The moon is hanging beautifully in the sky as the car pulls into the drive. Sam exits the car first, as Cassie stretches before making her way around to the entry way. She finds a familiar face sitting in the entryway as she enters. She tilts her head as she glances downward she finds Abigail leaning against the wall with her legs stretched out in front of her. She's wearing a pair of yoga pants, and a hooded sweatshirt.
"Did you jog over here?"
"No," she sighs.
"I am very glad to see you, but we've spent fourteen hours in transit. Can we catch up tomorrow?"
"That's fine. I'll be here when you get up."
Cassie rolls her eyes at her overly dramatic cousin.
"I've spent all day hunched over in one seat or another. Could we perhaps continue this conversation somewhere other than the floor of the entryway?"
"I can't get up."
"Are you in protest?"
"No. I bent down to tie my shoelace, and threw out my back."
"Oh," Cassie offers a hand up. Eventually Abigail rises to her feet, and Cassie leads her around the corner to a couch. She hovers over her.
"Why are you here?"
"I've been waiting for you to get back."
"For eight weeks?"
"Yes," Abigail nods, "Some conversations just do not suffice over the phone."
"I'm not sure I can be of much assistance. I've spent most of my patience towards travelling snafu's today."
"Cassie I don't know what I'm doing. I need your help."
"Is this about your break up?"
She shakes her head, "No. I have accepted the fact that Donovan and I simply are not ever going to make things work."
"If you are not sure where you're headed perhaps you should consider sleeping on it," Cassie turns to go shower the ick of the day off.
"Wait, please."
Cassie spins back in her direction, "I just want a shower. Abigail I'm sure whatever it is can wait until the morning."
"I'm pregnant."
Cassie falls silent as she leans against the doorway. She rubs the crick in her neck as Abigail squirms on the couch.
"Say something!" Abigail begs as an uncomfortable amount of silence passes between them.
"I am not myself. I've spent the entire day, and all of my patience, and understanding travelling. I have never had such a terrible travel experience. I really don't want to say the wrong thing right now. Let me shower, and get some rest, and we'll talk in the morning, I promise."
Cassie is standing at the kitchen sink waiting for her tea to steep when Abigail stumbles into the kitchen. She gingerly lifts herself onto the chair that is situated beneath the kitchen island counter. Cassie is bare faced, and still clad in her midnight blue pajamas. Slowly she closes the space between them, leaving her tea on the counter to steep. She climbs into the chair next to Abigail.
"You didn't sleep did you?" Abigail concludes from her appearance.
"Barely a wink. I spent most of the night tossing and turning. You?"
"I was down for the count. It's the first good sleep I've had in weeks."
"How is your back?"
"It feels better this morning."
"I'm all ears if you're ready to talk."
"I missed you."
"I know."
"This is really not at all what I had planned."
Cassie's lips purse, "Which part?"
"Any of it. Why does everything in my life have to be so complicated?"
"It is part of your charm," Cassie winks.
"Be serious. I am fully able to accept that I am not going to be with Donovan. Despite the curse there is too much turmoil between us to overcome. We are not compatible. Now I have to try an reconcile my feelings about that, and sift through what my next move is."
"You haven't told him yet?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I needed to talk to you, and I just couldn't have the conversation on the phone while you were half way around the world."
"Why are you waiting on me to tell Donovan? That feels like an excuse."
"I just don't want to fight with him."
Cassie furrows her brow, "You are going to have conflict with him whether you tell him now, or later."
"Except now he is motivated more by optics than what is right."
"I think that you knew that when you started dating him."
"Except I did not fully consider the repercussions. I didn't go through all the avenues of possibilities, like what that might mean if we had a child together."
"What are your specific concerns?"
"That he is going to try to use my child as a pawn both personally, and politically. That he will believe that he is better suited to provide for my child than I am."
"You need to be having this conversation with him. You need to explain your hesitancy to tell him, and agree on some basic ground rules."
"I just feel as if this situation pits us against each other, and I don't want to raise a child in the midst of whatever drama is happening between Donovan and I. Our romantic relationship is over, and I have no desire to rekindle it."
"It sounds as if both of you are going to have to compromise on some things. I think it would be helpful if you had someone mediate between you."
"Are you volunteering?"
"I am absolutely not. I have no desire to be the buffer between you, and Donovan for any cause."
"Do you have a suggestion?"
"One that you aren't going to like," Cassie nods.
"I'm listening."
"Ask Martha. She is the only one that is both strategic, and diplomatic enough to help the two of you reach an agreement both of you can live with."
"Martha doesn't really like me."
"Does she like Donovan?"
Abigail furrows her brow, "That is a very fair point. You think she's able to mediate without bias towards either one of us?"
"Martha does like babies."
"I know that you're right, but I cannot express how much I loathe this idea."