After the run-in in the Orient Express, both Mason and Julia were only too happy to rearrange the way they were working. The number of cases they were sharing now was minimal: they preferred not to see each other if they could help it.
Julia was lucky: her office needed repainting, and she was given a new room. Not far enough from Mason’s office, but at least she did not have to pass it every time. Now she could plunge into work and forget herself – as usual. And, as usual, it helped.
As to her state of mind... Inside, Julia felt dead. She did not want to get up in the morning or go to bed at night. She did not want to use makeup or do her hair. Of course she went on with everyday routine, but it was all pretty mechanical.
She missed Mason. It was worse than it had ever been before, and getting still worse. Julia hated herself, but she missed him so – emotionally, intellectually, physically, in every sphere of her life, with every instinct and every fiber of her being. She thought it felt pretty much like drugs withdrawal, though that was ridiculous: when had she managed to get so dependent?
It was really killing her.
One of the reasons for feeling so excessively depressed was that Julia loved Mason. She still loved him, and comparing what she had felt for the other men in her life and what she felt for Mason, she knew this time it was for real.
The other reason... Julia did not know about it at first, and her mind kept shoving the obvious indications to the back of her consciousness, but there came a day she could not but face it. There was not only morning sickness that she had pretended to perceive as stomach flu. All the set of the symptoms was there, and who knew them better than Julia who had once been so obsessed with the idea of getting pregnant that she’d learnt all those pages by heart?
Julia did not know whether to laugh or to cry. Just when she’d given up any hope and convinced herself a baby was not what she needed! And by whom!!
Pearl only shook his head. “You should see a doctor.”
Julia nodded. “I think I should.”
If it had happened a short while ago, Julia would definitely have run away. Considering the situation now, she clearly saw it that Mason had the right to know of the baby coming. Julia only needed to be sure; the first thing to do was to pay Bill Merrick a visit. And then she needed to rehearse what she would tell Mason. She did not know how to explain to him that it had not been her seeking; with him knowing how she’d been feeling about a baby, that should be hard.
And of course, there were other reasons for Julia to fear facing Mason. She was really sorry she had not given him a chance to explain things to HER: how could she expect him to be nobler and more sensitive now if she had failed it? And, after all, that was Mason who had shortly before lost his wife and who obvioulsy had not been planning on getting another woman pregnant. What would he say?
Notwithstanding all those questions and fears, Julia knew what she needed to do. Only – first she needed Bill Merrick to prove she really was pregnant.
*
After Julia’d passed the tests, Bill promised to call Julia back in an hour or so. She left the office number.
As she was crawling to her office miserably, she ran into CC and Mason Capwell, fighing right in the middle of the foyer. Actually it looked as if they had been fighting for life. She had not often been a witness of those father-son scenes, and, by God, that was frightening.
CC’s face was red with fury.
“You backstabber!!” growled he, grabbing at the lapels of Mason’s jacket.
On the surface, Mason seemed not too impressed with that outburst.
“Why are you so surprised, Dad?” he said. “Didn’t you know how I’ve always felt about the fact you drove my mother away?”
Julia retreated as quickly as she could. It seemed the Capwells paid no attention to what was going on around; hopefully no one saw her.
*
Well, Mason did.
He got upstairs and, unbidden, came to her office.
“Liked that, Julia?” he said in way of greeting.
She jumped up. “Mason?”
“Look, you actually still remember my name. Who would have thought.”
“What was I supposed to like?” she said ignoring the sarcasm.
“How my father characterized me. I wonder why you did not join in; you also think me a backstabber, don’t you?”
Julia shook her head. “Mason – look--”
“You don’t have to say anything, Julia--”
The phone rang.
Julia’s heart sank. That was to be Bill, and she just could not discuss things with him in Mason’s presence.
“Could you please go out?”
She did not like the way the muscle in his lower jaw tightened.
“Your boyfriend calling?” Mason asked, sitting down.
“No; I don’t think so; Mason please go out. I need to answer it, it’s confidential.”
“Answer it. Don’t mind me. After all, who am I?”
The phone kept ringing. Julia was growing desperate. She was to ask Bill a billion of questions, and Mason would realize what it all was about; she just was not ready.
“Mason,” she begged. “Please go.” She sprang to her feet and flew to him. “Please go; I have to talk to him--”
“Him,” Mason nodded. “Ok.”
He got up and headed for the door. Julia rushed to the phone, then stopped and called, “It’s not what you think!”
Mason turned. “Oh no? Julia, you’ve never lied to me, don’t start now.”
With this, he was gone. Julia grabbed at the phone, “Bill?”
Yes, that was Bill; and yes, she was pregnant.
/Olga Lisenkova/
