Ch.36 - Talia
"Talia, if you don't slow down you're going to make yourself sick."
Talia wiped away the sweat from her eyebrow then swiped the paint brush along the tin pan, coating the bristles with color. She glanced at Betsy, covered in tiny splashes of Silky Tangerine, before returning to the half-painted wall. "I can't, I have to keep busy. If I don't keep busy all I'll do is think. And if I think too much I'll start to cry. And I'm so tired of crying." She felt her eyes grow moist and silently cursed herself. "It's all I've been doing for the past two days," she whispered.
Betsy's voice was soft. "How is Enid today? Any word yet?"
Talia sucked in a breath and swallowed her tears. "Charlie called before you arrived and said her temperature's back to normal, but when the doctor tried to take the tube out of her mouth she wouldn't breathe on her own." She slid the brush along the door jam, careful not to get paint on the taped frame. "They said it could take awhile before they're able to wean her off."
"Is she awake?"
She shook her head. "They're keeping her sedated." Talia immersed the bristles into the tin once again, dripping paint down the front of her blue t-shirt in the process. "Damn it! I've got too much on the brush." She tossed the brush into the pan and started to cry. Before she knew it, Betsy's arms were around her.
"It's okay, Talia. She'll be okay. Enid's a strong woman."
Talia wrapped her arms around her friend's neck and buried her face in her brown hair. "I just hope she's strong enough. I don't know what we'll do if we lose her."
"Don't think that way." Betsy's hand slid down the center of her back with long, comforting strokes. "You have to stay positive."
"But it's so hard." The knot in her belly tightened. "Charlie's a wreck and I don't know what to do."
"Right now he probably doesn't even know what he wants. The only thing you can do is be there for him."
"I will be. And that's exactly why I need to keep busy. I need to take care of The Ivy House so Charlie doesn't have to. I want everything to be perfect for when Enid comes home." Talia stepped back and let out a small gasp. "I'm so sorry, Betsy! I've gotten paint all over you."
Betsy looked down at the over-sized top and giggled. "It's alright. It's only a shirt. I have more." She gave Talia a wink. "Besides, it's Ryan's."
Talia forced a small smile. She turned and looked at the wall they'd just finished painting and sighed. "It's just...Charlie's so quiet," she said. "I've never seen him like this before. And Carter's been especially cranky. It's like she knows something's wrong."
"Baby's are intuitive. They can feel when things aren't right. I remember when Ryan was overseas, Lulu wouldn't sleep for weeks," Betsy said, plopping down on the carpet. She folded her legs to the side. "It was horrible. I think she could feel my fear."
"It's amazing what they can pick up on. They're not as clueless as we think they are." Talia sat down next to Betsy and crossed her ankles in front of her. "I'd like to go see Enid, but Charlie doesn't want Carter at the hospital every day. He thinks she'll be afraid of the tubes and strange noises." She scrunched her eyebrows together. "He said he doesn't want her to remember her grandmother that way."
"Charlie doesn't think she's going to make it, does he?"
Talia shrugged one shoulder. "He won't say. But I can see it on his face. He's not sure." She swallowed hard. "Our neighbor came over the morning after it happened and I overheard Charlie tell him it didn't look good. Jackson didn't seem surprised. If anything, he seemed surprised she was still alive."
Betsy let out a breath and cocked her head to the side. An expression Talia couldn't read crossed her friend's face. "Jackson stopped by her house before she collapsed, right? That's what Ryan told me Charlie said. Did he say what happened?"
"He said he stopped by to see if Charlie was there. He wanted to see how he was feeling. And as he and Enid were talking she just sort of clutched her left shoulder and dropped to the ground." Talia turned away, not trusting her voice. "He said he called 911 right away and started CPR."
Betsy was quiet for a moment. "And you believe him?"
Talia felt her face twist in confusion. "Why wouldn't we believe him?"
Betsy's cheeks drained of color and she bit her bottom lip. "No reason," she said quietly, looking away.
Talia tried to make sense of Betsy's strange comment, but her insides felt jumbled and her head was beginning to throb. The truth was, she had more on her mind than just Charlie and Enid.
"What is it?" Betsy asked suddenly, her words slicing through her thoughts. "What's wrong?"
Talia's breath left her body. "What do you mean?"
"There's something else going on. Something you're not telling me."
Talia shifted uncomfortably on the carpet. It would be nice to confide in someone, and Charlie was too preoccupied at the moment to consider. The last thing she wanted to do was add to his plate. Talia dropped her gaze and stared at a spot on the wall that needed touched up with paint. "My period's late." She looked up in time to see Betsy's eyes widen.
"How late?"
"Over a week." Talia shook her head slightly. "I'm never late, not even by a day. My cycle's extremely predictable." Talia watched as Betsy considered what she'd said.
"Have you told Charlie?"
She shook her head, her eyes dropping again to her lap. "No. I didn't realize it until yesterday. First the news about Janice and now Enid..." Her voice drifted off. "Things are such a mess right now."
"If you're pregnant," Betsy paused for a moment, "Would you be happy?"
Talia exhaled sharply through her nose and then smiled. "Of course I'd be happy. Charlie and Carter mean the world to me. They make me whole. Do you know how long it's been since I've felt that way? I've not had a family since my parents died. I mean, not really. Steven was never family. He didn't love or accept me. He only hurt me." Her eyes misted over. "Having another baby would be wonderful. But I'm not sure how Charlie would feel. With his mother in the hospital, clinging to life... What if he feels like this is a burden instead of a blessing?"
One corner of Betsy's mouth tipped up. "Charlie would be thrilled. You have to know that. He loves you and Carter so much." Her smile grew wider. "Maybe this is exactly what he needs right now. Maybe it will give him hope for the future."
Talia shook her head. "I'm not sure. He's so tense. I don't want him to feel distracted. He has to be there for Enid. I don't want him to worry about me, or how I'm feeling."
"Talia," Betsy began, "You have to tell him. If you are pregnant it wouldn't be fair to keep it from him."
"I wouldn't keep it from him, but I haven't even taken a test yet. I don't know if I am or not."
"Well what are you waiting for? Go take a test!"
She couldn't help but grin. "I told you I just realized I missed my period. I'll take a test as soon as I can. I promise," she added, crossing her heart.
"You need to go to the store right now, while Ryan's mother has Carter. Then you need to get your skinny butt to the hospital and tell Charlie."
Talia still felt uncertain. "You think?"
"I know! If you leave right now--" Betsy's sentence was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Jumping up, Talia raced forward thinking it might be Charlie. Maybe she'd accidentally locked the screen door and he couldn't get in. But as she made her way closer she saw it wasn't Charlie at all. "Mr. Easterwood." Talia tried to smile as she opened the door. "Do you have a package for us today?"
"Talia," he said with a grin. He walked into the house with one arm hidden behind his back and removed his sun hat. Talia thought he looked liked he should be fishing somewhere instead of delivering mail. "Not exactly. This is strictly a visit of pleasure." His grin grew wider across his suntanned face as he produced a bouquet of yellow roses. "I'm off work a little early today. Is Enid around?"
Talia's smile fell and her shoulders tensed as she stared at the flowers. She could feel Betsy at her side. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her gaze finally meeting his. "She's not here right now."
The corners of his mouth twitched in disappointment. "Will she be back soon?"
Talia tried to swallow but couldn't get past the growing lump in her throat. "I'm sorry," she said again, shaking her head. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
Alarm flickered across his face. "Is everything alright?" His eyes moved to Betsy's when he didn't receive an answer.
Talia felt Betsy's arm snake around her waist. "Enid's in the hospital," Talia heard her say. "She's in Intensive Care."
Their voices carried on around her but Talia tuned them out allowing her thoughts swallow to her. Unease gnawed at her insides like jagged little teeth. Her mind was frozen on the image of Enid lying helpless in a hospital bed with nothing but a bunch of tubes and wires keeping her alive.
A few short weeks ago everything had been perfect. How could it have all fallen apart so quickly? She felt her shoulders begin to shake and reached for the door to steady herself. She heard Betsy call her name.
"Talia?" she said, as if it wasn't the first time. "Why don't you go to the hospital? You need to be with Charlie and Enid. I'll clean up here and then lock the door behind me."
Betsy's face was blurry in front of her. Talia wiped at her eyes to clear them.
"Come on," Mr. Easterwood said. He drew his lips into a tight smile and handed the roses to Betsy. "I'll drive you there."
Betsy moved her arm around Talia's shoulder while Mr. Easterwood opened the screen door. "I'll take Carter home with me when I pick up Lulu, okay? She can even spend the night if you need her to. Don't you worry about a thing."
As they walked out to the truck, Talia's body felt heavy. Mr. Easterwood opened the door and helped her inside. "Call me later," Betsy said before shutting the passenger door. The window was rolled down and the sudden breeze ruffled Talia's hair. Betsy leaned into the window and planted a kiss on Talia's cheek. "Give Enid and Charlie my best. Tell them I'm thinking of them."
Talia forced herself to nod as the truck pulled away.
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Hello and thank you for reading Secrets and Lies! If you enjoyed this chapter, please remember to vote.
So Talia might be pregnant! EEP! I know she's worried, but do you think Charlie would be upset by the news?
I'm aiming to have the next chapter ready around Tuesday, hope to see you back! :)