suit and she leaped into her car immediately.
She made her way through the deserted boulevards and pulled into the empty parking lot of a reputable 24 hour grocery store. As she entered the brightly lit shop, she glanced up at the clock above the sliding glass doors to see that it was 2am.
She didn’t care as she rushed into the store and grabbed a cart.
And as Andromeda meandered her way through the food laden aisles, her stomach rumbled and she picked up more items than she planned to purchase.
During her strolls through the food crammed aisles, Andromeda looked up with awe to see three other pregnant women strolling down the aisles with looks of frantic condemnation on their faces.
Andromeda was amazed that other people shopped at this ungodly hour.
The dark haired woman surveyed the large assortment of wares in her cart. She sighed as she turned a corner. She made her way to the freezer section of the store. She turned away from her cart and pulled the transparent freezer door ajar.
The frigid air poured from the encasement and she grit her teeth as her nimble fingers closed around a half pint of Decadent Chocolate ice cream. Her mouth watered as she turned from the freezer and allowed the door to shut in front of her.
She strode forward and tossed the carton of frozen dessert into her cart. She stared down at the frost ridden carton for a few moments. She allowed her vision to pass over the pictures of chocolate blocks and leaves that adorned the container.
Andromeda mused over the prospect of purchasing another carton when she looked up towards the frost covered glass door.
She took a step back in fright as she saw a tall dark haired man standing in the aisle a few paces away from her.
The man was clad in an impeccably tailored shirt of pale blue cotton. He wore slightly rumpled slacks of pale brown. Stark white tennis shoes encased his feet.
He leaned his muscular form over the metal handle of the shopping cart that lay partially empty in front of him with his cool blue eyes fixed on Andromeda’s shocked form.
Andromeda lowered her vision from the tall man’s alabaster skin. She flitted her flint gray eyes over the contents of his shopping cart. She saw a neatly arranged assortment of fresh fruits, vegetables and frozen yogurt inside the metal basket.
Andromeda cleared her throat as her mouth felt suddenly dry. And the contents of her stomach churned as the handsome man addressed her.
“Hello Andromeda.” Evan said.
He scanned the young woman’s reddening face before he lowered his sight to the elaborately carved cameo of ivory that was attached to a shimmering chain of gold that hung around her neck.
“Hello.” Andromeda replied.Andromeda glanced at the dark haired quickly. She felt her stomach gurgle as she watched him lower his vision to her protruding belly.
Andromeda felt a wave of discomfort settle in her belly as she watched a look of indescribable horror passed over Evan’s features.
The expression rested on his handsome face for a flicker of a moment before the young man he composed himself. Evan settled his vision on her Andromeda’s face with a forced smile.
Andromeda rushed around her abandoned cart. She hurriedly settled her form behind it. She leaned her protruding belly against the rolling crate in an effort to hide her advanced state of gestation from the tall man’s prying eyes.
“How. How have you been?” Evan asked.
Evan cleared his throat in the empty brightly lit aisle.
“Great. How have you been?” Andromeda asked.
She glanced at the empty space behind the man as he spoke to her.
“Well. You never returned my calls.” Evan began.
The handsome man leaned over his cart with a wry smile in her direction.
“Oh. I’ve been busy.” Andromeda stated.
She grasped at the plastic covered handle of the shopping cart so tightly that her knuckles ached from the effort.
“Apparently.” Evan commented.
He lowered his sight from the smiling woman’s face and he stared at her round middle that was elegantly encased within the velour tunic she wore.
“Well, it was great seeing you. Have a great night.” Andromeda said lightly.
She turned her cart around and barreled down the aisle in the opposite direction.
“Yeah. Okay. You too.” Evan called.
Evan watched Andromeda turn the corner at the end of the freezer filled aisle and disappear.
Andromeda cursed as the wheels adorning cart squealed violently as she heaved the weighted vehicle across the recently polished floors of the supermarket. She headed in the direction of the nearest check out.
The fatigue ridden clerk stared at the assortment melons, strawberries, liters of syrup, candy bars, ice cream, breakfast sausages, frozen pancakes, marshmallow fluff and matches with an expression of awe.
The clerk lifted her pimple ridden face and she took a step back from Andromeda as the impatient woman thrust the plastic debit card in her face.
The teenage girl took the card and she hurriedly slid it through the validation machine with flourish.
Andromeda retrieved her card and she glanced around the empty store to see that one other line was open a few aisles away from her.
A sleepy looking teenage boy with the complexion of almonds was busily bagging dozens of cans of Beefaroni in front of a bent over elderly woman. The old lady loudly counted each can before the fatigued clerk slid the canisters of meaty pasta into a paper bag.
Andromeda turned away from the towering cans of salt induced pasta. She felt a sudden wave of nausea pour over her. She suddenly imagined the grease laden scent of the beef and pasta pureed product in her nose.
She grabbed tightly to the handle of her cart as the acne ridden clerk thrust her bags into the cart.
Andromeda nodded her head. She shoved the cart forward and she moved swiftly in the direction of the doorway. Her stomach gurgled and through the haze of approaching nausea she was suddenly assaulted by an overwhelming burst of uncontrollable emotion as she felt the light stirrings of her child move within her.
Her heart fluttered as she passed through the opened door of the supermarket. She moved forward with her sight fixed on her car which she had parked in one of the designated handicapped spaces.
Tears filled her eyes from the unbelievable experience of feeling life move within her. And she let out a cough as the wave of nausea that had threatened to overtake her in the store made its eventual return.
The dark haired woman reached into her purse. She pulled out her keys along with several loose Saltine crackers she carried around in her satchel during her gestation.
She raised her vehicle’s remote control device and unlocked the doors and trunk of her vehicle. She shoved three dry crackers into her mouth and chewed the dry thin wafers voraciously.
Andromeda reached into one of the many shopping bags that had been squeezed within her cart and she pulled out a shimmering bottle of ginger ale.
She wrenched open the plastic bottle and downed half of its contents before she hurriedly set the bottle in her cart. Andromeda set to the task of tossing her bags within the empty space of her trunk.
Andromeda let out a series of loud erratic burps as she threw several brown paper bags into the compartment the rear of her car. She stood erect and placed her hand protectively over her bulging stomach as a loud crash resounded behind her. She felt the nearly empty shopping cart at her side vibrate from the sound.
Andromeda turned around. She thrust her hand within the confines of her purse and brushed her fingers against the Tazer she had secreted there.
She looked up to see the cotton clad figure of Evan standing a few paces behind her with the front portion of his cart resting against the side of hers.
His dark blue eyes were fixed on her face. He looked into her eyes with an expression of earnestness as he addressed her.
“Is the baby mine?” Evan asked.
He pulled his cart off of hers and allowed it to sit in the middle of the driving path.
Andromeda glanced at her nearly empty cart before she rested her sight on the dark haired man.
Evan crossed his arms over his chest as he moved towards her.
“No. Why would you think otherwise?” Andromeda asked.
She clutched at the weapon in her bag.
“I did the mental math. You’re about. Five months along? Am I right?” He asked quietly.
“Wrong. On both counts.” Andromeda stated.
She removed her hand from the Tazer in her bag and she reached for the remaining parcels in her cart.
She moved back protectively as Evan moved forward and grabbed three of the bags in his hands. He placed them gently inside her trunk.
“Thanks. I can take it from here.” Andromeda stated.
She moved the empty cart from the rear of her car and she watched Evan arrange the haphazard shopping bags neatly within the confines of her trunk.
The dark haired man slammed the lid down and rested his hands on the rear portion of the car for a brief moment before he turned abruptly and stared into her eyes.
“You’re lying.” He commented with vehemence.
“What do I have to gain by lying to you?” Andromeda asked.
“I’m a psychiatrist by trade. I know when people are lying to me. I get paid to know. And you’re lying.” Evan persisted.
He leaned on Andromeda’s car with his vision fixed steadily on her.
“Get off of my car. It’s late. I’m going home.” Andromeda announced.
She walked in the direction of the driver side door. She ceased as she heard Evan’s footsteps behind her.
“Why else would you try to hide it from me? In the store. When you saw me you looked sick. And then you tried to hide behind your cart. Why would you do that? Why would you be ashamed of your condition if it wasn’t mine?” Evan asked.
Evan watched Andromeda take a deep breath as she moved forward and wrenched her car door open.
She stood in the opening of her vehicle for a few moments before she looked up into the handsome man’s face and addressed him.
“It’s not yours. Your math is off. I’m not that far along. You should be glad.” Andromeda said quickly.
She turned from Evan and she jumped inside her car. She started the engine.
Evan moved to the driver side of the car. He stared through the windshield and he gazed at the dark haired woman’s face for a few moments as she began moving her car backwards without looking at him.
“Does he know?” Evan asked.
He followed the moving car at a safe distance.
Andromeda did not look at the tall man as she turned the wheel in her hands and moved the car.
She sped out of the empty parking lot and headed in the direction of her house. She did not realize that she was holding her breath until her chest started to ache a few blocks down the road.
And as she pulled into her garage, her stomach rumbled.
Andromeda consumed half of the carton of ice cream during her trip from her indoor garage and her kitchen.
Andromeda ate for nearly an hour and as she lay on her newly carpeted living room floor with her hands atop her swollen belly and her eyes closed lightly in sleep, she had completely forgotten about Evan, and their interlude in the parking lot.
Chapter 5
Andromeda laughed uproariously while her private Lamaze coach gripped her fat laden belly. The woman let out a series of whooshing breaths that came out of her mouth similar to the noise of a wounded seal.
“Come on, Anne. You have to take this seriously.” Her friend Rita said.
Rita held lightly to Andromeda’s spine as the young girl leaned on her for support.
“I know. But I can’t help it. Just look at her!” Andromeda stated with a laugh
She watched the middle aged birthing consultant seated on the lightly carpeted floor in front of her looked up at the ceiling with bulging brown eyes and let out the wild sounds once more.
Andromeda fell into a series of giggles that turned into uproars laughter as she felt her baby kick her sharply at the front of her abdomen.
“Ah! She kicked me. That means that this crap isn’t working!” Andromeda commented between hoots.
The middle aged birthing coach continued her demonstrations, and Andromeda rose up off of the floor and headed in the direction of the doorway.
“I gotta go the ladies room. I’ll be right back.” Andromeda called.
She watched the gray haired lady who was rumored to have had eight children of her own cease her seal like outbursts.
The coach stared at Andromeda’s swollen figure with a smile as she sat up.
“We’ll wait for you. We have about twenty minutes left before my next full class. You are more than welcome to stay. There are some other things that I could teach you that will be very helpful. So much that an epidural might not be needed.” The ageing woman stated.
Cheerfully.
The older woman ignored the loud snort that erupted from Rita’s mouth as the red haired woman heard her statement.
Andromeda held tightly to her stomach as the insistent pressure on her bladder increased. The dark haired woman stared at the smiling coach as if she had lost her mind.
Since she had first learned of her pregnancy, Andromeda had watched hundreds of videos, read dozens of books and spoke with an infinite number of women who had experienced the miracle of childbirth.
And each person told her plainly that the magical word that every woman in labor will kill to hear was ‘epidural.’ Andromeda smiled and nodded at the woman and turned in the direction of the doorway. She walked down the hall feeling her bladder near the bursting point and she ran into the nearest bathroom and made it to one of the private lavatories just in time.
And as she emerged from the stall and moved in the direction of the line of sinks that lay beneath a large rectangular mirror, she believed that the coach was a little insane.
And as she finished washing her hands, Andromeda questioned her mental faculties as well. The dark haired woman felt her heart skip a beat when she looked at a far wall to see a line of neatly scrubbed urinals resting against the barrier.
She had walked into the men’s bathroom by mistake.
Andromeda let out a low sigh as she turned towards the hand dryer and thrust her hands beneath the heated jet. She stood there for a few moments and glanced in the direction of the stalls as she heard a toilet flush.
“Shit.” Andromeda cursed.
She shook the dampness from her hands and ran across the floor in the direction of the door.
Andromeda ceased her stride as the door was flung ajar and the figure of Evan suddenly stood in her path.
A low cough echoed behind her from the stalls.
Andromeda did not turn around from Evan’s penetrating stare as the tall man entered the lavatory with a bemused smile on his face.
“Have you lost your way?” He asked with a laugh.
“Temporarily. If you could move outta my way.” Andromeda stated.
She pushed past the handsome man and fled into the hall.
“You know. You really should listen to her. Epidurals are bad for the baby.” Evan commented as he strode confidently behind her.
“What do you know? And how do you know? Are you following me?” Andromeda demanded.
She spun on her heel and faced the suit clad man in the middle of the sunlit hall.
“I know she’s mine.” Evan stated with his face devoid of expression.
“What are you talking about?” Andromeda asked.
A loud cough erupted from the men’s bathroom down the hall before the door slammed shut with an audible bang.
“You changed your number three times. And you’ve moved twice since I saw you last. If it’s not mine, then why are you avoiding me? Why are you hiding from me?” Evan asked calmly.
“Why are you stalking me, you freak? I told you that it’s not yours.” Andromeda hissed.
She turned and watched three pregnant females stroll through hall pass them.
“I’m not stalking you, Ann. I just want to talk to you is all. I want to be a part of the baby’s life. Our baby’s life. I want to help in any way I can. I want to be there. And. I still have feelings for you too. I wasn’t lying to you all those months ago, Ann. I know that you think that I was. I know that you think that I’m like all the other creeps in this city. But I’m not. Because I’m here. I missed you alot.” Evan stated.
He moved towards Andromeda and he immediately ceased with his eyes cast downward as Andromeda raised up her hand and let out a loud snort.
“So it’s not stalking if you care about me?” Andromeda asked with a heated glint in her eyes.
“I’m not stalking you. I’m just concerned. About you. And our baby.” Evan countered with his eyes locked on hers.
“It's not yours! This is not your baby! And what you are doing constitutes stalking. So stop it! I will do what I need to do to keep you away from me and my baby.” Andromeda hissed.
“She is mine.” Evan thundered.
“She is not!” Andromeda fumed.
She pointed her index finger in Evan’s direction as her voice echoed in the hall.
“So it is a girl.” Evan said.
He took a step back while he gazed at Andromeda’s round abdomen that lay beneath the peasant style top she wore.
“If it's not mine then whose is it? How many of them were there!” Evan asked with vehemence.
“There. Now you’re calling me a whore. Like I said. It's not yours. So you should be glad. I have a quack to listen to. Don’t follow me anymore. Don’t call me. And don’t even talk to me. I’m done with you.” Andromeda insisted.
Andromeda stared into Evan’s deep blue eyes before she spun on her heel and hobbled into the empty classroom she had just vacated.
Andromeda nearly lost the partial contents that had settled in her bladder as the middle coach rose from her perch atop the floor and clapped loudly as she entered the room.
Andromeda moved across the floor and she headed in the direction of her friend Rita whose spandex clad form was seated on the mat filled carpet a few feet from the applauding Lamaze coach.
And as Andromeda moved closer to her friend, Rita threw a sly glance in the direction of the clapping teacher and stared into her friend’s eyes once more before mouthing the word:
“Loon.”
Andromeda fell atop the mat in front of her friend and collapsed into a series of giggles that could not be contained.
She was unable to successfully complete the weird breathing exercises the coach insisted would help ease the pain.
And were it not for the light dose of laughter her fiery haired best friend provided, Andromeda would have felt as if she had wasted three hundred of her hard earned dollars for an hour with the licensed kook.
“Well you certainly don’t have to worry about your daughter’s future sexuality.” Rita stated.
Rita sucked on a handful of Saltines she had taken from Andromeda’s purse as they exited the large white building and strolled in the direction of the adjoining parking lot.
“Why do you say that?” Andromeda asked.
Andromeda carried a large white envelope at her side as she waddled forward in the heat of the noon day sun.
“We had a hell of a time trying to take a picture of her without having damned legs closed!” Rita cackled.
Rita shoved the remnants of crackers in her mouth as Andromeda paused on the sidewalk.
“You are terrible. And I’m hungry. Pasta?” Andromeda asked.
She watched her leather clad friend raise her rhinestone covered car alarm device in the air and press the button.
The distinctive sounds of an Aretha Franklin song erupted in the center of the mass of cars a few paces from where the two young ladies stood on the sidewalk.
“Damn. I didn’t think we were that close. I want Chinese.” Rita said.
Rita coughed while she watched her friend rummage through her large purse and produce a small bottle of water.
“MSG. I can’t do it. Besides, the smell of that grease makes me sick. I want pasta. Mountains and mountains of pasta. With Alfredo sauce. And a slice of Tiramisu. And Cannelloni.” Andromeda said.
“Tiramisu has coffee in it. Okay. Pasta it is. DeAngelos?” Rita asked.
Rita stepped on the curb and headed in the direction of the lot.
“If we can get in. We have to deal with the lunch crowd.” Andromeda said.
Andromeda began waddling forward. She ceased her walk when Rita raised up a manicured hand tipped with elongated fingernails in her direction.
“I’ll bring the car around. We can’t have you falling out in this heat. I’ll be right back.” Rita called.
Rita turned and she ran dangerously forward in her three hundred dollar high heels.
Andromeda stood on the curb. She patted her gurgling belly as she watched her friend depart. She turned around with a start as she felt the oversized envelope slide from its perch within her left hand.
The dark haired woman turned around and she saw the tall figure of Evan standing behind her.
He held the envelope in his hands and the handsome young man pursed his lips as he opened the thick manila covering. He thrust his pale hand inside the envelope with his blue eyes fixed steadily on Andromeda’s shocked face as he pulled the dark film from within the sheathe.
“Is she beautiful?” he asked.
Evan allowed the envelope to fall to the ground as he studied the ultra sound images he held greedily in his hands.
“I see she opened her legs this time.” He commented.
He passed his dark blue vision over the film in his hand with a wry grin.
“Give me that you fuck!” Andromeda hissed.
The pregnant woman stepped forward and she tore the dark plastic images from his grasp and took quick a step back.
Evan stared at Andromeda in shocked silence for a brief moment. He watched her move near the curb while the sound of a car’s engine filled the car ridden space.
“That was a five month old fetus. If you count backwards you can clearly determine that the miraculous time we spent together produced this baby.” Evan stated mechanically.
“It's not true.” Andromeda said.
Andromeda took a step away from Evan and she watched him stare at her with cold blue eyes.
The young man regarded her wide eyed form for a few moments before he thrust his hands into the pockets of his impeccably tailored suit. He moved towards her solemnly.
“You are such a liar!” He fumed quietly with his gaze fixed steadily on her eyes.
“I want a paternity test as soon as my daughter comes into this world.” Evan stated.
The sound of an approaching car grew louder.
“What is wrong with you?” Andromeda asked.
She thrust her hand into the confines of her purse. She brushed her fingers past the stacks of loose crackers that lay within its leather interior.
She looked up with wide gray eyes as Evan thrust his hand within one of the front pockets adorning the navy blue blazer he wore and pulled out her battered metal Tazer.
Andromeda continued to wriggle her fingers in the confines of her bag as she stared at her old weapon with a mixture of awe and general fear. Evan held the small object in his hands and stepped forward. Andromeda removed her hand from her purse as she saw the clumsy initials A.L carved into the top portion of the weapon. She had scratched those letters on the weapon during a long airplane flight four years ago.
“Looking for this?” Evan asked.
“Why are you doing this?” Andromeda asked as she moved away from the man.
“Because I’m in love!” Evan shouted with a look of fury plastered across his features.
His face immediately melted into an expression of cheerful complacency as he focused on something behind the shivering young girl.
The sound of a rumbling engine mingled with the pulsating strains of hip hop erupted from behind Andromeda. She spun on her heel and faced the rumbling automobile in front of her.
Andromeda pulled the door to Rita’s sport scar ajar before falling into the vehicle’s interior.
“Whoooo Whee! Who is that? I’m stopping the car!” Rita said with interest.
Rita leaned over her trembling friend and she stared into the remarkably handsome face of Evan who cheerfully approached the car.
“Drive.” Andromeda commanded.
She leaned back as Evan thrust his hand within the opened window at her side.
“Hello. I’m Dr. Evan Carmichael. The Progenor of Ann’s child.” He said in a light voice.
Evan smiled as he extended his hand in Rita’s direction.
Rita regarded him with silent awe and she looked at him with confusion as she shook his hand warmly.
“I’m the baby’s father, Rita. Hello. I’m so glad that I could finally meet you.” Evan said gleefully.
He laughed as Rita let out a noise of disappointment.
“Oh. So that means that you’re not available.” Rita commented with a sly smile in Andromeda’s direction.
Rita released her hold on the dark haired man’s warm hand.
“No. I’m not. Only one woman has my heart.” Evan stated.
He stood upright and thrust his hands inside his pocket. He gazed wistfully at Andromeda and the young woman did not look at the smiling man as a loud cooing noise erupted from Rita’s throat at the sound of his statement.
“Then go to her!” Andromeda declared in a loud brittle voice.
She turned from the windshield in front of her and stared she at Evan’s tall form with vengeance.
A loud gasp poured from Rita’s lips as Andromeda watched a hurt expression settle across Evan’s pale features. His features appeared to melt as Rita’s high pitched voice echoed in the cab.
“You’re so mean to him!” Rita said.
Andromeda turned to address her friend. She immediately became stiff as Evan’s face suddenly appeared in the window beside her.
The young man kneeled on the curb and rested his form on the door.
“She’s so hard on me. I just want to be with her. And be a part of the baby’s life. But don’t let her fool you. Underneath that tough exterior. She’s a big softie.” Evan chuckled.
He grabbed at the lower portion of the window on which he leaned and he moved forward. He closed his eyes as he placed his warm lips atop Andromeda’s cheek.
Andromeda flinched. And she let out a little cry at the sensation of the man’s heated flesh caressing hers. She became stiff in her seat as Evan removed his mouth from atop her cheek.
Evan placed his lips against her ear that was partially hidden beneath the tumble of wild dark curls that framed her face.
Andromeda felt a distinct chill creep up her spine as he whispered into her ear.
“I’ll be by the house later. If that’s okay with you.” He said wistfully.
Andromeda found it difficult to breathe as the delicate scent of vanilla rose from his flesh and wafted into her nostrils. She closed her eyes as images of their night of lovemaking flashed across her consciousness.
She moved away from the handsome man as his lips found their way into her hair. Andromeda twisted her form and she grabbed her smiling friend’s shoulder.
Andromeda she raised her left leg off of the floor with great difficulty and stomped on the Rita’s high heeled covered foot that lay perched atop the accelerator.
The car lurched forward and barreled down the car filled lot.
Rita screamed bloody murder as she grabbed the wheel.
A low huff erupted from the pavement behind them as Evan released his hold on the door.
The car continued its motion forward as Andromeda continued to press her foot atop her friend’s. Andromeda removed her offending limb from her friends’ expensively encased foot and she let out a cry as Rita slammed on the brakes.
The car came to an abrupt halt just before it rolled into oncoming traffic.
“What the fuck was that! Has this pregnancy made you fucking insane! You could have killed us!” Rita shrieked.
Rita rapidly moved the car’s gear shift into park as she turned to her wide eyed friend in fury.
“And look at this shit! You’re not even wearing a damned seat belt! You could have killed the baby! What the fuck! Get in the backseat. And buckle the fuck up!” Rita yelled.
Andromeda watched her friend’s dough white face flush several shades of crimson.
“Now listen to me.” Andromeda stated.
She turned from her red faced friend and she glanced at the rear view mirror situated slightly above her head. She gasped when she saw the dirt ridden figure of Evan rushing towards them with a look of concern on his features.
“That man back there is crazy. He thinks we’re in a relationship. It was just a booty call.” Andromeda stated quickly.
“What? How was it?” Rita asked.
Rita calmed down with an inappropriate suddenness. And the red haired woman looked at her pregnant friend wide brown eyes and a delicately raised eyebrow.
“It was months ago. I barely remember. He thinks this baby is his. He thinks that we’re going to be a family or something.” Andromeda spat.
“Is he the father?” Rita asked wide brown eyes.
“It's hard to say.” Andromeda responded.
She stared into the mirror to see that see Evan moving closer to the car.
“Damn! You do get around! But, if he’s the father. He has a right to see the baby. He does have a right to be in his child’s life.” Rita said.
“Not if he’s crazy!” Andromeda countered.
“He’s a doctor. A psychiatrist isn’t he? I’ve seen him in the building during my sales calls. His office is always packed. With those pill popping socialites who are probably trying to fuck him.” Rita stated with a sour look on her face.
“They can be crazy too. Imagine having to listen to rich kids who don’t have a fucking care in the world rant about their nonsensical problems all day. I’d go crazy too.” Andromeda said vehemently.
She watched Rita stare into her rear view mirror.
“Oh look. He’s coming to see if you are alright.” Rita said with a grin.
Rita turned around her seat and she waved at the running man.
“Drive away Rita. I mean it.” Andromeda said.
Andromeda pulled the seatbelt around her form and she inched her leg over towards the brake pad.
“Damnit, Ann. At least he’s concerned. You and I both know that most of those fucks don’t give a damn. At least he’s trying.” Rita said calmly.
“If you won’t start this bitch up then I will. Now.” Andromeda said between clenched teeth.
Andromeda she grabbed the gear shift.
“Alright! Alright!” Rita exclaimed vehemently.
Rita slapped her friend’s hand away from the knob and she placed the shift in the drive position.
“With your rude ass!” The red haired woman said.
Rita stomped on the accelerator and jettisoned the car forward where she merged effortlessly into traffic.
Andromeda did not look back as the car moved forward. And after a few moments Rita turned to her friend and spoke.
“DeAngelos?” She asked lightly.
“No. Take me to the police station. I need to file a restraining order on the kook. Then we can get Chinese. I think I can take the grease today.”
Andromeda turned away from the lighted monitor adorning the laptop computer. She cocked her head to the side as the sound of her mother’s voice wafted into the opened doorway of her room.
She shifted her weight atop the stitched lilac comforter that had lain across the pallet since the days of her youth. She slammed the lid of the compact sized computer down. She placed the small machine atop her bed and averted her sight from the slightly faded prepubescent photographs of teen idols that lined the wall of the room in which she had spent a good portion of her childhood.
Her mother had left her chamber just as she had left it nearly a decade ago.
Andromeda padded down the lilac covered hall. She glanced at the assortment of closed wooden doors that lined the corridor of her strangely silent house.
Andromeda traveled down the heavily carpeted steps while she held her massive belly. She gripped tightly at the wooden railing at her side as she reached the bottom of the landing.
She turned her form and headed in the direction of the kitchen. And she stopped as sounds of light laughter poured from the cream colored living room that lay a few feet away from the steps in the large corridor in which she stood.
Andromeda glanced at the closed wooden doorway in front of her. She raised her sight upwards towards the colorful panes of circular stained glass that decorated the small patch of wall between the ceiling and door pane. She stared at the glass for a brief moment and she concentrated on the peaceful sight of bright tendrils of sunlight that poured through the colored panels.
The flood of light passed over the carpeted floor beneath her sock ridden feet. Andromeda studied the patterns adorning the carpet. She looked up as the sound of tinkling glass wafted into her ears.
Andromeda traveled in the direction of the living room. She stood in the doorway of the chamber and she saw her mother seated within a cream leather ottoman.
The older woman’s her silk covered form figure bent slightly over and her gray eyes studied the murky depths of tea she held in her brown grasp.
Edith Lansing smiled as her translucent eyes studied the shining silver spoon she swirled within the fragrant liquid. Loud tinkling sounds of the utensil’s edge hitting the side of the beaker echoed in the large room.
Andromeda lowered her vision from her mother’s seated form. She settled her sight on the oblong glass table that lay before her. And she saw a glittering silver tea service resting atop the transparent tableau.
Her mouth began to water as she passed her sight along the mounds of chocolate drizzled biscuits, almond paste biscotti, flaky butter cookies, sticky peach pastries, and coconut macaroons that lay in neat piles atop shimmering silver platter on the table.
Andromeda entered the room and she immediately straightened her spine as her mother’s lightly wrinkled face turned upwards in her direction.
Andromeda grabbed a linen napkin from the table and placed the cool piece of fabric gently in her nearly non-existent lap. She sat within a nearby chair of cream colored leather. She removed a small saucer gingerly from the table and she commenced to piling the small plate with an assortment of goodies.
And just before she prepared to stuff a chocolate dipped biscuit into her awaiting mouth, her mother lowered the cup of tea from her painted lips. Edith cleared her throat politely, yet loudly.
As if responding to a bell, Andromeda immediately lowered the plate of goodies she balanced in her lap onto the table. Andromeda suppressed a sigh as she begrudgingly took part in the Lansing family ritual of taking “high tea” in the afternoons.
Thus, instead of dumping the plate full of delicious goodies within the confines of her greedy mouth, Andromeda heard the voice of her mother in her mind during hours of tactile admonishment on the subject of “good manners.”
Andromeda participated in the mystic ritual of her mother’s set hour for tea. She followed the prescribed protocol by helping herself to a steaming cup of chamomile tea before sampling the sweet biscuits.
“And how are you feeling today?” Mrs. Lansing asked her daughter.
Edith she sipped the tea in her hands and started the round of conversation.
As Andromeda sipped the soothing brew in her hands, she idly wondered if her sister who was at that moment immersed in a period of twenty-four hour darkness in the land of the rising sun was missing this practice that had become a weekly staple in their young erratic lives.
“I am good. Hungry though.” Andromeda said with a distinct edge to her voice.
Andromeda lowered the cup of tea onto the table. She grabbed a chocolate drizzled cookie off of the small plate she had previously abandoned.
“I would have made peppermint. If you still have the nausea.” Edith Lansing commented.
The middle aged woman took a gentle bite of the small watercress sandwich she held lightly in her white gloved hand.
Andromeda twisted her face into a grimace as she caught sight of the flavorless foodstuff that her mother was nibbling on furiously. And as she spoke her stomach began its constant furious rumbling.
“I’m fine. I was told that it would go away after the first few months.” Andromeda commented.
She shoved a chocolate biscuit covered with mint shavings into her mouth.
“That’s what the doctors say dear. And you can’t go by what they say. For as we all know. Most the physicians are men. And what do they know about childbirth? I mean. What can they really tell us? Have they gone through it ever? Have they ever been pregnant? Licensed quacks if I ever saw one.” Edith Sophia Lansing said lightly.
She sighed before she took a long sip of her tea.
“Now. We’re not all bad.” A low masculine voice called from the doorway.
Andromeda felt suddenly ill as the distinct sound of rattling entered the space. She felt a lump of peppermint catch in the middle of her throat as she looked in the direction of the doorway.
She saw the smiling figure of Evan Carmichael clad in an impeccably casual suit of azure blue perched in the doorway. He held a large tray filled with sweets and boxes of tea in his grasp. And he regarded Andromeda with a wide smile as strode into the room.
He watched Andromeda watch him with wide gray eyes as she swallowed the mouthful of sweet paste within her mouth with great and solemn difficulty.
“Now when I say quack, I mean the obstetricians mostly.” Edith Lansing corrected.
The older woman watched Evan walk across the room while he balanced the large tray with a bright smile on his face.
“Psychiatry is another thing altogether.” Edith said with a laugh.
She placed her cup of tea on the glass table in front of her. She leaned forward and the middle aged woman busied herself with moving the assortment of small saucers of sweets in a neat row to make room for the massive tray that the dark haired man was bringing her way.
Evan let out a satisfied grunt as he placed the platter gently atop the table. He stood upright and regarded the seated figure of Andromeda with a wide smile.
“It's good to hear that you have respect for what my branch of the medical community has tried and succeeded in doing. History has proven that our predecessors were unforgivably barbaric in their quest for deciphering exactly what goes on in the human mind.” Evan said in a vague tone.
He turned from Andromeda’s shocked expression and he gazed into Edith Lansing’s’ smiling face as he addressed her.
“What drives us. What motivates us. And in extreme cases. How the brain functions when something is determined to be wrong. For all the suffering that was inflicted on the weak by those physicians that came before me, I must truly admit that I am sorry for it. I cannot bear the thought of anyone or anything suffering in this world. Which is why I turned down the role of a surgeon. And instead found myself attempting to unlock the secrets of the human brain. Instead of butchering the flesh of the living. I couldn’t bear it, Mrs. Lansing.” Evan admitted.
He fixed his dark blue sight on the carpet.
“A noble cause. And I completely understand. You know, for a time I served as an Emergency Room Nurse.” Edith Lansing commented.
Andromeda turned her attention from the well dressed young man who stood before her. She gaped at her mother who sat comfortably on the couch near her.
Edith leaned forward and she sipped at her tea between moments of conversation.
“Really? How did you like it?” Evan asked.
He thrust his hands into his pockets while he regarded the middle aged woman with ill repressed awe.
“I didn’t. Fifteen years of dealing with blood and guts everywhere. It was not for the faint of heart. Or the weak of mind. But little by little I got my act together. Went back to school. Got my Master’s. And for the next fourteen years before my retirement my primary job was in Administration before I got the chance to do some consulting.” Edith stated with pride.
Edith smiled before she sipped at her tea.
“I find that to be astounding. I am in awe of your accomplishments. And I can clearly see how working in those pressurized conditions could ware on a person’s mind and spirit. Just the thought of knowing that the immediate choices that you make at a certain time can mean the difference between life and death for that bleeding person on the table in front of your is enough to make one insane.” Evan commented.
“I’ve seen several physicians snap like twigs under the pressure. And I’ve seen alot crack when the patient didn’t make it.” Edith stated.
“Yes. I remember my ER rotation well. I cried when it was over. Mostly from relief and the fact that I managed good scores. Between you and me I was scared to death the whole time.” Evan said.
“You? I don’t believe that.” Edith said with a laugh and a wave of her hand.
“Yes, it's true. I’d wake up from a dingy corner in the hospital I chose to crash. You know during that time an intern is on call for like days. Weeks in succession. And no matter how sleep deprived you may be you had to stay frosty. You had too. I rarely slept and when I did the dreams would jar me awake. And I would just sit in that room and shake for a long time before I found the courage to go out.” Evan said.
“But you possessed the courage to step from that room. That means something.” Edith said in a caressing tone.
“I guess. I think the thing about the ER thing that put me on edge was that you never knew who. Or what would be sitting in front of you. One day it was a gunshot victim. And the next a near decapitation you had to try to fix by the time the surgical unit would decide to come down to you.” Evan said.
Evan immediately ceased his speech as a loud cough poured from Andromeda’s mouth.
“Yes I remember those days. Too vividly.” Edith said wistfully.
Edith turned from Evan and she stared into her daughter’s face.
“Mother. What’s he doing here?” Andromeda asked.
Andromeda she balanced her heated cup of tea within the saucer on her lap.
Edith let out a low giggle before she responded.
“What kind of question is that?” Edith asked with disbelief.
“One that I need to be answered. Right now.” Andromeda asked.
Andromeda moved back protectively as Evan rose from his seat.
He strode towards her and the young man glanced warily at the cup of tea within Andromeda’s lap. He kneeled atop the thickly carpeted floor beside her. And he smiled as he grasped at the rear portion of the seat in which she rested.
He leaned forward and he gazed into her eyes.
“Hello Ann.” He said warmly before placing a gentle kiss atop her cheek.
Andromeda turned her head away in a flinching motion. She watched the young man close his eyes as he pressed his face into her flowing curls. He breathed deeply just before he leaped to his feet with a loud whistle.