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Chapter 13 - Epilogue
Julia came to her senses in the ambulance, with Mason sitting next to her.
“You here?” she whispered.
“Where else could I possibly be?” he glared. “You got me scared, Julia. You know what’s
wrong?”
Julia shut her eyes, in a final attempt to hide from that merciless gaze. But one can’t run from
oneself for a lifetime. She opened her eyes. “I’m pregnant,” she said.
Mason looked stunned.
The ambulance door got opened, and they took out the stretcher and carried Julia in. She had
to be examined, and it took rather long; she was praying for the baby to be all right all the time.
So was Mason.
*
Finally they placed her in a ward and told her to wait. Hardly had Julia closed her eyes when
she heard someone walk in.
Mason.
“Mason?” she said opening her eyes.
“How are you?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Much better. They said everything’s going to be all right, but I
have to stay here for a little while, and that’s good of course--”
It was her usual rambling rant; she noticed herself what she was doing and stopped it.
Mason was deadly serious; and this time she could understand what was deadly about it.
“We need to talk, Julia,” he said. “Do you feel you can talk to me now? Or shall I come later?”
She hurriedly shook her head. “Now.”
“Ok.” He took a deep breath, and then - “Who is the father?” he asked dryly.
Julia sighed. She needed to tell him everything. “I shall tell you everything,” she said. “Sit
down.”
“No thank you.”
He was determined to make it difficult for her, was he? Well.
“Okay,” she conceded. “The first thing you must know – and believe – is that I’ve never wanted
it to be this way. I’ve never wanted to trap you.”
She waited with fear: for her it was the hardest part. Every chance of sharing anything with
Mason depended on it; every hope to have trust and mutual respect in the future, ever again.
For Mason, at the moment it was not crucial. If they – both of them – had been careless or
stupid – that was the past, and now he had to deal with the future. He already was bringing up
a baby of whose paternity he could not be too sure; one more baby of this kind would be a bit
too much, really.
“Ok,” he shrugged her words off. “Accepted. You never planned it. Go on. Who is the father?
Do you even know who he is?”
“Yes,” said Julia. It was very simple, actually. She could see the first part still needed
clarification, but she saw Mason had the right to get the answer he demanded. “Yes, I know. It’
s you.”
“It’s me,” Mason nodded. “Mind telling me how you can be so sure?”
Julia bit her lip. She deserved it. She threw her head back to stop the tears and then said
evenly, “Because. I’ve never been with anyone after you and I broke up.”
“So you haven’t,” he repeated slowly.
“No, I haven’t. And I never was with anyone in between the surgery and our first night together.
And the last time I COULD get pregnant was early November, but I did not, that is why the
surgery was needed, you see, I could not - get - prenant!”
“Yes,” Mason said. He paced the floor. “So – the baby – it’s mine?” he asked again.
Julia’s face was burning. “I’m sorry. Will you hear me out?”
He nodded and sat down. Some compromise.
Julia felt she needed to make a clean breast of it if she wanted a chance.
“The man I was planning to... to have a baby by. You know...”
“I know,” he helped her.
“He’s a very good friend of mine. He’s never ever been my lover.”
Mason seemed dumbstruck.
“I – ah – those unsuccessful attempts, it was artificial insemination.”
“I see,” Mason said. It was giving him a new perspective on what had been happening.
“When we – I mean you and me – when we were to- together,” Julia stammered, “I was not
even thinking it could happen. If I had I would have discussed it with you. Contraception or – I –
I think I just believed then that my body was not meant to – you know--”
“I know,” Mason said again, and this time it sounded very different.
“I mean it’s important that you should believe me,” Julia said in despair.
“Oh – Julia. Don’t worry, I do,” Mason said.
She sighed with immense relief.
“The problem is, I don’t know how to react. And what to do with it. It’s just so – unexpected.”
“I know,” it was her turn to say. “I don’t know either – I was hoping to discuss it with you. I’m
sorry if--”
“Stop apologizing,” he interrupted.
Julia did not like the look on his face.
“I can go away,” she suggested miserably. “To Phoenix, for example. I’ll claim no right--”
“I will,” Mason said softly. “No you cannot go away, Julia. The decision’s not yours any more.”
“I could stay and pretend the original plan worked, and that was that artificial in—”
“There was nothing remotely artificial about it, Julia, and you know it.”
Julia could not help smiling. “No.”
Mason turned his face away from her. He’d lost his wife who died in labor. He could not but
think of it now, with Julia carrying his second baby. At the moment, Mason was bargaining with
God.
“You still in love with me?” he said after a while.
“What?”
“Are you still in love with me?”
Julia fidgeted. But one had to be honest if one wanted a chance. “Yes,” she said. “I think I
always will be. Don’t let it go into your head or influence your decision; we – meaning me and
my baby – will be pretty--”
“You will be pretty—?!” Mason echoed in exaggerated indignation. “You, meaning you and
OUR baby, you will be pretty WHAT?”
“—happy to comply with whatever you decide,” Julia amended quickly.
“That’s better.”
Mason bent down and caressed her cheek.
“You know, Julia, I guess you need to learn a lot of things, like controlling your temper, or
listening, or – getting a Capwell boy do something you want him to do, because very soon you’
ll have three of them around, and you’ll have to deal with all of us.”
Julia laughed happily.
Deep inside, something was telling her that she would not have to deal with three Capwell boys
at once, though: that the baby she was carrying would be a Wainwright girl to help her maintain
the balance.
END
/Olga Lissenkova)
P.S. “After All”
/by Peter Cetera & Cher/
[man]
Well, here we are again
I guess it must be fate
We''ve tried it on our own
But deep inside we''ve known
We''d be back to set things straight
[woman]
I still remember when
Your kiss was so brand new
Every memory repeats
Every step I take retreats
Every journey always brings me back to you
[together]
After all the stops and starts
We keep coming back to these two hearts
Two angels who''ve been rescued from the fall
After all that we''ve been through
It all comes down to me and you
I guess it''s meant to be
Forever you and me
After all
When love is truly right
It lives from year to year
It changes as it grows
And oh the way it grows
But it never disappears
After all the stops and starts
We keep coming back to these two hearts
Two angels who''ve been rescued from the fall
After all that we''ve been through
It all comes down to me and you
I guess it''s meant to be
Forever you and me
After all
Always just beyond my touch
You know I needed you so much
After all, what else is living for?
After all the stops and starts
We keep coming back to these two hearts
Two angels who''ve been rescued from the fall
After all that we''ve been through
It all comes down to me and you
I guess it''s meant to be
Forever you and me
After all
Julia came to her senses in the ambulance, with Mason sitting next to her.
“You here?” she whispered.
“Where else could I possibly be?” he glared. “You got me scared, Julia. You know what’s
wrong?”
Julia shut her eyes, in a final attempt to hide from that merciless gaze. But one can’t run from
oneself for a lifetime. She opened her eyes. “I’m pregnant,” she said.
Mason looked stunned.
The ambulance door got opened, and they took out the stretcher and carried Julia in. She had
to be examined, and it took rather long; she was praying for the baby to be all right all the time.
So was Mason.
*
Finally they placed her in a ward and told her to wait. Hardly had Julia closed her eyes when
she heard someone walk in.
Mason.
“Mason?” she said opening her eyes.
“How are you?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Much better. They said everything’s going to be all right, but I
have to stay here for a little while, and that’s good of course--”
It was her usual rambling rant; she noticed herself what she was doing and stopped it.
Mason was deadly serious; and this time she could understand what was deadly about it.
“We need to talk, Julia,” he said. “Do you feel you can talk to me now? Or shall I come later?”
She hurriedly shook her head. “Now.”
“Ok.” He took a deep breath, and then - “Who is the father?” he asked dryly.
Julia sighed. She needed to tell him everything. “I shall tell you everything,” she said. “Sit
down.”
“No thank you.”
He was determined to make it difficult for her, was he? Well.
“Okay,” she conceded. “The first thing you must know – and believe – is that I’ve never wanted
it to be this way. I’ve never wanted to trap you.”
She waited with fear: for her it was the hardest part. Every chance of sharing anything with
Mason depended on it; every hope to have trust and mutual respect in the future, ever again.
For Mason, at the moment it was not crucial. If they – both of them – had been careless or
stupid – that was the past, and now he had to deal with the future. He already was bringing up
a baby of whose paternity he could not be too sure; one more baby of this kind would be a bit
too much, really.
“Ok,” he shrugged her words off. “Accepted. You never planned it. Go on. Who is the father?
Do you even know who he is?”
“Yes,” said Julia. It was very simple, actually. She could see the first part still needed
clarification, but she saw Mason had the right to get the answer he demanded. “Yes, I know. It’
s you.”
“It’s me,” Mason nodded. “Mind telling me how you can be so sure?”
Julia bit her lip. She deserved it. She threw her head back to stop the tears and then said
evenly, “Because. I’ve never been with anyone after you and I broke up.”
“So you haven’t,” he repeated slowly.
“No, I haven’t. And I never was with anyone in between the surgery and our first night together.
And the last time I COULD get pregnant was early November, but I did not, that is why the
surgery was needed, you see, I could not - get - prenant!”
“Yes,” Mason said. He paced the floor. “So – the baby – it’s mine?” he asked again.
Julia’s face was burning. “I’m sorry. Will you hear me out?”
He nodded and sat down. Some compromise.
Julia felt she needed to make a clean breast of it if she wanted a chance.
“The man I was planning to... to have a baby by. You know...”
“I know,” he helped her.
“He’s a very good friend of mine. He’s never ever been my lover.”
Mason seemed dumbstruck.
“I – ah – those unsuccessful attempts, it was artificial insemination.”
“I see,” Mason said. It was giving him a new perspective on what had been happening.
“When we – I mean you and me – when we were to- together,” Julia stammered, “I was not
even thinking it could happen. If I had I would have discussed it with you. Contraception or – I –
I think I just believed then that my body was not meant to – you know--”
“I know,” Mason said again, and this time it sounded very different.
“I mean it’s important that you should believe me,” Julia said in despair.
“Oh – Julia. Don’t worry, I do,” Mason said.
She sighed with immense relief.
“The problem is, I don’t know how to react. And what to do with it. It’s just so – unexpected.”
“I know,” it was her turn to say. “I don’t know either – I was hoping to discuss it with you. I’m
sorry if--”
“Stop apologizing,” he interrupted.
Julia did not like the look on his face.
“I can go away,” she suggested miserably. “To Phoenix, for example. I’ll claim no right--”
“I will,” Mason said softly. “No you cannot go away, Julia. The decision’s not yours any more.”
“I could stay and pretend the original plan worked, and that was that artificial in—”
“There was nothing remotely artificial about it, Julia, and you know it.”
Julia could not help smiling. “No.”
Mason turned his face away from her. He’d lost his wife who died in labor. He could not but
think of it now, with Julia carrying his second baby. At the moment, Mason was bargaining with
God.
“You still in love with me?” he said after a while.
“What?”
“Are you still in love with me?”
Julia fidgeted. But one had to be honest if one wanted a chance. “Yes,” she said. “I think I
always will be. Don’t let it go into your head or influence your decision; we – meaning me and
my baby – will be pretty--”
“You will be pretty—?!” Mason echoed in exaggerated indignation. “You, meaning you and
OUR baby, you will be pretty WHAT?”
“—happy to comply with whatever you decide,” Julia amended quickly.
“That’s better.”
Mason bent down and caressed her cheek.
“You know, Julia, I guess you need to learn a lot of things, like controlling your temper, or
listening, or – getting a Capwell boy do something you want him to do, because very soon you’
ll have three of them around, and you’ll have to deal with all of us.”
Julia laughed happily.
Deep inside, something was telling her that she would not have to deal with three Capwell boys
at once, though: that the baby she was carrying would be a Wainwright girl to help her maintain
the balance.
END
/Olga Lissenkova)
P.S. “After All”
/by Peter Cetera & Cher/
[man]
Well, here we are again
I guess it must be fate
We''ve tried it on our own
But deep inside we''ve known
We''d be back to set things straight
[woman]
I still remember when
Your kiss was so brand new
Every memory repeats
Every step I take retreats
Every journey always brings me back to you
[together]
After all the stops and starts
We keep coming back to these two hearts
Two angels who''ve been rescued from the fall
After all that we''ve been through
It all comes down to me and you
I guess it''s meant to be
Forever you and me
After all
When love is truly right
It lives from year to year
It changes as it grows
And oh the way it grows
But it never disappears
After all the stops and starts
We keep coming back to these two hearts
Two angels who''ve been rescued from the fall
After all that we''ve been through
It all comes down to me and you
I guess it''s meant to be
Forever you and me
After all
Always just beyond my touch
You know I needed you so much
After all, what else is living for?
After all the stops and starts
We keep coming back to these two hearts
Two angels who''ve been rescued from the fall
After all that we''ve been through
It all comes down to me and you
I guess it''s meant to be
Forever you and me
After all
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