A few days later, Alice had come to a rehearsal with Emma, ready to get to work. She went over to Pierre and Cory and smiled seeing Pierre take Emma into his arms.
"Hey there, Emmy-Wemmy," Pierre brushed her hair back. "How are you doing today?"
"Good." Emma beamed.
"Are you excited to watch us all dance and sing?"
She nodded her head and Pierre chuckled as he pressed a kiss to her temple. He then placed her back down on the floor and Alice told her to go take a seat at the table.
"Esther said she wanted to speak with you before rehearsal started." Cory spoke.
"She in her office?"
"Yeah."
"Keep an eye on Emma." Alice said walking towards the door.
She made her way to Esther's office and knocked on the door. She heard Esther call out to her and entered the room.
"Cory said you want to speak to me."
"Yes. Sit down."
Alice inhaled deeply as she took a seat across from Esther's desk, gripping the armrests as she sat down.
"Am I in some sort of trouble?" Alice furrowed her brow.
"No, you're not. I just wanted to see if you would consider taking a break from rehearsals here."
"What?" Alice scoffed. "Why would I take a break?"
"Well, with the new court date, I know you, Tom, George, and Hank are all going to be planning for anything Diane might throw at you. Plus, you're a few months away from having a baby. You need to rest."
"I'll rest when all of this is over."
"Alice, take me seriously. I'm concerned about you. Tom told me about the night before you went to court."
Alice scoffed as she rolled her eyes.
"Of course, he would." Alice mumbled.
"Everyone knows the routines and we have you on video in case we need to reference them. Jamie also knows the routines. I want you to go home and rest. I don't want you worrying about anything, okay." Esther told her.
"Esther, this is where I come to relax. This is what's keeping me going. Please... don't take this away from me." Alice spoke softly.
"I love you like my own. You know that, and I do everything I can to protect my own. With what Tom told me and watching you in court... you need a break."
"Did Tom tell you about my preeclampsia too?"
Esther took a deep breath as she adjusted herself in her seat, leaning forward.
"He did."
Alice bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from crying.
"Which is why you need to go home and rest. We know the routines, we know the steps. We love and we'll miss you, but you need to recognize that you're going to do more harm to yourself and the baby if you don't stop and rest." Esther explained.
"Fine, I'll just go home." Alice spoke, standing up from her seat.
"Alice, do not get defensive with me."
"I'm not getting defensive. I'm doing what you're asking of me." She retorted.
"I'm not making this decision to hurt you. I'm doing this to help you. I need you to understand that." Esther protested.
"I know you are, but you could have called me and told me. Not wait until I get here ready to rehearse and practice."
"I thought a phone call would be too insincere." Esther explained.
Alice nodded her head as she left her office, making her way back to the rehearsal space. She got her backpack from the cubby and then walked over to Emma.
"Hey, baby, we have to go."
"Why?"
"Because it turns out that mommy was given the day off. Let's go."
Emma pouted as Alice helped her out of the seat. She took her hand in hers and quickly left the theater, not saying a word to anyone that asked where she was going. Watching her leave, Jamie furrowed her brow and looked over at Pierre and Cory to find them looking just as concerned. She made her way over to them and pulled them to the side away from everyone else in the room.
"What is it, Jamie?" Cory asked.
"I'm really concerned about Alice and I know I'm not the only one." She replied.
Pierre inhaled sharply as he nodded his head.
"We'll talk after the rehearsal."
The following day, Alice invited George over to watch Daniel and Emma as she went with Tom to the college's graduation ceremony. Alice kissed their cheeks as she said goodbye before heading out the door with Tom. The drive to the campus was mostly silent until Alice spoke up.
"I've always wondered... isn't it boring after a while?"
"What is?" Tom furrowed his brow.
"Going to the graduation ceremonies," She answered. "I know you have to because you're a professor, but isn't it boring just hearing the same speeches just by different people and hearing the same music and all the students walking across the stage?"
"No. I've always seen it as the celebration it is. I've watched these people grow into incredible people for four years. I may not realize it but I've helped them and touched them in some way... or at least I'd like to think that I've done it. Yeah, the three hours or just sitting and listening is a lot, but these students have done so much in the years they've been at the college and I want to celebrate that growth and accomplishment."
As she listened to Tom speak, Alice couldn't help but smile. It felt reassuring to her knowing that he was still passionate about the things he loved, which gave her hope that he was still passionate about her.
"Plus the barbeque after is always a plus."
Alice laughed softly as she bit down on her lip. Tom glanced over at her and smiled brightly seeing her laugh.
"You know, it's been some time since I've heard you laugh." He remarked.
"Well, it was funny. So I laughed."
Tom chuckled as he took his exit.
"Can I ask you something else?"
"Of course."
"Why did you tell Esther about my preeclampsia?" Alice inquired.
Tom sighed as she turned her head to face him.
"Why did you tell her?"
"Because I'm worried about you and if any one of the people we know deserves to be aware of it... it's Esther." Tom replied.
"You didn't think to check with me or even ask if I thought it was okay?"
"Because I knew if I asked, you would have said no," Tom told her. "With everything going on, I am incredibly worried about you and the baby. I don't want you to feel like I'm going behind your back, but I had to tell her. I just want you to be safe and not stress yourself anymore. I care about you so much."
"I know you care about me and I appreciate that. But I don't want you speaking for me when I never had the chance to voice my opinion."
"Okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I told her without asking. I just... I wanted her to know in case something happened and I wasn't there to help." Tom admitted.
"Well... thank you." Alice spoke softly.
The two became quiet once more before Tom decided to speak up.
"Hey... you know, this is the first fight we've had in a while where we didn't yell at one another."
"And? You think we deserve a medal?" Alice scoffed.
"No. Just commenting on it."
Once they arrived at the campus, Alice exited the car first. Although she was known to Janelle as Tom's wife and only ever came on campus a few times a year, this was not the day for them to be seen together. Alice was invited as his wife but also as an alumna of the college, letting her know that other alumni would be present, potentially those from her graduating class.
Alice walked into the community center and took her seat in the alumni section. As she walked past a few people to get to her seat, she noticed a few students from her production of As You Like It. Much to her surprise, Alice smiled brightly and embraced the two women.
"Sydney, Katie, it's so good to see you guys again!"
"Same to you! Is this also your first time coming back for graduation?" Katie asked.
"No, this is about my fifth time." Alice replied.
"Oh, that's cool! I would love to come back more often and support the production Professor Hiddleston does, but I'm too busy." Sydney explained.
"Me, too. It's such a shame because they're always so good," Katie added. "Do you go to them, Alice?"
"I've been to all of them except for one." Alice told them.
"Still showing us you're his star student." Katie teased.
Before Alice could speak, Sydney gasped and held her hands out towards Alice's belly.
"And you're pregnant! Oh, my god, congratulations!"
"Thanks," Alice beamed. "This is actually my third."
"How old are your other ones?" Sydney asked.
"My son is five and my daughter is three."
"Wow, so you had them pretty quick after graduation," Katie chuckled. "What else have you been up to besides being a mom?"
"I choreograph for a local theater show here in the city."
"Nice!"
"That figures," Sydney grinned. "Your choreography for our show was amazing."
"Thank you," Alice beamed, feeling her cheeks flush. "And what about you guys? What have you been doing?"
"Don't know how I managed it but I got an agent pretty quickly after we graduated. I went on some auditions and got some parts here and there, but I started to realize it wasn't for me. I started to take some casting director internships and I just fell in love. So, that's what I've been up to." Katie explained.
"After graduation, I decided to take some more acting classes in the city, build up my repertoire, and just did so many self-tapes. Soon, I landed some roles and got an agent. This was, like, four years ago. They got me a role which got me my card and I've just been auditioning and doing shows in some small theaters in the city." Sydney spoke.
"Which agency?"
"Talent Powerhouse. Mary Davis is my agent."
Alice's breath hitched in her throat as she looked over their faces.
"I've heard about her," She spoke dejectedly. "She's good."
"I know! I lucked out finding her and luckily she saw something in me." Sydney replied. "But what happened with you? I for sure thought back in college that you were going to be this big star."
Sydney and Katie chuckled as Alice shifted uncomfortably, brushing her hair behind her ear.
"I did go out and audition for a little bit, but things happened that led me down another path. Just the way it is, I guess."
At that moment, Katie and Sydney directed their attention to some of the people who just entered the room. Alice furrowed her brow seeing their cheeks flush as they smiled brightly. When she turned around, she was met with Tom's bright smile and powerful stride as he made his way to his seat.
"Ugh, I've always loved the beard and long hair look on him." Katie giggled.
Alice watched as Tom looked over at them and gave Katie and Sydney a quick wave and a smile. As they waved back, Tom turned his head and Alice felt herself holding her breath as he continued to turn away from them. She let out her breath seeing how he had completely ignored her. In many ways, she felt as if she was back where she was the night of the car accident. She felt like his secret.
"We've got to talk to him at the barbecue after." Katie chuckled.
"You know, I heard he's married now." Sydney spoke.
"Really? Well, I hope he's doing much better after Diane."
"Yeah, whoever the lucky lady is, is probably living it up with him."
"He has aged so well, hasn't he Alice?" Katie inquired.
Alice was caught off guard and taken from her thoughts as she turned to face them. She nodded her head and swallowed the lump in her throat.
"He has. It's good to see that he's doing so well."
Alice chuckled along with them as she sat down in her seat. Once the ceremony was completed, Alice stepped out with everyone else onto the quad to enjoy the barbeque. She did her best to stay hidden and blend in with the crowd, especially from the students that performed in Tom's play last year. She got on line, holding her paper plate and made her way down putting food on her plate. As she looked around the area, she saw families congratulating their child, students embracing and taking photos with their diplomas, and professors mingling and enjoying the atmosphere. Alice looked beyond the crowd of people and spotted a bench by a tree in a secluded part of the quad. There, she sat down and ate her meal being able to watch the celebration from afar. After several minutes, Alice furrowed her brow seeing Tom approach her, smiling, as he sat down on the bench.
"Tom? What are you doing?"
"I see you've found our bench."
"Our bench?" Alice scoffed.
"We sat at this same bench on your graduation. We thought it would be perfect to sit and chat by because very few could see us." Tom explained.
"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be congratulating everyone and talking with alumni. I know Katie and Sydney wanted to talk to you."
"I've made the rounds I've needed to make. After a while, it's all very overwhelming. And I knew you'd be here... away from it all, too."
Alice's quick small grew wider as Tom nudged her side. He then placed his arm around her shoulders and Alice beamed, letting her head fall on his shoulder.
"I miss our time here." Alice remarked.
"So do I," Tom grinned. "When we were just starting out and everything felt so new and spectacular."
"You don't think it still feels that way? With us?"
Tom turned to face Alice as she picked her head up. She stared at him with a blank expression on her face. He then flashed her a smile as he brushed her hair behind her ear.
"It may not be new... but every moment with you is spectacular."
Alice couldn't help but blush as she smiled. Tom then leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss before pulling away.
"Let's go home. I miss the little monsters." Tom spoke.
"Me too."
As they walked back towards the crowd, Tom waited as Alice went to throw away her trash. Turning around, she saw Katie and Sydney had gone up to Tom and started a conversation with him. She remained where she stood and looked at them every so often to gauge when the conversation was over.
"Are you leaving?" Katie asked.
"Yes, my wife and I are about to go home." Tom replied.
"She was here?" Katie's eyes widened.
"We'd love to meet her." Sydney added.
Katie glanced over Tom's shoulder and spotted Alice.
"Hey, Alice! Come over here! Professor Hiddleston is about to leave!" She called out to her.
Alice chuckled nervously as she locked eyes with Tom. For a moment, she expected him to blow her off or say goodbye from where he was. Much to her surprise, Tom gave her a smile and motioned for her to come over just as Katie was doing. Alice made her way to the group and stood beside Tom.
"So, could we meet her?" Sydney repeated.
"I'm afraid she's already waiting for me. You see, she's been very fatigued lately due to the baby so I don't want her out in the sun for too long." Tom explained.
"Oh, congratulations." Katie and Sydney beamed with excitement.
"Lovely to see you both again. I hope to see you both again." Tom told them.
As the two women said their goodbyes, Tom wrapped his arm around Alice's waist and led her down the pathway. Upon noticing his arm around her, Alice tried to hide her smile, laughing quietly, seeing the stunned looks on their faces as they put two and two together.
"You really had to do that, didn't you?" Alice chuckled.
"Well, they asked to see my wife. Who am I to deprive someone of that request when she's so beautiful." Tom retorted.
Alice and Tom laughed together as she wrapped her arm around his waist. She felt him pull her closer to him as they walked back to their car and headed back home.
At home, George was playing with Daniel and Emma, running around the house. He then got a call from Jamie and answered it, still keeping his eye on the two children.
"Hey, Jamie! What's up?"
"I have a question to ask you."
"Alright. Shoot." George chuckled.
"Would you be willing to come to my apartment this weekend?"
"Um... sure, but, why?"
"Pierre, Cory and I think it's best that we talk to my mom about what's been going with Alice," Jamie explained. "She hasn't just talked to me or you, but she's talked with them and we're all worried about her. We think if you're there, you might be able to help us."
"Of course, I'll come over and help you guys. I didn't even really think it was this serious."
"I thought the same thing until I talked to Pierre and Cory."
"I'll be there. Just send me the time and I'll be there." George told her.