Sudden Fiction by Erica Ortiz

This is from a creative writing student at SFCC.

Tommy and Katy

“Wait?! Am I the only other woman? Who knows how many other women are in his life!? Surely he is a fucking dog, lying asshole and probably has many other dumb fucks like me who think he is prince charming and a faithful loving man.”

Baby Molly will be here in 6 months and the toll it is taking on the relationship is the exact opposite of what Anne had hoped for. As a stay at home mom she doesn’t contribute to the income much except for her extreme couponing ways that help with the food and toiletry costs. Tommy feels that this is just “another mouth the feed and clothe,” and he is very resent full toward his wife who was supposed to be taking her birth control daily.
In the beginning, Tommy and Katy’s relationship was just business oriented, although he was immediately attracted to her as a strong willed, single independent woman and seemed to lead a fascinating life. They flirt back and forth from time to time as they met regularly to view houses and explore her options. She seemed to be taking an interest in him as she requested to meet him for lunch at least 2-3 times a week to discuss “business” in the following months. The day things changed just happen to be 2 months later when Katy decided on a 5 bedroom elegant home in a very upscale neighborhood. They were to meet at her new residence at 3pm to close the deal on her expensive house, which mad Tommy quite a bit of profit on his end, but he arrived at 1pm in order to have time to “set the mood.” She arrives late but is greeted at the door with roses and a bottle of the finest champagne he could find. They disappear into the already lavishly furnished master bedroom and remain there throughout the evening.
The affair lasts about 2 months and the two spend any and every free moment they can get together. Her long hours give him time to send with his older boys and tend to his “family duties” which are becoming more of a bothersome to him now. Once Katy is free they meet up and usually spend time “playing house” in her home, she has no idea of the double life he is leading. While with Katy he tells Anne he is away on a business trip, and while with the Family he tells Katy the same. This plays out well for him until the day the Baby Holly decides unexpectedly to make her arrival. Anne is rushed to the hospital in excruciating pain and Tommy leaves work to meet her there. He arrives before her as he is scared of what might be happening to the mother who takes care of his boys and somewhat worried about the new burden. It suddenly hits him that this is the same hospital that Katy works at, he attempts to leave but it is too late, Anne has seen him and needs him to be with her as she must have an emergency caesarian delivery. He is dressed in scrubs and in the operating room, Anne is knocked out on sedatives, when guess who walks in to help deliver the baby, KATY! At first she doesn’t notice him, as he does have a mask covering his mouth, but his greenish, blue eyes give him away. She realizes this is the man she has fallen in love with but really knows nothing about, just as baby Holly is taken out and delivers a bone chilling scream.
“How could I just let him go on with his fairy tale life and while I am here angry and sad beyond belief and he is there comforting his lovely wife and cute as a button new baby. Why should I keep my word and not tell his wife, what gives him the right to tell his wife on his terms.”
Being the professional that Katy is she finishes the task of helping deliver Tom’s newborn daughter, Holly. She must ignore the pain and anger she is feeling at the moment and do the job that she vowed to never let personal feeling get in the way of her performance. Knowing she will be on shift for the next 24 hours and in charge of care for Tom’s wife and newborn daughter she realizes that she must somehow attempt to “clear the air” for her own piece of mind.
“Mr. Burkens, once we have your wife and daughter settled in recover I need to have a few words with you if possible?” He looks at her petrified as she spoke so softly and professionally toward him that he didn’t know if she was going to understand his situation and not tell his wife or if she was going to spill her guts once his wife came to off the sedatives.
“Why yes, Nurse Miller I just want to ensure the safety of my family before I am able to step away.”
“Oh, of course you do,” she replies as she chuckles a bit, “You can find me down the hall at the nurses’ station.”
Twenty minutes later a timid man emerges from room 220 and heads toward the nurses’ station unsure of his fate. As he approaches, Katy looks up and with no expression whatsoever on her face she says, “Mr. Burkens, let’s go to the private waiting room right here to have a word for a minute.” She leads him just across the hall and into the waiting area where they are the only two in the room; she closes the door behind them.
“Look Katy, please just let me explain…” she cuts him off before he can even finish his sentence.
“No you look TOM! You are a fucking low life piece of shit! Here I am thinking I found a perfect man and he is nothing but a worthless, lousy two timing pieces of crap that has a whole other life.” By this time she is enraged and reaches out and slaps him clear across the face as hard as she could. As he is shielding himself from her now constant strikes to his body she suddenly stops as she realizes what she is doing and where she is doing it. “I am very confused, frustrated and angry right now. I feel betrayed, lost and although I just want to break down and cry at the moment, I have a job to do. Not you or any man for that matter will come in between me and my career. What we had is obviously over and I never in my life want to see you again. Out of respect for you wife I will not say one word regarding what you have been up to the past few months, but mark my words she will find out sooner than later. I thought I knew you, I thought we had something…”
“Katy, please just let me talk. Give me a chance to explain.”
“I wasn’t finished with what I have to say,” Katy replies in and almost scolding tone. “I have other patients to attend to so I will finish like this, you and I are finished. I am a professional and will do my job and care for your wife and daughter to the best of my ability for the next 24 hours, but do us both a favor and keep my identity as your ex-mistress/girlfriend a secret and never utter my name or call me EVER AGAIN.”
Tommy is speechless and has not one word to reply to Katy as she just stares at him for a few seconds before she says, “Good day to you Mr. Burkens, please ring the nurses’ station if your wife or newborn require my attention,” and she turns and leaves the room.
“I am so mad at myself. Why couldn’t I just keep yelling at him and tell him how hurt I feel and how in love with him I am. I know I was at work and needed to be professional, but fuck me for not ruining his life like he has mine. I wish I would have told him what a lying ass, cheating fucking dog he is and how even though I enjoy making love to him I just wish his dick would fall off. I should have kicked him hard in the nuts, hard enough so he could not father any more children or break another good woman’s heart. UGH!! What a fucking idiot I am to just let him get away with a simply little slap across the face. I am going insane her and he is living his other life in peace and harmony. Well no more Miss nice nurse, I refuse to stay silent any longer, two weeks in hell ends NOW! I know where they live, I pass by daily. Fuck it I am going straight over and confront the lying bastard if it is the last thing I do!!”