Maxie crawled out of bed, careful not to wake Spinelli. He was pretty much back to his old self, but she wasn't ready to move back home yet. She had gotten used to cuddling up to her best friend at night. Seeing him each morning filled her with so much joy she could barely contain it. With a bright smile she grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom to shower and change.
Spinelli listened to the water running and pulled Maxie's pillow close, inhaling her scent. He sighed contentedly and drifted back to sleep.
After getting ready for work Maxie headed to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out the grapefruit half she had been saving. Un-wrapping the plastic the bitter smell assaulted her and she was overcome by a wave of nausea. That's weird. She had been craving it all night and now she was disgusted by it. She left it on the counter and looked in the fridge for an alternative. The bottles on the bottom shelf were strangely attractive. She grabbed one of Spinelli's coveted orange sodas. She twisted open the lid and took a swig. It was heavenly. The bubbles even settled her stomach. She glance at her watch and cursed. How could the time have flown so quickly? She set the bottle down and raced out the door.
Spinelli heard the front door slam and pouted. He dragged himself out of bed and went downstairs. Upon entering the kitchen he was perplexed by the sight of Maxie's uneaten prized grapefruit, but even more by the fact that she had been drinking his "Nectar of the Gods". She didn't even like orange soda! He shrugged and finished off the carbonated goodness, before wrapping up the fruit and putting it away.
-
Maxie arrived at work with two hot coffee drinks. She brought one of them into Kate's office and took a sip of the other, burning her tongue. "Ah!" She set the cup down and fanned her mouth. The sudden movement made her dizzy. She plopped down onto her chair and held her head. When she felt better, she logged in to Kate's email and printed out all urgent notices.
A few minutes later Kate arrived. She was unusually happy. She breezed into the office and greeted Maxie with a smile. "Good morning, Maxie! How was your weekend?"
"Um, it was good. Thanks." Maxie replied in confusion. Kate barely asked her about her life. "And yours?"
"Fabulous! The wedding is back on! So prepare to be swamped today."
"That's great!" Maxie grabbed the stack of printouts. "By the way, here are your urgent emails. One of the designers is having a fit over the latest spread."
"What else is new," Kate snickered. She looked at Maxie strangely. "There's something different about you. Did you get a haircut?"
Maxie touched her hair. "Uh, no. I did get a new outfit, though." She stood up and turned to model it. Another wave of dizziness washed over her and she stumbled into Kate's arms.
"Whoa! Maxie. Are you okay? You look really pale all of a sudden."
Maxie felt sick. Maybe the orange soda wasn't such a great breakfast choice after all. "I don't feel so good," she said before running down the hall to the ladies room.
A few minutes later Maxie walked shakily back to her desk and sat down."
Kate came out of her office. "You know, if you're sick you shouldn't bother coming to work. I don't need to catch anything, especially with my wedding so close."
"I don't get it. I was fine this morning. Well, I didn't eat breakfast, but that shouldn't make me throw up. There was nothing in my stomach!"
"Don't you know that skipping breakfast can lead to weight gain?"
"I know! I never skip breakfast. I just… couldn't..."
Kate gave her a strange look. "How are you feeling right now?"
"Weird. Not sick, just--"
"Spaced out? Scattered? Not yourself?"
"Yeah!"
"Maxie, please forgive the assumption, but is there any way you could be pregnant?"
Maxie looked at her like she was crazy. "That's impossible! I haven't been with anyone since…" her voice trailed off. Oh. My. God.
Kate raised her eyebrows.
"No no no no no. It can't be. It was just one night. One stupid mistake! We didn't mean to. I almost ruined our friendship. Oh, god!" Maxie babbled. She started to hyperventilate.
"So there is a possibility." Kate picked up the phone. "Hi, this is Kate Howard. I need something delivered from the pharmacy ASAP."
-
Twenty minutes later Maxie stood in the ladies room staring at the pregnancy test. The instructions were simple. Pee on the stick and wait for the dreaded little word to appear. She was stalling. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. She wasn't ready for this. But Kate made it clear that she was not to leave the room until she had her answer.
Spinelli got off the elevator and was surprised to see Maxie's empty desk. Kate walked out of her office. "Hello, Mr. Spinelli. Are you here on business today?"
He smiled shyly. "Greetings, Fashionista. Apologies for my unannounced arrival, but I wanted to bring Maximista some sustenance. I noticed she didn't eat her breakfast this morning."
"That's very sweet of you. Wait a minute! Are you and Maxie living together?"
"Temporarily. Maximista has been my angel of mercy, nursing The Jackal back to health from his spleen removal surgery following his misfortune with a speeding car."
"You look like you've recovered."
He gave her a sad look. "Truer words were never spoken. And now Maximista will have no further cause to stay with me."
"Well, you never can tell."
Just then an anguished cry tore through the air.
"Maximista!" Spinelli ran down the hall.
"Spinelli, wait!" Kate caught up to him. "You can't go in there."
"But Maxie needs me!"
"Let me check on her. Would you please go wait in the office?" Kate slipped into the ladies room as Spinelli hesitantly walked away.
Maxie sat on the floor leaning back against the wall. Tears streamed down her face.
Kate saw the test in the sink. The word PREGNANT was clearly visible on the LCD display. "We have our answer."
"Oh, god. Oh, god. My life is ruined. My career is over before it's even begun," Maxie sobbed.
"Maxie Jones, pull yourself together! This is not the end of the world! And I'm not going to fire you just because you're pregnant."
"You're not?" Maxie wiped her eyes. "Why would you want such a slut working for you?"
"What? Where did that come from? You're not the only woman to ever find herself in this situation, you know!" She helped Maxie up. "But after that statement I have to ask… do you know who the baby's father is?"
Maxie gasped, "Yes!"
"Okay. Just checking." She patted Maxie's back. "Oh, you have a visitor that might make you feel better."
"Who?"
"Spinelli." Kate's smile became a frown as Maxie began to panic.
"No no no. He can't see me like this! He'll know something's wrong. I can't tell him. I can't. Oh, god."
"Maxie, calm down. It's okay. I'll get rid of him. But I don't understand. He's your best friend, isn't he? I thought you might want to talk to him."
Maxie pleaded with her tear-filled eyes. "I can't."
"Why not?"
Maxie looked away in shame.
I almost ruined our friendship. Kate's eyes went wide. "Oh, Maxie. Spinelli?"
Maxie sobbed.
-
Kate walked into the office and saw Spinelli sitting patiently at Maxie's desk. He still held the small bag in his hands, waiting to present it. "Mr. Spinelli?"
He stood up and greeted her. "What happened? Where's Maximista?" He hugged the bag to his chest.
Kate smiled sympathetically. "She's… having a bad morning. She'll be okay, though. I'll have her call you later."
"But I have—" He held up his bag and Kate took it.
"I'll make sure that she gets it." She ushered him into the elevator and waited for the doors to close. Then she dropped the bag on Maxie's desk before going back down the hall.
