“Why? Is something wrong?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” Rachel sounded exasperated.
“Can I help?’
“Can you get me pregnant? If so, I’ll book you the next flight to Philadelphia. And I’ll see that you’re canonized for performing a miracle.”
“Rach.” Julia’s tone was gently reproachful.
“What’s wrong with me?” Rachel began to cry.
Julia’s heart tore at the sound of her best friend’s sobs. Rachel’s tears were the soul-baring cries of a woman who desperately wished to become a mother.
“Rachel, sweetie. I’m so sorry.” Julia felt her own eyes water as she listened, not knowing what to say.
When Rachel’s tears subsided, she spoke. “We’ve both been to the doctor. The problem isn’t Aaron. The problem is me. I’m not ovulating. So I’m going to have to start having hormone injections in the hope that they can jump-start my ovaries. Or else . . .”
Rachel sniffled.
“I’m so sorry. Are the hormone injections a big deal?” Julia’s question was hesitant.
“You could say that. Damn it, I don’t know why my body won’t cooperate! The one time I want it to do something important, it fails me. I just don’t understand.”
“What does Aaron say?”
Rachel laughed. “It’s what he doesn’t say. He keeps telling me that it’s all right, that everything will work out. I’d rather he told me that he was pissed off and disappointed.”
“Is he?”
“How could he not be? I am.”
“I’m sure he’s upset because you are.”
“That doesn’t help me.”
“Then talk to him.”
“Why, so I can discuss how much of a failure I am? No thanks.”
“Rach, you aren’t a failure. And it sounds like you have options. So don’t give up hope.”
Rachel didn’t respond.
“Do you want to come up for a visit?”
“No. Work is really busy right now. But you’re coming home for Christmas, right?”
“That’s right. We’ll be home next week, I think. Sooner if Diane goes into labor.”
“Have you heard from them lately?”
“I talk to them on the phone every Sunday, and Diane sends me email updates. So far everything is okay, but they’re still worried about the stress of delivery on the baby. She’s going to deliver at the Children’s Hospital, which means they’ll have to drive into Philadelphia when she goes into labor. Or get a hotel in the city around her due date.”
“When is she due?”
“December twenty-third.”
Rachel was silent again.
Julia heard the sound of a door opening and then Aaron’s voice.
“Jules, I’m going to have to go.” Rachel’s voice was muffled. “But I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Sure. I love you, Rachel. Don’t give up hope.”
“That’s all I have left.” Rachel sniffed again before hanging up the phone.
Julia placed the handset back in its cradle on the desk before saying a long prayer for her friend.
“This is ridiculous.” Julia pushed her cell phone away from her the following evening.
“What’s the matter?” Rebecca breezed into the kitchen with a stack of dish towels, fresh from the laundry room.
“Gabriel. I’m receiving his messages, but we haven’t been able to speak since he left. I keep calling and calling and all I get is voice mail—on his cell phone and in his hotel room.” She placed her head in her hands. “I found the charger cord to his phone upstairs. He’s going to have to buy another one. Or call me from the hotel. But he seems to be out all the time.”
“They took most of the pay phones off the streets of New York. He’ll have trouble finding one while he’s out.” Rebecca folded the dish towels and placed them in a drawer.
Julia drummed her fingers on the granite countertop while staring daggers at her cell phone.
“I should have gone with him.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I had papers to finish. I still have one left to do, but now I can’t concentrate.” She lifted her face to look at Rebecca. “I’m worried about him.”
“I’m sure he’s all right. Although it isn’t like him to forget something.” Rebecca gestured toward the phone cord. “He’s usually so—fastidious.”
“That’s a polite word for it.”
Julia glanced at the mail that Rebecca had stacked on the kitchen island and noticed an envelope addressed to Gabriel from JetBlue.
She stood up straight.
“Do you think I could get a flight to New York tonight?” Julia reached for her laptop.
“It won’t be cheap, but you could try.” Rebecca smiled gently. “Gabriel has only been gone two days.”
“It seems like forever,” muttered Julia.
Rebecca’s face wore a knowing look. “That’s because you’re still newlyweds.”
Julia pulled up the JetBlue website and began typing furiously.
“The prices are a fortune,” she lamented, as she scrolled through several pages.
“Think of it as an early Christmas gift.”
“It isn’t as if I spend a lot of money on things,” she rationalized. “Gabriel is the one who insists on paying top dollar for everything.”
“He’ll be glad you bought the ticket when he sees you.” Rebecca glanced toward the stairs. “I can pull out your suitcase and help you pack. If your flight is tonight, you’ll probably have to leave right away. You don’t want to be stuck in rush hour traffic on the way to the airport.”
Julia lifted her arm and gave Rebecca a hug. “Thank you. He’ll be so surprised.”
“He’s probably in worse shape than you,” Rebecca observed, as she headed toward the stairs.
Within two hours, Julia was at Logan Airport, waiting for the last flight to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. She left a message for Gabriel with the concierge at the Ritz-Carlton, telling him that she would be checking in later that evening, and she ordered sparkling water, strawberries, and truffles to be delivered to their room.
Rebecca had been in the middle of packing her carry-on when she’d flown into the bedroom, telling her that the taxi was on its way. Julia was in such a hurry, she’d quickly grabbed her makeup and toothbrush, leaving her other essentials behind.