She sat in the bathroom for hours as the afternoon passed and
the sun started to set. Her mind couldn't fathom it. She hadn't been
with a man for over two years, there was no way she could be pregnant, yet she
knew in her heart that she was. The how of being pregnant was quickly
pushed aside by the what-will-I-do-now. Panic clouded her every
thought. She had to get away, now. It was one thing when her safety
was compromised, it was another when it was her child's. Packing her
things quickly, she grabbed her briefcase and headed downstairs. The
concierge hailed her a cab and soon she was speeding through the dark streets of
Paris to the arena. She knew in her soul that she was either headed to her
destiny or her doom.
The show was over, the arena, empty. She made her way
through the dark maze of corridors from memory, the only light was coming from
the red exit signs. There was no one was in the common room. Afraid
to turn on the lights, she opened her briefcase and unloaded the reports and
ledgers. There was light and noise coming from the dressing rooms next
door, but she didn't investigate. She wanted her exit to be unnoticed
until it was too late and she was long gone. She started scribbling
a note on the cover of one of the reports, but the sound of laughter stopped
her. Her head turned sharply at the sounds coming from the next
room. She clutched the edge of the table as she recognized it, her heart
fluttering in her chest as she realized it was a sound she had only heard in her
dreams. Dear god it was his laugh coming through the cracks in the
door. He was real.