You Hold My Heart [Re-done]

Chapter Ten

I sat at my desk in my cubicle. I hadn't moved in over half an hour. I stared at a calender. Rochel wheeled herself over to my side.

"Kira, what are you doing? You've been totally silent all morning. Why are you looking at a callander? Hello?" She said, waving her hand in front of my face.

"Rochel," I gasped.

"What!?"

"I think I'm late... by two weeks." Finally I tore my eyes and looked at her face. Her eyebrows were trying to join her hair, her mouth formed a perfect O.

"How? Aren't you careful?"

"New Years... we were so drunk. Didn't even think about it."

"Nobody gets pregnant from unprotected sex once. My cousin has been trying for two years!"

"What do I do?"

"Nothing. You wait and see. Two weeks isn't that big of a deal. I was vegetarien for three months before and I stopped getting my period. Eat some meat, Kira. Relax." Rochel wheeled back to her side of the cubicle. I tried to go back to work but couldn't focus. Pregnant? Really?

That night, Geno took me out for dinner. It was one of his favourite Italian places.

"Love this spaghetti. Should make this home sometimes. Maybe cook tell me recipe?" Geno said, twirling his noodles. I pushed my gnocci around.

"Chefs don't usually want to do that. You can ask though," I shrugged. After he finished his first plate, he asked for a second.

"Yes, same thing. Favourite by far."

"You want... another order of spaghetti?" The waiter looked at me.

"Please, yes."

"Hockey players gotta eat," I said with a shrug. Over his second plate, I took a deep breath.

"Geno, do you want kids?" I asked.

"I don't know. I mean... yes. Always just assumed I have some day some. Never thought that much of about it... You want kids?" Geno tilted his head.

"Someday." I said.

"I just think what happen will. You know? If I love woman no want kid, no have kid. Or if woman want kid but no kid come... that happen. It's just let be. World works... mysteriously." Evgeni took my hand over the table. "Let's meet the cook." When the waiter came back to refill my water, I asked him if we would be able to. He went to the kitchen and came back ten minutes later.

"Come on," he said. He was very obviously gay, and couldn't care less about hockey. I could tell. In the kitchen, everyone stopped what they were doing.

"This is Mario, our chef." The waiter said and left.

"Mario! Evgeni," Geno said, shaking his hand. "I am a lot happy meet you. Spaghetti... don't eat in Russia. I come here, I eat lots of spaghettis... Yours is best, by far. Best in Pittsburgh. Kira, tell him... tell him, I admire him. I wish I could do what he does. Tell him he inspires me to want to cook at home." I laughed.

"He says, he admires you. He wishes he could cook like you, and you've inspired him to try at home." Mario crossed himself.

"This is the best compliment I have ever received. Evgeni Malkin! Loves me! My spaghetti! Oh, I'm going to faint," Mario said. He was a short man with hairy arms.

"At home.. noodles, I put in pot. Stick in ball," Geno said. He made a sort of clump with his hands. Mario laughed.

"Put salt in the water, my dear boy!" Evgeni ended up signing things for everyone. He took pictures with them. For Geno, meeting Mario was the same thing for normal people to meet him. He talked about it the whole way home, even at home.

Taylor and I were walking around the mall. I felt like everywhere I looked, I saw mothers with their kids. It was so hard not to tell Taylor I thought I was pregnant. I couldn't tell her before Evgeni. It was bad enough I had already told Rochel.

"Taylor, have you and Ben ever thought about having kids?" I asked her.

"Are you kidding me? We haven't even talked about getting married nevermind a family."

"Do you want kids?"

"Not really. I don't want to be all fat, plus once you have kids you can't do anything. No more partying, less travelling... You just have to always be responsible. Maybe when I'm like thirty... Not now though." Taylor held up a shirt.

"Let's get tattoos," I said. Taylor laughed.

"Okay." We went to a tattoo shop she had been to before.

"This is something we could never do if we were mothers!" She exclaimed as she lay down on the table. I got a Russian flag on the front of my shoulder with the writing Home Is Always In My Heart. Taylor got a butterfly on her ankle. When I got home, Geno asked me if I got anything good. I showed him the sweater I bought.

"And..." I said, pulling down the side of my shirt. He looked at the tattoo and smiled.

"It's beautiful. I don't know you like tattoo," he said and kissed it. "I want one!" The next day we went back to the tattoo shop. Evgeni got the words passion and drive tattooed on his side. He didn't even flinch the whole time.

"My brother is never going to believe I inked Malkin and his girlfriend!" The artist grinned. He didn't charge Geno for his tattoo, but did ask for a picture. Evgeni didn't seem to mind. Maybe he was getting used to the fame.

"I am glad English is more better now. You help a lot. Thank you," he kissed me. I closed my eyes and put my face in his neck. I wanted to stay like this-- happy and together-- forever.

"Kira! I have a game on Valentines day, but.. The weekend before, do you want to go to Italy? I have tickets and rented this cute little villa..." Geno said, rubbing my back.

"Oh, Gen! That sounds perfect," I smiled. I curled into him.

"Soon time for work, love," Evgeni said, kissing my neck. I squeezed him tightly and dragged myself out of bed. At the office, I sat in Rochel's cubicle, waiting for her.

"Jesus, Kira! You scared me!" She shrieked, coming around the corner.

"Geno is taking me to Italy for Valentines! Well, the weekend before."

"Oh my God, that's so romantic," Rochel gushed.

"It's been a week, I still haven't had my period. Rochel... I asked Geno if he wanted kids and he said whatever happens happens! The world is mysterious or some shit... Should I tell him?" I said. I spoke too quickly, but somehow she understood.

"Not until you know. Take a pregnancy test."

"Come with me at lunch?" I pleaded, grabbing her hands.

"Jesus, don't be such a wimp. Fine, I will come with you."

"What are you and Edmund doing for Valentines?"

"I don't know. I don't think anything. He cancelled our date last night," she said, shrugging.

"Did he say why?" I gasped.

"No. Just that he couldn't make it. I don't know. We've been seeing each other a lot less. I think it's ending."

"Oh, Rochel. I'm so sorry. I've been so wrapped up in my self. Here," I said, and scuttled into my desk drawer. I pulled out an Aero bar, passing it to her.

"I'm fine. It's not like I thought I was going to marry the guy." She shrugged again, but took the chocolate.

At lunch we walked to the nearest drugmart. I bought the pregnancy test and pee-ed on it at work. While we waited the two minutes, I ate my sandwich. Rochel paced.

"It could be way worse. You could have got pregnant from a one night stand. The guy could have no job. You could hate the guy! It could be so awful."

"Rochel! We don't even know if I'm pregnant yet!" I took deep breaths, trying to calm down. When the timer went off, we both looked at the stick on the counter. I looked at her, she looked at me. We just stood there.