Chapter 3 36 страница

„G

It took a few phone calls, but Kylie finally found a nephew willing to give them a ride downtown — for nearly as much as it would have cost to take a limo. Jason dropped them off at the hotel at 2:30, and after a short wait to check in, they were shown to a very nice room. “Damn, I’ve never seen so much marble,” Blair said while peeking at the bath.

“This is a nice place,” Kylie agreed. She wrapped her arms around her partner and said, “Only one thing would make it nicer.”

“A bigger mini-bar?” Blair asked.

“You. In my bed,” Kylie said, her expression sober.

“Oh, you’ll be home in a few days,” Blair said lightly. She patted her partner and said, “I should get going, honey. I have to check my bag.”

“Leave it here,” Kylie said. “I don’t want you walking through that huge airport with your bag. I want you to take everything out of your carry-on that isn't essential, too.”

“Kylie …”

“I insist,” she said, giving her a no-nonsense look. “I hate the thought of your being at the airport alone. I’ll feel better if I’m not worried about your having to struggle with your luggage.”

Seeing a very determined look, the smaller woman stopped arguing. “Okay,” she said. She went to her carry-on and took out a few things. Kylie hefted it and pronounced it still too heavy. Rolling her eyes, Blair did as she was told and left only a few snacks, her book and her CD player. “Better?”

Lifting the bag, Kylie nodded. “Good job.” She cuddled Blair close and said, “I’d better kiss you goodbye now. We don’t want to cause a scene downstairs.”

“What are you planning on doing?” Blair asked, batting her eyelashes.

“I plan on showing you how much I love you and how I wish you didn’t have to leave. I’m not sure I can say all of that with a kiss, but I’m sure gonna try.”

Looking up at the tears welling in her partner’s eyes, Blair tried to reassure her. “Honey,” she soothed, brushing her hand across Kylie’s cheek, “it’s only a few days. We’ll have lots of short separations through the years. You can’t take them so seriously.”

The doctor nodded, obviously trying to control her emotions. “It’s … probably because you’re pregnant. I’ll toughen up over time.” She was trying to sound flippant, but Blair could hardly bear to look into her eyes and see the sadness that suffused them.

“Come on, Doc. Walk me downstairs, then you can go play with your doctor friends.”

Kylie enveloped her in a hug, holding on tightly. “I’m gonna miss you so much,” she whispered, her voice raspy and thin.

“You’ll be home before you know it,” Blair assured her. “Months from now, when the baby wakes you up six times during the night, you’ll wish you were on a business trip. Store up some uninterrupted sleep while you can.”

“’Kay.” Kylie nodded and wiped at her eyes. She dipped her head and gave Blair one of the most tender, emotion-filled kisses that the smaller woman had ever been gifted with. The doctor's heart started beating faster, and she knew she was on the verge of crying again, so she pulled away and tried to rein in her emotions.

“I hate to leave, but I've gotta go, honey," Blair said. "The limo will be here.”

Kylie picked up the carry-on and slung it over her shoulder. Taking Blair’s hand, she led the way out of the room, and they rode down on the elevator in silence. The limo was right on time, and the driver hopped out to take Blair’s bag. “Is this all?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Kylie said. “We’ll be ready in a minute.”

He nodded and took her cue, getting back into the car to give them a moment of privacy. The doctor placed a soft, light kiss on Blair’s lips, squeezed her hand and opened the door. Blair got in and lowered the window, keeping her eyes locked on her partner. “Bye,” she said softly.

Kylie didn’t say a word. She nodded and watched the limo pull away, standing there until she lost the big, black car in the heavy Michigan Avenue traffic.

„G

Good God, if we have to go through that every time one of us leaves home … She looked out the window, watching the Chicago skyline pass by while she tried to occupy her mind. After a minute, she dug into her carry-on and found her book. She’d been in such a bad mood on the trip out that she hadn’t read a bit, but she was determined to make up for it now. Three days of reading and listening to music and going to bed at an obscenely early hour. I think I’ll have ice cream for dinner tonight … huh … maybe I’ll have ice cream for breakfast, too. With a sly smile she thought, This is your last chance to revel in your baser instincts, Blair. No supervision for three whole days! She patted her belly. You’re finally gonna know what junk food really tastes like, Mackenzie. You're old enough to withstand a barrage of fat and cholesterol for three days.

She forced herself to concentrate, and before she knew it, they were pulling into the departures area for O’Hare. She tipped the driver and headed for her gate, feeling a little like she was playing hooky. Damn, why am I getting such fiendish pleasure from the mere thought of three days alone? She considered the question for a moment, mulling it over while she waited. God knows I love Kylie, but she does tend to hover.That’s one thing that was nice about David. He realized that I was like a cat when I was sick or grouchy. I wanted to crawl under a piece of furniture and be left alone.

She let herself consider how Kylie treated her and couldn’t help but smile. She’s so determined to make me feel better — no matter what’s wrong with me. It’s absolutely infuriating sometimes, she thought, chuckling to herself. No matter how grouchy I am, she can pull me right out of it. Hell, I haven’t had a sustained bad mood since we moved in together.

Boarding began, and she took advantage of her condition to get in line with the other passengers who needed special assistance. Taking her aisle seat, she settled in and watched the rest of the plane fill up. Might as well plan my little vacation, she thought happily. Tonight, I’ll have some ice cream and lie on the sectional and watch TV. Her smile faded when a troubling thought invaded her consciousness. That won’t be any fun. It’s only fun when Kylie and I cuddle together. That sofa’s too big for one person. Okay, she decided, maybe I’ll lie on the sofa in the living room and read my book. Grumpily, she recalled that reading was only satisfying when Kylie rubbed her feet. She thought about one night the week before when they’d sat on opposite ends of the sofa to read and had wound up spending the time giving each other foot massages which had eventually turned into something quite a bit more intimate. Well, maybe I’ll go for a swim, she thought. But then she remembered the last swim she’d had, and how they’d played in the water together after she made love to Kylie. It won’t be any fun to swim alone.

She thought of her partner’s face when they were in the hotel room, and suddenly, it hit her. She couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Kylie Her heart started to race, and her stomach started to spasm as she watched the last few passengers board. Her vision began to narrow, and her whole body was covered with sweat. She knew she was on the verge of panic, and she did the only thing she could think of. She grabbed her bag from under her seat and started to head for the door. The flight attendant gave her a puzzled look and asked, “Are you all right?”

Blair realized that she was crying, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. “No, I’m not,” she sobbed. “I have to get off!”

“Pardon?”

“I have to get off!”

“You can't get off, ma'am. Once you've boarded, you have to stay on the plane."

Blair pointed to a few passengers still coming up the Jetway. "You're not ready to leave! I have to get off!"

"I'm sorry, but we have rules that can't be broken."

Thinking quickly, she stroked her belly and said, “I think I’m in labor. I’ll never make it to L.A.” Seeing the hesitation in the woman’s eyes, she added, “What makes more sense? Letting me off now or helping me deliver this baby yourself?” The attendant still wasn’t convinced, so Blair said, “I had my last baby after three hours of labor. My doctor says this one will come faster!”

The attendant got on the phone and called the gate, and a few seconds later, someone from the airline ran up the walkway with a wheelchair. Blair got in and let the man question her and check her ticket and her identification. A pair of officers from the airport security company came over and got into the act, and after ensuring that she hadn’t had any checked luggage, they allowed her to leave. “Would you like us to call an ambulance?” the young man asked.

“No, a cab is fine,” she said. “I’ve got a couple of hours to get to the hospital.”

He put her into the first cab in line, and stuck his head in the window. “Good luck, ma’am,” he said.

“Oh, I’m a very lucky woman,” she said. “I’m beginning to realize how lucky.”

„G

The cab deposited her at the hotel at 6:30. For once, Blair’s charms failed her, and she couldn't convince the clerk to let her into Kylie’s room. He did, however, agree to hold her bag while she searched for her partner. The conference didn’t formally start until Monday, but there was a cocktail party to kick things off tonight. Kylie had said she was planning on catching up with some old friends there and hoped to have dinner with some medical school classmates afterwards. The cocktail party was scheduled until 7:00, and Blair fervently hoped that Kylie stayed until it was finished, or she wouldn’t be able to find her for hours.

The fates were kind, and when Blair talked her way past the registration table, she was able to pick Kylie out of the crowd easily. She felt her heartbeat pick up and a fluttering in her stomach when she saw her. Her palms grew moist, and she actually felt a little lightheaded. Reminding herself that it was just Kylie, she stopped in her tracks and let herself feel how wrong it was to think like that. This wasn’t just Kylie. This was the woman she had chosen above every other person in the world. This woman was the most important person in her universe, and she was determined to show her how true that was.

Marching over, she sidled up alongside her and put her hand on the brunette’s back. The dark head whipped around, and Kylie gasped in shock. “Blair!”

“Changed my mind,” the smaller woman said, looking very shaky.

Blindly handing her glass to the man she had been talking to, Kylie threw her arms around her partner and squeezed her so tight, she lifted her off the floor. “I’m so happy to see you,” she whispered fervently.

“Me, too,” Blair sighed, "I couldn't leave you. I couldn't."

They held each other for a minute, drawing furtive glances from dozens of people. Kylie finally pulled away and said, "Were you frightened to fly alone?"

"No, no," Blair said, shaking her head. "I couldn't leave you!"

Kylie cocked her head, not understanding. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Oh!” Kylie turned around and said, “Damn, Ethan, I forgot you were even here!”

“I assume this is the woman responsible for your talking my ear off,” he said, “so I won’t take it too personally.”

“Ethan Levine, this is Blair Spencer. Blair, Ethan’s one of my study buddies from med school.”

“Nice to meet you,” Blair said, extending a moist, shaking hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said. “I always knew Kylie would finally settle down. She obviously shopped very carefully — but it was clearly worth it.” Clapping his friend on the back, he said, “You’ve done well for yourself, Kylie.”

“Not a doubt in my mind,” she said nodding, her eyes never leaving Blair’s.

A few other people came up, and after meeting Blair, they said they were heading out to dinner. “I think we’ll pass,” Kylie said. “I don't think Blair's feeling well."

"I'm not myself," she agreed. "I'd love to go up to our room."

They bid goodbye to the medical crowd and took the elevator to their floor, Kylie looking Blair over the entire time. When they reached their room, she grasped her shoulders and asked, "What's wrong? I know something is."

"Nothing's wrong," Blair said. But she was pale and shaking, and Kylie immediately went to grab her medical bag. "Kylie, please!"

That stopped the doctor short, and she walked back and put her arms around her partner. "Baby, something's wrong! You look like you're frightened to death. You still haven't told me why you decided not to go home!"

Dropping her head against Kylie’s shoulder, she said, “I did.” She looked up. “This afternoon it finally hit me. You’re my home.” Kylie was too stunned to reply, so Blair said it again. “You’re my home,” she repeated, a fiery certainty sparkling in her eyes. Linking her hands behind Kylie’s neck, she tugged her down until their lips met. Pouring every bit of the emotion she felt into her kiss, Blair melted into her partner until she could feel her knees weaken. “I love you so much, Kylie. It … it frightens me, but I can’t hold back.”

"It frightens you?"

"Yes. More than I can tell."

“Don’t be frightened,” Kylie soothed. “I’ll never hurt you, sweetheart. I swear!”

“I know,” Blair said. “It’s not that … it’s … oh, I don’t know what it is, Kylie. I’m scared.”

“Don’t let love frighten you,” Kylie said. “It’s freeing, sweetheart. Trust me.”

“I do.” The smaller woman nodded. “I do trust you.”

"That's what love is," Kylie said fervently. "It's jumping out of a plane without a parachute, but knowing with every fiber of your being that you're safe. Your lover will protect you. No matter what. It's blind faith, Blair. Totally blind faith."

"I've never … ever felt this way before," Blair said, tears filling her eyes. "I'm so frightened, Kylie. Please, please don't hurt me." She held on to her lover with all of her might, sobbing so hard she felt sick.

"I'll always be there for you, Blair. I'll catch you. I promise I'll catch you."

„G

Kylie undressed her partner with unflagging tenderness, then quickly discarded her own clothing. They lay together, wrapped tightly in each other’s arms, while Kylie smoothed Blair’s hair and placed a stream of gentle kisses on her brow. “I was on the plane,” Blair said quietly. “I saw the last few passengers get on, and suddenly, I knew I couldn’t leave you. Thank God I’m pregnant, and the attendant bought the story that I was in labor, or I would have had to be sedated!”

“Oh, sweetheart, that must have been frightening,” Kylie murmured.

“No, that didn’t scare me. I was doing something then. What frightened me was that I realized I can’t keep trying to hold back. You’ve taken all of my defenses from me, Kylie, and that scares me half to death. I’ve … I’ve never let anybody in like I have you.”

“I haven’t either,” Kylie said softly.

Blair lifted up a little and looked into her eyes. “You haven’t?”

“No. Not fully. I always had to be sure the person I was with loved me as much as I loved her. I was always very cognizant of not giving too much — of not being taken advantage of.”

“But you’re not like that with me,” Blair said, a little startled.

“No, I’m not. I’m not even sure why,” she said thoughtfully. “From the start, something about you made me want to be unselfish. You make me want to give to you — without any desire to keep score.”

“Luckily for me,” Blair said, chuckling wryly. “I’d be so far in the hole, I’d never get out.”

“That’s not true,” Kylie said. “You give me so much, sweetheart. I don’t have a single complaint.”

“I do,” Blair said. “I want to show you more of myself, Kylie. I want to really let you in — all the way in. I feel like I’ve been so withholding with you, and I’m so very, very sorry for that.”

“You’re cautious,” Kylie soothed. “I know how you feel, even though I can tell that it’s hard sometimes for you to show it.”

“Do you know?” she asked earnestly. “Do you really know?”

“Yeah, I do,” the larger woman said. “I’ve known from the beginning, Blair. Every once in a while, you really let it show, and that lets me see that it’s there. That’s enough for me.”

“I wanna do better,” Blair said. “I don’t want to show you once in a while. I want to show you every single day, Kylie. If I can’t show you, I won’t be able to show the baby, and I never want him to have to guess how I feel about him.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Kylie said, rubbing her partner’s belly and nuzzling her neck and hair. “That little guy’s gonna be slathered with love. He’ll never doubt you, Blair.”

“I don’t want you to doubt me, either, Kylie. I’m gonna do my best to show you how I feel.”

Drawing back momentarily, the doctor said, “You showed me today. Getting off a plane is a pretty dramatic demonstration.”

“That’s the most foolhardy — and the bravest — thing I’ve ever done,” Blair admitted. “It felt great.” She kissed Kylie, slowly sucking on her lower lip, and said, “It felt great because I was coming back to you. You know what else would feel great?”

Grinning sexily, Kylie said, “Uh-huh, but I’d rather hear it from you.”

Blair wrapped her arms around Kylie’s neck and pulled her close, whispering, “I’d love to have you make love to me. I want it slow and gentle and tender, and I want you to pack as much emotion as you can into it.” Pulling away enough to look into her eyes, she asked, “Will you, baby?”

“No question,” Kylie said, “but you have to do the same.”

“I’ll give it my very best,” Blair pledged, “tonight and every night.”

„G

Kylie had to leave early and found her resolve severely tested by Blair’s warm, naked body which was plastered up against her own in such a delightful way. But the first lecture of the day concerned her specialty and was one of the main reasons she’d agreed to attend. So she forced herself to rise, and she spent just a minute staring at her partner’s beautiful body, only partially covered by the sheet.

Blair hadn’t stirred, so before she left the doctor wrote her a note, urging her to order a good breakfast and eat every bite. The note rested upon the open room service menu, and Kylie mentioned a few of the choices that she thought would be most healthful.

When Blair woke, she looked at the note, shaking her head at Kylie's supervision. “Not today, Doctor Mackenzie,” she declared aloud. “I’m going out for pancakes!” Grabbing the phone, she dialed and waited for her father to pick up. “How would you like to take your favorite daughter out for pancakes this morning?” she asked.

“Blair?”

“Do you have another favorite daughter?” she asked.

“Well, no, but why are you here?”

“Long story, Dad. I’m gonna take a quick shower and hop in a cab. I’ll be by to pick you up in an hour.”

„G

Werner opened the door to Blair’s knock and blinked in surprise when she walked in mumbling, “Everything was going fine until you and Mom had to get involved. Now I’m crazy in love — fighting my way off airplanes and making a complete fool out of myself.” Turning, she faced him and demanded, “Happy?”

“Sweetheart, I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about! What’s this about fighting in an airplane?”

She chuckled and said, “Let’s walk over to Clark Street and get some of my favorite pancakes. I’ll tell you all about it on the way.”

“Are you sure you want to walk? That’s quite a distance.”

“After you see how many pancakes I eat, you won’t question my decision,” she said.

„G

When they reached the street, she tucked a hand around his arm and said, “What you and Mom said the other night really got to me, Dad.”

“Honey, we’re both sorry for that,” he began. “You’re an adult, and we have to stop treating you like you’re still our little girl —”

“No, no, I’m glad you talked to me,” she said. “Just because I’m an adult doesn’t mean I can always see myself clearly. You both made me take a look at the way I was behaving, and I didn’t like what I saw.”

“Tell me what you’re unhappy with, honey.”

“I got really freaked out that night, Dad, and when Kylie came home, I practically got down on my knees and begged her to believe that I love her.” She laughed softly and said, “Of course, she said that she didn’t have a doubt in the world about that — but that’s how she is. She’s so careful never to hurt my feelings — even when they deserve to be hurt.”

“She’s a very kind woman, isn’t she?”

“Yeah,” Blair said. “She’s the best. Anyway, I tried to pay more attention this weekend. I really tried to focus on how she is around me, and I realized that she’s much more expressive about her feelings than I am. She made the baby move by touching me on Saturday night, and I was so moved by her joy that I almost wept.”

“Oh, that must have been wonderful for her,” he said, his eyes tearing up a little.

“It was magical — for both of us,” she said.

“You know,” he said, “that’s one of the things that I missed being able to do with you.”

“Oh, you’ll have your chance,” she said. “After I eat, he goes wild.” She gave her father’s arm a squeeze and said, “I felt really close to Kylie all weekend. Much more so than normal. Then, yesterday, we were saying goodbye at the hotel, and she got very emotional. I tried to make light of it, but it really got to me, Dad.”

“I can see that it would have,” he said.

“Anyway, I put myself into my usual mode and started thinking about how cool it was going to be to have three whole days to myself.” She laughed wryly and said, “By the time they were ready to close the doors on the plane, I realized that I didn’t want three days to myself. I didn’t want to be away from Kylie for three minutes — much less three days! I convinced the flight attendant that I was in labor, and after the airport police questioned me, they let me go.”

Werner’s eyes were nearly round with alarm. “Honey! That’s pretty drastic stuff! They could have arrested you!”

“I know it! But that's how focused I was on being with her! I've completely lost my mind, Dad, and I think you and Mom are to blame."

He smiled fondly at his daughter and said, "I don't want you to try a trick like that again, honey, but I'm very glad that you've decided to try to let your feelings show more. I know it will make both of you happier."

"I promised Kylie that I’m going to try my best to be more open and show her how I feel. It’s not gonna be easy,” she predicted, “and it scares me to do it — but I have to, Dad. I have to.”

“It’s uncontrollable, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Yes! That’s exactly it! It’s uncontrollable.”

He reached over and patted her gently, a wide smile on his face. “My little girl’s in love.”

„G

Before they went to sleep that night, Kylie said, “This probably won’t interest you at all, and I swear you won’t hurt my feelings if you don’t want to come, but I’m doing a little presentation tomorrow.”

Blair sat up and stared at her. “You are? Since when?”

“Since they asked me to come. One of my partners was supposed to do it — that’s why it was important for one of us to come and take over for him.”

“Tell me more about this,” Blair asked.

“Well, it’s pretty technical,” Kylie said, “but it’s about this new technique we’ve been using. Normally, when a woman undergoes in-vitro fertilization, we implant seven or eight fertilized eggs, hoping that one or two will attach.”

“Yeah, I’m familiar with that,” Blair said. “That’s one of the big reasons I didn’t want to have IVF.”

“Exactly,” Kylie said. “A lot of women are really worried about having quads or even quints.”

“Count me in,” Blair said, raising her hand. “What are you guys doing differently?”

“We’re implanting fewer eggs — usually four, but we’ve varied the implantation technique a bit. We’ve been having a lot of success with it. Usually, you have a fifteen percent chance of attachment to the uterine wall. With our method, we’re getting about a twenty-five percent success rate. And if a couple is really worried about multiple births, we only implant three eggs. Most people are willing to risk triplets.”

“That’s really cool, Kylie, and I understood it,” Blair said, beaming.

“Yeah, you did now, but you won’t when I talk in doctor-speak,” she said. “Anyway, I’m doing it at 2:00, so if you’re not busy, you might want to drop by for a few minutes.”

“I’ll see what I can do, Doc. Are you nervous about it?”

“Huh? Nervous?” Kylie shook her head. “No, I don’t get nervous when I talk to my peers. It’s shoptalk, honey.” She gave Blair a little kiss and added, “But if you come, I might be a little nervous. You always make my palms sweat.”

“Same goes for me. And you know how I get when I see you in doctor mode.”

“I enjoyed having dinner with your parents tonight,” Kylie said, “but it’s room service tomorrow night. I don’t want to be away from you for a minute.”

„G

The next afternoon, Werner and Blair made their way to the meeting room where Kylie was scheduled to speak. Blair was suitably impressed by the size of the crowd, and she and her father had to take seats in the last row. Kylie was standing at the front of the room, talking to a few people, and Blair commented, “Doesn’t she look nice?”

“She’s a beautiful woman,” Werner agreed. “She knows how to dress.”

“No, her personal shopper knows how to dress,” Blair said. “She has a woman who picks out all of her clothes and sends her things on approval. This woman really knows what looks good on Kylie. She hardly ever sends anything back.”

“Well, however she accomplishes it, she looks great.”

Kylie checked her watch and strode to the podium, clearing her throat to get everyone’s attention. “Good afternoon,” she said, her voice ringing out clearly in the large room. “I’m Kylie Mackenzie from L.A. Reproductive and Fertility Associates, and I’m filling in for Peter Martini. Dr. Martini is one of my partners, but he couldn’t be with us today.”

“She doesn’t seem nervous at all, does she?” Blair asked.

“Cool as a cucumber,” Werner said. “She’s a natural.”

Blair watched her lover perform, marveling at how effortless it seemed for Kylie to speak to several hundred people. The presentation was way over her head, but she didn’t mind a bit; she enjoyed watching Kylie as much as listening to her. When the doctor was finished with her prepared remarks, she fielded questions from the audience, and after a little while, it became clear to Blair that Kylie wasn’t performing — she was teaching and learning at the same time. Her concentration was razor-sharp, and when someone asked an insightful question, she gave it her full attention, often engaging the other doctor in conversation — trying to work out an obscure issue. It was absolutely fascinating to watch, and Blair was struck by the thought that her lover could be an excellent teacher.

Дата добавления: 2015-09-04