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Craig was right behind Mandie and followed her into the bathroom. She sat down on the toilet and showed him the blood. His face turned white. He felt a lump in his throat and choked it down.
"Oh my God, Mandie," He dropped to his knees on the floor in front of her and put his head in her lap. She stroked it lightly and began to cry when she felt his tears drip down her thigh.
"Craig, " She began. "The doctor said I may have some blood. We just have to hope." He couldn't talk, he wouldn't talk. He wouldn't let her see him cry like this. He rubbed his eyes on his sleeve and then lifted his head to look at her. She had never seen him so emotional and it pained her. She reached out and touched his face. He held her hand to his lips and kissed it. He stood up, not saying a word. It was then she realized that she didn't have a sanitary pad, she only had tampons. She looked quickly up at him and told him. He told her to wait right there and flew out of the house. He drove a few blocks to a drug store, bought a bag of pads and then drove home. She was still waiting for him, on the toilet, when he flew back into the apartment. She wiped herself and found just a trace of blood. She gratefully stuck the pad to her panties and then Craig helped her up and back into bed. He crawled in next to her and held her close.
"Please stay put now, Mandie, "I'm going to call the doctor." He left her there and called the doctor. The nurse told him to have her rest the remainder of the day and if she's still spotting the next day to make an appointment. He grabbed her a can of Pepsi on the way back to the bedroom and cracked it open for her. He handed it to her and she took a drink. He relayed the nurse's message and then lay down next to her. He lay on his back, looking up at the ceiling, arms folded in his lap. He felt those goddamned tears again and wondered how much more of this he could take. He never had such a roller coaster emotional day in his entire life. He rolled over and looked at his fiancee. He felt bad, she had been through so much and here he was feeling sorry for himself. He reached out and touched her lightly. She turned to him and he pulled her to him and they lay like that for quite some time.
The next morning, Mandie got up early and went to the bathroom. There wasn't any new blood on the pad and she breathed a sigh of relief. She made coffee and brought it to Craig and nudged him gently. His eyes flickered open and he sat up quickly.
"What the hell are you doing up? Dammit, Mandie ..." He shook his head. She smiled at him. He wondered why and asked.
"I think I'm okay." She explained that she'd had no fresh blood on the pad. He smiled and hugged her.
"I want you to take it EASY today. No moving around, no arguing with your husband-to-be." He chastised. She smiled again.
"I will, I promise." And she lay down.
Upon Craig's insistence, Mandie stayed in bed the whole weekend and Craig took care of her. Come Monday morning he called her work and said she wouldn't be there another day. They weren't happy but complied. The phone rang and Craig grabbed it right up. The caller hung up. He set the phone back down. " ... tired of that shit ..." he muttered. It rang again. He stared at it and almost didn't pick up but finally did. It was Brent.
"Bro, check this out ... you still getting those calls? Anonymous ones?"
"Yes," Craig sighed.
"Next time, try this ..." And Brent went on to explain the automatic call back feature on the phone. Craig's eyes opened wide in surprise. He vowed to try it. After Brent and Craig hung up, Craig made Mandie lunch and was bringing it to her when the phone rang again. He hurriedly set down the tray and picked it up. No one. Craig quickly dialed the *69 feature on the phone and immediately the phone on the other end rang. Someone picked it up, Craig's heart was pounding in anticipation. A female voice said, "hello" ....
