My Boss & Me

It's A Girl

Dee came with me to my current doctor's appointment. I was nervous; I was finally going to find out if the baby was a girl or a boy. I always told myself I wouldn't care, but I found myself caring about this more and more as the day got closer.

Here I was lying on the table waiting for the doctor, thinking about Markus. No matter what, he was on my mind. I told him this baby wasn't a magic key for a happy relationship. Still, deep down, the idiot girl inside wanted it to be. As much as I knew he would help with the baby, I knew no one could know it was his. Imagine how that would look in the tabloids. A newly appointed CEO gets his secretary pregnant!!

It would not only ruin his reputation, but his father's as well, let alone mine as a writer. I slept with my boss just months before he decided to publish my unfinished novel.

"Janice...Janice!"

I snapped out of my trance. I smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, I was just thinking about...just things."

"About Markus and your fantasy of a relationship? Or about Markus and the mess this will cause if people found out?"

I didn't say anything because she knew me too well. Before she could say anything else, the doctor came in. She smiled at the both of us, "Good morning," She turned on her computer and began typing things. I remember the first time I saw this doctor with Dee; she thought we were a lesbian couple who were lucky enough to get pregnant. 

She put the gel on my stomach, and I zoned in on the ultrasound screen, waiting for her to turn it towards me. When she finally did, she showed us a baby girl. 

*********

On the way home, I did nothing but stare at the ultrasound picture. I didn't want to look at anything else. I could hear Dee talking, but she had been babbling about being the cool aunt since we left the hospital, so I stopped listening. "Jan!! Someone is taking your shit!" She screamed as she parked the car and jumped out, not even waiting to see if I heard her.

I looked up from the photo and saw moving men carrying my stuff out of my apartment—everything from furniture to dishes. I also see Dee beginning to yell at them, so I went inside to see who was in charge of this and why. I climbed the three flights of stairs and turned the corner to my apartment. Greeted by Markus' voice, I instantly became irritated. The door was open so 
I just walked in and followed his voice to find him in my bedroom, directing the movers on what to take and what to pack into boxes.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"I'm moving your things to my place," He said like I should have expected it.

"I don't think so. What makes you think this is ok? You didn't even like me, not that I would have agreed to it!"

Finally, he turned and looked at me after asking the movers to give us privacy, "Look, this is my baby. I want to help you take care of it. The only way I know how to do that is to move you into my place so I can keep an eye on you."

I must have made the strangest face because he looked baffled. "Keep. An. Eye. On. Me...Do you think I need someone, especially you, to keep an eye on me? I don't need you or anyone else to keep an eye on me. What I need is for you to stop trying to control the situation and PUT MY SHIT BACK!"

"Janice.."

"No, I told you already this isn't some magic key. I appreciate you wanting to help, and that is fine, but this is not helping. This is trying to force something that isn't going to happen.

"Janice...I"

"Don't. Just put my things back, please." I knew what he wanted to say; I didn't want him to say it. That would make things even more difficult than they already were.

"I'm sorry. I know you see me as this emotionless asshole who doesn't care about anyone, but that's not true. I care about you, I really do, and I care about this baby," He moved across the room to me, "I love you." He whispered and leaned in close to me. He stopped just before our lips touched as if teasing me. It was working until Dee showed up. She yanked me, as gently as you can yank a pregnant woman, away from him and stood between us.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you seriously want to keep doing this shit to her?" 

"Look.."

"No, you look. Look at her. She is a mess," She turned to me, "No offense."

"None taken"

"She can't even be near you without losing her fucking mind. You have slept with her twice, once of which you emotionally manipulated her to. Now she is pregnant and worrying about not ruining your reputation every second of the day. Finally, when she's focused on the fact that she is having a beautiful baby girl, she comes home to this shit. Can't you give her a break from your shit?"

No one spoke. Partly because he knew she was right, and I didn't have anything to say but because she told him it was a girl. I didn't even know if I wanted to tell him or not.

"It's a girl?"

I nodded with a small smile on my face, "Yes, it is."

Without thinking and completely disregarding everything Dee just said, he rushed over to me and kissed me. He picked me up and spun me around, "It's a girl!"