Chapter 4
Emmy carefully placed the strap to the large bag on Eliza's worn shoulders. After her brother's hostile encounter, the rest of the week and weekend had been trying for both women. Eliza entered a mild depression, and Emmy sympathized with her considering that the father was already out of the picture; the only thing that Eliza needed to be concerned with was her and her baby's well-being.
"Are you going to be all right?" Emmy questioned as Eliza grabbed her purse from the sleek kitchen counter.
Eliza lifted up her head to the anxious brown eyes and shrugged.
"That's okay. Just take care of yourself while you're away," Emmy weakly smiled.
Eliza nodded and sluggishly trailed to the door. Emmy looked down and smiled at the pair of comfortable flats on new mom's feet, but quickly wiped away her joy when Eliza suddenly turned around in panic.
Eliza put her hand up to her chest, but before she could ask, Emmy chuckled, "Don't worry. You've left enough food for her."
"Okay," Eliza sighed before jiggling the knob and rushing out.
The Bluestar elevator stopped at the thirty-fifth floor, and Eliza wasn't aware of the parting doors until a few passengers flooded around her. Rushing out she bolted down the hall but stopped mid-stride and sighed before detouring to the bathroom.
Finally, she was at her desk. She hadn't come across any immediate obligations in the morning and it was standard for the pressure to began the moment she stepped in everyday at 7AM. Now, it was 11:30AM, and she was beginning to think that she would actually have a full morning of peace.
About ten minutes later, she heard a knock at her door and she took her time to get up and answer it.
"Good morning, Mr. Daniels," she greeted, poorly concealing her surprise.
"Morning, Ms. Kelly. Did you have a moment for a brief chat?" he smiled.
Her expression dropped, "About?"
"Oh... anything really. I'm having a slow day, and figured I stop by," he nervously shrugged.
"Oh, uh... sure," she muttered while opening the door wide for him.
"How was your weekend?" Troy asked while strolling around her office– one hand in pocket.
She sat down at her desk as though she was sitting down in the space for the first time, "Good... yours, Mr. Daniels?"
"Great. Lazy, but great," he snickered while observing a panoramic photograph on her wall.
Silence overtook the room, and Troy quickly turned back around to find Eliza's anticipating eyes on him.
"Sorry. I was just sneaking a peek around. I like photography, and I really asked to speak with you so I could take a glance at this piece," he jested.
However, when she didn't laugh, he quickly made efforts to recover from his misinterpreted joke, "I... I was just kidding. I actually came to ask you a question."
"Yes?" she grumbled.
He scrunched his face and sighed, "Are you very busy right now?"
She shook her head, "No. Not really."
"Oh good. I was wondering if you wanted to go to lunch with me and a few of the other guys?" he asked, pointing his thumb at the door.
She couldn't remember the last time she went out to lunch with a group at work. Her initial instinct was to turn down the request, but then she was hungry.
There was an unmistakable look of satisfaction on Troy's face while he and Eliza descended inside of the Bluestar building.
"How's the baby?" he snuck in ten floors before they reached bottom.
Eliza looked up to him with surprise, but forced an answer, "Good."
"Boy or girl?" he cautiously asked.
"Girl," she sighed from relief at the opening doors.
Yet her cool stripped away the moment she noticed the distant brown eyes glaring at her with an accompanied smirk on the face. She wasn't sure how her feet carried her toward the three other men, but she trailed after Troy. Andrew was pleased that Troy was able to get her out, but it was the anxiety all over her face that kept the uncontrollable grin on his. Eliza was itching to run back inside of the building, especially since Andrew was conspicuously quiet in the noisy group that traveled by foot to a nearby restaurant.
"I already made a reservation for five," Troy snickered before looking down to Eliza.
She showed her teeth, returning an awkward grin. Troy mouthed asking if she was all right, and Eliza lied with a nod before clutched more tightly onto her purse.
Sitting down at the round table in the restaurant proved to be even worse. Andrew made sure to situate himself across from her, while Troy pulled out a chair for Eliza beside him.
After the men repeated what they wanted to order to the cheerful waitress, Eliza feebly requested for a salad behind her menu to the young woman that had to lean in to hear her. As soon as the girl left, Eliza was disturbed by the men looking after the girl. Their murmuring with smirks had to be over the waitress's good looks. Troy, however, was too busy enjoying the small dessert menu that he pulled from the middle of the table.
Troy shook his head and leaned in to quietly confess to Eliza, "I have a terrible weakness for fudge."
She observed the sincere smile on his face as he continued to flip through the miniature menu. He looked back to her and his eyes narrowed from the broad, closed-mouth smile he threw back at her. Troy was always a bit strange compared to their peers. He could always be found pointing out something small or unrelated to the topic at hand, normally bringing out a laugh from those near him.
"So Eliza... you had the baby," she heard Andrew begin out of the blue.
With fright, she looked up to him and surveyed the other anticipating eyes– including Troy's joyful stare. She nodded and cleared her throat.
"Boy or girl?" a colleague beside Andrew asked.
Andrew's smile faded as he waited to hear the answer, but Eliza was saved as soon as the same man sighed as though suddenly exhausted, "Doesn't matter. Either way, it's hell when they're first born."
"That's right. You have a one year old, John," Troy noted with excitement.
"And let me tell you. I thought being a father would be easier. You know how many times my wife has threatened my life? One time she admitted that my breathing near her was a problem. You know how they say that babies look just like the dads when they're born? Shit. I needed a bomb shelter from Carol the first few months. She hated me," John laughed. "3AM, feed the baby, 4AM murder my husband in his sleep."
Andrew's nostrils were flaring while he stared at his clenched fists on top of the table. Eliza drew her eyes away from Andrew's discomfort and boldly asked, "When did things get easier for Carol?"
John scratched his neat beard and chuckled, "Uh, I'm not so sure. She's less exhausted now, so I would say maybe after a year?"
"You helped though, right?" she inquired, a little nervous about the response.
"Oh yeah! I love the little guy, and I was surprised at how much I wanted to help when she would let me out of the corner," he smiled before shaking his head. "However, there was only so much I could do at the beginning. Just had to be there when she needed me."
A little smile worked its way onto her face, but as soon as she was asked the next question, she was expressionless once more.
"How is the dad coping with the new baby, Kelly?" John innocently asked.
"He's not in the picture," she promptly answered, and an awkward lull came over the table.
Immediately, Andrew jumped up from the table and excused himself to the bathroom. She didn't let her eyes follow him like the others did– only regarding the basket of bread that was placed in front of them.
"Single mom, huh?" John posed with large eyes.
"I have someone to help me," she quickly answered before reaching for a soft breadstick and taking a big bite.
"Sheesh, that's gotta be tough, but you're a strong lady," John added before reaching for the toasty baked goods.
"Can't disagree," Troy added before helping himself.
Lunch was quiet from Eliza's end. She preferred listening to the long-winded stories about her coworkers' weekend or John's frequent interjections about his son. Eliza was more absorbed in the looks of worry over John's face, as he recounted all the little events from the last three days. Eliza pondered if John was displaying a man's version of baby brain. From the beginning, he had always come off as the bawdy type of man, but ever since he got married two years ago and had a baby, he's been more interested in the family life than anyone could have predicted. He appeared sincerely satisfied.
It scared her to think that maybe the same thing could be happening to her. Would she change her mind about being a mother? How could she when she was still contemplating adoption for her nameless baby? She would have to make a decision soon. It was going to either be all about the baby or her career, and she couldn't fathom giving up her job to fall into a place she assumes people expected her to be. Pete's words had cut deep and she couldn't forget them.
Walking back to her office, she wasn't surprised for Troy to get a few last words in before she closed him off for the day.
"I'm glad you came out, Ms. Kelly," he fit in between her stepping through the office door.
She nodded, "Thanks for the invite."
"Maybe we all could do this again later on this week?" he questioned with brows high above his eyes.
"Uh, I'm not so sure... maybe," she honestly told him.
The smile on his face weakened, but he nodded in understanding. He wasn't sure why he expected a different answer. Eliza always tended to keep to herself, despite the busy seasons. He didn't know how much more complicated her situation was until she mentioned that the father to her baby wasn't in the picture at lunch. Troy finally figured that was the reason she refused to say more than a word or sentence about her baby, and on his trip back to his office, he confirmed that he should probably leave her alone for a while.
Sending off her last report for the day, she actually put another little smile on her face. Not only did she catch up with her reports, but she also got a few head starts on future tasks she knew Blackwell would expect from her.
She was going to depart half an hour early to go home, after getting a message from Emmy saying that the milk supply was running low. But the landline began to ring as soon as she started to pack away her belongings.
"Eliza Kelly," she answered.
"Eliza. We need to talk," Andrew grumbled on the line, and she immediately hung up.
She snatched up her bags and zipped for the door, but as soon as she opened it, Andrew was already approaching her.
"I have to leave," she whispered with anger, but he backed her back into the office and shut the door.
"I want to know what is going on now!" he shot back.
"No!" she retorted, reaching around and gripping her hand on the doorknob.
Andrew clasped his hand over hers, and she instantly pulled away. His touch was the last thing that she wanted to feel again.
He growled, "Just tell me. Is it a girl or a boy?"
"Why do you want to know so badly?" she seethed.
"Because you're clearly going to keep him... or her," he exhaled with worry.
She threw down her purse, "What if I do? Why is this such a detriment to you? You're not dealing with the consequences of having this baby, and I'm not asking you to! Leave me alone! Leave me alone the way you did through my entire pregnancy!"
His eyes scanned the ground, "I thought–"
"What? What did you think?! If you..." Eliza faded out and cupped her hand over her face, before weeping, "If you would have even bothered to ask me what was going on before she was born, then none of this would be happening."
The bags under his eyes were heavy, and he confirmed with distress, "It's a girl?"
"Get out!" she flared, picking her purse back up and swinging it at him.
He quickly turned for it to strike him on the shoulder, and half of the contents were flying out. Andrew hurriedly opened the door and rushed out of her office. Eliza couldn't believe the way she just reacted. In a hurry, she fell to her knees and crawled to the door to close it.
Once again, she was covering up her face in shame, and the uncontrollable crying resumed. Her head was throbbing as she unwrapped her hair from the tight back bun. She sadly twisted her face as she spread her fingers to find many coiled strands of hair all over her palm. She ran hand through again and collected more results. Panicking at the all the hair, Eliza thought she was about to lose her mind.
She didn't have the strength to get up, but she had to move– especially when she heard a soft knock at the door.
She pushed her hair from her face and began to scramble to pick up the scattered articles that had flown out from her purse, "Just a minute!"
Without warning, the door eased open and Troy poked his head through.
"Ms. Kelly, are you all right?!" he exclaimed hurrying inside.
She continued to shove the small items into her purse, before answering, "I'm sorry Mr. Daniels, but this is not a good time."
"Did you fall?!" he asked crouching down and picking up a few cards and tubes of lipstick and lip balm.
He was extending his hand, but Troy was surprised when he saw that she was staring at the products in his palm and her lips were trembling. Tears continued to stream down her face, and she was in a daze as she took them from him.
"Ms. Kelly," he softly called, but she was sadly searching around for anymore lost contents.
"Eliza," he nervously called, and she gave him her immediate attention.
Troy swallowed hard, feeling nervous about calling her on a first name basis. But he reckoned that he had to do it; she was not herself. With care, he reached out and helped her up by the arms.
"Are you going home?" he asked, looking over her face.
She brushed the wild hairs away from her cheeks and nodded while looking down to the ground.
"I'm going to walk you to your car, okay?" he insisted.
"No, you don't have to do that," she groused.
"There is no way, I'm going to let you walk out the door like this," he declared.
He promptly picked up her bags, but she shook her head, "People can't see you helping me out!"
"People can't see you on your office floor!" he snapped, and she was stunned. "This isn't some hero complex, Ms. Kelly. I'm trying to help you right now because you clearly need it."
"I don't need your help, Mr. Daniels," she cried.
He tilted his head with concern, as she sobbed, "I have to leave. I have to go home now."
"Here... at least take your purse, but I'm still going with you," he affirmed.
The elevator ride down into the garage remained quiet as expected. She had wiped her eyes so much that the skin underneath them turned a deep red from irritation.
He hurried with her to her Porsche and placed the laptop case and folders in the passenger's side.
"I wouldn't suggest you drive at all, considering your current state, but I know you have to get to a little girl at home," he groaned while raking his fingers through his hair.
She gripped the wheel and looked up to him. Taking in a deep breath she cleared her throat and then grumbled, "Thank you, Mr. Daniels."
"Drive safely, and have a good night," he grunted.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eliza aggressively turned at the doorknob to her apartment and barreled inside.
Emmy rushed from the kitchen and stared at awe at the flurry shutting the door.
"Ms. Kelly, everything all right?" Emmy asked.
Eliza turned to her and stared at the soapy bottle in Emmy's hands, "Does she need more?"
"No, she's napping. Go take a shower and rest a little, Ms. Kelly," Emmy suggested with softness.
Eliza didn't resist the command and hurried to her bedroom. She jumped into the shower and placed her palms over her face, taking a few deep breaths to calm down from the terrible end to her workday.
After a quick wash down, she picked an appropriate top for the busy feeding schedule ahead. Halfway through putting on her blouse she froze to the sound of a few little coughs echoing from the nursery. Rushing out, she cut in before Emmy, and looked inside the crib at the small red face coughing.
"What's the matter?" Eliza panicked.
"Don't worry, she'll be fine," Emmy responded while hurrying her hands into the crib.
Eliza watched as Emmy rushed out with the baby, but she quickly pulled out of her stupor and followed them to the living room.
"Is she sick?" Eliza asked with fright.
Emmy reassured Eliza with a smile, "No. She just needs a little massage."
Soft hands were gently rubbing and patting at the tiny mocha-colored chest underneath her pink onesie. Eliza didn't realize how helpless she would feel while a considering the possibility of a sick baby.
"I think she misses her, mama," Emmy smiled to her.
Eliza shook her head and answered with insecurity, "I don't know what to do."
"You won't hurt her," Emmy chuckled.
Eliza panicked, while feeling a sudden draft. She was looking down and realized she only had on her top and underwear.
"Child, don't worry about it. I've seen babies come out from plenty of ladies– including you– which means I've seen everything. Everything. Now, come sit down," Emmy insisted, before handing over the small child.
Eliza carefully sat down and looked up to Emmy and the caretaker laughed, "What? It's your apartment. You should be able to walk around pantless without a care."
"No, no. I mean..." she looked down at the large eyes that were on her. "... what do I do?"
"She just needs a little massage the way I was just giving," Emmy grinned.
Eliza held her breath as she made efforts to interact with her baby without feeding or awkwardly changing her for the first time.
Emmy began to walk back to the kitchen and reassured the mom, "Don't worry, Ms. Kelly. You've been doing a great job with her."