-Stevie-
"Is she gonna be okay?" Lindsey gets the courage to ask the question before I even have enough time to swallow the huge lump that has formed in my throat. "This doesn't sound too reassuring." He adds with a raised brow.
"Why is there bleeding? What would cause that to happen?" I quickly add in, heart beating a mile a minute.
I can tell she's a bit overwhelmed- I would be too if it was my job to tell parents horrible news like this. "We aren't exactly sure, but we are going to do our best to get your daughter and grandchild through this delivery as safely as possible." Her sympathetic tone worries me more than it should. "You're more than welcome to hang out here, or walk to the cafeteria and have a cup of coffee or something to eat." She adds after a moment of sad silence has washed over the three of us.
There was nothing to say after that.
"Thanks," Lindsey must be feeling a little more friendly than I am, because he can actually force his lips to curl into a small smile and I just can't.
"If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask." She assures us as a genuinely caring smile comes across her face.
I just nod my head as I fall back into the chair that I was sitting in, while Lindsey says another quick 'thank you' to the nurse before she heads back down the hallway.
"She's gonna be alright, Steph." He doesn't even believe his own words, I know he doesn't.
My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach, feeling as it twists into tight knots. "I hope so." I whisper, thick tears blurring my vision as soon as those words leave my mouth.
He lets out a sigh, trailing towards me. "Come here." He sits down on the sofa, quickly wrapping his arm around my shoulders to pull me into him. "It's okay, baby." He gently kisses the top of my head a couple of times, trying to calm me down the only way he's ever known how.
And I let him. I let my head rest on his shoulder, feeling his hand get lost in my hair as I close my eyes and wish I was back home... I was we were all home, where it's safe and everyone's happy- for the most part.
But my wish doesn't come true, because just as I start to doze off, the door to the private waiting area flings open and everyone from the house, and even Lydia's loser boyfriend comes flooding into the room.
Suddenly there are balloons floating through the air to welcome our new grandchild, along with a ton of happy faces in hopes they'll get to hold an infant in a sort while.
"TeeDee, why are you crying?" My mother is the first to notice that we aren't exactly thrills and chills at the moment.
"Is something wrong?" Chris stands in front of the door, one hand cradling a bouquet of flowers as the other carries Lori's purse.
Bringing my hand up to my face, I gently push myself away from Lindsey, but not too far. I still keep one hand pressed to his chest and his arm stays wrapped around my shoulders.
"Lydia is having some..." he pauses for a second, also unsure how to refer to this situation. "Some setbacks with the baby right now." Lindsey speaks up as he allows his index finger to leave circles on my arm.
That's his way of reminding me that he's here... He's always here, even when I don't want him to be.
And just as I predicted, his statement sends the entire room into a panic as everyone begins to ask questions that we have no answers to. But my attention is instantly drawn to Brandon- the man who promised Lydia the world, but has never kept his word.
"I should go back there..." he lingers, obliviously very antsy.
Lindsey looks from him, down to me and then back. "I think that's probably a good idea, buddy." He has never liked him- not since the moment she'd started talking about him when they were just seventeen. "You should have already been here..." he adds with a faint scoff.
~~~~~~
-Lindsey-
We all sit in silence for what seems like years, but it's actually only about half an hour of pure torture. The only real sound that floats through the room is Stevie's sniffles once she's finally taken a second to breathe in between her crying fits.
"Hi, there." We had all been so lost in thought, the sound of the nurses voice creeping into the room causes us all to flinch almost in unison.
Stevie pushes herself up, wrapping her shawl around herself tighter out of discomfort. "Hi..." she replies, another tear falling down her red cheek.
"I wanted to tell you that the baby is finally here, just getting cleaned up." She gives us a weak smile, but I know something not so great is just over the horizon. "But during her surgery, Lydia's blood pressure fell so low, so quickly that there wasn't much the doctor could do for her in that moment..."
I can feel my heart start beating in my eardrums as my mouth grows extremely watery.
"And?" Stevie sounds aggressive, almost like she's mad but I know that she isn't... She's worried and she has good reason to be.
The nurse sighs heavily, creasing a brow as her eyes begin to water as well. "And I'm really, very sorry..."
~~~~~
-Stevie-
I bite down on my lip as I trail through the long hallway, headed in the direction of the nursery.
It feels like my knees could give out and my heart could just break.... I've never felt this. I've never, ever felt this kind of pain.
There's been times in life when it has seemed like the world had stopped turning, but this is the worst. There can't be any heartbreak as bad as this. I don't believe it could exist, or at least, I hope it doesn't.
For a moment, my mind stops racing when we walk passed the window, where a dozen new babies are waiting to go home. "Oh..." I feel like the wind gets knocked out of me when he tangles his fingers in mine.
"It's okay." He whispers, bringing it up to his mouth to leave a kiss on my knuckles.
He's devastated, I know he is. I can see the pain lingering in those deep blue eyes, but this is one of the moments when falling apart just isn't an option... If there wasn't a baby waiting for us right behind that door, I would probably have lost it in the waiting room, and I know he would have to.
Biting down on my lower lip, I lean into him as the nurse leads us through the room and towards the bassinet in the far corner.
And when my eyes meet those tiny blue ones, the world really does stop turning for a split second.
