Jim Thorn: Arrival: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller

For the next day, Maya hadn’t gotten to hold her son. Aiden had been taken to Transition—the step before admittance to NICU. Fluid had built up in his lungs and he’d stopped breathing during the delivery. He’d had to be put on a machine to help regulate his breathing until he could do it on his own. Maya had wanted to be there with him, but the nurses and Gerald just urged her to rest. Gerald would visit now and then, and come back up to Maya’s room with updates.

Around dinner time the next day, the nurse had knocked on Maya’s door with a surprise. She’d brought Aiden to her, swaddled and awake, and Maya had finally been able to hold him so close.

The memories of it all made her smile and cry at the same time. She would never wish that experience on any parent, and she couldn’t imagine the emotions people went through when their newborns had to stay in NICU for weeks. She hoped that Courtney wouldn’t have to go through that. The woman had already been through enough.

Maya waited for the water to run cold before turning off the shower. She dried off and slipped into her bedtime shorts and a gold, oversized Nashville Predators t-shirt she’d bought at a game a few years back.

When she left her bedroom, she looked in across the hall. The light in Laura’s room was on, but she’d fallen asleep on top of her bed. Maya smiled and shut off the light, then shut the door slowly so it wouldn’t creak.

In the living room, Guardians of the Galaxy blared from the television. Maya rolled her eyes. “Aiden. Turn that down. It’s time to—”

But as she reached the couch and looked over the top of it, she saw her son was also already fast asleep. A half-eaten slice of pepperoni and bacon pizza sat next to the open box on the coffee table. Aiden’s mouth was wide open as he lay on his back. Maya stared down at him, and she couldn’t help but smile. Even with all that had happened that day, she had comfort in knowing that the two most important people in her life slept safely under her roof.

Maya covered Aiden with a blanket and shut off the television before she closed the pizza box and tossed Aiden’s half-eaten slice to Page, who’d waited patiently on the floor, wagging her tail. With the leftover pizza safely in the refrigerator, she shut off all of the lights, let Page out into the backyard, and then back inside before she headed to her bedroom.

When she finally crawled under the covers, Maya’s phone lit up the dark room.

I knew I should have shut that thing off.

She didn’t want to go back to thinking about work, let alone get called in. She needed rest before her shift the next day. But it wasn’t work.

In fact, when she saw the name Gerald Waller across the screen, she wished it were work.

Maya took a deep breath and swiped to accept the call.

“Yeah?”

“That’s how you greet me? Nice, Maya.”

She thought of career day, the disappointment. It wasn’t worth engaging over that.

“It’s ten o’clock, and I’ve had one hell of a day. Sorry if I’m not excited to take your call.”

“Oh, well, sorry.”

Maya sighed and rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. “What do you want, Gerald?”

“Well, it’d be nice to know when I’m supposed to pick up the kids tomorrow.”

“What? You don’t get the kids this weekend.”

“Bullshit.”

“Seriously. They’re going to my mom’s. I told you this a bazillion times. There are text and emails about it.”

“Well, change of plans. Tell your mom I’ll come get them.”

Maya hissed. “I’m not doing that. My mom is looking forward to a weekend with them. She’s already got stuff planned.”

“Not my problem. I want to see my kids.”

“Yeah?” Maya stood, climbed out of bed, and shut the door. “Well, maybe you should’ve been at Laura’s school today.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It was a career day. You were supposed to be there. But, typical Gerald, you don’t show up.”

Maya heard a long sigh pass through the phone, followed by an extended silence—without an apology.

“Was she upset?” Gerald finally asked, the edge gone from his voice.

“She was the only one without a parent there. What do you think?”

He sighed again. “Look, that’s all the more reason for me to see them. I can make it up to Laura.”

“No. You can’t. And I think she’d be better off being with my mom for the weekend. Let her take the time to get over it.”

“What about tomorrow night? Your mom can watch them during the day and take them to do all the fun stuff she’s got planned; then they can come stay the night at my place. We can meet up Sunday afternoon so you can get them back.”

“That won’t work. You know I want to be there when you pick them up, and I can’t meet you at my mom’s tomorrow.”

“Why not?”

Maya paused.

“You’ve got a date, don’t you?”

“That’s none of your business,” Maya said. She pictured the toxic smile oozing across his face.

“It’s not with that black partner of yours, is it?”

“His name is Reno.”

This wasn’t the first time Gerald had accused Maya of having a thing for Reno. And she did find him attractive, but the two of them were partners and he was almost ten years younger than her. Maya wasn’t even sure she was friends with Reno. They shared an occasional beer after work or karaoke night out with other co-workers, but nothing beyond that.

Besides that, even though it wasn’t Gerald’s business, he was wrong—it wasn’t Reno taking her on a date. Maya’s friend Jill had set up a blind date for her with a guy named Nick. She’d seen his Instagram profile. Although Maya wasn’t into lawyers, Jill had insisted he had none of the stereotypical traits and that he was a nice guy. And he was cute, so Maya had agreed to go out with him after work.

“Whatever,” Gerald said. “That’s still a bullshit excuse for me not to get to see my kids.”

“And if you take them outside of the court appointed time, I’ll have you arrested like last time. For once in your life, Gerald, you’ll need to follow the rules.”

“When can I see them?” he asked, ignoring her threat.

He had been a functioning drunk when they were married until he came home in the early morning hours one Sunday and threatened to kill her. Maya had been forced to call the police. They arrested him, and the judge gave Gerald probation after a mandatory stint in a recovery program. It didn’t take. Six months later he showed up at the house loud and sloppy again, but by that time the divorce was in progress and Maya didn’t want to deal with even more emotional trauma—and not calling the cops on him that time had been a mistake. Gerald had been willing to disobey the judge’s order once, he was capable of doing it again. Maya didn’t want him anywhere near the kids, but unfortunately, he still had the right to see them.

“Why don’t you try checking your emails? You’ve got them next weekend.”

“I can’t take them next weekend. Cameron and I have plans.”

Cameron. The mere mention of her name made Maya gag. Cameron had become Gerald’s mid-life crisis—thin, blond, young, and dressed like a stripper.

“Not my problem,” Maya said, mocking what Gerald had said to her earlier.

Gerald scoffed. “Whatever.”

Then he ended the call.

Maya let out an exasperated sigh as she set the phone on her nightstand and then lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. She could feel sleep running away; the verbal sparring with Gerald had sent adrenaline surging through her system. Her body ached, and yet her mind raced.

That bastard.