"What did the doctor say?" Leo asks embracing Margaret Friday night as she wanders into the living room later that night.
"I got..." Margaret finishes her sentence holding up the bag from the drug store.
"At least you'll start to feel better." Leo says caressing her face.
Margaret nods understanding he's misread the turmoil on her face for fatigue and illness.
"You should go to bed." Leo says soothingly massaging gently at her shoulders as she wanders towards the bedroom. "I'll fill up the hot water bottle."
With his back turned, walking away, Margaret opens up the bag and stares at its contents for a moment before locking herself in the bathroom.
*
"She went down all right?" Leo asks flicking the channel on CJ and Simon's TV again.
"She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow." Margaret replies leaning against the side of the couch watching the channels fly by.
"It's been a very successful weekend of babysitting." Leo says settling on some news finally.
"I hope CJ comes back feeling better than she has been." Margaret sighs settling herself next to Leo.
"How about you?" Leo asks wrapping an arm around her.
"Fine." Margaret says half-heartedly.
"It might take them a couple of days to kick in." Leo compensates referring to her pills and Margaret visualizes the empty packet on the bottom of the trash bin in the kitchen, knowing full well it was never intended to fix anything.
*
"What time are we expecting them home?" Leo asks an hour later when the news has concluded.
"Nine." Margaret answers without opening her eyes, she's unsuccessfully been trying to get some sleep.
"You want to order something?" Leo asks looking down at her where she rests on his shoulders.
"CJ said there were some menus around." Margaret mumbles pushing herself out of the couch.
There's nothing stuck to the front or side of the fridge and Margaret can't find the menus in any of the kitchen drawers, her last hope is the pile of papers on the table. As she flicks through the utility bills avoiding any dollar values and personal information.
"Have you found them?" Leo calls.
"Just a minute." Margaret calls back as she glances at the next piece of paper. Her eyes are instantly drawn to the name at the top Emma Jane Donovan.
"Margaret." Leo calls again, too busy scanning the paper Margaret ignores him.
"You got them?" He asks again this time appearing in the room.
In front of her the paper slides from Margaret's hand, she looks up at Leo with wide eyes.
"What is it?" Leo asks picking up the paper.
"It's blood test results and lumbar puncture results, dated yesterday." Margaret says barely.
"Acute Lymphocyic Leukemia." Leo repeats what Margaret read only moments ago.
"She has cancer Leo."
"I'll order." Leo says avoiding the conversation, he rescues the menus from the bottom of the remaining papers. "What do you want?"
"I can't eat now." Margaret whispers shuffling slowly out of the room.
*
"She can't be sick, look at her." Margaret says as Leo slips into Emma's room, sliding his arms around Margaret.
Not knowing what to say, Leo says nothing. Emma Donovan sleeps peacefully in front of them oblivious to the distress her friends are experiencing over her.
"I guess it explains why CJ has been down and her absences." Margaret continues pulling the blanket covering Emma down a little.
"We can't say anything about this...to CJ and Simon, if they want us to know they'll tell us." Leo decides.
He watches a gentle tear slide down her cheek and for any sign she understands.
"Margaret?" He repeats and this time her head nods twice.
"Hello, we're home early." Simon's voice calls from the bottom of the stairs.
"Come on." Leo says helping Margaret to compose herself again before they head downstairs.
*
Leo isn't surprised to find himself alone in bed when he wakes early that morning, the clock glows three and Leo lies for a moment listening to Margaret sob quietly hoping she'll come back to bed.
When he's tortured himself long enough, Leo puts one foot then two on the floor and pulls his robe around him.
She's sitting on the couch staring at the TV that plays no pictures or sound, a delicate white hanky is dabbed against her red eyes.
Leo says nothing, sitting himself next to her and wrapping his arms around her feeling her sobs wrack against him like a bad case of the hiccups.
"It's not fair." Margaret chokes and Leo pulls her tighter only to have her push gently away from him. "She was a miracle and now she could be taken away from them."
"Shhhhh." Leo soothes pulling her into him again. "You're getting too upset."
A sudden silence descends, the quite sounds of sorrow swallowed up in the darkness of the night. Margaret rests a gentle hand on his cheek as she lifts her head from his shoulders. Her eyes caress each square inch of his face, her thumb stroking his cheek and her fingers resting on the side of his neck. Her left hand mimics her right ensuing his total attention.
"We're pregnant."
Confusion on Leo's face gives way to joy, tears of his own springing into his eyes that search for more details.
"We're pregnant Leo." Margaret repeats, her thumb stroking his cheek again.
"The meds won't they harm the..." Leo falters, the news not totally sunk in yet.
"They weren't meds Leo, there's nothing they can prescribe for my cold but fluids and bed rest." Margaret explains.
"What was in the bag then?" Leo smiles widely.
"I was late and although that's not unusual for me at any time what with the stress of this job, this time there was the news about Emma Donovan as well. I needed to put my mind at rest, have one thing I wasn't worrying about. But as it was my appointment was too late Friday to have a proper test done so the doctor recommended I buy a home test." Margaret explains.
"Why didn't you tell me the moment you found out?" Leo questions cupping her face in his hands. "No don't worry." He corrects. "I don't care, we're having a baby."
His lips meet hers kissing her gently, sweetly and tenderly.
"It's not fair." Margaret whispers.
"You can't think about that." Leo says urgently. "There's no rhyme or reason to the way these things work."
"I can't..."
"You have to do the right thing, look after yourself and our baby." Leo says firmly. "Like getting the right amount of sleep."
"You're going to be impossible aren't you?" Margaret asks as Leo guides her back to the bedroom.
"Yes because I love you and I love this baby."
"It's barely a baby right now Leo." Margaret corrects him.
"I don't care...do you have another doctors appointment?"
"Wednesday." Margaret informs him.
"I'm coming." Leo says firmly ending the conversation and turning the light out behind them.
*
"I got..." Margaret finishes her sentence holding up the bag from the drug store.
"At least you'll start to feel better." Leo says caressing her face.
Margaret nods understanding he's misread the turmoil on her face for fatigue and illness.
"You should go to bed." Leo says soothingly massaging gently at her shoulders as she wanders towards the bedroom. "I'll fill up the hot water bottle."
With his back turned, walking away, Margaret opens up the bag and stares at its contents for a moment before locking herself in the bathroom.
*
"She went down all right?" Leo asks flicking the channel on CJ and Simon's TV again.
"She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow." Margaret replies leaning against the side of the couch watching the channels fly by.
"It's been a very successful weekend of babysitting." Leo says settling on some news finally.
"I hope CJ comes back feeling better than she has been." Margaret sighs settling herself next to Leo.
"How about you?" Leo asks wrapping an arm around her.
"Fine." Margaret says half-heartedly.
"It might take them a couple of days to kick in." Leo compensates referring to her pills and Margaret visualizes the empty packet on the bottom of the trash bin in the kitchen, knowing full well it was never intended to fix anything.
*
"What time are we expecting them home?" Leo asks an hour later when the news has concluded.
"Nine." Margaret answers without opening her eyes, she's unsuccessfully been trying to get some sleep.
"You want to order something?" Leo asks looking down at her where she rests on his shoulders.
"CJ said there were some menus around." Margaret mumbles pushing herself out of the couch.
There's nothing stuck to the front or side of the fridge and Margaret can't find the menus in any of the kitchen drawers, her last hope is the pile of papers on the table. As she flicks through the utility bills avoiding any dollar values and personal information.
"Have you found them?" Leo calls.
"Just a minute." Margaret calls back as she glances at the next piece of paper. Her eyes are instantly drawn to the name at the top Emma Jane Donovan.
"Margaret." Leo calls again, too busy scanning the paper Margaret ignores him.
"You got them?" He asks again this time appearing in the room.
In front of her the paper slides from Margaret's hand, she looks up at Leo with wide eyes.
"What is it?" Leo asks picking up the paper.
"It's blood test results and lumbar puncture results, dated yesterday." Margaret says barely.
"Acute Lymphocyic Leukemia." Leo repeats what Margaret read only moments ago.
"She has cancer Leo."
"I'll order." Leo says avoiding the conversation, he rescues the menus from the bottom of the remaining papers. "What do you want?"
"I can't eat now." Margaret whispers shuffling slowly out of the room.
*
"She can't be sick, look at her." Margaret says as Leo slips into Emma's room, sliding his arms around Margaret.
Not knowing what to say, Leo says nothing. Emma Donovan sleeps peacefully in front of them oblivious to the distress her friends are experiencing over her.
"I guess it explains why CJ has been down and her absences." Margaret continues pulling the blanket covering Emma down a little.
"We can't say anything about this...to CJ and Simon, if they want us to know they'll tell us." Leo decides.
He watches a gentle tear slide down her cheek and for any sign she understands.
"Margaret?" He repeats and this time her head nods twice.
"Hello, we're home early." Simon's voice calls from the bottom of the stairs.
"Come on." Leo says helping Margaret to compose herself again before they head downstairs.
*
Leo isn't surprised to find himself alone in bed when he wakes early that morning, the clock glows three and Leo lies for a moment listening to Margaret sob quietly hoping she'll come back to bed.
When he's tortured himself long enough, Leo puts one foot then two on the floor and pulls his robe around him.
She's sitting on the couch staring at the TV that plays no pictures or sound, a delicate white hanky is dabbed against her red eyes.
Leo says nothing, sitting himself next to her and wrapping his arms around her feeling her sobs wrack against him like a bad case of the hiccups.
"It's not fair." Margaret chokes and Leo pulls her tighter only to have her push gently away from him. "She was a miracle and now she could be taken away from them."
"Shhhhh." Leo soothes pulling her into him again. "You're getting too upset."
A sudden silence descends, the quite sounds of sorrow swallowed up in the darkness of the night. Margaret rests a gentle hand on his cheek as she lifts her head from his shoulders. Her eyes caress each square inch of his face, her thumb stroking his cheek and her fingers resting on the side of his neck. Her left hand mimics her right ensuing his total attention.
"We're pregnant."
Confusion on Leo's face gives way to joy, tears of his own springing into his eyes that search for more details.
"We're pregnant Leo." Margaret repeats, her thumb stroking his cheek again.
"The meds won't they harm the..." Leo falters, the news not totally sunk in yet.
"They weren't meds Leo, there's nothing they can prescribe for my cold but fluids and bed rest." Margaret explains.
"What was in the bag then?" Leo smiles widely.
"I was late and although that's not unusual for me at any time what with the stress of this job, this time there was the news about Emma Donovan as well. I needed to put my mind at rest, have one thing I wasn't worrying about. But as it was my appointment was too late Friday to have a proper test done so the doctor recommended I buy a home test." Margaret explains.
"Why didn't you tell me the moment you found out?" Leo questions cupping her face in his hands. "No don't worry." He corrects. "I don't care, we're having a baby."
His lips meet hers kissing her gently, sweetly and tenderly.
"It's not fair." Margaret whispers.
"You can't think about that." Leo says urgently. "There's no rhyme or reason to the way these things work."
"I can't..."
"You have to do the right thing, look after yourself and our baby." Leo says firmly. "Like getting the right amount of sleep."
"You're going to be impossible aren't you?" Margaret asks as Leo guides her back to the bedroom.
"Yes because I love you and I love this baby."
"It's barely a baby right now Leo." Margaret corrects him.
"I don't care...do you have another doctors appointment?"
"Wednesday." Margaret informs him.
"I'm coming." Leo says firmly ending the conversation and turning the light out behind them.
*