Never Be the Same

Part 12

Stella paced back and forth in her hospital room. She knew every detail of this room now; there were sixty-nine lines on the floor. There are twenty-four square tiles on the bathroom floor. There was a slight crack in the ceiling on the right side of the room. The housekeeper comes in three times a day, and Stella knows everything about this woman's family. The paintings on the wall were all done by the same artist.  A red bird comes to the window every morning around six, which had made Stella curious about what a red bird's sighting means. She wondered if that was a sign of good luck or bad luck, and of course, her curiosity got the best of her, so she googled red birds and came across an article that said red birds are seen as symbols of strength, power, and also vitality. They are seen as messengers from Heaven who deliver words of love and comfort during difficult times. If you see a bright red cardinal, it means that you are being blessed with good luck and fortune. After learning that little fact, she and Kelly named the red bird Otis, she believes Otis is looking over them and giving her signs that everything will be okay.

It's been two months and two weeks since she's been here, and she thinks she's going crazy. The boredom, the loneliness, and the isolation were driving her mad. She missed being outside enjoying the weather; she missed being home alone with Kelly; she missed the craziness of the firehouse; and she missed Herrmann complaining about everything and everyone at Molly's. The bottom line is she misses her life before it got complicated. 

Stella savored her few hours of freedom and solitude. But now she thinks she's had too much solitude if that's possible. She is surrounded by doctors and nurses, and her firehouse family stops by all the time. Yes, it was her idea for Kelly to go back to work. There was no reason both of them should be missing work, plus his over-worriedness was making her go insane. But now, on days like today, when she's feeling lonely and the what-ifs overload her mind, she's wishing Kelly was here to distract her.

"Knock, knock."

Stella stopped pacing and smiled. "Hey, Haley!" She said it in an extremely happy tone.

"Hey, you've gotten big," Haley tells her as she stares at her belly.

Stella smiled. "I feel big... What are you doing here?"

" Adam and I had to stop in and talk to a victim. I thought I would swing by and check on you." Haley said as she walked over to her. "Can I?" She asked, pointing to her belly.

"Of course."

Haley smiled as she touched Stella's belly. "How are you doing?"

Stella shrugs. "I've been stuck in this room for over two months; I'm bored out of my mind. My firehouse family is driving me nuts, and my husband... I love that man, God, I do, but I'm glad he listened to me and went back to work; he was driving me nutty as a fruitcake." She laughed. "He was constantly concerned about everything I did, or if I moved, or if I wasn't hungry, all he wanted me to do was stay in bed, he carries me to the bathroom, even though I can walk. " She shakes her head. " That man would freak out if he came in here right now."

" Why?"

"Because I'm standing up."

"Are you not supposed to be standing up?"

" When I was first admitted, Dr. Asher didn't want me standing for a long period, or walking unless it was to the bathroom. But I'm doing so much better now. She said I can walk around for ten to twenty minutes a day, as long as I don't have any pain or get dizzy. I'm fine; I am. I feel better today than I have in months."

Haley nods. "I'm happy to hear that. Are the babies doing, okay?"

Stella sighed. "Dr. Asher is concerned about the second baby; she doesn't think he or she is growing like the first one. He or she doesn't move as much as the other one. "