As he so often did when it came to matters involving Tessa, Ian felt like an awkward fifteen-year-old boy who was trying to summon up the nerve to call the girl he’d been crushing on for months. His pulse rate ratcheted up a notch or two as he pulled his phone out and pressed the speed dial button for her number. But his anticipation quickly turned to concern when she didn’t answer her phone right away, especially since she nearly always picked up after just a couple of rings. And given that it was still mid-afternoon on a Saturday in San Francisco, he knew she couldn’t be at the office.

Just as the call was about to go to voice mail, Tessa answered, but the sound of her voice filled him with instant concern.

“Ian.” Her voice was whisper soft, almost as though she was struggling to speak.

“Are you all right, love?” he asked in alarm. “You sound ill. Were you sleeping?”

“Just resting. And I’m not sick exactly. I, um, have my period.”

“Ah.” He was somewhat mollified at this information, but still worried about how weak and exhausted she sounded. “Is it - that is, do you usually have problems during your cycles? This is the first time I can recall you having a period since we’ve been together.”

“Yes, to both questions. My cycles aren’t always regular, so this is definitely the first one I’ve had since we started seeing each other. And, well, the IUD is reliable but has some unpleasant side effects.”

Ian didn’t bother to mask his distress as he probed for more details. “What sort of side effects?”

There was a pause before she replied in a somewhat halting voice. “Um, the usual sorts of things - fatigue, lack of energy, mood swings. And, well, the bleeding is usually really heavy, and the cramps can get pretty bad.”

His level of alarm had increased with each symptom she’d mentioned. “Darling, that sounds terrible. And forgive me, but you sound terrible. Did this just start overnight?”

“No. On Wednesday. My cycles usually last at least a week, sometimes a bit longer.”

Ian was aghast at this revelation. “You’ve been feeling this poorly for three days? And you went to work? Tessa, you should have taken some sick days, love. God knows you’ve earned them.”

“No, Ian, it’s all right.” She was quick to reassure him. “As lousy as I feel, it’s actually better for me to keep busy. To keep my mind off of - things.”

He was becoming increasingly agitated with the tone of this conversation. “What things, Tessa? Is something troubling you? Now that I think of it, you have sounded out of sorts the last few days. Please, darling, tell me what’s wrong.”

Her voice was trembling, and he could tell she was fighting back tears. “I don’t want to bother you, Ian. You’re so busy back there, and I’m probably just being silly…”

“Tessa.” He interrupted her as she began to ramble almost incoherently. “I am never too busy to listen if something’s troubling you, or if you need anything. And I’d be on a flight home within the hour if you asked me to, if something was really wrong. So don’t ever feel that you’re bothering me. Just tell me what’s wrong, love.”

“My divorce papers arrived in the mail. On Wednesday, of course. Because -”

“Because bad things always happen to you on Wednesdays,” he finished, heaving a sigh as he did so. “I knew there was something wrong. Why in the world didn’t you tell me before now?”

This time she couldn’t hold back the tears, and Ian’s heart ached to hear her weeping over the phone. “I - I don’t know. I suppose I didn’t want to bother you, didn’t want to seem weak or needy. And, well, you’ve been sounding so tired and stressed every time we’ve talked that I didn’t -”

“Hush.” He couldn’t bear to think that she’d been suffering, both physically and emotionally, for three days now and that he hadn’t been there to console her. “Nothing is more important to me than you, Tessa. I don’t give a damn about my job or these meetings, and especially not when you’re this upset. God, what terrible timing, love, what with those blasted papers arriving right when your period started and me all the way over here.”

Tessa sniffled. “I know. And I’m - well, I’ve been a little down in the dumps these past few days as well. It’s just everything all at once, you know. I miss you, Ian.”

He swore softly beneath his breath. “I’d give anything to be there with you this very second, my love – to take care of you and hold you close, and make sure you know exactly how much I love you.”

The soft sound of her sobbing made him feel sick, helpless, frustrated. “I - I do know,” she whispered. “I just miss you so much. I’m sorry to be this way, to be so needy and pathetic and -”

“Stop.” His voice was firm, almost stern. “Don’t you dare apologize. And I’m the one who should be sorry. I should be there with you now - supporting you, looking after you. I feel terrible that I’m all the way over in England when you need me so badly.”

“It’s okay.” Her reply was soft and sweet, and he was relieved to hear her crying appeared to have stopped for the moment. “I know you’d be here if you could, and that you’ll be home soon.”

“I’m counting the days, love,” he assured her. “And I realize this past week that I’ve had to cut some of our calls short, but that’s going to end. Starting immediately we’re going to talk for as long as you’d like, and beginning tomorrow I’m going to call you at least twice a day. And I want you to promise me, Tessa, to call me whenever you need to talk. I may not be able to take the call immediately, but I guarantee I’ll call you back as soon as possible. All right?”

“Yes, I promise. And - thank you, Ian. That means a lot to me.”

“You’re not alone anymore, Tessa,” he told her gently. “You’ve had to deal with far too much for far too long on your own. But no longer. I’ll always be here for you, darling. And as soon as you move in with me and quit your job, we won’t have to be separated like this ever again.”

Her soft sigh was one of relief. “That sounds wonderful, Ian. And I really was starting to pack things up here at the apartment, at least until I started feeling poorly. I even have the first paragraph of my resignation letter drafted.”