CHAPTER 139: Day Fourteen

POV: Avalon Pierce

He woke up and knew immediately what Today was.

The morning sunlight was just beginning to peek through the edges of the curtains, and Selene was still fast asleep beside him. He lay there, completely still, and watched as her chest rose and fell with each gentle breath.

Day fourteen.

She had marked it down on the kitchen calendar three weeks before, and it was the only thing written on the whole page for December.

He got up quietly.

Made coffee and waited .

She walked into the kitchen at 7, her hair a mess, still figuring out who she wanted to be that day.

She looked at the calendar on the wall.

Looked at him.

“Today,” she said.

“Today,” he agreed.

"I'm not going to do it right away," she said. "First, I need a cup of coffee. I want to be fully awake and alert. I don't want to find out something important when I'm still half asleep, that's just not a good idea. I need to be sharp and focused, and a cup of coffee will help me get there."

“Okay,” he said.

He made her coffee.

She drank it slowly, sitting at the counter, both of them not talking about the thing they were both thinking about.

At eight thirty she stood up.

“Okay,” she said.

She went to the bathroom.

He stood in the kitchen and didn’t follow.

She had made it clear to him weeks ago that she wanted to handle this part by herself, just the few minutes of waiting, and then she would come find him for whatever happened next.

He respected that.

He stood at the kitchen window and looked at the city and tried not to think about anything specific and failed completely.

The bathroom door opened.

He didn’t turn around immediately.

Heard her footsteps.

Felt her stop a few feet behind him.

He turned.

She was holding something in both hands, looking at it, her face doing something he’d never seen on her before.

Something completely undefended.

“Selene,” he said.

She looked up at him.

Held it out.

He crossed the kitchen.

There was a silence between them, and it was one of those silences that didn't need any words.

He looked at the test.

Looked at her.

Looked at the test again.

“Avalon,” she said.

He looked up.

Her eyes were wet.

It had happened to him too, he thought, even though he hadn't realized it at the time.

“It’s—” she started.

“I see it,” he said.

“Avalon.”

He wrapped his arms around her, the test still clutched in her hand, pressed between them, and just held her close, feeling the slight tremble of her body, and then he realized his own was shaking too.

They stood there in the kitchen, not saying a word, for what felt like a really long time.

Not saying much.

Just holding on.

She finally pulled back enough to look at him.

"She told him that they should get in touch with Dr. Okafor, and make sure everything is okay."

“I know.”

“I want it confirmed before we tell anyone.”

“I know.”

“Avalon.”

“What.”

“We did it,” she said.

He looked at her.

This woman had spent ten years carrying Elena’s memory on her own. Now, she has plenty of time to make new memories. 

“We did it,” he said.

She called Dr. Okafor’s office.

Got an appointment for the afternoon that day.

They sat together on the kitchen floor while they waited, the test still on the counter above them, neither of them quite ready to put it away yet.

"I didn't want to jump to conclusions," she said with a pause, taking a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing.

“I know.”

“It’s early. Things can still—”

“I know,” he said again. “ We’ll take it one day at a time.”

“You sound very calm.”

He felt two strong emotions at the same time - fear and happiness. "I'm not calm," he admitted, "I'm terrified, but at the same time, I'm also the happiest I've ever been, it's like both feelings are happening together."

She looked at him.

“Both things,” she agreed.

That afternoon, Dr. Okafor confirmed the news with some blood test results, and even though she was clearly excited, she made sure to keep a straight face and be professional about it.

"Everything seems perfect," she said. "I want to see you again in two weeks. Don't forget to take your folic acid, get plenty of rest when you need it, and Selene -"

“Yes.”

“Let yourself be happy about this,” Dr. Okafor said. “ I know what you’ve been through. I know the fear is real. But you’re allowed to be happy too.”

Selene nodded slowly.

“Okay,” she said.

They told no one that night.

Not Maya, not Amara, not Margaret.

They both just sat in their apartment with the news sitting between them, theirs alone for one evening before it became anyone else’s to share.

Avalon made dinner.

She watched him cook.

Neither of them said much.

They didn’t need to.

His phone buzzed late at night, a text from James about something to do with the foundation, but it could definitely wait till the next day.

He didn’t answer it.

He placed his phone face down and sat down beside Selene on the couch, then gently put his hand on her stomach, as if to confirm that everything was really there.

She put her hand over his.

"Hello," she whispered, her voice barely audible, yet somehow it seemed to be directed at everyone and no one all at once.

Avalon felt something break open in his chest that had nothing to do with grief.