When I got to the hospital, I was taken for a gynecological check–up while Neil waited outside.
I gave the doctor a brief rundown of my situation, followed by a series of tests. The results didn’t seem optimistic The doc suggested I stay in the hospital for a bit, which seriously bummed me out. I felt like a deflated balloon.
“The man outside, is he your husband? Should we fill him in on your situation? You’ll need someone to take care of you, the doctor asked.
“No, he’s just a friend. If I need his help, I’ll let him know Thanks.” I replied wearily
After I was transferred to the ward, Neil came to my bedside and asked. “What’s up? The doc wouldn’t tell me anything.”
I requested the doctor to keep it confidential, so she wouldn’t inform Neil Patient privacy was respected in such cases.
Looking at Neil’s worried face, I knew he genuinely cared for me. He had left Bonnie behind to rush me to the hospital. This wasn’t some figment of my imagination. I was debating whether I should tell him the truth, give him a chance to decide.
If I could successfully deliver the baby, I wouldn’t shoo him away from visiting.
“Neil, I was about to say when Neil’s phone rang
He glanced at the caller ID and picked up. After a few words, I got the gist of the conversation. It must be Kate on the other end.
“How did it get so serious?”
“I’m on my way.”
“Alright, got it.”
Neil had only sent me
God I held my tongue, if not, I
phone and looked at me hesitantly I smiled and said, “Go, you’ve done enough by bringing me here.”
check on her,” Neil seemed to be
man” I maintained a
in my belly wasn’t just mine, but if I wanted to bring him into the world,
his brows and
I watched the door of the ward close, my heart remained restless for a
a while, I asked the doctor to find me a
and wanted to visit me in the hospital. I gave him the address and told him to
bed, I saw a post by Bonnie. It was from five hours ago, probably around the time when Neil was taking me to the hospital. A picture of an injured ankle and a brief caption, “What hurts more than a sprained ankle is a broken
his unwell ex–wife to the hospital
had endured countless painful moments of being abandoned,
chest pain that I was sweating bullets and hoped Neil would accompany me to the
accepted by the Whitmore family, pregnant with their grandchild, and Neil also gained their
I was not sure if it was because I liked her post, but Bonnie
suddenly in the gynecology ward?” Orlando came to visit and asked, looking
don’t get treated, it might affect future pregnancies. Scared
here”
in my family about
you’re like this. I remember you being very healthy and robust as a child, not this frail”
blame myself for being too sentimental back
would have been messier and the child would have been
started sipping the soup straight from
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