Chapter 22

That evening, Penne called Liz and asked how she was feeling. Liz replied that she wasn't feeling well. She had been sick all day at work, feeling dizzy and nearly falling down. Fortunately, her secretary had been there to catch her.

Penne became worried and asked if she had seen a doctor. "No, I didn't. As soon as I felt a little better, the company's driver took me home."

"My dear friend, I'm really worried. I wish you were here with me. Did something happen? Do you want to talk?"

"Yes, but it's hard to talk about it over the phone. I can see you now, and you really do look very pale. What's going on, my friend?" Penne asked anxiously.

Liz answered, "I think I'm pregnant. I didn't have the courage to take a test to confirm my suspicions. That night before I left, it just happened, and before I knew it, it was morning, and we were in bed together. We made love simply. It was wonderful. And now? What am I going to do? Here I am, far away, without the father and without my friend nearby. If it really is positive, I want your support..." Liz said, starting to cry.

Penne assured her, "I want to be there with you during this time. I need to organize some things that are pending at the office. Once I've set everything in order, I'll come to be with you." Liz, emotional, replied, "You're my dear friend. I'll be waiting for you then. Come soon." They said their goodbyes.

Two days later, Penne sent a message to Henry saying she wanted to talk to him. They arranged to meet for lunch. At the agreed time, he arrived, anxious for news about Liz. He greeted Penne, immediately asking if the discussion was about the supposed boyfriend.

She responded, "I'm going to visit her because Liz hasn't been feeling well these days." Henry, very worried, said he wanted to go along to make sure Liz was okay.

Penne replied, "No, I asked you here just to ask you to wait until I return with news. I talked to Liz last night, and she's feeling better. But since I promised to see her, I rushed through my work and am taking advantage of the fact that Nick also has a business meeting in the same city. We've decided to travel tomorrow."

"When I get back, I'll tell you what you need to know. I know you two still love each other and deserve another chance to be happy. I know I've told you this before, but please try not to mess things up again. And if you call her—and I know you will—please don't mention anything about her health. She wouldn't like that."

"Alright," Henry said quietly. "How long will you be there?"

"I believe we'll be back in about three days. While Nick works, I'll spend time with my friend and catch up on how much I've missed her. We've never been apart this long, except when she visited her parents. Sometimes I even went with her so we wouldn't be separated. We joked that only when we got married would one of us move away, that we'd be each other's maid of honor. But that will still happen," Penne said, smiling at how much she missed her friend.

Henry said, "Liz is and always will be the woman of my life." He wished them a good trip and said he'd be waiting for news. He said goodbye and left.