Their Miracle Baby

Chapter 6

Lewis looked at the note that Venetia had left him, anger mixing with frustration. He’d known that morning that he’d pushed it too far. She’d tried so hard to make him happy, and he just continued to punish her for having her own will. One of the things he’d loved most about her, her drive and determination to help people, had come between them.

He’d preached to her about having a life, but now that she’d discovered her freedom he’d tried to take that away from her. But now she’d run away. Instead of facing their problems together, she’d moved out while he was at the hospital. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Finally, he decided that if she wanted it this way then that was fine with him.

He wasn’t going to go chasing after her, let her come to him. He’d said that it was fine if they waited until she was ready to have a baby, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t be unhappy about her decision. She should have hung around and waited for him to get over his disappointment. In his mind, he conveniently pushed the role his actions had played to the back of his mind, making Venetia the bad guy.

Venetia waited for days for some communication from Lewis, then decided that her instincts had been right. If he cared so little for her that he’d been able to let her walk away that easily, then they had no business having a baby. Her heart ached with longing for Lewis, but she refused to give in to the desire to hear his voice. As miserable as she was, she knew that hearing his voice would only make things worse.

As the weeks wore on, Venetia continued to miss Lewis with every fiber of her being, but he still hadn’t called her. She had to assume he’d moved on and her instincts had been correct. One night, on her way out of the hospital, she saw him, all dressed up, a beautiful woman on his arm. She ducked behind a post before they could see her, but once they were gone, she sank to the ground in tears, the first she’d shed since she’d moved out of Lewis’ house.

Lewis was just as miserable as Venetia, but his pride had taken over and nothing could have persuaded him to call her. She’d made her decision and maybe that was for the best; after all, in a relationship you have to compromise, something she’d been unable to do. He’d offered her help with the baby, they could afford as much help as she wanted. But that hadn’t been good enough.

But no matter how many times he told himself that he was the injured party, a little voice kept telling him that he’d been in the wrong, punishing her for not wanting what he wanted. He was at war with himself, his heart breaking a little more each day he was away from Venetia, but his pride preventing him from seeking her out.

Venetia was sitting at her desk, a stack of charts in front of her, trying to summon enough energy to finish them before she went home for the day. Bernice knocked and came into her office, the mail in her hand. Taking one look at Venetia, she sat down across from her, concern on her face.

“I’m worried about you,” she said, throwing the mail on the desk.

“I’m okay. Just a little tired. I’m not sleeping very well,” Venetia said, picking up the mail.

“I know it’s hard, but it will get better,” Bernice said.

Venetia was tired of crying; she’d cried so much over the last few weeks that she’d had to start buying her Kleenex in bundle packs. To distract herself, she started sorting the mail when a flyer caught her eye. It was from Doctors without Borders, a dream she’d forgotten about.

“Bernice, I’m going to sign on with Doctors without Borders. Dr. Billings can take over for me and we’ll find another doctor. It’s the only way I’m going to get over Lewis. I saw him with another woman last night and it almost killed me.”

“Are you sure you’re not just running away?” Bernice asked, skeptical.

“I might be, but what choice do I have? I can’t go on like this. It’s killing me. I’ve always wanted to go, now would be the perfect time.”

Bernice just shook her head, knowing that Venetia might just be right, maybe a little distance would help her. She still felt that Venetia and Lewis weren’t done with each other, but maybe they needed some distance to see that for themselves.

“Okay, whatever you need. But I’m going to miss you. It won’t be the same without you,” Bernice said, coming around the desk to give her a hug.

“I won’t be gone forever. I’ll be back before you know it. With lots of great stories to tell.”

“How soon will you leave?”

“As soon as I can arrange it,” Venetia said, conviction in her voice.

It took less time than she imagined to get things arranged. In only a few weeks, she was on a flight to Brazil, her papers in hand. She was headed to a small village deep in the rainforest. There she would administer to the sick, especially the kids, while teaching the native tribes anything that might help them to prosper.

She was excited to go off on a new adventure, thoughts of Lewis less on her mind, the farther away from him she got. It still hurt, but at least she was making the most of her decision not to have a baby. There was still plenty of time to find someone who would love her the way she thought that Lewis loved her; together they would have the family she wanted someday.

Back in the city, Lewis was moping around his apartment, missing Venetia, but not sure how to deal with it now that so much time had passed. She might have moved on, but he hadn’t heard any gossip around the hospital about her seeing anyone else. The more he thought about her with another man, the more desperate he became to see her and make sure that wasn’t true.