Chapter 134

Hailey bolted for the en suite bathroom as soon as Phil rolled off of her. She closed the door and turned on the sink before sitting down on the toilet. She started to count the days since her last period.

She had planned to go the clinic that Monday because her period had ended the Thursday before. She knew the shot was effective immediately if taken within a week of the start of her menses.

She had never tracked her ovulation cycle but she remembered from her prep school sexuality class that menstruation started 14 days after ovulation – and her period came every 28 days like clockwork.

She also knew a woman was most fertile 24 to 48 hours before and after ovulation.

Her period had started 12 days before. That’s when she broke into tears.

She tried to flush as much of the semen out of her as she could – knowing it was a fruitless gesture.

“Is everything OK?” Phil asked from behind the door. Hailey tried to answer but she couldn’t speak. Phil asked again and then tried the door when he got no response. The door was locked – something extremely rare.

“Hailey!” he said loudly.

“I’m OK,” she managed. Her voice cracked when she answered.

“What’s wrong?” Phil asked in a pleading voice.

“Give me a minute,” Hailey told him. With a locked door in front of him, Phil knew he would have to give her as much time as she needed. He figured he could probably kick the door in but he doubted that would help the situation in the slightest.

“OK,” he said. “Whatever it is ... we’ll deal with it together. Remember: We’re best when we’re together.”

Hailey found it incongruous to be smiling while she was crying. She dried her eyes with the back of her arm and blew her nose on toilet paper. She washed her face in the basin and unlocked the door.

Phil had pulled on his boxer briefs but he sat on the disheveled bed looking at her with concern.

Their suitcases were still out front so Hailey sat beside him wearing nothing. Phil put his arm around her protectively but didn’t speak. He knew she would tell him when she was ready.

“I really screwed up,” she said.

A host of thoughts entered Phil’s head but none of them took root.

“Did you forget you had an exam today?” he wondered.

“No,” Hailey answered immediately. “Well, sort of.”

She took a deep breath.

“I got my birth control shot the first of August,” she told him.

“I remember,” Phil said.

“They last three months,” Hailey continued.

“Uh-huh,” Phil agreed. He had read the brochure, not so much for general knowledge but to see what the health risks might be for Hailey.

“Do the math,” she said as a fresh set of tears started to fall.

“Oh,” Phil said when he added eight and three and got 11 – as in the 11^th month – as in November – as in ... right then.

“Oh,” Hailey echoed.

“I’m sure it’s not exactly three months,” Phil told her.

“It’s 12 weeks,” Hailey said. “I should have gone to the doctor two weeks ago but I waited because I was ... on my period and ... you weren’t here anyway. I planned to go last Monday but ... I didn’t. I got caught up with the stuff with Dr. Harkness and didn’t think of it again.”

Phil found himself nodding.

“I’m sure it’s OK,” he said.

“It’s not!” Hailey said loudly. “Look, did you take a human sexuality course in high school?”

“Sort of,” Phil replied. “I mean, I know the basics of reproduction.”

Hailey gave him a brief synopsis of ovulation and fertility – as she understood them.

“I’m at my peak time, Phil,” she concluded.

“That still doesn’t guarantee...” he replied.

“No,” Hailey admitted, “but it sure increases the odds.”

“What do you want to do?” Phil asked. He still had his arm around Hailey and he gave her a little squeeze.

“I don’t know,” she said. Phil leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

“I’ll go out and get your suitcase,” he said. “This probably isn’t a decision to make naked.”

He had hoped for a smile but go only a nod. Hailey hadn’t moved when he returned. She still sat on the bed, staring at a spot on the blank wall.

“We have options,” Phil told her after he put her suitcase on bed and opened. He saw a variety of nighties and lingerie that he doubted he’d get to see on Hailey’s body anytime soon. Instead, he found a T-shirt and handed it to her. She immediately pulled it over her head.

“Yeah,” Hailey agreed. Phil resumed his seat and put his arm around her shoulder again.

“We can take our chances,” Phil continued. “We’re getting married. It worked for Mom and Dad.”

“No,” Hailey said.

“It’s something to consider,” Phil pressed. “It’s going to happen. The time alone has made me appreciate the need for family. I saw so many people that have nothing at home. They either got divorced or their wife or husband was just as work-oriented as they were and they barely saw each other. I don’t want that. We’re going to be able to devote the most time to a child in the next few years. Kids are also a lot more fun to raise when the parents are young enough to play with them. Those are facts we can’t ignore.”

“I know,” Hailey said. “Maybe if this had happened in March or April, we could think that way. But we’re getting married in eight months.”

“Oh, yeah,” Phil said with a smile. “I guess going into labor in your bridal gown would cast a pall on the ceremony.”

“It’s not funny!” Hailey said, pulling away from him. “I can’t be pregnant when we get married. Last summer showed me that everyone is going to be watching every single thing I do for any mistake. And I fucked this up.”

“No, you didn’t,” Phil countered, taking her in his arms again. “First off, this isn’t your responsibility. It’s our responsibility. I didn’t ask you about it. I didn’t remind you of it. It’s as much my fault as it is yours.”

Hailey sniffed and wiped her eyes again.

“It’s probably more your fault,” she said, trying a smile. “You reminded me the last two times.”

“I figure that’s my part in the process,” Phil told her. “The only way I could do what you do is to get snipped. You get the procedure and I keep the calendar. It’s why I go with you to the gynecologist.”

“I know,” Hailey told him. “And it’s sweet. But that doesn’t help us now. I ... I don’t think I could have an abortion.”

“No!” Phil said quickly. “They sell Plan B over the counter in this state. I’m sure we can find a drugstore.”

“I guess that’s the best idea,” Hailey said without enthusiasm.

“Or, we’ll go find the courthouse, get a marriage license and take care of that detail before I fly back on Monday,” Phil said. “Then we’ll have a bigger ceremony afterward.”

“That’s not really a plan,” Hailey said, frowning.

“It’s an option I’m willing to consider,” Phil told her.

“It doesn’t make for a very exciting honeymoon,” Hailey noted. She sighed. “I think our best idea is to find a drugstore. It’s going to ruin the rest of our weekend.”

“Do you have to stay in bed or does it make you sick?” Phil wondered.

“No,” Hailey answered. “I mean, I don’t think so. But we won’t be able to do any more of this. I don’t want to use condoms.”

She gestured to the bed.

“The weekend isn’t ruined,” Phil told her while he hugged her. “This weekend was about being with you. It was about spending time with you ... just being together.”

“I know but I was looking forward to the bed stuff, too,” Hailey admitted.

“So was I,” Phil replied. “But, we have a lot of other things we can do in bed. I’m just happy to be here with you.”

For the second time in two months, Phil found himself looking out the window of an airplane wishing he was still on the ground. He knew he’d be back in less than two weeks – but he also knew the intervening 11 days would move like molasses in the winter.

The weekend had been fun and he had to admit he was glad to see everyone. He got the chance to catch up with Stacy Thomas – and through her, Ted Billings. Ted was looking forward to completing the last of his schooling and getting his first permanent posting.

Ted and Stacy had set a wedding date – a week after her May graduation. She told everyone that it looked like Ted had a real shot at being assigned to Hawaii so her honeymoon wouldn’t have to end until he was transferred elsewhere.

Emma and Taylor had also come across and Phil was happy to see that they were still doing well. Taylor had locked up the starting job at second base during Fall Ball and Emma’s grades had her looking like a shoo-in for Beta Club the following semester. She was a far cry from the girl he’d met 14 months earlier.

The best part, aside from having three days with his fiancée, was seeing Tiffany, Molly, Katelyn and Bob. Phil enjoyed being around Stacy, Emma and Taylor but he considered his four roommates part of his family.

After only a few minutes, he felt at home – although he could readily see things were different than just a few months earlier. Bob had embraced his role as team captain and had grown more comfortable around Hailey, Tiffany and Molly. He joked with them and provided the off-color comments that used to come from Phil.

Katelyn’s role in student government had also allowed her to grow. She had always been outspoken but he could see that having a platform to air her views had made her more thoughtful about her arguments.

Molly appeared to have matured, too. She was featured soloist in the school orchestra and the secretary of the music honorary. She had also started to take a few education classes so she could learn to deal with her young students better. She no longer viewed life as a travelling musician to be her only goal. She had taken a step backward to assess her future and then made moves to give herself options.

Tiffany was still her normal ebullient self but Phil noticed that her role in the Beta Club – along with the knowledge that she was the favorite to succeed Hailey the following year – had given added confidence. She was working on an expanded Web presence for Heilman College and helping with the school’s marketing department to refine the school’s image in the wake of the dwindling enrollment. Heilman was no longer viewed by some people as the equivalent to an Ivy League school. She had made it her goal to change the perception before she graduated.

Phil was saddened by the fact that he had trouble following most of the conversations that took place. It was like he’d lost his place in their lives – and he wondered if he would ever get it back.

Even Hailey was different.

Part of it was what had happened Friday afternoon. Phil understood that. But it was more than that. The group was more of a team now than they were when he was with them. They had always been independent and cohesive but he had always felt like the linchpin.

Now, he knew he wasn’t.

They would be fine with or without him in their lives. Certainly no one wanted him gone. Everyone was happy to see him and it was clear that everyone wished he could stay longer. But he understood that life would be different in the spring – and not just with his friends.

He, alone in the core group, was the only person not in a prominent campus position. The freshmen – by far the largest group on campus – had no idea of who he was. The roles everyone played now would expand with the new semester. He would just be a student and a member of the baseball team.

He wondered how hard it would be to let go of some of the power (and prestige) he had grown used to. In Hollywood (an area far larger than Heilman), many of the players knew Phil’s name. At school, he doubted two-thirds of the students had ever heard of him. For the past few months, a simple phone call got him put right through to people with hundreds of millions of dollars or hundreds of millions of fans. In a few short weeks, he’d be in a place where many of the people couldn’t pick him out of a police lineup and he’d be surrounded by a group of people that routinely had a dozen people stop them to chat about something each time they crossed the campus.

Phil knew he’d never be captain of the baseball team. The third baseman was also a junior and he was a three-year starter. He’d never be in the leadership of the Beta Club. In fact, he had attended only two meetings of the Beta Club in the three semesters he’d been a member. He’d never be the class president or have a hundred people stand up and applaud when he completed a solo.

Before he left for Los Angeles, he knew he cast a long shadow. Now the shadows of his friends would fall on him.

It would be the same when he returned to Calder City. His mother was the brains and the power behind Barton Holdings. Oh, sure, in five or 10 years, he would have the title but until then, he’d just be a worker bee.

It had been hard for him to leave the group behind. Now he knew it would be just as hard to come back to them at the end of the month.

The ride from LAX to Lambswool Studios in the back of a taxi seemed to take half past forever. It was just past 9 a.m. and the locals called it “Rush Hour.” That made little sense to Phil, who’d found the freeways to be jammed at all hours of the day and most hours of the night.

His trips from SouthPointe into Calder City had introduced him to what he had always considered traffic congestion. It would sometimes take him 45 minutes to travel the 15 miles. Now he sometime moved only a mile or two in 45 minutes. He was always amazed at how traffic freed up for a few miles after a “chokepoint” and then jammed back up again when he hit the next one.

“You mind if we take side streets?” the cabbie asked through the Plexiglas.

“You do whatever you want,” Phil told him. “The mileage will be higher,” the driver noted. “But the time will be less. The fare will be pretty close either way. Dispatch says there is a 10-car pileup a few miles ahead.”