Whatever It Takes (4 page)

Brad switches the truck into park and everyone climbs out. Gravel crunches beneath my shoes and the frigid air attacks causing me to pull my jacket closer. I stuff my hands into my pockets to keep them warm on the short walk from the truck to the house. Inside, the music is surprisingly not that loud.

We find the keg, grab ourselves red cups and begin to drink. A twinge of guilt surges through my veins at the thought of having fun while Emily was working. She has fun with her friends when I work though, doesn’t she? Plus, it’s not like I party all the time.

I take a swig of my beer and look around the crowded party. Girls in sheer shirts and tight jeans dance about the room. The guys are either dancing with them or leading them upstairs.

“
Jake Benson, right?”

My head swivels at the sound of a girl’s voice. Standing beside me with a beer in her hand is a girl dressed in dark blue skinny jeans and a very tight, white, low cut shirt.

“
Yeah. That’s me. And you are?”

She pushes a strand of sleek black hair behind her ear and gives me a smirk with her pink lips. “I’m Eve. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“
All good, I hope.” Tilting my head, I look at her curiously. She was pretty, no doubt about that. She has a confidence about her that makes me want to stand up straight and at attention. I ignore that urge and lean against the wall.

“
Yes, it’s all very good. You are one of the starters on the hockey team, right?”

Nodding, I ask, “Do you like hockey?”

“
I love it. I’m the goalie on the women’s hockey team.”

“
Really? That’s pretty impressive.”

“
Why? Because I’m a girl?”

I can’t help but laugh at her remark. Completely ignoring me, Eve changes the subject.

“
Anyways, you looked lonely over here so I came over. Where’s your girlfriend at?”

“
How do you know so much about me?”

Eve shrugs and waits for an answer to her question.

“
She’s working.”

From there, Eve and I go off on a tangent. She tells me more about herself. She is majoring in art because she loves to paint. Living with five brothers and wanting to fit in, Eve started playing hockey with them and became pretty damn good at it. The subject changes frequently. It is as if she can’t stay on one topic for too long.

Noticing the time, I tell Eve, “I better get going. I want to surprise my girlfriend and if I want to make it there before she leaves, I need to get walking.” All of the guys have disappeared upstairs so I’m not getting a ride from them.

“
You’ll freeze to death. I can drive you.”

“
Really? You’ll be missing the party.” I swing my arm out at the crowd of bodies mingling together. Eve shrugs and gently pushes me towards the door. Outside, the deathly cold air blasts into me like a cannon ball. My teeth begin to chatter as I stuff my hands in my pockets and follow Eve to her car.

“
I enjoyed talking with you Jake.”

“
Uh, yeah, me too. Thanks for the ride,” I say upon reaching my destination. Eve parks the car along the curb and I peer inside Coffee Beans. Instead of working, Emily was sitting at a table by the window with Kyle, just a laughin’. Kyle smiles, reaches out and rests his hand on Emily’s knee. What is this all about?

“
They sure do hang out a lot. I see them around campus together all the time,” Eve comments.

“
Yeah, he’s a good friend of Emily’s. I should get going. Thanks again.”

“
No problem.”

I open my door and close it. The door of the café jingles when I walk inside and Emily’s head turns towards me. The smile that was already floating on her lips rises when she sees me. Sweetness slides out of her seat and rushes over to me with a hug.

“
Love, you’re cold. Want some coffee to warm you up?”

At that moment, I want nothing more than to have Emily warm me up herself. I notice Kyle is eying us as I tell Emily that I would love a coffee. I snake my arms around her waist,and kiss her forehead, thanking her in advance.

“
I’ll be right back.”

She leaves my arms empty and after she disappears behind the counter, I walk over to her vacant seat and sit down. Kyle clears his throat and looks uncomfortable. “Hey,” I offer a greeting.

“
Hey.”

Kyle looks over to where Emily disappears and then back to me.

“
I just want to see if she’s talked to you.” After giving him a puzzled look, he continues. “About the nightmares. She hasn’t really mentioned them to me, but I would feel a lot better knowing that she was talking to someone about them. I figured if she told anyone, it would be you.”

“
Yeah, she told me last night.” I wanted to ask if he had any ideas on how to help her, but at the same time, something inside of me was reluctant to ask this guy how to help my girlfriend with the loss of our baby. In seconds, I give in because the want to help Emily was greater than the urge to not ask Kyle.

“
It’s really something she has to tackle herself. At the same time though, she needs someone to be there for her to talk to. Every time I bring it up, she ignores me and either changes the subject or pretends she has something to do.”

“
Well, she does talk to me. Don’t ask her about it anymore either. She thinks about it so much as it is.”

Guilt once more flows through me knowing that Emily has thought of the baby today, but I haven’t. My phone rings and, seeing Drake’s number, I answer. “Isn’t it past your bedtime?”

Drake laughs. “Yes, but I haven’t called you yet. Today was boring though. It was the same thing over again. I went to school, did work, came home and did more work, had dinner with Dad, watched TV and play video games. When are you coming home?”

I chuckle and reply, “Thanksgiving is coming up. I’ll be home then. We’ll have to play a lot of video games to make up for lost time, okay? You were able to do your homework by yourself?”

“
Okay. Dad helped me some. He is taking me to get a new racing game tomorrow. It’s going to be so sweet!”

I hear Dad’s voice in the background and Drake says, “Okay Dad. Jake, I have to go to bed. Tell Emily, I said hey and I miss her and I’ll call tomorrow.”

“
Alright. I will. Love you little man.”

“
Love you too, Jake.”

Sweetness walks over to the table, sits my coffee down and places her behind in my lap. I reach around her for my coffee and enjoy the hot liquid rushing down my throat. It’s so warm that I can feel it literally going down my esophagus.

“
Thank you Sweetness. Drake called and said he misses you and that he’ll call tomorrow.”

“
That’s two days in a row that I haven’t talked to him,” Emily frowns.

I rest my hand on her lower back and Kyle steals her attention.

“
I better get going. You’re about to close and I’ve got homework to do. I’ll see ya tomorrow, Em. Later, Jake.”

“
Bye,” I say flatly.

“
We still on for lunch?” Emily asks.

“
Yeah,” Kyle replies before walking out the door. Cold air rushes inside when the door opens and thankfully the door seals shut to protect us from winter’s presence.

Semi-jokingly, I ask Emily, “Sweetness, you aren’t going on a date tomorrow are you?”

Sweetness doesn’t take the joke. Instead she defensively says, “No! Would I flaunt that I’m cheating on you in front of your face? No. I’ve got to take a lunch break tomorrow anyway. Kyle simply offered to eat with me.”

“
Hey, I was just messing with you Sweetness,” I say in a gentle voice.

“
I know. I’m just tired.”

Emily rests her head on my shoulder as I take another sip of my coffee. I suggest asking her coworker if she can close up instead. Emily looks up at me and the happy, hyper facade fades away. Her eyes are sad from both exhaustion and lack of sleep. Taking my advice, she hops off my lap and goes to convince the other girl to close up. Minutes later, Emily returns wearing one of my hoodies. I grab my coffee, take her hand, and we walk around back to her car.

“
How’d you get here?”

“
A girl from the party dropped me off.”

“
Oh,” Emily looks down at her feet that are stepping on tiny gray pebbles. I stop beside the passenger door of her car and hold out my hand for the keys. Sweetness doesn’t hesitate handing them over. I open her door before walking around to drive my sweet Emily home.

I get her back to the house safely. I unlock the door hearing the click as I turn the key. Inside, I run a hot bath for Emily and instruct her to sink down into the tub and relax. Almost zombie-like, she does so. Leaving her in the tub, I go to the kitchen to fix her something for dinner.

“
I’m not hungry,” she calls out as if reading my mind and actions.

“
Have you ate?”

The silence that is her answer forces me ahead to make her supper. Being the superb chef that I am, I open a can of soup and heat it up. Once it’s ready, Emily magically appears from her bath and takes a seat at the bar.

“
Eat up Sweetness.”

Rainbow striped socks cover her feet and one of my old, long t-shirts hang from her shoulders. I ask, “Aren't you cold?” Sweetness just shakes her head and continues eating. I leave her in the kitchen and get myself ready for bed. I put on a pair of pajama pants, brush my teeth, and wash my face. Walking out of the bathroom, Sweetness walks in. I lean against the door frame to watch her brush her teeth.

Her shapely legs lead up to an hourglass figure and her brown hair is tangled into a wet mess. Even in this disheveled state, Emily stills looks beautiful. Leaning over the sink, Emily spits and rinses. Without a glance, she walks past me and climbs into bed.

Oh no. What’s the matter?

5

Emily

Exhausted. That one word sums up how I feel in its entirety. Going to school all day and working all evening on just a few hours of sleep with a hangover is not my cup of tea. My eyelids are heavy and my feet are sore from standing so much. Let’s not forget the emotional roller coaster I’ve been on all day. One minute, I’m fine and the next it’s like ‘Bring Your Baby Everywhere You Go’ Day.

A thousand questions run through my mind. Who would the baby favor the most? Jake or me? Would he have my brown eyes or Jake’s green eyes? Would he be a she? Would my baby sleep all night or would she pull an all nighter? What color hair would my baby have? Would it be black and straight or brown and slightly curly? Or black and curly? Straight and brown?