"What happens when the person you thought you could trust turns into a full blown nightmare... Will you ever be able to heal from the damage? Will life ever be the same again? Well, does love even exist?"
Taylor and Joe have been in a relationship f...
"That's beautiful." The nurse replies with a huge smile on her face. "She's stable for now but we have to see what time brings."
I nod slowly, my eyes not drifting away from my daughter as I take in her whole being, every little feature.
"If you want, you can touch her." The woman walks over and shows me the little hole on the side of the incubator, just big enough for one hand to fit through. I carefully reach inside and my whole heart melts at the contact with her tiny fingers. Her skin as soft as one could be, however it's not as warm as I expected.
"I'll leave you two alone for a bit. Congratulations, Miss Swift."
I don't know how many hours I spend just holding Hailey's hand and staring at her, watching her every movement and every breath she's struggling to take. I'm filled with pure happiness and unconditional love but I'm also scared, scared of what might happen, scared she might not make it. Despite the excitement I manage to take a few pictures of her, for me to look at when I need to go back to my own room.
"Soon you'll get better, babygirl. Mommy can't wait to hold you." I quietly whisper.
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It's late afternoon when I'm told she needed some rest and it would be best if I went back. Back in my room I'm met with Mom and Blake, who have probably been waiting for me since they came back. I can't help but grin from ear to ear as the nurse wheels me into my room and helps me back to bed.
"She is gorgeous!" I immediately blurt out to the two women.
"I believe she is! Did you take a picture?" Blake asks curiously, matching my excitement.
"Duh, of course!" I hand her my phone, before she slides through the photos, also showing them to my mother, who has difficulties holding back her tears.
"She is perfect!" Mom squeaks proudly.
"Her name's Hailey by the way." I inform them, when I realized I hadn't told them about the name yet. I'm relieved they both seem to like it just as much as I do.
"It suits her so well...oh and I brought you some McDonalds. Thought it might be better than the crap they feed you here." Blake exclaims and hands me a paper bag. "Eat it, please." She adds emphatically.
To everyone's surprise I reach inside of the bag and take out one of the burgers. I don't know how, but Hailey did give me some kind of motivation, some kind of reason to try.
"Look, it's just fuel for your body, honey. It provides you with the energy you need." My mom tries to support me before I take the first bite. I have to admit it really is delicious but well that has never been the problem; It's not that I hate the way food tastes. I just hate what it does.
I manage to finish half of the burger before closing the paper bag and putting it away.
——-
It's Christmas Eve when I'm finally discharged from the hospital. Hailey has to stay, which means that I'll probably spend all my days here anyway. I'm not going to leave her alone, I don't even want to. It's bad enough I can't spend the nights here anymore, now that I am no longer a patient myself.
"Let's get home, Taylor. At least for a few hours." Blake's voice chimes from behind, while I'm sitting next to my daughter, gently holding her hand.
"No, I wanna stay here." I protest calmly. "What if something happens and I'm not there?"
"That's what doctors are for. We can come back later but maybe a change of scenery would do you good."
"I can't leave now, I'm sorry."
I feel Blake's eyes on the back of my head but she eventually decides to give up trying to convince me, because she knows that she doesn't really stand a chance.
"Is it okay if I go home for a bit?" The blonde wants to know and I immediately nod.
"Of course. You don't need to be here, I'm good. Spend some time with your fam, you've been with me all this time. I'll come home, well to your house, tonight, alright? It's Christmas Eve after all. Could your driver pick me up?"
"I'll tell him. Take it easy, Tay." The actress responds and then turns around to leave. Just when Blake's footsteps have faded, the machines, to which Hailey is connected, start beeping aggressively, the sound burning through my eardrums, as a wave of fear comes crashing over me. I instantly pull my hand out of the incubator and in the next moment a nurse and a doctor come rushing towards me and my daughter. My sight starts to blur as tears shoot into my eyes. My heartrate seems to spike and all I can think about is Hailey, when each of my breaths becomes shakier.
"What is happening?!" I panic.
"Miss Swift, I need you to-"
"Tell me whats wrong!"
The doctor takes a deep breath, before he starts speaking again. My eyes are still lingering on my child.
"Your daughter's heartrate has dropped. Suddenly and to a pretty low level. I don't think the heart-surgery, I talked about, is avoidable. We need to do it now or else the mass that's attached to her heart will cause it to stop functioning at all, within the next...maybe two hours." He explains in a hurry, while examining the tiny body of the premature baby. My own heart sinks at his words. I can't seem to grab a clear thought, as I try to process what's just been said to me.
"S-surgery?"
"Yes, I assume it's her only option right now." His voice pierces through my entire body.
"But s-she...s-she was just...f-fine two minutes ago." I murmur, more to myself than to anybody else.
"I know, such things happen quickly, especially with newborns. But I need your consent for this surgery, otherwise my hands are tied. I'm not gonna lie...the surgery has major risks but as I said, I believe it's her only shot..."
I close my eyes for a little moment.
"Y-yes...yes, do it." I eventually blurt out and then everything happens fast. They take her away and I'm left in the NICU, alone with my unbearable fear and the empty feeling that's left inside of me. I reach for my face and bury it in the palms of my hands. Why can't things work out for once?
I wait countless hours until the winter sun starts to set and the halls of the hospital, that were flooded with warm sunlight during the day, are covered in glaring white lights, taking every last glimpse of hope away. I feel the tears run down my cheeks, when I call Blake to tell her about the current situation and that I can't possibly leave the hospital tonight. Of course she offers to come but I persuade her, that she needs to be with her family this evening and that I would be fine. After I hung up, tiredness slowly starts to envelop me and I have to fight to keep my eyes open, too afraid to actually close them, not before I know more about my daughter....
A/N: I love cliffhangers😉(at least in my own stories because I know more than you do 😌)
