Free Live Free and Love by Emily Stone Page A

wanting it to ring so badly. She wanted to hear his voice, to share her news with him.
     
    They had created life together, and she didn’t want to be the only one that shared in that joy. He had a right to know, but his stubbornness was making that impossible.
     
    Fifteen minutes later, Kristina stood up in frustration. “Really, he’s not going to call. I guess he doesn’t care.”
     
    “Calm down, preggo, he probably hasn’t checked his voicemail. Give it some time,” Janine told her.
     
    “It’s just taking forever. I want this to be over already. I want him to know just like I know.”
     
    She had just finished her sentence when her phone rang. She had never moved as quickly as she did then. She grabbed her phone and looked at the caller ID.
     
    Letting out a sound of frustration, she answered the phone.
     
    “Hello?”
     
    “Is Jessica there?”
     
    “You have the wrong number,” Kristina said.
     
    “Oh, sorry about that,” the caller said and hung up the phone.
     
    Kristina almost threw her phone across the room. She hadn’t set it down for a minute before it rang again.
     
    “If that’s that person looking for Jessica again I’m going to scream.”
     
    Without looking at the caller ID, she answered her phone. “Hello?”
     
    “What’s wrong?”
     
    Kristina’s eyes got big. It was Danny. He actually had called her back.
     
    “Kristina, you said you were at the hospital. What’s wrong?”
     
    “Um, hey Danny. Well actually I’m fine after all. Um, how have you been?”
     
    Janine rolled her eyes at Kristina. She hunched her shoulders. She had no idea what to say or how to say it.
     
    “You just called me thirty minutes ago; you’re out the hospital already?” he said skeptically.
     
    Kristina was quiet for a while. “To tell you the truth, I wasn’t in the hospital, Danny. I just really needed you to call me. I need to tell you something really important.”
     
    She could hear Danny take a breath. “Why would you scare me like that? I thought you were hurt or something, Tina.”
     
    “I’m sorry, it’s just that I’ve tried to call you, and you wouldn’t answer the phone.”
     
    Danny didn’t say anything for a while. “Are you still there?” Kristina said into her phone.
     
    “Yeah, I’m here. Look, Tina, I’m sorry about that. I’ve wanted to call you, to answer your calls. I just didn’t know what to say to you.
     
    “I acted like an ass the last time we saw each other. I didn’t know what to say to you to make up for it.”
     
    “I should have told you about the article. It would have been easier that way. Once I saw what you were going through, I couldn’t possibly betray your trust like that. I wanted to tell you, but I just figured since I already found a replacement for you in the article, I didn’t have to say anything. It was stupid, and I’m sorry.”
     
    “I guess we both made some mistakes.”
     
    “Yeah, I guess we did. How are you, really?” Kristina asked him.
     
    “I’m okay. It’s a constant struggle, but thanks to you, I’m learning to deal with it. It’s not like I can run off and get drunk here, so there’s that,” he said, trying to make a joke.
     
    “Well thank God,” Kristina said smiling.
     
    “What is it that you wanted to tell me?” Danny asked.
     
    Kristina’s nervousness came back full force. She didn’t exactly know how to say what she had to say. She especially didn’t want to say it over the phone.
     
    “Kristina, are you still there? You got real quiet on me,” Danny said through the phone.
     
    “Yeah, I’m still here. I’m just trying to find a way to tell you something,” she said, biting her lip.
     
    “Just say what’s on your mind. I promise I’ll listen this time,” Danny said.
     
    Janine mouthed “Just tell him” from across the living room.
     
    “Um, well I did go to the doctor, just not today. I went about a week ago.”
     
    “What did they say? You’re okay,