Terry Richmond
As I made my way to the hospital, I rubbed at the tension in my neck. Elijah was slowly getting better.
Each day brought small victories — one less wire, a stronger heartbeat, a longer stretch of steady breathing.
The doctors kept saying it'd be a marathon, not a sprint, but damn if I wasn't counting every inch we gained.
Nicole and I had taken turns staying overnight in the NICU. Sometimes, we stayed side by side in those stiff reclining chairs, just watching him sleep inside that little glass box.
I'd sit there for hours, tracing the outline of his tiny chest rising and falling, whispering to him about everything we'd do once he was big enough to leave this place.
Parking my car, I sat for a minute before cutting the engine. The hospital loomed in front of me like it always did — a place of hope, fear, and way too many damn vending machines.
Grabbing the small bag of snacks I packed — mostly for Nicole, who always forgot to eat — I headed inside.
The front desk nurse gave me a tired smile and waved me through. I knew this place too well now.
Knew which hallway lights flickered, which elevator ran faster, which nurses had warm smiles, and which ones meant business.
As I pushed open the NICU doors, the smell hit me — that sterile, warm scent that had become weirdly comforting.
Nicole was already there, curled up in her chair, Elijah's isolette just inches away.
She looked up when she saw me, offering a soft, tired smile.
"He's been sleeping... even during his testing," she said quietly, her fingers gently brushing over the blanket inside Elijah's incubator.
Stepping closer, I held out the small bag I brought.
"Got you something," I said. "Did you eat today?"
She paused, taking the bag, "Thanks," she said, but didn't answer the question.
I gave her a look, one she knew too well. "Nicole..."
Her eyes finally met mine, a flicker of guilt in them.
"If I say no... are you going to be mad?" she asked softly.
I exhaled, shaking my head.
"No, I'm not mad. Just... worried." I sat down beside her, lowering my voice.
"You've got to take care of yourself too, Nicole. Elijah needs you. I need you."
She looked away as she set the bag down on the table.
"I know it's hard," I added gently. "But eating, sleeping... even a little—it matters.
You don't have to be okay all at once, but don't go through this starving yourself too."
The room fell quiet again, the kind of silence that settled deep in your chest.
Nicole didn't say anything, just stared at Elijah, her fingers gently brushing the edge of the blanket. I didn't push.
Sometimes, silence said more than words ever could.
Then a sharp, steady beep interrupted the stillness, loud and sudden enough to make both of us look up.
"Elijah," Nicole said under her breath, already halfway out of her chair as we saw him squirming, kicking his tiny foot, his pulse oximeter dangling loose.
YOU ARE READING
Jukai
Fanfictionthere was a woman named Nicole who after losing everything she loved set out to take her own life deep in the woods. 𝖳𝖾𝗋𝗋𝗒 𝖱𝗂𝖼𝗁𝗆𝗈𝗇𝖽 was on his way home from his father's farm, getting ready for the storm which was a Category 4 storm tha...
