“Sorry, time’s up,” a nurse says. “Can I make a suggestion?” She looks at me with kind eyes. “Go home and get some rest and then come back. I promise I’ll call you if anything changes. You have to take care of that baby.”

“How do you know?” I ask, thinking whether I’ve said anything. I’m so tired it could be possible.

“I was watching you on the monitor, and you’ve been rubbing your abdomen the whole time you’ve been talking to him.”

“Nobody knows except my best friend.” I feel a little panicked that my secret will be out before I’m ready.

“I won’t say a word.” She pats my hand and then lets me out of the room. I lean up against the wall, not sure if I can take another step. Just as the thought goes through my mind, I look up and see Jeff standing there waiting for me.

“Come on, we’re going home to get some rest. I’ve told Emily and Mr. Johnson, and they’re going back to the loft to stay a while,” he says while I let him lead me down the hallway.

26

The morning after the accident, my mom showed up at Jeff’s door. I was sound asleep and didn’t wake up until late afternoon, feeling like I had been hit by a truck.

I check the bedside table. My cell is missing. I slowly get out of bed, in deference to my sensitive stomach and crazy equilibrium. That’s when I hear voices and I open my door to see my mom at the kitchen table with Jeff. She gets up and meets me halfway with open arms.

“Mom? What? How?”

“Henry told me. I know he’s supposed to keep quiet about family matters and problems, but I knew something wasn’t right and he gave in after I told him I would start ignoring him all together. I kept getting your voice mail, so I drove down this morning. He told me along the way. No, I didn’t get stopped by the police, and no, your dad didn’t know I was coming. Why didn’t you call me? I’m your mother.” She’s hugging me tightly. I feel like I did when I was a little girl and she would hug away my fears. “Jeff has filled me in. Drew’s going to pull through. From what I’ve found out, he’s in love with my daughter and she’s in love with him too. So with my connections to the other side, I’m pulling out all the stops. My grandbaby will not be fatherless.” She kisses the top of my head as I realize what she just said.

“How do you know? Henry?”

She nods her head. “Of course, I would have known anyway. I’m your mother, after all.” She pulls back and wipes the tears flowing down my cheeks and then gently rubs my abdomen. “Now, pull yourself together. No more crying. Jeff says you haven’t eaten since yesterday morning, so we have to feed you. It’s an old wives’ tale that you’re eating for two. You’re just eating for yourself. That baby will take whatever it needs.”

“You’re not mad?” I ask in disbelief.

“Of course not. You love Drew and he loves you, and you will both love this baby. That’s all that matters.”

From that point on, my life changed. I felt more positive—okay, except for today, the two-week anniversary after the accident.

I make my way into the ICU and see Drew’s doctor having a discussion with his dad and Emily. They look up when they see me through the doors. I walk through, not sure what is waiting for me.

“Ah, Ms. Phillips. I’ve just been telling the Johnsons that we feel it’s time to bring Drew out of the coma. The swelling in his brain has resolved. He should wake up soon. There’s no timetable though. It just depends on how his body shrugs off the remnants of the drugs. We’ll see when he wakes up what, if any, damage was done,” the doctor explains and then leaves us to talk amongst ourselves.

“Dora, you go first. Dad and I will go down to the cafeteria. We haven’t eaten breakfast yet.” Emily kisses my cheek and Drew’s dad pats my back awkwardly. We have come to know each other these last weeks, and we’ve had long talks on why I left the photo shoot that day. I haven’t told them that I’m pregnant yet, or that I love Drew, but they have said he’s loved me from the first minute he saw me. I’ve cried many tears over the time I’ve wasted being so stubborn through all of this. But these two have made me feel like I’m family. Drew’s mother never showed up though. Apparently, she calls Emily once a day for progress reports, but has no plans on coming. Emily and her dad were relieved at the news, and I get the feeling if I met her, I would feel the same way.

How could a mother abandon her children? I touch my stomach. I will never leave you, I say silently to our precious bump.

I walk into Drew’s room and the first thing I notice is there are fewer lines leading into his body. The bruises have turned yellow, and over the last few days, the swelling has drastically diminished. He looks like Sleeping Beauty, except a male version, of course. I wish a kiss would wake him up. A nurse walks in behind me and moves around me to the bed.

“As you can see, the doctor has removed the breathing tube and before you know it he’ll be waking up soon,” she says, turning to look at me. She didn’t say “if,” and I’m so grateful for that. “I’ll leave you two alone.” She quietly makes her exit.

“Hi, Drew. It’s me again. Hope you’re not getting sick of me, and if you are, too bad. The doctor has cut off your sleeping meds, so you’ll be awake soon. I can’t wait to see your beautiful eyes. I’ve so missed them so much. When you wake up your throat will be a little sore. The doctor says you’re healing wonderfully and that if you keep this up, you could go home soon. I know you’ll want to go as soon as you can once you taste the food. It’s horrible. As soon as you can, we’ll go to Papa’s. They send their love, as does my family. Even my grandma now believes you’re not gay because I told her I love you, and that I have firsthand knowledge of that. It went completely over her head, of course. I have a secret to tell you, but I won’t tell you until I can see your eyes and you can speak. Or maybe I should wait until you’ve completely recovered because you might not like my secret. I’m hoping that you do though.” I look at my watch. I’ve been in here more than an hour, and I smile at the kindness of the nursing staff.

Jeff’s waiting for me when I come out of the room and we sit in the waiting area, watching the morning talk shows. Life goes on.

“Dora. Dora, wake up.” I look up and see Emily standing over me. She’s smiling and laughing. I’m lying on a couch and I sit up when she grabs my hands. “He’s awake and I asked him questions and he blinked once for ‘yes’ and twice for ‘no,’ or was it the other way around? The nurse says a doctor is on his way up to check him out.”

She’s jumping up and down. I stand up and she hugs me like she will never let me go. Yes, I’m happy, but anxious too. After weeks of talking to him, I’m scared I won’t know what to say.

“She’ll come and get you after it’s done. Now remember, you promised you wouldn’t tell him I told you he’s quitting the modeling gig, or that he’s opening a children’s center and the shelter for battered women. I want him to be the one to tell you, okay?”

“I won’t forget.”

When Emily first told me about Drew’s plans, I couldn’t believe he would give up his career. She told me that he started thinking about this in September, and she felt it was because he met me. As we wait for the nurse, I try hard not to rub my stomach to calm my nerves. I want to tell Emily, but I think Drew should hear it first. Okay, so he’s not the first, but I don’t think he’d like the fact that I told Emily the day he woke up from a coma before I told him. I hope he’s happy about it.