Becoming Mrs. Bryant

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘

Nova

March 21, 2023

I was back home, though on bed rest for some days, and I swear I wish I was still in that hospital. As if things couldn't get any worse, Aubrey and Nick's hostility had hit a new all time record. Aubrey was also upset with me, though I quite honestly had no idea that I was pregnant.

"Wiggle your toes," Aubrey suggested as she opened the door and lifted up the bottom half of a blanket that had been covering my legs. "Why?"

"Because," Aubrey began, "the nurse said I should watch for little things, like the inability to wiggle the digits on your hands and feet." I nodded and did what was asked. "Okay," Aubrey said with satisfaction, "good job."

She put a water bottle on the bed stand beside me, and began to head out.

"Aubrey?" I asked, she had began opening the door, but stopped and turned to face me amid me calling out to her. "Hm?"

"Where are you going?"

"I just have to make a few phone calls and sign a few papers," she assured me. "Then I was gonna clean some stuff. I won't take long." I smiled, "okay."

I did nothing but stare at the ceiling as Aubrey did other things. It took longer than I expected, so I closed my eyes hoping to fall asleep. I couldn't, so I just kept my eyes closed the whole while, imagining a better reality than the one that I was currently living through. Suddenly, I heard the door creak open.

I knew it was Aubrey, because only she and I were here, but I felt so at peace at the moment, in my conscious dream land, that I just didn't open my eyes. I could hear Aubrey's steps suddenly stop, telling me that she was most likely near me, and felt a tinge of body heat, confirming my suspicions.

"You are so beautiful when you sleep," Aubrey whispered, now prompting me to make sure my eyes stayed shut. I never knew she spoke to me when I wasn't awake. How cute was that?

Aubrey sniffled, "I just wish this didn't happen," she admitted, still whispering. "I don't know how to recoup from this, I don't know where to go next. I don't know how to be a wife still. I mean, do I support you and hope you get better, or do I say 'you deserve this' and leave you to be bed ridden without assistance?"

"And I can't help but think that deep down, you don't feel bad. I mean given what you said the other day when Rico was here, and the fact that you don't seem to show much emotion regarding the topic, I feel like you have no regrets. You'd do it again if you could I bet." I hadn't even noticed that I was subconsciously holding my breath.

I could hear Aubrey walking again, and her steps became harder and harder to hear, telling me that she was closer to the door than she was me.

"I hope we heal from this, Nova," she said. "I know you can't hear me, and maybe it's a good thing you can't, but I truthfully don't wanna go through with divorce. I feel like I have no choice, but I don't want to. I just wanna get through this and be back to normal. I wanna do all the things on our bucket list that we have yet to accomplish, like traveling the world, having kids that we both planned, and living in California one day. I wish you nothing but good health and a mind strong enough to withstand temptation from here on out. I-" Aubrey sniffled.

"I love you."

I waited to hear the door shut before opening my eyes. I didn't look around or try to sit up. I just laid there, looking at the ceiling like how I did before Aubrey came in, and thinking. The reminder my wife gave me of the life we'd planned together made me feel queasy. Or maybe that was the temporarily damaged nerve on my uterine lining.

The worst part about this, was knowing that I couldn't do much to make Aubrey feel better. I mean, how can you comfort somebody when you're the one that caused the problem? How can you promise and assure somebody of something, when you lied to them and sneaked around behind their back in the first place? It'll take a miracle and a half for Aubrey to ever trust me ever again I'm sure.

I could feel my lip quivering and my lower face muscles making me frown. I was hotheaded at times and therefore said stupid shit, but I really did feel terrible about this. I loved Aubrey so much, and I truly wouldn't do anything else to hurt her. If only words could show that.

Hailey

"Hi?" Aubrey answered, sounding confused. "You okay Hailey? Did you need something?"

"No?" I replied, also confused. I had called Aubrey to check on Nova, yes, but I also just wanted to see how she was holding up. "Why would I need something?"

"I don't know" Aubrey said, "I just feel like I'm a placeholder in everybody's life right now. I feel like I'm holding the weight of everything. I'm a shoulder for May to lean on, I'm stuck taking care of my cheating wife, Nick thinks shit is sweet between us, and the guys expect me to be cool with my reality. Mentally, I'm doing a lot. I might as well slay a dragon or two while I'm at it." I chuckled.

"Aubrey, I'm calling to see how you're doing" I said. "I know this isn't easy, and I'm not sitting here thinking 'Nova was my friend first, so I owe her loyalty,' or anything like that. She was wrong, and I will stand on that till the day I die. You two are both my best friends now."

"That's sweet," Aubrey said, "and I appreciate it. Thank you Hailey, I really needed to hear that."

"You're welcome" I replied, "just hang in there."