"Ella honey, time to wake up. I need to examine you one more time." Nurse Abby is at my bedside trying to wake me up.
I slowly open my eyes. The sunlight is beaming in and it stings my eyes. I slightly roll onto my back to look up at Abby. All of sudden my stomachs turning again and I'm vomiting on the floor, right next to Abby's feet.
"I'm.....I'm so sorry!" I say feeling mortified.
Abby smooths my hair from my face. "It's ok honey, morning sickness will sure do that too you."
I feel my face go flush. "Ahhhh what did you just say?"
"Oh no! Your friend Courtney didn't get to tell you?" She asked concerned.
"Abby what are you saying? Is this in reference to the nothing else?" I ask, scared shitless.
"Ella honey you're pregnant." She said with a nervous tone.
If I wasn't laying down, I would have thought for sure I was going to faint. This can't be possible. This is the last thing I need right now.
"Are you sure? How do you know?" I ask.
"When you fainted, Courtney told the doctor that you vomited a few times and that seemed like you weren't yourself, so as a precautionary we did a pregnancy test."
"But I'm on birth control, the one that stays in."
"We checked while you were out and it must have fallen out." She explained. "You're not too far along. We estimated about a week. Courtney was able to verify it because she told us that you and Ivan had inter coarse around that time frame."
"Yeah I tell Courtney everything." I say blushing.
"That's good. Not everyone's lucky enough to have that someone." Abby says. "Well you are all set to go, how about I take you down to see your fiancé?"
Abby wheels me down the hall toward Ivan's room. Courtney and Brad are walking toward us.
"Hey Ella! Looking much better today!" Courtney says excitedly.
"I know Courtney. You should have told me."
"Ella I'm sorry. I was just trying to focus on you getting better and not having another shock added."
"Thanks Courtney, I'm ok though. I will figure it out, this baby is a much need miracle right now."
Courtney looks at me surprised. We get to Ivan's room. Nurse Abby stops the wheelchair. I look in, the vent breathing for him. I see his chest rise, pause and fall. Seeing him like this breaks my heart. Abby reaches down to help me up. I step into Ivan's room and take a seat next to his bed. Grabbing his hand I begin to talk. Afraid that if I tell him about the baby that he would end up going into cardiac arrest again. I have to tell him though.
"Hi babe. I hope you can hear me, I have something important to tell you. Well....we are going to be parents. I'm not that far along yet but yep there's a tiny little baby in my belly. So you need to wake up, you need to get better, you need to come home." And at that moment I felt his hand move, I felt it squeeze against mine. A tear rolled down my cheek. He's still in there, he's going to wake up and be ok. Nurse Abby came in and I told her what happened. She explained it could have been a reflex but that she is a firm believer that he is listening.
Standing up I lean forward and kiss him gently. Brad is standing the doorway so I step aside and let him see him before we leave.
The three of us walk down the hall to Brad's car and we head back to the apartment. When we arrive my parents are waiting. Climbing out of Brad's car my mother immediately runs up and hugs me and my dad right behind her.
"Mom I'm so happy to see you and dad." I try not to cry as I hug them both.
"Where were you all?" My mom asks.
"We were at the hospital visiting Ivan." I explained. "He's not doing so well, he's still in a coma but I'm hoping he will wake up."
My mom hugs me again and my dad squeezes my shoulder. They lead the way to their car as I wave bye to Courtney and Brad. On the way to the car lot I can't help but think about Ivan about their being a baby inside of me growing. All it took was one look from my mom and my world came crashing down.
"Oh honey what's wrong? Is it Ivan?" She asks concerned reaching her hand to the back to pat my knee.
"Yeah I'm ok. Just a lot going on right now." I answer.
"Ella I'm sorry honey. Maybe you should let the hospital care for Ivan and focus on yourself, your studies and what not." Mom says.
"What are you trying to say mom? Give up the love of my life and let him wake up to find that I'm no longer there?"
"The love of your life?" Dad chimes in.
"Yes dad the love of my life. I love him and when he wakes up and comes home things are going to be a hell of a lot different."
"Watch your tone Ella. That is no way to talk to your father."
"You know what just take me back to my apartment. I don't need this right now and I sure as hell don't need a hand out."
"What is going on with you Ella?" My dad asks pulling into a parking lot.
I get out of the car and fall to my knees and just cry and cry and cry. My moms out of the car at my side with her arms around me. She doesn't say anything she just smooths my hair and continues to hold me. After a few minutes I finally calm down. The reality of me being pregnant and Ivan being in a coma just hit me. This baby may not have a father. What will I do then. How can I raise a baby on own?
Suddenly my mom speaks up. "So do you want to tell me what's really going on." She's still holding me.
"Mom you are going to hate me." I have no idea where to begin so I just blurt it out. "Mom I'm pregnant." I pull away from her to see her face.
I expected her to scream, but all she did was take a deep breath, she exhaled, stood up and walked toward the car. I stayed where I was on the ground kneeling, the gravel digging into my knees but that didn't seem to matter much right now. I turned to look at my mom her back was toward me. The pain of her not saying anything not looking at me was killing me.
"Let's get back in the car." Mom says suddenly.
"Would someone like to tell me what's going on?" Dad asks.
"Go ahead Ella you tell him. No I will. Your daughters pregnant, John. Pregnant to a man she barely knows whose lying in a hospital bed not waking up!" She huffs. "May as well say she's going to be a single mother at this point."
Her words sting as they come out. I can't help but lose control of my tears again. My dad looks at me with pity in his eyes. He wipes his hand across his forward, looking at mom he steps towards me. He pulls me into his embrace and holds me.
"We will get through this together, Mary." Looking towards mom as he rubs my arm. "She needs us now."
"You're right she does. Well guess I'm going to be a grandmother!"
I follow dad to the car. Relief sinks in knowing that I have my parents support. He squeezes my arm telling me we will all be ok including Ivan. We all climb back into the car and continue in to the car lot.
As we pull in I see the car I want! It's a hard top Jeep Wrangler 2013. Sign says low miles. I point it out to my parents and we go look at it and test drive it. I for sure want it. We go in and sign the papers and the salesman hands me the keys. I hug my parents goodbye as they get in their car and head home. I get in my new car and head back to the apartment. I can't wait to show Courtney and Brad my new car!
