understand you needing moral support and I want to be there for you. I really do. But this is just too much. I don't belong here and I'm really not comfortable sitting down with a doctor discussing how long ago you impregnated another woman.' She forced the words out in a rush or she knew she'd never say them at all.
She was as much as admitting she had feelings for the man and that really wasn't something she'd ever wanted him to know. Not when he was incapable of reciprocating. 'So now that you know how I feel, I can get back to the office.'
Micki turned and started down the street, searching for the nearest taxi as she ran. She still hadn't made peace with her high heels and she wobbled more than once, turning her ankle painfully and destroying any hope she had for a dignified exit.
'Micki!' Damian called after her.
Thank goodness a yellow cab with its lights on rounded the corner. She waved. The car came to a screeching halt. At the same time she reached for the door, Damian caught up with her. She opened the door but he held it, preventing her from getting in.
'Micki, please. I just want to talk to you,' he said, breathing heavily.
She swallowed but her throat was tight. 'When I agreed to help you out I didn't know how hard it would be,' she admitted, her heart pounding in her chest, proving her words with each heavy beat.
'I didn't realize either,' he said softly, his breath warm against her neck.
'Hey lady, you getting in or not?' the cabdriver asked impatiently.
Micki turned to Damian whose gaze was soft and understanding. 'Just sit in the waiting room and as soon as I'm finished, we'll talk'
Her head throbbed, her ankle hurt and her heart ached like mad. 'I must be insane,' she said more to herself than to Damian. She glanced at the cabbie through the open passenger's side window. 'I'm sorry to have taken your time,' she told him and slammed the door shut instead of getting inside.
'Thank you.' Damian grabbed her hand and held on tight. 'I already told you I can act like a spoiled son of a bitch sometimes.' His lips turned upward in an embarrassed grin but his relief at having stopped her exit was palpable.
'Yeah, you did.' But for some reason she was still standing by his side.
An hour later, he walked out of the doctor's office and insisted they grab a cup of coffee. She'd already touched base with Amy at the office and knew her 11:00 a.m. appointment had canceled, freeing up her time, so she agreed.
They settled into seats at Sara Beth's Kitchen and quickly placed their orders. Micki was grateful for the fresh, hot coffee but she wasn't much interested in her Danish.
Damian guzzled his caffeine, needing the fortification desperately. When he was finished, he placed his mug aside and met her gaze from across the small table. For several moments, he simply stared at her, unsure of what to say or where to begin.
He only knew he owed her an apology. Silence surrounded them and though it was morning-rush time, the restaurant was atypically quiet for a weekday. He'd brought her here because they had a lot to discuss and he didn't want to do it over the phone. Until she'd nearly bolted on him this morning, he hadn't realized how much he counted on her comforting presence and solid support.
In the instant she'd taken off down the street, he'd been forced to acknowledge that she was so much more than a friend who was holding his hand through a crisis. He didn't know how much more and at this moment he couldn't see the point in delving too deeply. He also didn't think she'd appreciate hearing he was coming to care for her deeply-not when another woman and her baby stood between them, as did his fucked-up life and the career he was still trying desperately to hang on to.
He dragged his chair closer, moving so he sat directly beside her. His thigh brushed her bare leg and he savored the warmth of her body heat. 'I'm sorry this has been so hard for you.'
'Professionally it's the right way to handle things.'
'But like you said, this morning's appointment wasn't at all a professional request.'
She shook her head. 'Never mind that Friends stand by friends.'
His gut churned uncomfortably at her casual use of the word.
'So what exactly did the doctor say?' she asked.
Her question forced him to focus. 'Are you sure you want to hear about it?'
She nodded slowly. 'I didn't want to be there for the discussion. I can handle hearing the news from you.'
'Basically he said there're three types of testing.' He reached into his pocket for the brochure the doctor had given him and scanned the paper again so he could accurately explain. 'Two are invasive and could be dangerous to the fetus. The last one is a simple blood test involving just the mother and potential father's blood samples. The lab extracts fetal blood cells from the mother's sample and compares the DNA to the potential father's. That would be me.' He pressed his lips together, anger at himself welling up again,
'When can it be done safely?'
He glanced at Micki, whose normally flushed skin had grown pale during this awkward conversation. 'Any time after twelve weeks.' Damian had already done the math. Assuming Carole had gotten pregnant their last time together in April, they were just approaching twelve weeks. 'Which means we're pretty close to being able to do the test,' he said, sparing Micki the details.
'I see. And how is Carole handling all this?' she asked, her voice tight as she unsuccessfully tried to withhold any emotion.
'I don't know,' he said, gripping his coffee cup tighter in his hand. 'I haven't been in touch with her.'
'That's awful!'
He winced. 'It's not as cold and callous as it seems.' He glanced down, embarrassed about what Micki must think of him. 'At first I needed time to digest the news. I needed time to arrange things like this test. And I needed to deal with the idea of possibly being a father'
'And have you?' she asked.
He shrugged, uncertainty still rioting through him.
'I don't know. I can accept it if the test is positive. It's hard to deal with it when it's not even a reality yet.'
'I understand that.'
'But thanks to you I'm taking steps in the right direction and beginning to wrap my brain around it. On the way over this morning I called my lawyer to set up an appointment to put a trust fund together if the baby is mine.' He looked into her blue eyes. 'I needed to do all these things before I could go to Carole and discuss things coherently.'
Micki exhaled slowly. 'I can't imagine what this has been like for you. I know that you're in limbo with Carole and that you're worried about your career, and I know that you're taking a beating in the press-'
'The hell with the press. This mess has taught me that the only opinions I care about are the ones held by the people I-' He'd been about to say love.
A word he never used or even thought about Sitting across from Micki, knowing his feelings for her were growing beyond simple desire or gratitude, it unnerved him to do so now.
'Are you okay?' Micki placed her hand over his.
To Damian it was like touching a match to a wick. His candle was on fire, he thought, holding back a laugh. Who'd have thought his feelings for this woman could lighten his mood and make him happy at a time when he felt like his life was strangling him?
Looking at her, her soft skin and moist lips, listening to her reassure him and tell him she believed he could handle things,
'Actually, I'm fine.' Suddenly, his beeper went off, interrupting them.
'Excuse me.' He checked the number and muttered a curse. 'I was supposed to be at the stadium for an early workout.' He'd completely blanked on his priorities-not a good sign.
'Someone's screwed,' Micki said helpfully.
'Gee, thanks.' Despite himself, Damian laughed. He was on his feet and tossing money onto the table in seconds.
They headed for the street together but when he tried to give her the first cab, she waved him away.
'I'm not going to take this one now and have you hand my head to me on a platter later. You take the first
