My Hockey Boy

Chapter 37

Haley's POV

My eyes all of a sudden opened as a stinging pain was felt in my lower abdomen. It stung unlike anything I had felt before.

"Charlie," I groaned, turning on my side to reach out for him. But he wasn't there.

And as I continued to look around, the room seemed to be spinning. Flashes of white were seen and doctors and nurses now surrounded me along with my mother holding onto my hand.

"It'll be alright, Haley." She said above me.

I felt drowsy, dizzy. I could barely put together her words. What was she talking about? What will be alright?

But then the pain was felt again. Cutting deeper into me this time as I cried out, screamed for someone, anyone. My mother had disappeared, Charlie was no where. Charlie. I suddenly opened my eyes again. When did I fall asleep?

"Charlie?" I asked as a figure appeared in front of me.

"Charlie?" A female voice questioned, one unfamiliar to me.

My mother's voice was heard again, now in a hushed whisper as she informed the woman. "The father." Is what she said, I think.

Father?

Charlie's a father? If he's the father, then who's the mother?

As I looked to the side, a beeping monitor was seen. My skin felt cold and clammy all of a sudden. My stomach seemed to jolt and turn upside down.

"How's the baby?" Yet another voice said. It sounded familiar though. My brother.

"Not good," My mother told him.

What does she mean? I finally found the strength to peer down at my stomach. It was now enlarged and that stinging pain was felt, now 10 times worse than the last.

"Charlie!" I screamed but there was no answer. His name seemed to be the only one I could say.

The room shifted again. Now it was dark. Nighttime. I looked down, my stomach was flat again. The baby. Or what I thought was a baby? I'm not sure now.

My toes wriggled in the cold, wet leaves below me. They crunched as I took a step forward. I noticed I was still in a hospital gown. I thought I dreamed about being pregnant? Or am I dreaming now?

I watched as a tall, dark shadow appeared in front of me. It had no face or humanly features. All I could see was a figure who seemed to be staring at me even though it had no eyes.

"Hello?" I called out.

It seemed to tilt its head and as I looked around, I was suddenly in a cemetery, grey tombstones surrounding me. The shadow was nowhere to be found. As I knelt down to the tombstone that laid in front of me, a mixture of old age and weathering was shown on it. I could barely make out the name imprinted on it.

My fingers began to scratch at the surface. The letters that had been covered were soon shown. An "A", "R", "O", "H".

As I continued to scrape it, the name became clear. I gasped. The breath was knocked out of me as I read it.

"Haley Allison Rhodes. Loving wife and mother."

"Oh my god." I said to myself as I stood, beginning to stumble backwards.

I tripped on something as I began to fall into what felt like a bottomless pit. Down, down, down I went. I felt like Alice from "Alice In Wonderland" when she falls down the rabbit hole.

The ground all of a sudden appeared as I hit it, just laying there. No pain, no emotion.

Then I felt someone approach. I gazed to the side to see Charlie. I let out a relieved sigh as he came into view.