***
With her mom getting ready in her room, Ronnie retreated to her own bedroom to make herself look more presentable. She needed to go to the bank, and take care of some things her attorney asked her to do. She also needed some money, and had a bit left in her savings account. She didn’t want to ask her mom for money for personal items, and didn’t expect Nikko to always treat her. Then, she wanted to do a bit of shopping since her luggage still had not been returned to her from evidence.
Within an hour the women were off. Lou suggested Ronnie complete one of her errands so as not to waste her day while her mom waited at the doctor’s office to be seen. Leery of leaving her mom, who still looked unwell, she eventually agreed when she saw how agitated her mom was becoming, and because she was insistent. Reluctantly she agreed to drop her off at her doctors, but promised to be back within the hour, only going to Walgreens on the corner to shop for some essentials with what little cash she had. She would need to go to the bank for more, but thought that would take longer, and wanted to be done by the time her mom was ready to go home.
At Walgreens, she purchased a bit of make-up to replace her own that had yet to be returned, some feminine hygiene products, a hair brush, and curling iron, and her own toiletries. Her mom was waiting outside on a bench when she returned and to her relief looked much better.
Her mom walked to the car just as she pulled into a parking spot. “What did she say, Mom?” Ronnie asked with concern.
Her mom gave her a bright smile. “Everything is fine. She did blood work here in the office, and all looked well. And she gave me something for the nausea.”
“But what’s causing it?” Ronnie asked not convinced. There was something her mom was not telling her.
“It could have been flu, my nerves,” she shrugged. “But she gave me some tablets to take until it passes.” Lou didn’t mention the prescription for pre-natal vitamins she had given her. She was further along then she had thought. The doctor did an ultrasound to calculate how far along she might be, and that’s why the nausea was so bad. Four months. Even with Ronnie she hadn’t started showing much until her fifth month. She’d fill her prescription tonight after she told Jay, have him get some ginger snaps, not wanting to take the tablets unless absolutely necessary. The morning, noon, and night sickness would soon pass. She stopped being sick with Ronnie when she started her second trimester, and according to the doctor she was there now.
Ronnie gave her mom, a suspicious look, out of the corner of her eye, hoping her mom wouldn’t keep something from her just because of her own circumstances. Her mom didn’t notice though as she seemed lost in her own thoughts.
The ride home didn’t take long and Lou, feeling even more revived, encouraged Ronnie to go finish her errands. Even though Ronnie felt weird about it and still felt strange leaving her, she really needed to take care of some things. She did promise to hurry.
Lou promised to settle in on the sofa, and rest, enjoying her day off. She would text her if she needed anything. Ronnie wasted no time. She wanted to return as quickly as she could.
***
Unfortunately, as quick as she could took much longer than Ronnie hoped. The bank took hours, but she had her eight thousand bond cashed, and for good measure she took five hundred out of her savings knowing she might not get a second trip to the bank soon. Plus, she needed to turn the eight grand over to her attorney, Mr. Stimson.
After the bank, was Wal-Mart for under garments, and the mall for a couple of outfits that fit her a bit better than those she borrowed from her mother. She also made a quick detour into Victoria Secret. She wanted to treat herself and Nikko to something new.
Then, on her way out of the mall, she ran into Margaret, her one and only friend in the area, and also her hairstylist when she was in town. She and Brad, one of her employees, hung out a few times last summer and had hit it off.
The pretty young blonde, just twenty-three, had started her own salon, called Mavericks, on the four corners in Spring Hill, and catered to people who wanted a unique style, blending new with the classic. The name of the salon was just one indication this woman went her own way. She liked her, a lot, and had always managed to spend a couple of days with her whenever she was in town. They had a cup of coffee and caught up. Margaret, was a sweet woman, professed her faith in Ronnie’s innocence, and told her to come hang out at the shop if she was bored, or just needed to vent. She even went so far as to offer to be a character witness for her.
By the time she returned home, it was four, and she was surprised to find Jay was home early. He never arrived home from work before six. Figuring he had probably come home to check on Lou she didn’t think anything of it at first, but then fear set in. Perhaps her mom had gotten ill again, and called him instead of her. She rushed to the door, but stopped dead in her tracks, when she heard a strange sound coming from inside. It sounded like a pained animal crying out, but somehow she knew it was not Missy making that sound.