Page 36
Story: Orders and Obsessions
“Don’t cry, Jesus Riley. I promise we’ll stay,” Jake said as he sat down next to me.
“Yeah, come on Riley, stop these silly tears.” Sierra hugged me and wiped my eyes dry.
Amber lightly tapped my belly and said, “Whatever you feel, he feels.” Mason spoke up.
“Ah! Hands off the belly.” She quickly pulled her hand back, and I started to laugh along with my tears.
“Please, can we all just be normal?” I begged them.
“I’ll order the pizza; what do you guys want?” Mason said as he reached for his phone on the bedside table. I smiled gratefully.
“I can’t believe you were sleeping with the Lieutenant all this time,” Raven said in a low voice so Mason couldn’t hear.
“Does he make you call him sir when you’re in bed?” Sierra whispered.
“No, I don’t.” He answered for me, which surprised her and made her blush. “Do you have any other questions about our s*x life? I’ve heard it’s a big topic of conversation for you.”
My friends were quiet for a few seconds, and then we all started laughing.
“Hey, I’m just here for the pizza. Load me up with pepperoni.” Jake cut through the laughter and grabbed a beer. He opened it and drank it all.
“Uh, Riley?” Amber asked.
“Uh-huh?”
“You need to go to the toilet?” I shook my head and laughed at her strange question. “I think you do,” she said, pointing to the sweatpants I was wearing. The fabric was getting darker and darker because of a wet patch.
Mason stood up, his eyes getting bigger with fear.
“Is that your water?” Raven asked slowly. “How many weeks are you?”
“It’s too early,” Mason said slowly.
My stomach hurt like a knot that was getting tighter and tighter until there was no more pull. Then it slowly let go. I held my stomach, which was getting harder and harder.
“I have pain,” I said softly, trying to stay calm. “You should call the doctor.”
Mason was not himself anymore. Usually in charge of leadership and order. Now lost, unable to talk or move. He stood there, looking pale and terrified, not moving a muscle.
“No,” he said softly. “It’s too soon.”
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The bright light and noise around me slowly opened my eyelids. My stomach was empty and my tongue was dry.
I felt like my stomach was empty.
I tried to push my body up with all my might, but a nurse put her hands on my shoulders and said something I couldn’t quite hear.
“Riley, Riley.” Her voice got my attention. “You’re recovering from a big surgery. Lie down, relax and I’ll check your stats.”
I yelled, “Where’s my baby?” and tried again to sit up, even though it hurt so much to move.
“He’s fine. He’s with his father,” the nurse said, giving me a hint of a smile. I lay back on the mattress and took a deep breath.
“He’s okay?” I didn’t think he would be.
I remember my waters breaking and a world of pain coming crashing down on me. Mason was so shocked that he couldn’t move, so my friends jumped into action all around him.
Jake called me an ambulance from Mason’s phone.
Amber got me up and kept me calm. Sierra packed some bags for the hospital, and Raven tried to make Mason feel better.
I don’t remember much else, except the trip here. Every little bump in the road made me feel like I was having another contraction.
I looked up at the nurse, who was busy with my paperwork and gathering medical supplies.
“Your baby is stable,” she said. “For now.”
That didn’t sound very good.
She put a blood pressure wristband around my arm and started to pump it until it was very tight.
I said, “For now?” and my stomach dropped with fear.
“He’s in an incubator cot on the NICU unit. He was born eleven weeks early, but he came out crying, which is a good sign.
He needs help breathing, but he’s stable right now. Things can change quickly with babies this young, but for now he’s doing really well and getting the best care. Hopefully, as the days go by, he’ll keep getting better.
I tried to get up again because I wanted to see him.
“Riley, you can’t move yet. You just had surgery a few hours ago and you’re on a lot of drugs. I’ll get you a wheelchair and take you down to see them, but first I have to check your stats.”
“What the hell happened?”
“We had to do an emergency Caesarean section to make sure your baby boy was born safely because your placenta ruptured and your waters broke. You lost a lot of blood during the surgery, and we weren’t sure if you were going to make it. Obviously, your baby has inherited his strength from his mommy.” She smiled at me, but I didn’t say anything because I felt too guilty.
I felt bad for complaining about my pregnancy, for how uncomfortable it was to share my body. How selfish was I?
“Your husband has been quite the meddler.” She smiled at me and flicked my drip machine a few times.
“What?” I asked, my voice showing how mad I was at myself.
“Yes, I think he’s been making things hard for the nurses on the NICU unit. He’s very protective and very demanding.”
I thought to myself, “Yes, that sounds like Mason.”
“Yeah, come on Riley, stop these silly tears.” Sierra hugged me and wiped my eyes dry.
Amber lightly tapped my belly and said, “Whatever you feel, he feels.” Mason spoke up.
“Ah! Hands off the belly.” She quickly pulled her hand back, and I started to laugh along with my tears.
“Please, can we all just be normal?” I begged them.
“I’ll order the pizza; what do you guys want?” Mason said as he reached for his phone on the bedside table. I smiled gratefully.
“I can’t believe you were sleeping with the Lieutenant all this time,” Raven said in a low voice so Mason couldn’t hear.
“Does he make you call him sir when you’re in bed?” Sierra whispered.
“No, I don’t.” He answered for me, which surprised her and made her blush. “Do you have any other questions about our s*x life? I’ve heard it’s a big topic of conversation for you.”
My friends were quiet for a few seconds, and then we all started laughing.
“Hey, I’m just here for the pizza. Load me up with pepperoni.” Jake cut through the laughter and grabbed a beer. He opened it and drank it all.
“Uh, Riley?” Amber asked.
“Uh-huh?”
“You need to go to the toilet?” I shook my head and laughed at her strange question. “I think you do,” she said, pointing to the sweatpants I was wearing. The fabric was getting darker and darker because of a wet patch.
Mason stood up, his eyes getting bigger with fear.
“Is that your water?” Raven asked slowly. “How many weeks are you?”
“It’s too early,” Mason said slowly.
My stomach hurt like a knot that was getting tighter and tighter until there was no more pull. Then it slowly let go. I held my stomach, which was getting harder and harder.
“I have pain,” I said softly, trying to stay calm. “You should call the doctor.”
Mason was not himself anymore. Usually in charge of leadership and order. Now lost, unable to talk or move. He stood there, looking pale and terrified, not moving a muscle.
“No,” he said softly. “It’s too soon.”
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The bright light and noise around me slowly opened my eyelids. My stomach was empty and my tongue was dry.
I felt like my stomach was empty.
I tried to push my body up with all my might, but a nurse put her hands on my shoulders and said something I couldn’t quite hear.
“Riley, Riley.” Her voice got my attention. “You’re recovering from a big surgery. Lie down, relax and I’ll check your stats.”
I yelled, “Where’s my baby?” and tried again to sit up, even though it hurt so much to move.
“He’s fine. He’s with his father,” the nurse said, giving me a hint of a smile. I lay back on the mattress and took a deep breath.
“He’s okay?” I didn’t think he would be.
I remember my waters breaking and a world of pain coming crashing down on me. Mason was so shocked that he couldn’t move, so my friends jumped into action all around him.
Jake called me an ambulance from Mason’s phone.
Amber got me up and kept me calm. Sierra packed some bags for the hospital, and Raven tried to make Mason feel better.
I don’t remember much else, except the trip here. Every little bump in the road made me feel like I was having another contraction.
I looked up at the nurse, who was busy with my paperwork and gathering medical supplies.
“Your baby is stable,” she said. “For now.”
That didn’t sound very good.
She put a blood pressure wristband around my arm and started to pump it until it was very tight.
I said, “For now?” and my stomach dropped with fear.
“He’s in an incubator cot on the NICU unit. He was born eleven weeks early, but he came out crying, which is a good sign.
He needs help breathing, but he’s stable right now. Things can change quickly with babies this young, but for now he’s doing really well and getting the best care. Hopefully, as the days go by, he’ll keep getting better.
I tried to get up again because I wanted to see him.
“Riley, you can’t move yet. You just had surgery a few hours ago and you’re on a lot of drugs. I’ll get you a wheelchair and take you down to see them, but first I have to check your stats.”
“What the hell happened?”
“We had to do an emergency Caesarean section to make sure your baby boy was born safely because your placenta ruptured and your waters broke. You lost a lot of blood during the surgery, and we weren’t sure if you were going to make it. Obviously, your baby has inherited his strength from his mommy.” She smiled at me, but I didn’t say anything because I felt too guilty.
I felt bad for complaining about my pregnancy, for how uncomfortable it was to share my body. How selfish was I?
“Your husband has been quite the meddler.” She smiled at me and flicked my drip machine a few times.
“What?” I asked, my voice showing how mad I was at myself.
“Yes, I think he’s been making things hard for the nurses on the NICU unit. He’s very protective and very demanding.”
I thought to myself, “Yes, that sounds like Mason.”