OO-RAH!

Chapter 23

I was sitting in the hospital room that my sister was in. She had gotten out of the operation room a few hours ago and was no fast asleep. Her blonde hair was a mess and so was her skin. It was covered in dozens of scratches and cuts, and bruises had already began to form. Her left arm was in a sling from her dislocated shoulder, and her left ankle ankle was wrapped and lifted in the air. Her heart monitor beeped steadily with her heart beat, and the breathing tube in her nose let out the soft sound of air passing through the holes. She looked like death. She almost was. After the doctor came out and told us the operation went well, and that the baby was sent straight to the NICU, he said I was more than welcome to come in and see her. Billie-Mae stayed for a few minutes before leaving to go let Mrs. Taylor know the good news. I had told the doctor that I'd be staying the night, and he had Daisy transferred to a room that provided a sleeping chair for me. 

I didn't leave my sister's side the whole night. I held her cold, scratched up hand in mine for what felt like hours. I stared at the IV need that was stuck in her arm, and wondered if she could feel any pain still. My eyes hovered on her stomach area for a long time, wondering what it looked like after the had to cut her up to save the baby. I wish she was awake so I could tell her the good news, to tell her that she was a momma now. I told the doctors that Daisy hadn't settled on a name yet, so for right now we all referred to her as Baby Alistair-Miller. 

I wondered if she had been keeping in touch with Jeff about the baby at all, if he even knew she was expecting soon, or if he even cared. It was a shame that he did my sister so wrong. He lost the most amazing thing that could have ever happened to him. I was glad my sister came home, though. I knew if she stayed with him she wouldn't be anywhere near happy. She wouldn't even want the baby if she was with him still, and he probably wouldn't want her either. I hadn't gone to see the baby yet, since she's in NICU. As of right now, Daisy was the only one who could see her for medical and safety reasons that I understood but couldn't explain even if I tried. From what I'm told, though, since she was born two months early she'll have a great chance at surviving premature birth. I wanted to see my niece so badly, but I knew I'd have to wait for Daisy's permission, and I wanted to give her time to bond with her baby before I did. 

I woke up the next day to someone patting my head. I sat up abruptly and noticed that Daisy had woken up. Her eyes still looked tired, and her skin a little pale from the blood loss. She was sitting more upright now, but her foot still hung in the sling. I gave her a smile and grabbed her hand in mine. 

"Hey." I say softly. She gives me a weak smile back and squeezes my hand in hers gently. 

"Hey." she says back, just as softly. 

"How are you feeling?" I ask, scooting my chair closer to her bed. She takes a deep breath and turns her head to face forward with her eyes closed in thought. 

"Like I got hit by a truck." she jokes. I chuckle lightly at her intact humor and welcome the new feeling of joy as I laugh. 

"Actually, it was a car. But I get what you mean." I joke back. Daisy chuckled and turner her head back to me, but she was avoiding eye contact. I see her face go from cheerful to anxious, like she was expecting something. 

"Is she gone?" she asks suddenly. She pauses before looking me in the eye, tears threatening to escape her eyes. "Did I lose my baby girl?" she asks again with a shaky voice. I smile at her and shake my head. 

"No, Daisy. They got her." I say, my voice wavering with the threat of of happy tears approaching. I see her eyes fill with tears, but her face changes again, smiling instead of frowning.