The Good Life

Chapter 42

”We’re going to have her here….” the same nurse who had been swooning over Bruno pointed as they walked toward the children’s wing of the hospital. Rosie was awake and walking next to them looking at the murals on the wall. She stopped for a second in front of an open room where a large family was standing visibly emotional.

”They sick momma?” she asked.

”Yes, honey. It looks like they’re sick.”

”Hug them to make it better? Please?” she asked taking her mom’s hand walking into the door.

Bruno quickly picked her up trying to keep her from entering the room.

”no, baby…they’ve got enough hugs…” he said to her sweetly.

”No such thing as too many hugs.” Rosalia answered kicking her legs.

One of the adults in the room turned around to see what the noise was looking shocked at Bruno and Rosie.

”We’re really sorry…she just wants to make sure everyone is okay…” Bruno responded shyly.

”Let her come in….” they heard a soft sick voice answer.

”No…we couldn’t…” Marla answered.

”Mom…is that Bruno Mars?” the sick teenager asked.

”Yes, sweetheart.” he answered her.

”Oh…my god…noooo…way!” she exclaimed coughing after she finished her sentence. ”And your daughter Rosalia? She’s so precious…” the girl tried to sit up with the assistance of her father.

”Please…” the girl’s mother asked.

”Go with her…” Marla leaned in whispering to Bruno. ”It will be good for her.” Well, she does know her shit. Bruno thought to himself. Masters of Social Work…Marla stood outside watching Bruno talk to the girl named Leah. They found out she had suffered from some broken ribs and subdural hematoma after getting in a car accident only hours after passing her driving test. He is so amazing, even if I can tell he’s nervous he is so sweet to them. This is why I married him. Marla smiled at them knowing they could care less about his wife.

”And when you’re better you can come to the studio.” Bruno told her.

”Okay…thank you.” Leah answered struggling to smile.

”But I want you one hundred percent okay?” she nodded her head answering him.

Rosalia threw herself on Leah giving her a hug as Bruno finished talking to her. ”Better now?” she asked.

”No, not yet, Rosie…” Bruno answered her. ”But when she’s better you can play with her..okay”

”I miss you Leah!” Rosalia told her.

”Come on, Rosie…we have to go…go to your mom…please.” Bruno said pointing toward Marla. Rosie started running toward her mother stopping in the middle of her run sitting on the ground.

Marla ran over to her quickly taking her out of the room calling for the nurse they were with earlier. ”It’s happening again…” she told her.

”Follow me..quickly…” the nurse answered walking quickly to the room they were assigned to. Marla held onto Rosalia laying her down on the bed rubbing her arms to calm her down. Marla looked up to the clock counting the time in the same way the nurse was. She remembered waking up to her mother doing the same thing when she was younger. ”We need to get Dr. Reisch..it’s been 7 minutes…” Marla told the nurse, Holly who was already out the door.

”Mar?” Bruno came into the room seeing her sitting on the edge of the bed next to their daughter trying to hold back her emotions. He sat on the other side of the bed placing his hand on Marla’s not saying a word. Rosalia woke up starting to cry in the same shrill tone as she did in the house. Make it stop, make it stop. Marla thought to herself as she picked up her toddler soothing her. Bruno took Rosalia from Marla soothing her through her tears. He started to sing the song he had written about her the year before in a hushed tone. Bruno paused feeling her tense up again. ”Where is he? She needs that stuff….” Bruno said in a scared tone speaking about the Ativan they had given Marla one night to make her stop seizing.

”I don’t know, Bruno…but…she needs it….” Marla said through her tears.

”Here…” the doctor came running in the room. ”Let’s get her calmed down…” Bruno placed her on the bed turning his head as the doctor placed the needle in her arm. ”You can turn around now, Mr. Hernandez. It’s all done.”

”Oh god. Thank you.” Bruno sighed responding the needle.

”We’re also going to get her on some medicine…I will be back in a few minutes….” he told them. After the doctor left Bruno slid the extra chair over to Marla wrapping his arms around her.

”It hurts, baby. I know it does…”

”But, Bruno…it’s like anything. Until you experience you can’t express how badly it hurts. I just wish it was me…I just wish I could trade places with her…she can’t go through this….” Marla responded placing her hands on Rosalia who she could see was starting to wake up.

”I don’t want either of you to go through that, Marla. No one deserves it…” he told her kissing her on the cheek. ”Marla..it’s late..you should sleep.” Bruno told her squeezing her tightly as she pulled her legs up underneath herself. 

”I can’t sleep.” she told him.

”You need to. I’m right here if anything happens.” Bruno answered her. ”Marla? Oh, can’t sleep my butt.” he said to himself as he watched his daughter’s eyelids flutter while she slept.