Loving You

Chapter Seventeen

September 1, 1956 9PM

They've just brought Jessica back in from her surgery. They said that she'll be alright, but the baby didn't make it. She's currently being given a blood transfusion to help with the amount of blood she lost from how much she bled before and during the surgery. They said she'll wake up soon, but something doesn't feel right to me.

After the doctors and nurses leave, I kneel beside Jessica's bed and rest my head on the mattress next to her hand. I place one arm over her stomach and breathe calmly, "I'm sorry honey. I really am. I swear that this ain't gonna happen ever again. I'm never gonna cheat on you ever again!" As I'm about to sit up, her fingers move through my hair. I lift my head and see that her eyes are open, and watching me. She nods, letting me know she understood. "Do you accept my apology?" Again, she nods. I hug her gently, and she wraps her arms weakly around me, cautious of her I.V.

Joe watches as we hold onto one another. After I pull back, she pats the space next to her, indicating she wanted me to lay down. I glance back at Joe, he urges me to lay with her, "Go on. She's your girlfriend. Not mine." I lay beside her on my side, starting to feel better now that she was going to be okay.

Jessica's hand moves slowly over my chest as she looks up at me. I kiss her temple and watch as she closes her eyes. They had her on some type of pain medicine, so she would be in and out of consciousness.

September 2, 1956 12 AM

*Jessica POV*

I wake up with a jolt to find that Elvis is no longer in bed with me. Had I dreamt that part? I look around and find him sleeping in the chair next to my bed. Clearly a nurse told him that he couldn't sleep with me. Unless he decided that on his own. On further inspection of the room, I find my parents in chairs of their own, as well as Officer Mark. I wonder momentarily how they had gotten here so quickly, but then realize that they would have gotten here quicker by plane than by car.

Just as I'm about to close my eyes, the room is suddenly flooded with light, and a figure stands in the doorway. "Good, you're awake." Joe says as he enters. "I just went to get a nurse. Your monitor has been beeping like crazy." It has? I look around and finally notice that, yes, it has been beeping, but for some unknown reason. Why hadn't anyone else woken up if it was really that noisy? Joe approaches the bedside and sits beside me, "How are you feeling?" I open my mouth to speak, but can only manage a shrug. Why was I even in the hospital? I didn't remember anything being wrong with me. Last I knew, I was talking to Joe about what Elvis had done. Was that why I was here? Did something happen when I was talking to Joe?

I look up at him while a nurse plays with my IV. Slowly, I try to open my mouth. A squeak is the only sound I manage, but Joe seems to register that I wanted to ask something. "Wh-why a-am I here?" I finally manage to ask, but it comes out softly.

Joe looks down at me and bites his lip, "You got sick. Like, real sick. So I called an ambulance. You were in surgery for awhile."

I nod, "Why?"

He sits on the edge of the bed and shrugs, "I don't really know."

Something felt wrong, and I just wanted Elvis. I look down at him and sigh. Joe seems to register this, and stands to shake him. Elvis' eyes open and he looks up at me, "You're awake."

I nod and hold an arm out to him, "Come lay with me..." He gets up and climbs in bed. I wrap an arm around him and cuddle close to him, taking in his natural scent. I loved the way he smelled. "Elvis... What happened to me?"

He looks down at me and smooths my hair back. I swear in the dark I saw tears in his eyes. "You got real sick," his voice is soft when he speaks.

I look up at him, "I know that... But why'd I have surgery?"