All That Matters By S X Meagher 7 page

“I got a slight cramp that felt like it was in my uterus. Then I got up, and when I did, I felt another one, much stronger than the one before.”

“Have you felt cramps like this before?”

“Not since I’ve been pregnant, but I’d say the last one reminded me of the kind I get when I start my period.”

“How are you feeling now? Have the cramps subsided?”

“Yeah, I just have an achy feeling in my lower back. Nothing too intense.”

“Any spotting?”

“No.”

Her tone sharpened and she asked, “Are you certain, Blair? Have you checked?”

“Yes. I just took a shower. There was nothing there.”

“Were you sleeping when the cramps started?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Uhm … I guess if I'm gonna use you as a doctor, I have to tell you the whole truth. We’d made love and fallen asleep when the first one woke me.”

“You made love right before this happened?”

“Uh-huh. Is that a problem?”

"No, not at all. Did you have an orgasm?"

Blair would normally have teased Kylie about the privacy invasion, but she was too worried to tease, and Kylie was acting completely businesslike. "Yeah. I had two. The first one was very intense."

"That's probably it," Kylie said.

"I shouldn't have sex?" Blair asked, hoping that David's fears had been groundless.

“No, no, but sometimes intercourse can bring on a little cramping.”

“Does that mean we shouldn’t …?”

“No, Blair, really, having sex is a good thing for you. It keeps your uterus nice and toned. But your body’s going through some pretty significant changes. You might experience a few funny sensations, but they aren’t anything to worry about.”

“Do you think I should go to the ER, Kylie?”

“No, I don’t. If you’re not spotting, and the cramps are down to an ache, I wouldn’t. Just monitor how you’re feeling, and if things change significantly, you’ll want to take some action. Did you call your gynecologist?”

“Yeah. She’s unavailable. Somebody I’ve never heard of is covering for her.”

“Well, that won’t do you much good. Whoever it is probably won't have access to your chart. I think you’re fine, but just to be safe, you should get busy and choose an obstetrician. That’s who should be seeing you, anyway.”

“I meant to ask you about that,” Blair said. “I got a list of names from Doctor Coughlin, but I don’t know a thing about any of them.”

“Tell you what — a good friend of mine from med school practices in Santa Monica. She’s an excellent obstetrician, and I guarantee I can get you in to see her tomorrow. What do you say?”

“Sold. What’s her name?”

“Monique Jackson. I guarantee you’ll love her.”

“Thanks, Kylie. We were on the verge of going mad here. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Well, yeah,” she drawled, back in friend mode. “That’s why I make the big bucks. I’ll call you later tonight after I get in touch with Monique. You go put your feet up and lie on a heating pad for a while. Don’t forget that you can’t take any pain reliever, okay?”

“Yes, Doc, I remember.”

“And if you feel worse, page me, and I’ll go with you to the ER. I know how to go to the head of the line.” Her voice grew somber again as she added, “I’m teasing you only because I’m sure you’re fine. Got it?”

“Yep, I got it. Talk to you later, Kylie, and thanks again.”

“You owe me dinner. No such thing as a free consultation.”

“Done.”

"And, Blair, don't let this freak you out. It's common, and it shouldn't make you afraid of having sex. Do your best to make David believe that, too," she said.

"That might be a harder sell," Blair admitted, "but I'll try."

She hung up and clambered onto David’s lap. “I assume you got the gist of the conversation?”

He wrapped his arms tightly around her. “Yeah, I did.” Placing soft kisses on her face, he murmured, “I’m so sorry, honey; I know how freaked you were.”

“We may as well get used to it, David; being a parent is all about being scared out of your wits half the time.”

„G

Kylie was true to her word, and the next afternoon, Blair was sitting in Doctor Jackson’s office, talking to her before they began the exam. The intercom buzzed and the receptionist said, “Dr. Mackenzie on line one. She says it’s urgent.”

Doctor Jackson rolled her eyes. “All of her calls are urgent. Surgeons,” she muttered good-naturedly. "Do you mind if I use the speakerphone, Blair? I'm sure she's checking on you."

"No, not at all."

Monique hit the button. “This had better be an emergency, Doctor Mackenzie; I’m in a consultation with a very important patient. She's listening in on the speakerphone, by the way.”

“Hi, Blair," Kylie said. "I just wanted to make sure Monique hadn’t scared her off with your dreadful bedside manner.”

“Listen here, Shakes," Monique interrupted. "I’ve got better things to do than play games with you. Go practice your sewing.”

“I really called to thank you for seeing Blair, Monique. She’s a good friend, and I know you’ll treat her well.”

“Thanks, Kylie. I’m sure we’ll enjoy working together. Now you go make some tiny little incision and charge $25,000 for it and let me get back to work.”

“I’ll call you later, Blair, and we can gossip about Monique,” she managed to get out before Dr. Jackson hung up.

“Shakes?” Blair asked quizzically.

Doctor Jackson held her hands out and made them shake violently. “That’s what we called her in med school once she declared she was going to be a surgeon. It just stuck.”

“I like it,” Blair said. “A lot. I’ll have to use it.”

„G

After being given a clean bill of health from Doctor Jackson, Blair spent the next week trying to prop up David's self-esteem. It was only after she had unsuccessfully tried to get him to make love for the third time that her suspicions were confirmed. “Do you think you caused me to have that little cramping episode?”

“Well, didn’t I? We were way too energetic, Blair. We just can’t do things like that any more.”

“David, I explained this to you. Kylie said it was good to have sex. Monique said we should continue to have sex. Monique said that if anything, it was my orgasm that caused the cramps, and I’m not giving up having those — period!”

“I feel funny about it, Blair. I can’t get it out of my mind. You looked so scared, honey. I was afraid of losing you!”

“Come on now,” she said, enfolding him in an embrace. “You’re not going to lose me. And we’re not going to lose the baby. We have to go along just like normal, David.”

“I’ll try, but I’m just not in the mood right now. How about a foot rub?”

“Great,” she said, pasting on a wan smile. Just what I’ve always wanted. A nice, hot, sexy foot rub!

He got some lotion and rubbed her feet so lovingly that she didn't mind not having sex. He had such a gentle, yet firm touch that she loved to have his hands on her body — in every way. "You know," he said, "you've got two women giving you advice on our sex life, and I don't know either one of them."

"True," she said. "Would you like for me to have Kylie over for dinner? I think you'd like her."

"Nah," he said, "I know you like to have your friends all to yourself."

She laughed. "That's just because you know I don't have many friends, and I don't like most of yours."

"You don't mind when I have my friends over to play cards."

She patted his cheek, smiling at him fondly. "So gullible. I've never been home when you have your friends over. That's why I don't mind."

Scrunching up his face, he nodded. "I guess you're right. I suppose we'd better keep our separate friends separate. Then I won't know if I hate Kylie." He continued to rub her feet, pressing his thumb down the center of her arch, making her moan with pleasure. "You haven't said much about Monique," he said. "What's she like?"

"She's nice," Blair said. "Pretty irreverent, just like Kylie. They went to UCLA med school together, and I think they rubbed off on each other."

"UCLA, huh? That's reassuring. I like my doctors to go to good schools."

"I think she's well-educated, honey. I was in her office and saw her undergraduate diploma: summa cum laude from Howard."

"Isn't that school mostly black?"

"Yeah. She's mostly black, so I suppose she fit right in."

"You didn't tell me she was black," he said.

"Didn't seem important." She gave him a curious look and asked, "Doesn't bother you, does it?"

"Nope. You just didn't mention it."

Hmm … I also haven't mentioned that Kylie's gay. I think I'll keep that to myself. David's pretty open-minded, but I'm not sure he'd like my best friend to be a single, great-looking lesbian. I'll tell him when he's acting more like himself. I can never tell what's going to upset him anymore.

„G

That Sunday, bubbling with excitement, Blair called Kylie. "Who do you consult before you make a major decision?"

"No one. Why?"

"Surgeons," Blair muttered, making Kylie laugh.

"Well, you asked. Why?"

"Because I'm going to show you a house that you're gonna want to buy, but you need to make an offer today, or you'll never get it. So I want you to come with whomever you need to help you decide."

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess I'll bring Nick. He's good at helping me decide if I have any deep, dark emotions luring me into making a poor decision."

"You sound pretty calm for a woman who'd better be buying a house in a couple of hours," Blair said. "Aren't you excited about this?"

"Oh!" Kylie took an audible breath. "I was in my 'I'm stunned, but have to maintain my composure because I'm a surgeon' persona. In reality, I'm very, very excited. If you're sure I'm gonna like it, it's a done deal."

"That's the kind of talk I like to hear," Blair said. "Meet me at my office at 2:00. I should be able to get the keys by then. Oh — bring your checkbook … and binoculars."

Kylie hung up, then looked at the phone and said, "Huh?"

„G

They met at the office, and Blair quickly filled Kylie and Nick in on the details. "Okay, the owner of this place is a well-known actor, and he's decided that he needs more space for his growing family. He owns this property and the one next door. He wants to tear down both houses and build on the property next door because he likes that view better. I sold him the other property, by the way."

Kylie watched her friend speak, noting the professional, organized air that she projected, tempered by a youthful enthusiasm that she found herself quite taken with.

"Anyway, I'm trying to talk him into buying a much bigger place further up the hill. He wouldn't have to do a lot to the new property, and I think it would suit his purposes much better. He hates to go through the hassle of selling both houses, but I've promised him I can sell each of them with one viewing. This will be the easier one to sell, since it's so much less expensive, but I need to sell it today. This is the only opportunity you've got. If you like it, make an offer. If you don't — you're insane, and I lose both listings." She gave her friend a sickly-sweet looking smile.

"Thank God there's no pressure," Kylie said, feeling a little ill. "Well, let's go take a look. I guess I'll either own a house, or lose a friend by the end of the day."

"Don't be silly," Blair said. "You could easily lose more than one friend today. I bet Nick won't like you, either, if you don't bite on this house."

They got into Blair's E-class Mercedes, Kylie allowing Nick the front seat to accommodate his slightly longer legs. "If you only get one chance to sell this, you must be pretty confident of your buyer, Ms. Spencer," Kylie teased.

Shooting her friend a look over her shoulder, Blair said, "I am. I don't mean to put pressure on you, Kylie, and I swear I won't hold it against you if you don't buy it, but I'm risking a pretty hefty commission on the conviction that I know what you want."

"I think you do, too," she said, squeezing her shoulder.

They pulled up in front of a large wooden gate, and Blair rolled her window down and buzzed. "Blair Spencer," she announced when someone answered. The gate swung open, and as they pulled in, Kylie muttered, "I'll take it."

Her voice filled with excitement, Blair said, "It's wonderful, isn't it?"

Kylie nodded mutely, too impressed to speak. They all got out of the car and started to look around, Blair hanging back while Kylie and Nick took in the setting.

The sprawling, Spanish-style home sat perched on the side of a steep canyon. Just outside of the massive stucco wall that surrounded the property, wild canyon plants predominated. "There are homes all around here," Blair said, "but the vegetation is so dense that you can only see them at night when you can catch a glimpse of their lights."

"What are we on in terms of soil?"

"Granite," Blair said. "The house is very secure. The seller is a real worry-wart, and he had two geologic surveys done before he was satisfied."

"Sounds great," Kylie said. "I'm not a worrier, but I'd hate to go down this hill in an earthquake or a mudslide."

"If you're inside the house, you're not going anywhere," Blair assured her. "Did you bring your binoculars?"

"Yep."

"Well, pull them out and look down and to the south when we stand on the porch."

Kylie did so, asking, "Is that Riviera?"

"Yep. From the private garden off the master suite you have a very good view of the country club. You can watch the L.A. Open while you sip a nice drink, get on your cell phone and harass people who live someplace cold."

"Speaking of cold … my brothers are gonna be so jealous." She grinned widely. "Nothing better than making your brothers jealous."

"Never too late for a little therapy, Kylie," Nick said. "You should've resolved your sibling rivalry by the time you're forty."

"I've got a few weeks," Kylie said, sticking her tongue out at her friend's teasing.

Blair led them to the entrance, and a friendly young woman answered the door. "Hi, you must be Blair," she said, extending a hand. "I'm Nicole. They said you'd come over this afternoon. I'll just run over to the main house to give you some time to look around."

When she left, Blair informed them, "The nanny and the housekeeper live in this house, and the kids hang out here a lot of the time, too. This property's completely walled in and has a big play area in the back, so it's a little kid-centered . But you can get rid of the kid stuff without too much trouble."

The home wasn't huge by Hollywood standards, but it was good-sized by anyone else's. It contained three bedrooms, three baths, a home office and a large family room that was set up as a home theater.

They took their time in the house, examining every room carefully. The place had clearly been very well maintained, with windows newly installed and wide-plank wooden floors throughout. Kylie was particularly impressed with the master bath; it had been remodeled in just the last year with a bidet, stainless steel, artisan-made double sinks and a huge, enclosed, multi-head shower. "They took out the tub to make room for that shower," Blair informed them. "They needed the big size to wash the dogs." She giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "Hollywood."

Nick's eyes grew wide, and he gave Blair the "cut" sign. "Don't even get her started on dogs! That's the only reason she wants a house."

"Is it really?" Blair asked, turning to Kylie. "I had no idea."

"Well, I usually keep my secret desires secret," she said, wrapping her hands playfully around Nick's neck. "Some therapist."

"I'm not your therapist," he joked, giving her a one-armed hug. "I can gossip about you all I want."

"We always had dogs when I was growing up, and I really miss having one. A house with an enclosed yard like this is just what I've needed."

"She'll be breeding them in the backyard in no time," Nick said.

"Yeah, this neighborhood is just the kinda place where a hand-lettered sign in the front yard announcing 'Free puppies' would be very much appreciated," Kylie said, laughing heartily.

"The neighbors would hang you — and I don't mean in effigy," Blair said. "We can revisit the dog issue later. Now it's time to look at my favorite element." She opened the sliding doors of the media room and watched as Kylie and Nick walked onto a long, deep, covered veranda.

"Good Lord," Kylie said, her smile growing. "Why do you need a house when you have such a beautiful space?"

"I love the veranda, too," Blair said, "but this play area is a real work of art. Obviously, you can have it all taken out …" Blair began, but Kylie gave her an astonished look and said, "You must be mad! This is where baby Spencer and I will while away our afternoons."

The built-in playground equipment was of a quality never seen in public parks. Blair commented, "He spent over $100,000 on this set-up. There's almost a foot of shredded rubber under this surface. I don't think you'd kill yourself if you jumped from the top of the slide and landed on your head."

"Nice to know," Kylie said, obviously not paying attention. Her gaze was sweeping along the tall, spiky, native plants that nestled along the property line. In the rear corner of the yard, stood a huge wooden doorway that bisected the white stucco wall separating the residences. "That's how they go back and forth between the houses," Blair indicated. "You'd obviously have that taken out and extend the stucco."

"Right. But it's such a nice door, I might leave it."

Blair smiled as she watched her friend, then caught Nick's eye and mimicked snapping her wrist, then reeling in a fish. He laughed, covering his face so Kylie didn't see him. "The yard's nice, isn't it?" Blair asked, now standing next to her friend.

"Duh! Built-in gas grill, granite prep surface, uhm … some kinda stone deck."

"Arizona flagstone," Blair said, "and it's planted with curly thyme so you get a little cushioning as well as a nice scent when you walk on it."

"That's what that is!" Kylie said, her smile brightening. "I love details like that." She turned completely around, slowly taking in the property again.

"God is in the details," Blair said.

"I love it, Blair." She turned to Nick and cocked her head. "Doctor Scott? Do you have an opinion?"

"Of course I do. Do you want to hear it?"

"Yes, Nick," Kylie said, slightly exasperated.

He looked at Blair and winked. "Isn't it fun to torture her?"

"It's my favorite hobby," Blair agreed.

Kylie's lips were pursed, but her eyes were still smiling. Nick said, "It's the nicest house I've ever seen, Kylie, and I know you'll love it here." He turned towards the house and shook his head. "My mother always told me I'd regret not going to medical school. For once, she was right."

"You love your job," Kylie scoffed.

"Yeah, but I'd like your salary."

"Well, I like the women you get. Like's unfair."

"I don't mean to rush you, but I've gotta pee," Blair said.

Kylie grinned at her. "You know damned well that I'd buy this place if it were just the yard. The house is a bonus. A big damn bonus!"

Blair grabbed her arm and gave it a squeeze. "I knew you'd love it!"

"I just wish it had a pool. It'd bug my brothers more if it did."

"There's a pool," Blair said, scoffing ostentatiously. "Right this way." They walked to the side of the house, where a long, narrow lap pool had been installed. It was tightly covered by an automatic pool cover, and Blair pointed to the surface and said to Nick, "Walk on it."

"Are you nuts?"

"No. Go ahead. You can't hurt it."

"You want me to break an expensive pool cover owned by one of the biggest action heroes in the world?"

"He's not a real action hero, Nick," she said, laughing. "He just plays one in the movies. If you break it, I'll pay to fix it."

Giving her a suspicious look, he stepped gingerly onto the surface, amazed when it barely moved under his one hundred ninety-five pounds. "There's no possible way for a child to get under that cover," Blair said. "He had it specially designed because his kids are very, oh, shall we say … inventive?" she said, trying to be kind.

"I've gotta have this place. It's absolutely perfect. I just have to make one call," Kylie said. She took her cell phone off the waistband of her jeans and hit a speed dial number. "Alan? It's your baby sister." She paused for a second and said, "Yes, it's Doctor Baby Sister. Listen, I need some help. I found a house I want to buy, but I have to make an offer today. If I fax you the contract, will you take a look at it for me?" Pausing again, she nodded. "Sure, I'll trade you a vasectomy for your opinion, if you don't mind having me take a scalpel to your …" She trailed off and then giggled, "It's not as effective to tell Mom on me anymore, Alan. Besides, she knows I routinely slice and dice on men's … All right, all right, I'll stop. I'll fax the stuff to your house, okay? Give my love to Annette and the kids."

Switching off, she gave Kylie a broad grin and said, "Let's go to your office and buy me a house."

"Don't you want to know how much he's asking?"

The question hit Kylie like a bucket of ice water. She blinked as her mouth dropped open, then closed again. "I … I don't care how much it costs," she said, her voice rising into whine range. "I've gotta have it!"

"It's within your range," Blair said, drawing out the suspense.

"How much?" Kylie asked. "Not that it matters. I'll start selling my body if I have to."

"One point six," Blair said, waiting for the reaction.

"I told you my range was up to one point five," Kylie said. "Five's less than six."

"Yeah, yeah," Blair said. "What's $100,000 when you're up at this level? Besides, you pre-qualified for one point seven five. Quit whining." She turned towards the house, and Nick followed her.

Kylie lagged behind, shoving her hands in her pockets and sticking her lower lip out while mumbling, "I said one point five."

„G

Kylie took pity on Nick, and rather than make him hang out for the rest of the afternoon, they dropped him off at his home before returning to the office. Watching him walk up the path to his condo, Blair said, "He's a very good catch. I wish I knew someone who was single and looking."

"I don't think he's looking," Kylie said. "He likes being single. He wants to get married some day, but he swears he won't be tied down until he's forty."

"How old is he?"

"Thirty-five."

"Mmm … my age." She nodded, watching his butt when he climbed the stairs. "Dark blonde hair, slightly curly. Such a nice face. Great jaw. I love a man with a good jaw, don't you?" she asked wistfully.

"Oh, yeah. I never date a man without a good jaw," Kylie said, her teasing answer ignored.

"Good body, nice, broad shoulders. Why do guys like him always want to wait to marry?"

"It's easy to say you're going to wait, but when the right one comes along, you forget all of your vows."

Blair turned and smiled at her friend. "He could make me want to forget my vows, but now probably isn't the best time to start cheating on my husband, is it?"

"Not ideal," Kylie agreed. "Timing is everything."

„G

It took much longer than Kylie thought it would, but at nine o'clock, Blair reached over and shook her friend's hand weakly, then let her head drop to her desk. "You've got yourself a house, Doc," she mumbled.

Kylie looked remarkably fresh, given the long day of ups and downs. "I'm just bummed about one thing," she mused. "It's kind of a shame to have his attorney sign the papers. I wanted to have his signature. If the house loses value, I thought I could sell the contract!"

"That house won't lose value," Blair assured her. "Actually, I'm sure I could have sold it for a couple of hundred thousand more."

Kylie blinked at her and said, "But, Blair, that's money out of your pocket — and his!"

"It's worth it to him not to have to deal with people. He doesn't want a bunch of strangers trooping through his house — heck, he doesn't want people to know he lives in L.A. Selling the house in an afternoon is worth a lot to him."

"But what about you? You get a percentage of the sale. Selling for less than the max comes out of your pocket."

"Look," Blair said, her tone businesslike, "I know what I'm doing. Now that the smaller nanny's house is sold, he'll have to sell the main one and buy another. My guess is that I'll sell him at least $10,000,000 worth of real estate this year. Given that I make anywhere from two to four percent …" She waved her hand dismissively. "I'm not crying over the commission on a couple of hundred grand."

Date: 2015-01-29; view: 856