Fallon fidgeted with the bottle containing the pills and felt like she was about to faint, beside her, Tom looked nervous. It was exactly a week since she found out she was pregnant, the days had gone by in a blur, and the fact that she had been trying to chase after Gina Fairway as well as balance her hectic life had left her exhausted beyond measure.
"Look Fal, you have to decide now, it is either you are doing it or you are not," Tom said.
Fallon glared at him, "Easy for you to say, you are not are not the one who is going to bleed to death."
"Now you are just being dramatic."
"It says here there will be severe bleeding, and I don't have any tampons."
Tom pointed at the bedroom, "You left some in there. Take the pill."
Fallon pouted and picked up he phone, "Let me just call Whitney and ask for a few days off work, okay? Then I will take the pill, I swear."
Tom nodded.
Fallon picked up her phone and involuntary, she tapped on video from doctor Cahill like she had been doing all week.
"Fallon!" Tom scolded.
"Okay, okay, I am calling."
But before she could reach Whitney's name, her phone began to ring, it was Berin calling her to get an update no doubt. She ignored it, however, a few seconds later, she received a message.
WHAT DID YOU DO?
Fallon immediately picked up the phone when it rang the second time.
"Alloy? What the hell did you do?"
"What?" Fallon was confused, "What do you mean what did I do?"
"Check your email," Berin said and then disconnected.
Fallon gave Tom an apprehensive look and opened the email from Berin, there was a photo attachment which she opened and her eyes widened in disbelief. She immediately called Berin.
"What the fuck?" She asked angrily. If this was Berin's idea of a joke, Fallon didn't find it funny.
"I found it on the floor when I got home."
"Was there a note?" Fallon asked, her voice panicky.
"Yeah. Dear Fallon, I hope this will help, wishing you all the best. No name."
Fallon's phone cluttered on the floor.
"What? What is wrong?"
"Someone has given me half a million dollars," Fallon replied, feeling faint.
"Someone? Who? Why?"
The answer came to her, unbidden, "Gina Fairway."
"Fallon?" Tom gave her a confused look.
Fallon knew it was the only explanation that made sense. Gina knew Fallon was onto something. She had been following the celebrity around the whole week and had photos of her going in the abortion clinic after hours. At some point, Fallon had sensed that Gina knew she was being followed even though Fallon had been careful. Gina Fairway was trying to pay her off.
"She knows I am onto something. She also knows I desperately need cash."
"What are you talking about? Gina Fairway the actress? You two know each other?"
"Yeah. We met at the nursing home." "And you have a story on her?"
"Possibly, although at the moment, all I have are photos."
"And she has written you a check worth half a million dollars?"
"Yes," Fallon said happily, "This is good news right? I don't need to go through with the abortion now."
Tom was silent.
"Tom?"
He ran a hand across his face tiredly and sighed, "I don't know Fal. It just sounds too good to be true."
"But if it is true, we are going to have the babies right?"
Once again, Tom was silent.
Fallon looked at him and noted the look on his face with trepidation, "Tom?" She prompted.
"I don't know Fal."
Fallon nodded as she stood up and picked up her purse, "Right. You don't want to be a dad."
"Fal..."
"I understand of course. I just..." Fallon fought hard to resist the tears, but they still came.
"I am sorry, okay?" Tom said, "But this being a dad thing just sounds scary."
"Don't worry about it," Fallon said as she stepped out of the door, "be a coward and take the easy way out."
The next day, Fallon went took the anonymous check to the bank and to her relief and Berin's, it cleared immediately, making her half a million dollars richer.
Their plans were endless.
"We will of course stay in Maine," Berin suggested, "you can have the babies, we will get a nice little house and move to LA when they are older."
Fallon was touched that Berin was willing to put her life on hold to be with her. Even though Tom's reaction had broken her heart, she could not bring herself to blame him for his decision; he deserved a chance to live his life unshackled.
When she left for the villa that afternoon, she was so happy that her boss, Whitney, noticed.
"You look happy," Whitney commented as she handed Fallon the list of crevices that needed polishing.
"I am going to have a baby."
Whitney was pleasantly surprised by the declaration, "Good for you."
"Yeah!" Fallon said and picked up the list, whistling happily under her breath.
Did she feel guilty for taking Gina's money? A little. But her relief at not having to go through with the abortion was so huge that she did not really care. Gina Fairway did not need the money, she did, and she was going to utilize it.
She was still whistling and thinking of baby names when opened the master bedroom with her cleaning tools in hand and a big smile on her face. Her smile immediately turned into a horrified look when she realized that the villa had new tenants and she had interrupted them doing...er
"I am so sorry!" Fallon said closing the door quickly, but not before she caught a glimpse of Gina Fairway's perfectly toned back.
If it had been the previous day, she would have killed to know who the man with Gina was, but not today. She owed Gina a lot and the least she could do was maintaining her privacy.
"You didn't warn me we had new tenants," Fallon told Whitney.
Whitney shrugged, "Sorry. They came in yesterday. The villa has been empty for two weeks, I forgot. What did you see? Who is the Mr hotstuff she is with?"
Fallon gave a knowing smile; Whitney was the biggest gossip in the world. Fallon knew Whitney had intentionally forgotten to tell her about the new tenants so she could walk in on them and spill the tea.
"I don't know."
"But you want to know, right? Come on."
Fallon nonchalantly polished a glass table, "Seriously Whitney, you can just look him up, I am sure his name is in the contract he signed. Plus they are staying here; you will get to see them all the time."
"Sadly he hasn't left his room since they checked in and Gina executed all the contracts."
"How long are they staying?"
"Two weeks."
"I bet he can't stay in his room for the entire two weeks. He will have to get out at some point."
"But I want to see him now."
"Why don't you just pretend you are room service and take something up there?" I suggested.
"Can't, contract issues."
Sometimes, Fallon really pitied Whitney. She was the manager of the villa and her job was to make sure that all the staff did their work of maintaining the place, but her contract was so constraining that the smallest things will lead to its breach. Even though they all sighed NDAs due to the nature of their clients, Whitney's had more clauses in it. She was not allowed to interact with guests or go to their rooms, and she definitely wasn't allowed to gossip with the cleaner on duty about them.
Fallon silently walked through the villa, polishing up surfaces and arranging things for the next three hours or so and Whitney went to her computer to do online shopping no doubt.
"Room 3 needs a change of sheets," Whitney told her after she was done polishing.
"Morning staff change the sheets Whitney," I told her.
"Yes. But Gina has requested a change of sheets for the room."
"Why?"
"She doesn't like silk, she wants satin."
Fallon opened the drawer with sheets and took out the satin ones without complaint and headed to room 3. She wondered why Gina would want a change of sheets for room three when she was sleeping in the master.
When she came back downstairs, Whitney looked pissed, "You up for babysitting?"
"Huh?"
"Apparently Gina wants someone at the villa full time, for the entire two weeks and I can't stay obviously, I have a two year old."
"Why does she want someone full time? The whole point of the villa is to give them some privacy, right?"
The villa's policy was that this was their client's house. If people rented the villa, they only came in to clean during the day, but at night, except for security, the tenants were left alone. It was not a hotel after all. It was like a secluded place rich people came to be alone and spent their cash playing house.
"Apparently, she sleep walks."
"But she is not here alone, there is her boyfriend."
"He is a sound sleeper."
"Wow."
"Come on Fallon, stay and you don't have to come in to clean for the entire two weeks."
"I can leave to attend my classes, right?"
"You are free during the day because I will be here but you definitely have to stay nights."
That sounded like an attractive prospect for Fallon, considering all Gina had done for her, she owed her. So she agreed. She also had to admit she was curious to talk to Gina and find out why she had chosen to give her half a million dollars.
Whitney released her to go home and pack her things and report back to the villa at 7.00 p.m. Fallon had stayed at the villa in the staff quarters downstairs before so she knew all the utilities were catered for. She packed a few clothes, texted Berin on her whereabouts and went back to the villa.
Whitney blew her a goodbye kiss, "Thank you Fallon. I have already explained to Gina where you will be staying, she will contact you in case of anything and I have set the security alarm to go off in case someone leaves the villa, you will know if she starts sleep walking and attempts to go outside.
Fallon went to the staff quarters, changed into her pajamas and got ready for bed. She had already eaten supper at home, she wondered why Gina was not preparing anything for herself and her boyfriend in the kitchen.
She took out her laptop and decided to finish up a few edits for the paper. An hour later, she checked her phone and was disappointed that there was no text from Tom. Now that the excitement was wearing off, she had begun to worry if she could do it without him.