A Storm Is Brewing

Folic Acid

It was expected that Leah would be called up for the Lionesses again, but the ripples that came with that wave were less expected.

Leah and I had spent most of our time looking into foster care, both excited at the prospect of what would come after the wedding. Neither of us wanted to rush into setting a date, both agreeing that we would rather wait until things had calmed down a bit for us both before we tied the knot. For once, everything had been calm; there were no miscommunications, and there were no sleepless nights. We were back in that bubble. What did I say about bubbles, though?

Leah had been away at camp for just over 3 weeks; this camp was different, though. She wasn't down the road or a few hours away on a flight. She was on the other side of the world, in a completely different time zone. Staying in contact had been difficult; my job meant that I couldn't just stay awake all night to talk to her. The idea of another person I loved being in New Zealand was enough to make me feel sick. We managed okay, until we didn't.

— — — —

The Night Before

The days had been long, and my body felt tired a lot. At first, I thought I just missed Leah, but as time went on, it became apparent that my energy levels were slowly dropping. Unconcerned but aware that I needed to sort it out, I went to the doctor for some routine blood tests. As expected, the doctor called a few days later to say that my B12 was low. More green, leafy vegetables and some folic acid would fix it, she told me. I picked up the prescription after an awkward encounter in the car park and headed home. Leah had a rest day today, so I knew I would get to hear her voice, relaxing on the sofa and patiently awaiting the call.

"Le!" I answered on the first ring.
"Hi Soph."
"I miss you so much."
"I miss you. Tell me about your day."

I loved this about Leah: the rare times that we managed to make the differing time zones work, she asked about my day before she told me about hers. Even though hers were much more interesting. I began to tell her about Paula forgetting that we had a 10 a.m. start, making her chuckle at the idea that Paula had been in the office since 8 a.m., wondering where I was.

"Oh my god, then I went to the chemist and I parked outside; I couldn't understand why everyone was staring at me. Turns out I had parked in someone's driveway!" I laughed.
"I would've paid to see that. What were you getting in the chemist?" Leah asked.
"I had a prescription to collect. Folic acid." I said, brushing it off because I didn't think it was important.
"Huh? Why did you need those?" Leah's tone seemed to change.
"I had some bloods done; it turns out my B12 is low. Doctor said I just need these, and then I'll be checked again in a few months."

I was met with silence. Weird. What is wrong with her?

"How is your day anyway? Rest day today? You guys doing anything?" I questioned.
"Yeah, it was fine."
"Just fine? What have you been up to?"
"The usual. So when did you have the blood tests then?"
"Monday."
"I see."
"What's going on, Leah?"
"I called you on Monday morning, before I went to sleep. You said you just had court."

For fuck sake.

"I hadn't called the doctors at that point. Paula kept banging on about it because I was so tired."
"She did?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry, I just didn't want to waste a conversation on it; I knew it was nothing serious." I tried to reason with her.
"Yeah. Still serious enough for you to tell Paula. Anyway, no point getting annoyed over it. Goodnight, Soph." Leah spoke in short bursts.
"Leah, stop. I haven't spoken to you properly in days. Don't just go." I pleaded.
"I need some time, Sophie. I don't want to get annoyed and regret it. Can you give me that?"
"Yeah okay."
"I love you." She said firmly.
"I love you; have a good day."