Pages turn and stick to each other

 

"Well, you're the first to know," Dan said. 

Valentina listened carefully over the phone. She noted his nervous tone. 

"Um," she managed even if she knew it wasn't what he wanted to hear, but she knew this was going to happen sooner or later with Ivy. 

"Are you OK?" She wanted to know. He only cleared his throat about the pregnancy happening. 

"You'll make a good Dad." Valentina knew. "Go out and celebrate." She smiled. It was exciting news to hear. 

"I don't think so," he said about going out. They were doing more tests and giving Ivy more advice on her blood pressure. "She'll have to be careful."

"You'll take care of her," Val promised. "And I'll take care of you. Just let me know if I can bring anything. Do anything."

"We'll be fine," he assured her, but she wasn't sure she believed him. Naturally, he sounded as if this was all his fault for Ivy being the way she was.

"You know, you can only do so much."

"Yeah, I know-"

"It wasn't you who made her blood pressure high." Val couldn't help but say.

"Well-"

"Stop, she might have had bad blood pressure before but it wasn't something they noticed. You noticed it." Val told him.

"But..but she's mad at Jay." It sounded as if it was easy to shift the stress to Jay, somehow.

"I'll be thinking of both of you," she said. "Try not to worry."

She left him with that. Of course, Matty wanted to know everything.

"What happened?" He made it sound as if a big accident happened on the freeway. He was sitting next to her on the couch. Of course, they'd been interrupted earlier when Dan rang. They were in the middle of some serious touching and kissing even if they were in the livingroom. At least now, they didn't look as if they were in a struggle to put their clothes on.

"Ivy's gonna have a baby." Val felt glum about it. Of course, it felt these days she was studying day and night. Why hadn't she taken a year off? It felt as if she was staggering through everything. And she felt bad for Ivy. This would be her third child. Val shook with a chill. She couldn't imagine something like that. Still, when she looked out of the corner of her eye, she did wonder if Matty had enough condoms. 

"Well, she should be a professional by now," Matty guessed about the pregnant matter.

"She has high blood pressure," Val shrugged. It didn't mean a thing to her. 

Honestly, Valentina did hope Matty stayed around until at least the ten o'clock news. She did want to be with him. She was tired of studying. Of course, a can or two of Blue Moon and a pizza would be good too. She was getting peakish.

"Oh."

"I can tell Dan's nervous about it." Honestly, she didn't want to have Ivy and Dan on her mind. She kept staring at Matty's lips. Thinking they could forget everything and everyone if they just kissed.

"Really?" Matty looked at her and asked how could she tell about her brother's nervousness. Dan wasn't one to be too animated about anything.

"You know, we're here for you," Duffy said and Casey looked at him as if he might be trapped in his own house. Duffy and Effy were the best. They lived next door, but since the pandemic, he didn't really know them anymore.

It was a shock that they had a baby now along with Duffy's preschooler. Casey felt like the odd man out, but they made sure he had supper every night. He ate dinner with them these last few weeks after Lynsey left.

Of course, he didn't say much at first. At least, Duffy didn't expect him to talk about the ordeal with Lynsey. They were staying mute. They were friends of Lynsey too. Effy worked with her at the library. 

"We haven't decided anything," Casey finally spoke after another comforting one-pot meal. "Actually, there's not much to decide. Lynsey doesn't want anything from me. She's not even asking for child support."

"She doesn't even want you to see the baby?" Effy spoke up as if that wasn't right.

Casey wasn't sure what had happened. For a while, he was taking care of Erro every day. Now he was in daycare. He didn't even know which one. 

"We aren't exactly talking." He knew it was his fault, but she seemed more sensitive than usual. After all, he was the sensitive one. Not her. "She..she moved in with that guy who runs the downtown theater. And..and I dunno. They must be more than friends."

"I know who he is," Effy said. Duffy nodded that he'd worked with Charles.

"I don't think he'd tell her not to let you see Erro," Duffy spoke up.

"Who knows." Casey sighed, but he was alone and really he hadn't felt like doing a thing since Lynsey and the baby left.