Why Try {unedited}

36

36

I woke up with a severe case of migraine. I didn't mind it because I had it for like, almost every day.

Jem was out with my- I mean, our son. After I told him how I'm fine with him being Tom's dad, he seems so enthusiastic to take Tom out.

But I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It was typical Jeremiah Smith. He would spoil you to death as long as he knew that he was given the right to love you.

So today, the house was empty except for me (nothing new) until Cody barges in the front door. I was standing on a chair to reach for the stuff I've hidden on the cabinet that nobody has used ever when Cody came walking into the kitchen so I felt like I was caught doing something illegal.

"Looking for this?" Cody practically spat as he produces two small bottles of the medicines I've bought from his pocket.

"What the fuck are these, Brooklyn?" he sneered. "Explanation. Now."

I came down the chair quickly and leaned on the kitchen island. I crossed my arms over my chest. "How did you get those things?" I chided back.

"I got them on that cabinet you were just looking at. I was looking for maybe some hidden chocolates that Tawni has from her past depression because I wanted chocolate," he retorts. "But I found these things instead."

"Give them to me," I fretted. "It's none of your business."

He snarls at me. "These are drugs, Brooklyn! Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"I don't like being shouted at," I shot. "They're medicines. I need them."

"What are they?" he repeats. A little softer this time.

"That on your right is Cytotec oral," I quickly nodded with my chin. "On your left hand is Misoprostol oral, if you haven't read the labels yet."

"I've read them. But what the hell are they supposed to be?" he barked.

"They're my medication for Postnatal Hemorrhage," I snapped. "Now give them back."

He looks at me for a moment, blankness covering his face. I think he was trying to say something but no sound nor air was coming out of his mouth. I took it as my opportunity to take the medicines out of his hands. I walked back to the kitchen island and placed the bottles there. I took each a capsule from them and drank it with water. When I looked back at Cody, he was still frozen in his place.

"Cody," I sighed.

He was still looking past me.

"Cody." I tried to budge his arm off his side.

"Cody. It's nothing," I assured him.

In a second, he looks at me in the eye and snatches my hand. He tries to feel my palms.

"Your hands are sweaty," he surmised. He leans his head on my chest to feel my heartbeat. "And your heart is rapidly beating." He puts the back of his hand on my forehead. "Are you somehow feeling dizziness or signs of fainting?" he asks impassiveness still on his face. "Yeah, but-" I tried to say but he takes his phone out of his pocket and calls Tawni.

"Tawni. You have to go home. Asap," he says a little forcefully through the phone.

"What's happening?" I asked him confusedly.

"Sit," he orders.

"What?"

"Sit on the couch."

"No!" I retorted.

Cody looks at me with anger and fear in his eyes. "Sit," he asserted. I raised my hands in surrender and I sit on the couch.

.

.

"I knew it!" Tawni says loudly, her hands making gestures of "how-could-I-not-know".

"Knew what?" I asked her.

"That there's something wrong with you," she scolded. "Do you know how many times I had to change the bed sheet on my bed? There was always blood. Like, everywhere!"

I put my face in my hands.

"So... postnatal thing really has her bleeding?" Cody asks Tawni.

"Yeah. Like, excessive bleeding," Tawni tells him. "Oh, and don't get me started with the bathroom! There are like blood drops and sometimes I freak out if I'm on my period but no! It's not me! It's you!" she points at me. "You're bleeding ever since you've given birth! The doctor at the hospital says it was normal to bleed after giving birth and also because you're a caesarian but I mean, that was like, a long time ago! You should've stopped bleeding already!"

"You mean to tell me," Cody chimes in. "You've been bleeding all this time and you never told us?" he looks accusingly at me.

"Give me a break," I hissed at the both of them. "I'm just bleeding. So what? And I've been drinking meds consecutively."

"Drugs are not enough!" Tawni scolds. "You need doctor's attention!"

"Why haven't you told us?" Cody demanded. "Do you know how pissed Jeremiah would be if he found out-"

I stood up and slapped my hand on his mouth. "We're not telling him," I hissed. "I don't want him to know." Cody's eyes widens at my statement. Tawni pulls on her short hair. "But Brooklyn, he has to know. He's been doing so much effort to get everything back to normal but if he finds out you're sick, he'll have to stop dreaming first and take care of you-" Tawni tries to say.

"No!" I shrilled. "No one is going to tell Jeremiah. I am not sick. I do not need any more attention, and my condition is not serious. Just please!" I cried. "Just leave me alone. I don't want Jeremiah to know. I just... I'm not ready to look weak to him."

Tawni bites her lip to stop the tears she was holding before running out of the house. I took my hand off Cody's mouth and walked towards the ceiling-to-floor length window of the house. I stared outside the window, hugging myself tightly.

I hear Cody falling down on the couch from behind. I look to him and in that moment, it was the first time I've seen him openly cry in front of me. He was literally crying, tears flowing unstoppably out of his eyes. I was already crying myself so I walked towards him and kneeled on the carpet. I took his hands.

"Please don't hide this, Brooklyn," he whimpers.

I started to sob at him. "I can do this by myself, Cody."

He shook his head at me and drops it into his hands.

It took me a moment to realize that I couldn't handle seeing Cody Jacobs legit crying. I cried more into my hands.

"You're making a mistake," he croaks to me through his hands.

It was a mistake I was willing to make as long as I would be given the chance to enjoy life normally with Jeremiah longer.