14.
~ It was days and days of nothing that stretched out in a hollow, empty void. She didn't clean or eat much. The fancy groceries that were delivered daily sat unused, unrefrigerated and spoiled. Ariadne had sat them on her entry table, and only attended to them when the smell got too bad.
She threw them out in the garbage chute, sensing she was the only one on this hall anyway. Knowing she was alone and no one could hear her and no one even cared.
Arthur sent her flowers every morning. A polite and professional reminder to eat right, and go to yoga class. That they had a doctor's appointment in a weeks time and he would see her then.
Ariadne would leave the flowers out in the hall for the door man to pick up the next day when he brought her new ones. She didn't want to see them or be reminded of Arthur. Of his desertion in her time of need. She locked her door tightly, in an unknowable fear that gripped her. Wishing for a deadbolt to keep her safe.
'I don't need him.' she thought bitterly as she watched mindless reality shows all day.
She had yet to unpack the piano he had sent and sent the teacher away.
Instead, she watched TV, slept and hardly ate.
~ Arthur was worried. He couldn't seem to concentrate on his work and couldn't even play scales on the piano anymore. His fingers were once light and nimble, the music came so easily to him. Now, he was dropping notes all the time and growing frustrated.
Tom, in the grocery downstairs had said Ariadne had been rejecting the flowers he had sent. And there was was a strong suspicion she wasn't eating right. The garbage collector for the building reporting that bags of unopened, spoiled food was always to be found near her apartment each day.
Arthur needed to check on her, fought the urge to go and see her, but he knew if he did, he would want to stay.
'I don't love her.' he said to himself as he fumbled over the keys again. His music coming out like he never knew how to play.
'She's just going to have the baby and be gone. It's better if I deal with this now. It will be harder later on.'
~ Ariadne's first doctor's appointment required her to be present. She had overslept and didn't show up for the early morning visit. Resulting in Yuseff coming to see her.
"So any nausea?" the plump little man asked kindly.
"No." she said sadly. "Was Arthur there?"
"You mean at the clinic?" Yuseff asked. "Yes, he was."
The doctor removed his stethoscope as he finished taking her blood pressure.
"Why didn't he come here?" she asked.
"I believe he had to go to work. He may have mention something about you not wanting him there. That maybe that was why you neglected to come." he said in his neat accent.
"I neglected to come, because I overslept." she told him curtly.
"Have you been sleeping a lot lately?"
"Yes." she sighed. "I plan to go to sleep as soon as you leave."
"Arthur has also reported you have not been keeping up with your school work. Tom had told us that you have not been eating the foods he sends up." Yuseff said gently.
"I'm fine." she told him.
"A sad mother is an unhealthy mother." Yuseff told her.
She stared at him with such furry, he had to move away.
"That's really all you people care about, isn't it?" she said hostility.
"We care about you. I think Arthur cares for you very much." Yuseff argued.
She let out a long sigh.
"I don't want to see him. I don't want him to come to these appointments." she told him.
"He's the father-to-be, he has the right." Yuseff said gently.
"I'm the one who's having the baby." she told him curtly. "I have the finally say in who is there for my medical procedures."
~ "What do you mean I'm not allowed to be there?" Arthur growled at Yuseff.
"Just what I told you." the doctor said. "I've reviewed the contract, she has every right to not have you there if she doesn't want to."
"Arthur, you drew up the contract yourself." Richard said darkly.
"I..." Arthur faltered. "I thought she would want me there."
"She doesn't." Yuseff said.
"Well, I intend to be there even if she doesn't-"
"I won't allow that." Yuseff interjected.
Both men glared at the doctor who gave them a careless shrug.
"I was told when I agreed to this position that the mothers health is first priority till the child is born. I refuse to allow you to put her under stress. If she doesn't want to see you, doesn't want you in the exam room, that is what will happen." Yuseff said firmly.
"Perhaps it is for the best." Richard agreed. "You were trying to distance yourself from her anyway."
"Being there for the sonogram, that's something I was looking forward to." Arthur argued.
"I can make you a digital copy." Yuseff offered.
"How did she look?" Arthur asked. Not willing to let this matter drop.
"Not as well as I would like. I believe she is depressed. She's admitted to sleeping too much and I don't think she is eating enough." Yuseff said.
"I need to see her. I should have never left her alone." Arthur said.
"Son, this is not our way." Richard told him. "She is the doctor's responsibility now. Not yours."
~ Ariadne woke up with morning sickness a few weeks later. Her nausea keeping her up and forcing her to stay active or risk being sick again.
She hooked up her new piano and watched the DVDs Arthur had given her. She found it was much easier than she thought. The scales for the right hand, scales for the left. Playing them together was impossible. How did anyone actually do this?
Her school work started getting done, and her appetite slowly came back. Although, she was reluctant to eat anything more than soup and bread because of the constant throwing up.
She felt like she always smelled of vomit and was glad she had barricaded the front door so no one could come and get her.
She had an unreasonable fear of people barging into her apartment and taking her. She would have nightmares about them doing experiments on her body. Of people in white masks removing something from her body she needed to live. Then, far in the distance, she could hear a baby crying.
She would wake up in a cold sweat and then pushed the heavy wooden chest of draws to block her front door off. It was a stupid and maybe even crazy, but she felt better after doing it.
When she was hungry, she would push the chest of draws aside, look out the peep hole for a long time, then quietly unlock the door.
There was always a large cooler full of perishable foods, and a bag of fresh bread and vegetables for her. She would leave the flowers in the hall and take her supplies inside.
Back in her apartment, she was safe. She pushed her chest of drawers over the front door again and breathed a sigh of relief.
~ Yuseff was the only one who would visit her now. A few weeks went by and no one else cared enough to see if she were alive or dead. A gripping sorrow too roost in her soul and wouldn't budge.
"Please tell me you're eating better." Yuseff said as he wheeled in a portable machine.
"What's that?" she asked him looking at the bulky, awkward device.
"I thought you might like to see a picture of the baby." Yuseff offered proudly.
"I don't." she said stiffly.
"Ariadne, this is a 3D sonogram machine. It can show you the baby's face and everything. You're only three months along now, it will look a little odd, but we can see him or her if you like." he said hopefully.
"If you like." she corrected him. "This is just to take back to Arthur with you tail wagging."
"Very well, we don't have to do this." he said.
He noticed the chest of drawers that had been moved to allow him to come inside.
"Still in hiding I see." he mused.
"No one want's to see me. It's for the best, isn't it?" she said. Ready for another pity party.
"Arthur tells me you have resumed your school work."
"May as well try to make the most of a bad situation." she said stiffly.
"Your grades are not very praise worthy." Yuseff commented.
She glared at him.
"I've brought you some prenatal vitamins. No one can force you to take them or to eat correctly, but I'm asking as your friend, to take them." he said.
"You're not my friend." she said and moved away from him as he tried to give her the vitamins.
"I know you must feel that way." Yuseff told her. "But trust me, I am on your side."
"I want to leave." she announced.
"Leave the Demeter?" he asked.
"I want leave, to have my baby and keep it." she said.
"Alright." Yuseff said.
"What?"
"If that's what you want." he told her.
"I thought this baby was the property of... that it wasn't mine to keep." she said in surprise.
"Stop being silly. I'm glad to see you're concerned for the child." Yuseff said.
"Are you going to tell Arthur?" she asked fearfully.
"Do you want me to?" he asked.
"No."
"Then I won't."
"Will..." she was afraid to ask. "Will you help me leave?"
"Yes." Yuseff told her. "But you have to eat better and get your strength back."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"I told you, Ariadne." he said "I'm your friend. I will help you escape the Demeter."