~*Kristina*~
The room was oppressive, the white walls and the cramped space seemed to suffocate him beyond belief. He was starting to feel as if his skin were crawling in anticipation; every muscle within his body was tense. Alyssa had been brought back to the room hours ago but they had not heard anything from Doctor Bysshe. Alyssa had been put on a small dosage of Morphine through the IV placed in her left arm. The heart monitor hooked up to her beeped at regular rhythms while every thirty minutes it took her blood pressure, temperature and heart rate. She had been sleeping for hours, leaving Nick alone with his thoughts and feelings. He had no comfort, no one to tell him that everything would be okay. During the first hour, while she had been taken to have tests administered, he had thought about calling someone, someone who loved them both. Maybe her would come, but they lived in North Carolina and if it wasn’t serious it would be a wasted trip. Then he thought of his own family, but dismissed the thought because of the fact that he didn’t want her overwhelmed by five more people hovering over her when she woke up. So there he sat, all alone thinking of literally everything.
Nick looked over at his wife, the one that had bore his first son and now carried his unborn child. His heart lurched as he thought of her in that bed hooked up to so many machines and feeling so much pain. For some reason he had blamed himself. Maybe it was payback for him not being there all those years when she needed him. How he just ignored her and Tyler and went about his life selfishly. Then he scolded himself, knowing that she wouldn’t be punished for his bullshit. He was growing more irritated by the moment. How long does it seriously take for the nurses and doctors to look at some tests results in order to figure out what is the matter with Alyssa? He swore that if he had become a doctor instead of the profession he chose, he would give people the results to their tests within an hour after they had been administered.
At this thought, there was a knock at the door and then it opened and Dr. Bysshe and a nurse stepped in with that same clipboard in his hand and the same small smile upon his face. The nurse bee-lined to Alyssa’s side and gently woke her up. Alyssa looked around the room before familiarization and realization dawned on her. Nick bent over and stroked her forehead and gripped her hand in a reassuring manner. “What’s going on?” She whispered, barely audible for the three other occupants in the room.
“Mr. and Mrs. Carter after reviewing the tests that were performed I am pleased to say that there is no severity in the pains Alyssa is experiencing.” Nick released a breath that he hadn’t even realized he had been holding and heard Alyssa do the same.
“Well what exactly is it?” Nick questioned, feeling the impatience growing at the back of his neck. To relieve it, he rubbed the spot in hopes that it would relieve the tension.
“Alyssa is experiencing what is called Ligament Pains.” He looked at his clipboard and nodded to confirm his diagnosis.
“Ligament Pains? What exactly are Ligament Pains?” Alyssa whispered. She had since been placed in a sitting position by the nurse and was looking quite a bit better now that she knew it wasn't as serious as she had predicted.
“The womb is held in place in the pelvis by a series of ligaments that tether it to the sidewalls. Two of these, the round ligaments, have to stretch as the womb grows. Occasionally the pull is a little too much, and a small amount of bleeding occurs on to the ligaments, producing a sharp pain. The pains that you felt earlier today were your ligaments stretching too much.” He gave them the medical dictionary definition of the diagnosis while sowing them both on Alyssa’s stomach exactly what he was referring to.
“So the baby is okay? There is nothing wrong with it?” Nick questioned sitting down in the chair once again by Alyssa’s bed. Dr. Bysshe smiled a knowing smile. This question was a common amongst expecting parents. “Everything is fine. The baby is in perfect health. In fact, if you would like to know we can tell you the sex of your baby.”
Alyssa looked at Nick and Nick looked at her. Neither knew if they wanted to be surprised or if they wanted to know the details. Nick shrugged his shoulders, leaving the decision up to her. Alyssa searched her brain as to whether she would like to know or not. She weighed the pros: it would be easier for them to prepare the baby’s room, choose a name and to find the baby clothes that would match its gender. Then she weighed the cons: the mystery and the surprise at birth would be gone, her and Nick wouldn’t debate for days on end about names to choose for the baby. Either way she looked at it she couldn’t choose. She wanted to know but yet she also wanted to be surprised.
“I see that you are undecided at this possibility. I am going to release you shortly and allow you to go home. If at a later date you do want to know the gender of your unborn child give us a call and we’ll set an appointment up at my office and will give you the results.”
Alyssa and Nick were both relieved that she was being let out of the hellhole otherwise known as a hospital. Neither liked the environment, the white walls and the stench that was constantly present were frightening. They were also relieved by the fact that they wouldn’t have to choose if they wanted to know if their child was a boy or a girl.
“Now, I need to run over some rules for you when you get home. You will need your rest. I don’t want you to do any physical activity for the next month. Eat healthy. Protein, vegetables and fruits are imperative. I can’t stress that enough. After you leave, if you have any further questions call my office any time of the day. There is a nurse on duty twenty-four hours a day.”
Alyssa nodded to the doctor clarifying that she would in fact do as he said.
“Now, I bet you would like to leave right?” He gave a small chuckle at his own sense of humor while staring at the married couple.
“Yes please doctor.” Alyssa spoke in her normal voice. The morphine was slowly wearing off, though she could still feel its effect on her body but it wasn’t nearly as powerful as compared to an hour ago.
“Well, all I need is for you to sign this Mr. Carter and then I will give it to the front desk. I will have a nurse bring a chair by momentarily to take you to your vehicle.” He approached them and shook Nick’s hand with a pat on the back for reassurance that Alyssa would be okay. He had noticed how quiet the younger man was and thought that a little reassurance would cheer him up. It did, for Nick gave the man a manly hug and profusely thanked him for all his help. Moving on to Alyssa, Dr. Bysshe took her small hand in his and said with a smile on his face, “everything will be just fine. Don’t you worry about a thing. You and the baby are fine and it will be here in a few more months.” She nodded and he continued, “Just take it easy alright?”
Alyssa nodded again and the two shared a hug. “Thank you Doctor, thank you a lot.” She smiled as the older man exited the tiny room. Nick clasped his hand with hers and ran small circles over it with his thumb. She smiled up at him and placed her hand on her stomach. “All will be fine.” She whispered just as a nurse brought a wheelchair into the room, ready to take her out the car and back home where she and Nick could patiently wait for their unborn child.
*****
The days of the following week after the hospital visit passed in absolute boredom for Alyssa. Day one wasn’t all that bad. She was allowed to get a peaceful eighteen hour sleep in which no one disturbed her. After what she declared as the best sleep she had ever had she was restless. She wanted to get up, play with her son, whom she hadn’t heard from since before the hospital visit, and she wanted to see what Nick was doing upstairs. Sure, she liked her quiet moments but not when she had to be alone for nearly a full day! She looked on the nightstand and spotted a mysterious little object that would easily solve all her problems. She grasped the ceramic structure and proceeded to shake it with little energy. The sound of metal clanking against the glass object was melodious yet annoying all at the same time. Once the ringing finally subsided, she could hear feet climbing the stairs at a relatively fast pace before a blonde head stuck itself in the door. The two made eye contact before her husband came in and said with an amused voice, “You rang?” This emitted laughter from the both of them. They talked for a bit about what had been going on. Tyler and Ms. Forrester were at the zoo, leaving only the two of them in the house. He was downstairs watching television, giving her the time she needed to rest.
Day two wasn’t exactly eventful either, the same thing happened! Literally. She had slept for nearly twenty hours only to awake to a quiet house. Ms. Forrester had taken Tyler to the Natural Science Center and Nick was downstairs working in the at-home studio.
Day three came and gone with nothing but a headache and a backache from lying in the bed. Though she did manage to convince Nick to let her out of the bed for a bath. Before he had only let her use the bathroom for personal uses and for brushing her teeth, but nothing else. The bath was especially the best part about the day. It rejuvenated her and awakened her, causing her to grow even more restless.
The fourth day, Ms. Forrester and Tyler finally stayed at home and Alyssa finally was permitted to see Tyler. Nick had decided that I was best if Alyssa took it easy and that meant no seeing the kid who always acted as if he were on a sugar high. When Tyler bounced in the room with a crown on his head, a cape and a wooden pony between his legs, Alyssa couldn’t help but burst into a fit of giggles which got her a disapproving glance from Nick, who she shooed away before he could make a protective comment. She waved her son over to her, who followed her command by skipping and acting like he was riding his pony. He made a whinny sound as he pulled his horse to a stop with a “whoa there boy.” This sent Alyssa into another fit of giggles. The two sat there on the bed talking about what he had seen at the zoo and the Natural Science Center. She basked in the conversation and the interaction she had missed for days. Later that evening she had called Kerri just to talk, but they were only able to talk for a few hours until Kerri finally had to go as Eric, the guy she had been dating for an official month had arrived and Alyssa threw the phone to the end of the bed with an exasperated sigh before giving up and drifting into a fitful sleep.
By the fifth day, there were movies and DVD strewn around the room in cluttered piles. She had lost count as to how many she had watched. Now she turned her attention to daytime television which seemed to bore her even more.
The sixth day was the last straw. She had had it with sitting in the bed all day and only getting up when nature called or when it was time to shower. She was tired of the television, the videos and the periodical visits she had received. Nick was no help, he clamber over her for her every need as if she was a recent invalid and it was driving her nuts! Finally, in a rebellious act she climbed out of bed and marched straight to the door. She opened it with self-determination. The coast was clear and stepped outside the suffocating room and slowly and very carefully climbed down the steps. Once at the bottom she released a huge sigh of relief and turned to the right towards the back patio where she stepped outside and breathed in a breath of fresh air. It calmed her nerve and racked her senses at the fresh scent. It didn’t last long, her husband soon joined her and stared at her with a look that said, ‘you’re in big trouble missy.’
