Monday, June 23, 2014

Part 2: The memory

She sat on the couch in the dark, with one lone light on in the distance, as she held the pictures in her hands. Tears rolled down her face as she thought about the day her world turned upside down…
The day started like any other day. She woke up, excited for the new day. She had a doctor’s appointment in a couple hours and her husband was going to be there! She got up carefully as her growing belly slowed her down a great deal. As she walked to the bathroom, she saw their wedding photo. Her husband standing for proudly and handsomely in his Marine Corps dress uniform and herself smiling as brightly as her white wedding gown. It was the most perfect day and it continued to be perfect. She got pregnant shortly after her husband came home from deployment and he wasn’t leaving until after the baby was born. She closed her eyes in quick prayer, hopefully he’s not leaving until after.
After a quick shower, she dressed and was out the door. She checked her phone and had a text message from her husband. “Going be a little late. See you at the drs.” She nodded as she pulled the car out of the driveway and headed to the medical building. As she waited for her husband to join her in the waiting room, impatiently checking her phone and the time. Where was he? If he misses this, I’ll never forgive him! She thought angrily as she snapped her phone shut one last time.
“Taylor Harrison” the nurse calls her in. She stands up, looking over her shoulder. She sighs. He’s not coming. With slow steps, she follows the nurse to the exam room.
“How are we today?” the nurse asks as she takes vital signs.
“I’ve been better” she replies.
“Oh, something wrong?”
“Yeah, my husband was supposed to meet me here but he’s late.”
The nurse smiled sympathetically. “The doctor will be with you shortly” she said as she left the room.
She sat on the exam table, looking around the room. Suddenly, the room got colder than usual and she had a sense of something was very wrong. The door opened and her doctor walked in the room. He began his exam with small talk about how she was feeling, etc etc. Then he stopped. The expression on his face changed and terror gripped her heart in icing vice. She could hardly breathe.
“I’m going to send you over to labor and delivery for further examination” he finally speaks.
“Why? What’s going on?” she asks terrified.
“I can’t really tell here. I need better equipment that the office doesn’t have. I’ll have a nurse take you over there and I’ll be there as soon as I call the doctor on call.”
Before she knew it, she was being whisked to labor and deliver, being hooked up to machines and have an IV put in. She stared at the nurses with wide questioning eyes.
“Just a precaution, my dear” the nurse said as she patted her arm and left the arm.
There she was lying in a hospital bed. Her husband was nowhere to be found. He wasn’t answering his phone. No one was answering their phones. What was going on?

Suddenly, the room as a bustle of activity as doctors and nurses walked into the room, talking over each other as they worked. The doctor on call walked over to her and with a grave expression, she explained what was going on. All she heard as baby, distress, delivery. She began to cry. Her baby was being born tonight. Three months early and there was nothing else that could be done. She was alone. The only person she was able to get a hold of was her mother who lived 3,000 miles away. Her mom said she was on the first plane out but she wouldn’t get there in time…

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