A local woman missing- Mary Kubica

KATE
11 YEARS BEFORE
May
The next morning, Bea walks in on me when I’m on the phone. I’m in
the bedroom. I thought she was outside in her studio working, and so
I didn’t even try and be quiet. I had no intention of telling her what I
had planned, knowing she’d try and talk me out of it if I did.
“Did I get that right?” she asks from behind. I spin to face her. I
hadn’t heard her come in. She looks disappointed in me. She stands
there, showered and dressed, while my own hair, still wet from a
shower, air-dries. I’m in a towel, hurrying to get dressed before the
workers arrive and find me this way.
Bea asks in disbelief, “You made an appointment with Dr.
Feingold?”
I go to my dresser. I riffle through it for something to wear, putting
Bea off. I don’t know how to respond to her, though it’s not worth a
lie. Bea and I aren’t the type to lie to one another. But more than
that, Bea heard what she heard. She knows what I’ve done.
I step into a pair of underpants and jeans. “Didn’t you know?” I
ask, keeping my voice light. “Surprise!” I say. “I’m pregnant.”
“Kate,” she says, shaking her head in dismay. She knows as well
as I do that I’m not pregnant. She asks, “And what exactly are you
going to say when he tests you at his office and it comes back
negative?”
My answer is immediate because I’ve thought this through. “A
false positive. Home pregnancy tests are good, but they’re not
foolproof. It happens,” I say.
Last night I couldn’t sleep. How could I possibly sleep, with all
that’s happening? My mind was consumed with thoughts of Meredith
and Delilah, wondering where they were. As I was sleeping in my
bed, all I could think about was where they were sleeping, if they
were sleeping. I thought about Shelby sleeping forever. I imagined