At a Crossroads

Death was a better fate than going insane.

Whitney hit her head softly on the wall of her living room in an attempt to wipe off the previous day's memories from her head.

When Stefflon died, she had thought nothing could be worse than that. And then there was something worse than that. Having Stefflon's baby with Ken Cavalieri.

Truly, she had no idea why Stefflon would still want a baby with him despite the way he hurt her and made her life miserable. If that was what love all was about then she'd rather not love anyone. Not undergo such maltreatment.

She hissed and threw herself the brown, fluffy brown seater couch that was just beside her. Blake was sitting at the other edge of it. "I am doomed," she said. "Doomed."

Blake peered at her through her glasses with similar dark eyes as hers. She was reading one of her medicine-related bulky books that were probably thousands of pages. "Because of having Stefflon's baby?"

Whitney sat up on the couch. "No. Because of having Stefflon's baby with Ken." It was that simple. She had no problem with granting her late friend's wish but she sure had a big problem with doing it in the company of Ken Cavalieri. She collapsed back on the couch, the lower half of her body still on the marble floor of the living room.

"Give me a minute." Blake scurried to the kitchen and returned a while later with a glass of orange juice and a bowl of popcorn. I guess my life is a movie. "So, what's wrong with having Stefflon's baby with Ken?"

"Uh. Are you seriously asking me that, Blake?" Whitney reached for her sister's popcorn bowl and took a handful of popcorn and pushed it into her mouth. She didn't expect the question from Blake perhaps because she knew how hard she hated Ken.

"I mean, it is not like you are going to have sex with him. It is the same thing as being a surrogate, the baby will only have to borrow your womb."

Whitney shook her head. "And Ken's," she added. "I will have to raise the baby with Ken. Live with him. Talk to him. Mother the baby with him. How the hell isn't that a problem Blake?"

Blake arched her brows. "What is wrong with raising a child with him? He was your best friend's husband and I am sure he is not that bad of a man."

It was a well-known fact. Despite being a medical intern and an A-class student, Blake was slow-witted to a certain degree, especially in Whitney's judgment. The hint could be written on a board and placed in front of her but she wouldn't still be able to pick up on it even if her life depended on it.

"Bad is an understatement, Blake." She heaved a sigh. "He is terrible. Very terrible and I despise him with every bit of me. I hate that man. Don't you get it?"

"Why?" Blake leaned forward to listen better. She liked gossip as long as it did not involve her and Whitney loved to gossip about everything to her. Everything except Stefflon's marriage problems. She thought it was very unfair to gossip about things that hurt other people very much, and talking about her best friend's marital issues was way out of line, even if it were with her sister but right now, she needed all the advice she could get.

"Stefflon had lots of complaints about him. He treated her very badly and she even suspected he had another woman while being married to her."

"He didn't seem like the type to do that when I met him." Was Blake looking for a way to defend Ken? Whitney hoped not.

"Of course, he wouldn't. These scums don't wear uniforms. They don't look like what they are." Whitney diced Blake's naivety with a swing of the arm. "Was he supposed to have a stamp to his face that says, 'Hello, I am a terrible husband and human?'"

Blake rolled her eyes. "Not exactly." She put on a more serious facial expression. "See, Whit. I'll be very honest with you, okay?"

At least she was finally being serious.

"You know more than anyone else that I was not a big fan of Stefflon. I am still not a fan of her because of how badly she treated you and how toxic she was even though you failed to see it. Chose to ignore it since she had been so hypnotized with God-knows-what."

"I know, but this is not about Stefflon. It's about me, Ken, and a baby that may be born in the future." Whitney leaned back on the couch, her face squeezed into a frown.

"And that is why I am the best person to advise you." Blake sat up straight and placed a couch pillow on her legs. "I've never liked Stefflon but you did. I mean, she was your best friend and she meant so much to you. If she had wanted a baby so much that she froze her eggs and even left a note for you, I think it truly meant a lot to her and you should make that sacrifice."

"And Ken?"

"You can come up with some arrangement on how you will raise the child together," Blake advised. "Who knows? He may choose not to be part of the baby's life."

"That is not it, Blake." Whitney rubbed her forehead. "He dislikes me as much as I dislike him and everything related to him, except Stefflon. It's quite possible he wouldn't want to do that with me. I pray he doesn't because I can't stand it. I doubt I'd ever get used to putting up with that stinging son of a bitch."

"But it's his dead wife's last wish, he has to…"

"A dead wife he treated no better than an animal when she was alive?" Whitney scoffed. "I doubt he'd care about the fact that it's her last wish when he did not like her. Does it even matter to him? Even a bit?"

"Stefflon was not exactly likable so I hardly blame him," Blake admitted amid a shrug. "But I think you should talk to him and find out what he wants and thinks of the situation before concluding. You never know."

Blake was an A-class student for a reason. She was smart, intelligent, and quick-witted. Despite being the younger of the two sisters, she was better with her brains while Whitney used more of her emotions. Their parents had always pointed that out since they were kids and the two sisters believed they complemented each other perfectly.

"I take your advice and talk to him about it later in the day." Whitney reached for another handful of Blake's popcorn.

Blake stopped her midway. "Later in the afternoon? Do you have plans with him?"

"Plans with who? Ken?" Whitney let out a horse laugh. "Please." She waved her hand. "We have a business meeting together at noon. I'd seize the opportunity to talk to him about it after the meeting."

"Oh, I see," Blake said plainly. "You didn't tell me how the funeral went." She buried her legs under her torso like a frog and her ears erected like a rabbit's.

Whitney threw her hand over her mouth to cover her yawn. She had not been able to get any sleep before Stefflon's funeral and now, she wasn't able to get any because Stefflon had somehow thought it was a good idea to assign her the duty of having a child with Ken.

"It was like a funeral." She peered into the white ceiling and Stefflon's face as she lay in her casket flashed through her eyes. "It was dark, painful, and—it hurts that I will never get to see her again." She did not wish to discuss how heartbreaking it was to see Stefflon lifeless. Truthfully, she looked just like another piece of wood that her casket what made of. Not alive. Not human. Just a corpse.

But Blake would know without being told. As a medical doctor and surgeon, she had probably seen more dead bodies than a middle-aged soldier. Blake looked at her with sad doe-eyes. She moved closer to wrap her arms around Whitney. "I won't say I know how you feel, but someday, you'll think of her and you won't feel so hurt anymore."

Whitney doubted it. She had mapped out her whole life with Stefflon in the pictures. How was she ever going to stop hurting that her best friend no longer existed in the world she knew? Either way, she was grateful that Blake could utter such kind words despite her animosity with Stefflon.

"Thank you, Blake."

"You're always welcome, Whit."

Whitney pulled herself away from her sister and stood to her feet. "The meeting is an hour away; I have to get dressed now."

Blake picked up her book again. "Try not to kill Ken when you get there."

"I can't promise that I won't."

"You shouldn't!"

"Keep your fingers crossed. I might not help it if I have to."