Chapter 10

        "I don't understand why you can't stay here." Frustration laced her voice as she dutifully helped her friend to pack her clothes.

       Anna sighed closing her box, "I have a life to get back to Nicole, I can't put my life on hold forever plus I have a job, you don't expect me to stay here and twiddle my thumbs forever."

     "You could always work here, you know? There are plenty of galleries around that would kill to have you." Of course, they would Tammy Myers, her mother was a very famous artist in her day. It was no wonder she got a job at one of the more popular art galleries in New York immediately after graduation.

      She knew her mother was the reason for that, but hard work assured her the respect she soon achieved after working her butt off, proving her worth to not only her boss but to herself and her mom, if she cared enough.

     "All I'm saying is you shouldn't be alone alright, what if something goes wrong who would be there for you?" The frustration had gone, easing worry into her words.

     Anna could understand her friend's worries, what she couldn't understand was why her friend always felt the need to protect her as if she couldn't take care of herself. 

     She picked up a floral dress she knew would distract her friend, and it did.

    "That looks so cute." Her earlier worries forgotten, Nicole cooed over the dress.

     Anna laughed at her friend and her short attention span, "I know, right? Although it doesn't quite suit my color." Her lovely creamy complexion that clashed with the burgundy color of the dress. She passed the dress to her tanned friend.

     "Anyway, how about Luke? Any chance of that boat sailing?" Nicole looked at her friend as she wore the dress, trying to decipher Anna's emotion.

    Keeping her face straight under her friend's scrutinizing gaze she replied, "Luke, he did text me last night but I don't think we're going anywhere. I mean, I'm having a child, I don't think any man would be comfortable with that". 

     There goes her dating life. She had spent the night tossing and thinking of the direction her life was going. It still felt unreal to her. Having a child was no child's play, pun intended. She was now solely responsible for another human being. The reality of it all shook her to the bones.

    Thinking about it now made her chest feel heavy. She sat down, trying to compose herself before her friend would notice her unease.

    She felt lightheaded. Maybe it was part of the symptoms as she had felt little of those and although she wasn't showing yet, her body was changing.

    Thankfully, the dreaded morning sickness had eluded her so far, she wasn't sure for how long, but other than the slight weight gain, she didn't feel pregnant.

    "Why don't we call Bianca to hang out? Since it's my last day here, oh tell her to bring ice cream too."

    Nicole gave her friend a thumbs up as she left the room, not before taking her new dress. When Anna was satisfied with her things, it took about thirty minutes give or take to achieve that satisfaction her OCD self craved; she strolled into the living room only to see Bianca, she made herself comfortable on the pink couch after they hugged in greeting.

     "I rang the doorbell and nobody answered and since the door was open, I figured it was open for a reason. I brought the ice cream." She said studying the pink and grey interior of the living room.
     
      "That's weird Nicole never leaves the door open, anyway did you see her?" She asked taking a bite of the ice cream.

       "No, maybe she went out for groceries or something," she said, kicking off her shoes and making herself comfortable.

         Anna hummed in agreement. They talked about mundane things for a while before Bianca brought up her pregnancy.

       "So, how are you feeling? I mean, being pregnant is a huge deal." That reminded Anna of how knowledgeable Bianca sounded at the hospital.

      Anna smiled, "so far it hasn't been too bad, I'm still coming into terms with the whole pregnancy thing."

     Bianca nodded in understanding. "It's to be expected since you didn't plan on getting pregnant. Anyway, we'll take it one day at a time since being pregnant isn't a walk in the park."

     She hugged one of the gray fluffy pillows to her chest, enjoying the furry feeling beneath her fingertips as she searched for words to use to phrase her questions.

      "You sound as if you've been pregnant before?"

       Bianca contemplated her answer for a while, it almost seemed like she wasn't going to reply before she broke the silence.

      "I have actually," she clarified, "been pregnant".

      "Oh". Anna didn't know what to say to that, she wanted to ask about the baby, where was it? What about the baby daddy? Where the questions running through her mind.

     Bianca put her curiosity to rest when she answered her.

    "I lost the baby at five months" her voice cracked but she continued, "shortly after my husband and I got a divorce."

       That was news to Anna, she didn't know Bianca had been married previously, she pitied Bianca. The loss must have been heartbreaking, she had barely even gotten used to the fact that she was pregnant, but she found herself clutching her stomach protectively as she thought of Bianca's miscarriage.

       She thought of everything Bianca has been through and admired the inner strength of the woman seated across her; she lost her mother at birth, her father at seventeen, a woman she considered her mother, a child and then her husband. Even though he wasn't dead it was still a loss.

     Her throat felt dry, she craved coffee, but it was out of the question and she didn't want water, so she settled for the next best thing.

     She walked towards the fridge, "do you want anything?"

     Bianca shook her head before realizing that Anna couldn't see her.

    "Maybe a bottle of water," she conceded. Now that Bianca thought of it, she was getting thirsty.

    "Isn't Nicole supposed to be back by now? Grocery shopping doesn't take up to an hour". Bianca asked while Anna was rummaging through the fridge in search of orange juice.

    She closed the fridge, "I don't know where she went to." There were pieces of colored sticky papers stuck on the fridge which was normal for her friend. But on closer inspection, she saw one that hadn't been there yesterday.

    She quickly put two and two together as she read and reread the note on the piece of paper, her heartbreaking for her friend.

    "I think I know where she went."