I was given a chance to hold the baby for the first time. The baby turned out normal. It’s like magic when he suddenly stopped crying and start looking at my face in an awkward way. Is he staring through my soul? Can babies even see if they are only 4 days old?
Sunday Evening
“Red?” Tam called my attention. I had never left her side since this morning’s bad news.
“Yes Tam?”
“Do you have a name in mind now?”
“I was thinking of Azalea if it were a girl, but since it’s a boy…”
“Yeah?”
“Bryce.”
“That’s a really nice name.” She replied.
“I’m glad you like it…” I said.
“Red, I want you to take care of Bryce.”
“I will… along with taking care of you. We’ll be a family!” I was in denial. Is this really Tam’s last moments? If it were should I say something much better? But I shouldn’t… I know she’s going to make it. Miracles happen. I can’t imagine losing another important person in my life.
“Red… I want you to take care of Claire as well…”
“Of course, she’s like family now.” And before Tam could say another word, I said… “I love you Tam.”
“Oh Red…” She cried. “No matter what happens, I want you to be happy… Whether it’s me, or someone else… love her, love her like how much you loved me, if not more…”
“Stop it Tam…” I started crying as well. “This is not the end, I refuse to acknowledge that… It will never be the end for us.”
I hugged her as tight as I can. No word was heard from both of us. The tears started speaking for us both… Soonafter, I could hear Claire cry… I almost forgot that she was there, sleeping, but not anymore. She heard the whole thing. I couldn’t imagine anyone sleeping in that moment. She approached us and she immediately hugged her sister.
“Don’t leave me, sister…” Claire cried.
“I won’t I’ll always be a part of you, no matter what.” Tam replied
Everyone started crying.
“Red… You’re still going to perform this Friday right?” Tam asked.
“I don’t think I can…” I replied.
“You should, take Claire with you…”
“Why…?”
“Because I’ll be there, right?”
Monday Morning
She woke up and was in extreme pain. The doctor immediately said, she has to proceed with the delivery now. He immediately asked us to say our goodbyes.
Who does that? How can you ask somebody to say goodbye to someone for the last time? No… No… It was too soon. You can’t let her die yet. She has so much going for. She will become somebody someday. I’ll marry her, and we’ll have Bryce and more children if we can. We’ll be happy in our own house that we will come home. We will have a dog, a car, a room, a life together.
We rushed Tam to the emergency room, she was obviously in pain pain, but as soon as we were stopped on our tracks by the surgeon, Tam managed to look back on her parents, Claire and I with a smile. That smile, for a moment, made us feel like everything is going to be okay. Tam and Claire’s mom immediately hugged their dad and Claire hugged me.
Then everything you do in that moment was instantly significant. Every breath, every tear and every prayer becomes significant. Every millisecond, every second and every minute becomes significant.
It seemed like hours ago, but it was only 30 minutes, a nurse came out with a crying baby in her hand. It was Bryce. I could only look while Tam and Claire’s Mom and Dad immediately approached the nurse, their mom grabbed the baby, while their dad spoke with the nurse. I didn’t hear a word; I just read their lips from afar.
Tam was dead.
YOU ARE READING
The Perfect Mix
Teen FictionHow much are you willing to give up for love? The Perfect Mix is a story of Red, a college student who tries to make love work no matter the circumstance. But how far can one man go to prove that love conquers all?
