The Good Life

Chapter 67

Marla felt Bruno get into the bed late that night. She reached over Rosie’s stretched out body to touch him. ”I’m glad you’re home.” she told him.

”I am too.” he said. ”Baby…is she okay?”

”She’s okay. She fell asleep right after. It was small.” Marla answered.

”I’m sorry I wasn’t here.” he told her. She shrugged her shoulders in response turning back around to go to sleep.

”Good night, Bruno.” she said quietly going back to sleep.

A few hours later Marla heard her alarm go off for work. She hit it heavily dragging herself out of the bed. ”Marrrr….” she heard Bruno whine.

”Stay home…she won’t mind.” he told her looking up at her.

”No. I can’t.” she told him leaning down to kiss him. ”Stay here with Rosie. I’ll be home early.” she said turning around. ”Oh…ewww….” she felt herself starting to get sick. She glanced out of the corner of her eye seeing Bruno fall back asleep. ”Oh man. He’s so caring and loving and devoted.” she said to herself touching her stomach after throwing up. She got dressed continuing to get ready to go to work. She sat down at the kitchen table to read the note he had written her the night before while flipping through her phone. ”Aww, baby. Your dad is so sweet.”

**

Oh my god. I feel horrible. Just plain old horrible. Marla thought to herself watching the conversation between the board and other staff members. ”Excuse me..I’ll be right back…” she excused herself from the room to go to the restroom.

She put her hands on the small sink looking up in the mirror. She rubbed her eyes feeling herself start to get even sicker. It’s too late to be getting like this. What is wrong? She looked up seeing unknowing tears start coming down her cheek. She turned around to throw up again. I can’t do this. My head hurts. My back hurts….what did I do wrong today? She thought to herself starting to stand up feeling a strong pain come from inside her. She got up seeing bright red spots near her.”This isn’t fucking happening. This isn’t happening. No.” she said loudly. She heard a knock on the door.

”Marla..are you okay?” Andrea, their media director asked.

”Can you get Jamie for me? Please?” she asked washing her hands again hearing Jamie standing near the door.

”Mar? Are you okay? Sissy?” she asked seeing the door open. ”Marla…what’s wrong? You look like shit.”

”I don’t feel like things are right….” Marla said flatly. ”Like…not at all…” Jamie rubbed Marla back trying to calm her down.

”We need to call Bruno.” she told her watching Marla start to shake.

”I’m really cold.” Marla told her. ”I can still see everything..but oh shit. I feel like shit.” Marla told Jamie. Jamie helped her stand up walking to their waiting area where they had a big couch.

”Lay down. I’ll have Andrea call Bruno. You aren’t going anywhere.” Jamie told her.

”The board though….” Marla started.

”They would want you healthy, Marla.” Jamie answered.

”He’ll be here in like 10 minutes.” Andrea came into the room holding her phone.

”Close your eyes, Mar…just take some deep breathes…” Jamie said to her. She sounds so much like him. Marla thought to herself. I don’t know what I would do without them.

”This sucks.” Marla told Andrea and Jamie feeling Andrea placing a wet piece of paper towel on her.

”Andrea…” Marla called her co-workers name. ”I think right now is a good time to tell you that I’m pregnant.”

”Mar…Jamie told me.” she laughed hearing the door open and Rosie running into the office.

”Mommmmmyyy! Auntie Kaaayyyy…” Rosie jumped into a chair starting to spin in it. Bruno walked in with a concerned smile on his face.

”Mar? It’s gonna be okay…” he said lifting her up. ”Hold on to me, baby doll…”

”Mommaaaa…” Rosie stopped spinning in her chair to look at her parents. ”Don’t leave again…mommyyyy….” Rosie started to cry.

”Wait…” Marla told him. He stopped looking at his emotional 4 year old.

”Come here, mama…” Marla told her daughter who ran to her mother. ”I’m not going anywhere, baby. We just need to go talk to the doctor…” she told her daughter.

”Me promotes mommy?” Rosie asked.

”I promise, baby girl.” she said hugging her. Rosie held onto her mother until Jamie pulled her away hugging her. ”I love you Rosalia.” Marla told her daughter kissing her on the cheek as Bruno helped her to the car. ”Bruno…I’m so scared…like..I don’t think I’ve been this scared since I woke up from the seizures…I don’t want this to happen. It can’t happen. It just can’t…”

”Marla..it will be okay…” he said taking a hold of her shaking hand. He ran his nails against her palm trying to calm her down. ”Marla…it will be okay.” he repeated trying to reassure her and himself at the same time. He wrapped his arms around her tightly leading her weak body into the doctor’s office. She signed herself in with the shaky hands. ”Sit down baby…” he told her. She sat down in the uncomfortable chair. She laid her head on his shoulder hearing him hum a song to her.

”Mrs. Hernandez?” the doctor called her from the big wooden door. They followed the doctor to a stale medical room. The doctor sat down making notes on her paper. ”When did this start?” the doctor asked.

”I was feeling rotten yesterday, but it was just my stomach. I just..whatever. It was stress…and I was keeping an eye on it. But then this morning…the morning sickness was worse than I ever remember it. I got better before I left….” she felt Bruno holding onto her shaking hand. She smiled at him letting him know that she knew he was there. ”And then…like an hour ago my stomach pains just got so bad..I could hardly handle it…”

”She’s really sweaty….” Bruno interrupted her story.

”Marla…let’s take a look at this baby just to make sure we’re all okay…” the doctor replied not letting Marla finish the story. Marla laid down next to Bruno who was squeezing her hand so tightly that she could hardly feel her hand. He ran his hand along her face kissing her lightly knowing that she needed it. The doctor smiled at them.”You two are cute together. I’ve always thought that.” she told them turning on the screen. ”Okay….” she doctor moved the monitor around pausing. That’s not good. Marla thought to herself. It’s not okay..Bruno thought at the same time. The doctor turned to them. ”There’s no heartbeat.”

Bruno looked at Marla who was starting to shake even more. He tried not to return her same emotions by turning his head from the monitor. ”I’ll leave you two here for a second.” the doctor responded to their emotions.

”Why, Bruno? Why?” Marla asked touching him moving back to a sitting position.

”I just wish we could wake up and go back to yesterday.” he told her.

”Bruno…I want to go back to last year…before all of this…but we can’t…” she answered him. She saw him turn his head with tears coming down his cheek. ”It’s not what we wanted, B…but apereantly it’s what was planned…” she wiped the tears off his cheek lightly. ”It’s going to be hard, B…it will..but we’ve gotten through worse…”