Remembering You

Chapter 3

I slept on and off the rest of that day. There were no visitors, but every so often I would ask for my parents. Constantly I was reminded that they were in the states, and they would be here soon. Not soon enough. I wanted to talk to them, but I didn’t all at the same time. Most of my conversation with Ashton consisted of this:

“When are my parents coming? Do you know when they are coming? Have you talked to them? Do they know you’re here with me? Do they know I’m in Australia?”

Of course they knew I was there. Of course they knew Ashton was here. Of course they knew I was in Australia! I was testing Ashton’s patience I could tell. So after rounds of questions I’d take a nap. I napped about three times between lunch and when the nurse came in again around 4:45. They were short naps, but they were nice naps.  

When I woke up at 4:45 I noticed Ashton wasn’t in the room with me. I had a sense of relief. The nurse seemed apologetic as she woke me up, but I smiled. She gave a smile and asked, “How are you feeling, Melanie?”

Adjusting in my spot I drew in a crisp breath, “I am… alright.” Nodding I felt satisfied with the answer because the answer was truthful.

The nurse was holding two cups. One was a bit larger than the other, but they were both Dixie. She set the cup that was obviously filled with water first on the wooden table extension attached to my bed and swiveled it so it was in my lap. She then dumped the smaller Dixie cup onto the table slowly. I noted the pills that came out: different shapes, colors, and sizes.

Looking at them in question I listened as the nurse listed the names of them. Too long, too complicated. I looked then to her in question and she smiled. Pointing with her pink polished finger she pointed to a smaller white one, “This will help with your dizziness,” then onto a medium white one, “This helps with your head—“

Before she could finish I interrupted, looking at the extremely large yellow and salmon colored pills. My eyes shot wide as I reached for the yellow one. “I have to swallow this?” Looking at the pill then to the nurse I complained, “What does this sucker do?” Examining it in the palm of my hand I chuckled, “Looks like something that could kill me…”

The nurse found humor in me. Probably why I liked her, she was normal. “I know…” The nurse sounded just as shocked as me that the pills were that large. “They are pretty big, but they have to be big because they do a very big job.” Something about her tone was suggesting something.

Setting the yellow pill down cautiously I asked, “What do they do? Knock me out?”

Shaking her head the nurse chuckled. What these pills did was far from knocking me out. “These pills are for the baby.” Baby?

I could feel the world spin around me. I felt my cheeks flush, and ice shoot up my veins in a rush unexplainable in the English language. The feeling was like I was going to vomit. My eyes felt tingly with the water that teased the rim of my eyes. I stared at the nurse as she smiled. She was smiling?! I couldn’t understand.

“Wh-Wha…” I was breathless, a loss of words, and I was confused. Shaking my head I tried to comprehend what she just told me. These pills are for the baby. Baby? What baby? My stomach felt like a burning pit that threatened me to vomit. I should’ve vomited, but it felt like there was nothing to vomit. “Baby?” I finally managed out.

The nurse looked sympathetic with her hand reaching to pat on my shoulder. “Yes, darling.” She bent her knees slightly so she was bent at a level so our eyes were at the same height. “You’re pregnant.” Our eyes were locking. Her hazel eyes stared into mine as she spoke those words. The two words I’d never forget. She spoke so slow and so careful as if I spoke another language and was hard of hearing.