Always Broken (Book 1 and 2)

Chapter 29: Challenge

I'm not gonna say anything. I'm just gonna let you read the chapter.

Brad Rodriguez

Jackie and I were finally out of the warehouse. I got ahold of a phone one day, and I called the police. Everything was going good, and the police even showed up twenty minutes after I called. Jackie and I were even in good shape at that time, no blood or wounds. But then, the unimaginable happened.

When Alejandro figured out I called the police, he shot Jackie right in the chest. Thankfully, the policemen showed up before he could do anything else, and they took him to prison as he was already a wanted criminal. However, Jackie was in a coma, and I begged for her to wake up; I longed for her to wake up. The doctors told me to go home, but I knew for a fact that if I went home, sorrow would only follow me.

I tried to swallow my emotions. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat begging and pleading to release a sob from within me. I tried to act like I was unaffected and that my wife's pale and fragile body was not the very site that broke me. Basically, I tried to act like I always do in a time of crisis- I tried to act numb.

But the more I looked at Jackie, tears gathered in my eyes and before you knew it I would begin to grab her hand every night and beg for her to wake up. Not make promises; just simply beg.

"Mr. Rodriguez?" I heard a doctor ask from outside of the room.

I moved my feet from Jackie's bed, hurrying to see what the doctor had to tell me.

"Here's the deal. It looks like Jackie is fine, for the most part. Whether Jackie wakes up depends on whether she can hear voices or not in her sleep. So, the best way to make her wake up is talking to her, squeezing her hands, etc. Just to see if she will respond. Whether she wakes up or not depends on how fast her body can come out of shock. If she doesn't wake up even after all you've tried, then I am afraid she won't wake up at all. But the good news is, her coma isn't severe as many other individuals. She has a 50/50 chance of waking up," the doctor informed, and I was so shocked that I did not reply. I just soaked in what she told me.

Soon, the doctor continued, "The babies are fine. There is nothing to worry about there and they are still stable. We can do some tube feeding for Mrs. Rodriguez so that she can be able to properly feed her babies."

That very comment bought me out of my reverie. "Babies?" I asked, speechless. What did she mean babies? I know Jackie is pregnant but I did not think she was pregnant with more than one baby.

"I guess you did not know then so I'll just tell you now. Jackie is pregnant with triplets," the doctor replied calmly and a big smile formed on her face. "I don't know who was your doctor but they probably should have told you that she's pregnant with multiple babies. It's okay, though. As I was saying, a coma is serious but your wife has a good percent of waking up. Her body just needs some time to respond and come out of shock."

I became breathless, putting my hands around my head, trying to take in the information I just got. I am a father of three kids. What am I going to tell Jackie? What am I going to tell Jackie's parents? They didn't even know she was kidnapped until Olivia told them. I never called them and Olivia has been grilling me for days about Jackie because she found out about the incident in some newspaper.

"Mister, are you alright?" The lady known as the doctor asked me.

"I'm alright," I replied, walking away. Jackie's parents were here at the hospital and I don't think they would appreciate it if I kept them waiting. Then again, they already have a grudge against me because Jackie is in a coma. And now I have to tell them that their own daughter only has a 50/50 chance of waking up and even though she's nearly a child herself, she's pregnant with three babies.