Help Me Remember (COMPLETED)

Chapter 27 Part 2

My work schedule changed and I'm struggling. I still haven't adjusted.

Chapter 27 Part 2

Found Out

Maybe the world had just tilted on its axis. Or maybe I was dreaming, and I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a good dream or a cruel joke.

But maybe my mind was taking his words for what they really were but my heart was just too scared to accept it for truth.

"What... what do you mean?" I whispered, not daring to hope.

"The baby is okay," Zachary articulated slowly, "You both are."

My heart started to thud. It was a strong beat and it was getting louder and louder in my ears.

"What?" it was the only thing that came to mind as I watched my husband dumbly.

I was still pregnant? My hand shakily crept to my stomach.

"Are you s-sure?" I needed to make sure.

"So you don't remember again. Then let me brief you on what happened yesterday," Mara said from the side. I turned to her, waiting anxiously. "Zachary found you unconscious inside his office. They called an ambulance and you were transported here within fifteen minutes. While being wheeled in, you regained consciousness for a few minutes."

She paused as if to wait for me to follow.

"And since you refuse to see the doctor, I'll brief you on your medical condition. You had premature labor and bleeding. It's a good thing you were rushed in on time because any later and it would've been bad for the baby."

The baby...

The baby was fine.

He really was fine.

I still couldn't believe it.

I watched Mara and knew she was waiting for me to absorb further. It was still a process to have them sink in. I looked down at the hand on my stomach. "But... I remember the blood. There was so m-much of it... I thought—"

"It just looked worse than it really was," Mara cut in gently. "The fetus has a strong grip and I specifically remember telling you that you're slightly anemic. I told you not to stress yourself out, that's gotten worse in the last week since your check-up. Have you been feeling light-headed? Lack of appetite? We'll have to adjust your diet and give you iron supplements to increase your blood production."

And that was it. Mara was done saying her piece and she was casual about the whole thing.

What she was saying was I was fine. More importantly, the baby was fine.

The baby was fine.

He was fine.

I had to repeat it to myself again and again and again.

"Mommy."

I had a dream of a little boy and I could've sworn I could clearly remember how he looked. And I imagined that child was still okay, securely lying in my womb.

But where there should've been relief, there was a new feeling of dread. Where I should be leaping with joy, there was an awareness of time ticking... and it was ticking fast against me.

The baby was okay now but until when?

Mara thinks it was simply stress and anemia. But I remember what happened inside that office before I fainted. I knew why. It was those memories. The past. That stupid void inside my mind where monsters liked to creep out.