Page 20 of Compelling Urges

After she’d been at the house for a couple of weeks, driving them all insane, she announced to Bodhi, “Tomorrow is my appointment. And really—you don’t need to come. It won’t be much more than me getting to know the doctor.”

“Why don’t you want me to accompany you?” he asked with narrowed eyes.

“Of course I want you to go with me, but I’m just afraid you’ll be bored,” she answered smoothly as she reached out to stroke his arm. Bodhi pulled out of her reach.

Glaring at her, he explained once again, “I won’t be bored. I’m looking forward to it.” And he was. He’d practically stared a hole in the ultrasound image she’d given him. It looked rather like a tiny alien or Mr. Peanut in there, but the sight of his future offspring warmed his heart. Bodhi had fantasies about teaching his son to pitch a baseball, ride a bike, and—best of all—surf. He thought about what it would be like to have a mini-Bodhi running around the house and decided they also were going to need a sweet golden retriever for the kid to love and to learn responsibility with. He’d teach the boy to feed his pup and they’d all go for walks together or runs on the beach.

Bodhi had it all figured out. Unfortunately, he was an only child with rather independent parents who’d moved to Hawaii when they discovered that Bodhi would be living in England. He wouldn’t have much in the way of family moral support from anyone except—hopefully—Ivy and Cooper. He didn’t have the slightest idea what it would be like to raise a kid, but the rose-colored-glasses ideal sounded pretty cool to him. So, during the lonely nights when he tried to be comfortable enough to sleep on the couch, he dreamed of his future life with his child.

At breakfast one morning, Bodhi announced to Cooper, “I’m getting rid of the gym equipment in the third bedroom.”

“Finally sick of the couch?” Cooper asked with a knowing smirk.

Bodhi blinked as if the thought hadn’t occurred to him and answered, “No. I’m turning the room into a nursery. It’ll be great. I was looking online, and they have a lot of these cool things for babies now like dinosaur mobiles and that kind of shit. You can even decorate the ceiling with glow-in-the-dark constellations.”

“Always practical, aren’t you?” Cooper said with a laugh. “Did it ever occur to you that it would be more important to have a crib, a changing table, and a diaper pail? Don’t let me burst your bubble, though.” Cooper had nieces and nephews, so he was familiar with the drill.

“Oh yeah, of course. I just want the kid to have fun, you know?”

Pouring a cup of coffee, Cooper asked, “Bodhi, think about it. What if this isn’t even your kid? Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself?”

“Yeah, I guess,” he answered, but he didn’t look happy as he turned to stare out the window.

A few minutes later, just as Cooper was heading out for work, Blair showed up in the kitchen. Though this was a lot earlier than her normal wake-up time, she was dressed impeccably, and her makeup was flawless. “Good morning, darling. Are you excited about our appointment later?” she asked Bodhi. “It’s in an hour.”

“I am for sure,” he smiled and looked genuinely happier than he had in a while.

“You seem to be out of coffee,” Blair observed looking into his mug. “Want another? I’m just going to pour one for myself.”

Bodhi thought she must be in a good mood to actually lift a finger for someone else, but he scooted his mug closer to her and said, “Sure. Thanks.” He stood and loaded his breakfast dishes into the dishwasher and was cleaning out the frying pan from the eggs he’d fixed when Blair set down the coffee for him. She turned to make some toast for herself.

Bodhi took a healthy gulp of the coffee that appeared to be liberally laced with cream. He wasn’t at all worried that it would be too hot with all of that cold liquid in it. Choking down the swallow, however, he spluttered, “What did you do, Blair? Empty the sugar bowl in this? Or is this some of that awful artificial sweetener? Gross.” He stood and threw the remaining coffee into the sink. “Thanks for trying, but I just take it with cream and no sugar. I thought you knew.”

“Oh, sorry, darling. I guess I mixed up the two cups.” She laughed disparagingly at herself. “Pregnancy brain, you know? Ever since I started expecting our baby, I’ve craved mine extra sweet. Here, take this one instead. I’ll make another pot since that was all there was of the coffee.”

“No thanks. I’ve sort of lost my taste for it after that. I think I’ll just go brush my teeth and get ready to leave. He rinsed the mug and loaded it into the dishwasher, but when he leaned over to place the cup, he felt strange—nauseous and dizzy all of a sudden. And he was sweating profusely.I’ll need to put on a different shirt, he thought.

He took off down the hall and almost ran into Ivy. She looked stunning in a bright blue sundress with her hair piled on top of her head and a few tendrils accenting her lovely face. Her cleavage was just apparent enough to tease, but still sedate enough for a work day. He wanted to start kissing her and never quit. But when he opened his mouth to compliment her, he suddenly knew he had to make it to the bathroom—andfast.

“Bodhi? What’s wrong? You look terrible,” Ivy gasped.

He didn’t even have the time to close the door as he lunged toward the commode. Immediately his breakfast reappeared with a vengeance.

After a lot of retching, Bodhi looked at a very stricken Ivy who handed him a cold, wet washcloth. “Are you going to be okay?” she asked. “Should I get my assistant to cover for me today so I can stay with you?”

Bodhi took the cloth gratefully and wiped his face off with it. In a raspy voice he assured her, “I’m sure it’s just a quick stomach bug, Ivy. I was perfectly fine until this happened.” He closed his eyes for a second and seemed to sway on his feet a little. “I’ll be all right. I just need to go lie down.”

“Well, if you’re sure. But don’t go lie down on that darn sofa. Take our bed in the big bedroom, okay?” She felt his forehead and noted that he was clammy rather than hot. “I’ll bring you some ginger ale and some crackers for later. Go lie down now.” She shooed him out of the bathroom and went to find him some supplies.

“Ivy?” Bodhi called out weakly. “Can you ask Blair to come and talk to me for a minute, please? She’s in the kitchen.”

A couple of minutes after Bodhi stripped down to a clean t-shirt and boxers and slipped into the comfortable bed, Blair crept into the room. She held a bottle of ginger ale and a box of crackers. Bodhi cracked open one eye and looked at her in the dim light.

She set the stuff down on the bedside table and said officiously, “I’m sorry you’re under the weather, but I thought you might like these when you start feeling better.”

Bodhi gave a sad chuckle and asked, “Are you sure Ivy didn’t send you in here with those? That sounds an awful lot like what she said to me before she left.”

“Oh, well, um… everyone knows that you need these for an upset stomach.”

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