Two Heartbeats, One Goodbye
1268 Words
“Congratulations, Mr. McCoy, your friend here is three months pregnant.”
Duke and Eleanor stared at each other for a long, quiet moment. It was surely inevitable, but somehow, Eleanor wished it wasn't true, that she wasn't carrying Caesar's child.
“How is that even possible, Doctor Stan? Shouldn't she have noticed some signs before now? She's three months pregnant and no pregnancy bump? Is that safe?” A worried Duke felt compelled to ask.
Doctor Stan laughed softly. “It's perfectly safe. Mrs. Eleanor here has very strong abdominal muscles, so it's quite normal for her to not have a bump yet.” He answered.
“And as for why she hadn't seen the signs earlier, I believe she did, but must have been too stressed out to pay any attention to the little changes in her body.”
Eleanor exhaled heavily and reached out to hold Duke's hand. The news of her pregnancy had taken her by surprise, but when a nurse walked into the doctor's office and whispered something into his ear, she knew he had more news for her, and hopefully, it wouldn't be bad news.
Doctor Stan cleared his throat when the nurse left and began. “Since Duke asked me to make sure you were in good shape, we took the liberty of carrying out an ultrasound as well.”
“And?” Asked Eleanor, leaning forward from her seat.
“Your babies are in perfect condition,” the doctor smiled. “Healthy, just like their mother.”
“Babies?”
“Yes, Babies,” he said, turning his attention towards Duke. “Mrs. Eleanor is pregnant with twins.”
The room was quiet for barely a second, but to Eleanor, who had received such bittersweet news, time stood still, and the world joined in her silence.
Duke titled his head to the side and looked at Eleanor. “What are you going to do?” He asked in a gentle, soothing voice.
Eleanor was silent, but after a long moment of deliberation, she sighed and said, “What I already planned to do. I'm still leaving the country today, and I'll have my babies far away from that evil family,” her voice dripped with anger, and her scowling face revealed the depth of her frustration.
“We should leave then. Your flight leaves by noon, and you don't want to miss it,” Duke reminded her.
“Thank you so much, Doctor Stan. I'll see you around,” he extended his hand towards the doctor and closed their meeting with a brief handshake before escorting Eleanor to the airport.
Eleanor couldn't fight back the tears that welled up in her eyes as she said goodbye to her best friend at the airport.
“Make sure you call me once you arrive,” Duke whimpered, squeezing his best friend in an embrace that felt like it would be their last.
“You're hurting the babies,” Eleanor teased, and Duke laughed heartily before letting her go.
She took a moment to take in the atmosphere of Baycrest and the good and bad memories she had created with the ones she loved - and the ones who couldn't love her.
“There’s no need to cry over spilled milk now, Eleanor. A new adventure awaits you. One with your children.” She smiled and disappeared into the airport.
******
Caesar walked back to his office after a hectic court session, grumbling because he had lost yet another major case.
The office room felt somber and subdued. His spacious office, tastefully decorated with warm earth tones, created a sense of warmth and comfort amidst the city's bustle.
A mahogany desk sat in the center, adorned with personal mementos—including a framed photograph of him and Eleanor taken on their wedding day which he slammed face down as he got closer to his table.
He sank into his chair and ran his fingers through his hair in a restless manner. His clients were losing faith in him, and now, all he had to keep him busy were the many divorce files piled up on his desk. Life couldn't pick a better way to throw shade at his decisions.
Eleanor always knew what to do, she knew how to calm his raging spirit even when he didn't want to be with her, but here he was, frustrated and at the brim of a breakdown, until his phone rang, piercing the sorrowful silence that engulfed his office.
“Talk to me,” he said in an icy tone.
“I just confirmed that she's no longer in the country, Boss. I'm uncertain where she's headed to, but it doesn't look like she plans on coming back.”
“How did she raise the money to afford a flight out of the country so soon?” Caesar asked with a frown.
“She didn't,” said the private investigator. “It was her guy friend. What was his name again?”
“Duke?”
“Yes. Duke. He covered all her expenses. I think she might be ill though. I saw them go into the hospital before leaving for the airport,” he continued, but Caesar was no longer listening.
He hung up the phone and placed it back on the table. Something didn't feel right. Why was he bothered that she was gone? This was what he wanted, but it didn't make him feel as happy as he thought it would.
He stood up and walked to the wine cellar behind his desk. Crimson Elegance. It was the first wine he made a toast to with Eleanor after bagging a multi-million contract as the law firm for a sports company.
He ran his fingers over the body of the bottle, thinking back to making love with his ex-wife after they had gotten drunk and popped the bottle open with a corkscrew. In seconds, he had gulped down half of the wine's content and only stopped when his phone rang again.
He walked back to his table and answered his phone.
“Caesar. Son. Where are you?” his mother's panicking voice rang over the speaker.
“Mother, I'm in the office. Is everything alright?” He asked, his voice soaked with worry.
“No. It's your grandma,” she muttered. “She's in the hospital.”
Caesar could feel his heart pounding mercilessly against his chest. “What happened? Why was Grandma taken to the hospital?”
“The doctor said she had a hypoglycemic episode as a result of taking too much of her medication and not feeding properly. We're still waiting for him to tell us more on how she's doing,” she responded, her voice strained as she struggled to control her emotions.
Caesar quickly glanced around his office and found his car keys on the table. “Is Susan with you?” He asked, his mind worrying quickly about the condition of his wife.
His mother was confused, and hesitated before answering. “Yes… yes she is.”
“You both stay there, I'm coming to you,” he assured, and quickly made way for the door.
He stopped and walked back to his table, picked up the photo of him and Eleanor and sighed deeply. This wouldn't have happened if she had been around. She considered his mother's health as a priority while in the house, and now she wasn't there.
Staring at the picture as he slowly returned it to the desk, he silently whispered to himself, “Oh Eleanor. Should I have really let you go?”
- Writer
