The Fighter Pilot’s Baby

Bianca frowned; he was working so hard because of her? Was that why he looked so angry the last time she saw him? Fearing he would resent her and their future child, Bianca questioned if she should go on with this plan. She knew Alex would be happier reenlisting in the Air Force, but he was trying to build a civilian career for her and to support the child they were trying to have. It was all too much for him and was wearing him down.

“Bianca? Are you still there?” Alex asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

“I’m sorry, Alex. I think I was dozing off,” she lied, unwilling to share her concerns at this time.

“I’ll let you get some sleep. I miss you. I’ll be home tomorrow evening.”

They said their goodbyes and Bianca hung up. One last glance at her bedside clock and she realized it was just after three a.m. Bianca was suddenly wide awake and after a half hour of tossing and turning she decided to get up and get ready for work. Friday’s were a welcome relief but starting it so early would come back to bite her around one-thirty this afternoon. Sighing, Bianca tossed the comforter back and climbed from bed. She needed a hot shower and some coffee, which would wake her right up. Stumbling sleepily into the bathroom Bianca spotted the pregnancy test she abandoned on the vanity before her shower last night. She shook her head, not wanting to deal with the disappointment of a negative test on top of the idea that Alex was working himself to death for her. Picking up the test and tossing it back into the vanity cabinet, Bianca started the shower. She stood under the hot spray for a long time, letting the water rinse away her negative thoughts. A little voice in the back of her mind told her to let Alex go, he would be happier without her and her baggage. She didn’t like that voice and wanted to smack it, but she knew it was probably right. Feeling the water begin to turn cold, Bianca switched it off and stepped out. Since she was awake so early she decided to throw on a t-shirt and sweats and slip downstairs for some coffee and a bagel.

The idea of breakfast had Bianca’s stomach in knots. She wasn’t sure what to make of it. Not wanting to kid herself into believing she was actually pregnant, Bianca chocked it up to anxiety about Alex. She forced her bagel and coffee down, ignoring the unsettling churning that her stomach was doing while she dressed for work. Fighting down nausea, she brushed her teeth. The second the toothbrush hit her tongue she gagged, barely making it to the toilet before she vomited. The second attempt left her dry heaving over the toilet for fifteen minutes. Something was definitely off. Glancing at the clock Bianca noticed she still had an hour before she had to go into work. The pregnancy test popped into her mind again. She should just do it and get it over with. At least then she would know if she had a virus and couldn’t go to work. The reasoning made sense, especially since she didn’t want to expose all of her students to a stomach bug.

Finally managing to get her teeth brushed, Bianca yanked open the vanity cabinet and retrieved the wayward pregnancy test. She looked at it with trepidation, as if it would jump up and bite her on the face. With a sigh of resignation, Bianca tore it open and retrieved the stick. The directions were pretty straight forward; two lines for pregnant, one for not pregnant. Positioning herself over the toilet, Bianca took the test, capped it and placed it on the counter. Now came the waiting. Three minutes would let her know if she was going to be a mother. Bianca set a timer on her phone and finished getting ready for work, resisting the urge to peak in the bathroom at the test. Her timer went off and she jumped, her nerves were shot this morning. Bianca walked back into the bathroom slowly, afraid she wouldn’t like what she saw. Squeezing her eyes shut, she retrieved the test from the counter and forced her eyes to open. She gasped. There were two lines. Bianca was pregnant.

*****

Alex ran a hand over his face, the slight stubble on his cheeks rasping against his rough palm. He was nervous. Alex didn’t get nervous often but his whole future was riding on this meeting and he didn’t want to fu*k it up.

“Mr. Johansen,” the petite blonde receptionist came through the double glass doors in front of where Alex waited in the waiting room and looked at him expectantly.

“Yes?” Alex answered, standing.

“Mr. Abramson will see you now,” she replied curtly, turning on her heel and heading back towards the doors at a fast clip.

Alex hurried after her, not sure why she was in such a hurry. Maybe it was almost her lunch break. He followed the woman down a long corridor, past several offices and into another set of double doors at the end of the hall. Inside of the room was a large conference table around which sat three men, one of them Mr. Albert Abramson. The other two men weren’t familiar to Alex. They were possibly fellow investors but Alex wouldn’t know unless he actually grew a pair and walked into the damn room. Alex met Albert Abramson through a fellow Air Force pilot. He was the uncle of one of his captains to be specific. His captain referred him to Mr. Abramson when Alex approached him about going into business with him. Albert Abramson was the CEO of a successful real estate developing company. He also was a shareholder in several large businesses, businesses he helped get off of the ground. Alex hoped his business would be another one of those companies.