The World (Sequel to International)

Seem Weak

January 2030

Mariana's POV:

"She's 2." I looked at Felicia. "She's 2 years old."

"Happy 2 years of almost dying." Lola walked over.

"Why?" I looked at her.

"Mari." Leila tapped my arm. "Can I talk to you? Outside."

"Sure." We walked outside. "What's going on, Ouahabi?" I smiled.

"Remember that day in America? When you just let me talk and you were there for me?" 

"And I always will be. What's going on?" 

She looked down. "I really want to start a family." She said. "With Mariona, but I don't think she wants that." She sighed. "I've tried to bring it up and she brushes me off. Now, I've lost her before and I swore I would never lose her again. She's the love of my life, Mariana. As long as I have her in my life, I'm complete but,"

"But you want a kid." She nodded. "Leila, you need to talk to her about this. Communication is the most important thing in a relationship." 

She put her hands on her hips. "What if she doesn't want this?"

I shrugged. "That's something you'll have to figure out, Leila. I can't help you with that. At least, not until you two talk. You know I'm always here to help you."

Mapi's POV:

"Where's Mariana?" I asked.

"Outside talking with Leila." Carmen said. 

Gabriel was talking with Jenni. I smiled. "Are you going to miss him when he goes to Portugal?"

"So much." I said. "But we've talked with him a lot since that. Reminding him that it's his choice, and he doesn't have to go. He said he wants too. He has a picture on his wall. Gabriel and Mariana. Both of them in their Sporting gear. Mariana told me about it. It was her first practice after her debut, and the men's team had practice at the same time. The photographer said that as they got older, they'd look at the picture and remember that day. When Gabriel died, Mariana got his copy of the picture framed, gave it to him. He said he looks at it all the time. He wants to go to Portugal and follow in their footsteps, but make his own too." 

Carmen smiled. "He's going to be the best." 

"I know he will," I smiled. "He's a Mendes." Mariana and Leila came back in. "You ok?" I asked her.

"I'm just feeling a little light-headed." She smiled. "I'm fine, probably just hungry." 

I nodded. "Why don't you sit down? I'll handle this." 

She nodded and walked to sit with Virginia. 

We had the cake and I looked at Mariana. 

We continued to sit around and talk. "Mapi!" Virginia yelled. I looked. Mariana was on her shoulder. "She said she didn't feel good and just fell over."

I ran over. "Babe?" I grabbed her face. "Someone get help." I grabbed her hand. "Babe open your eyes." 

Mariana's POV:

I opened my eyes and gasped. "Relax." I looked at saw a nurse. "You gave everyone quite the scare."

"What happened?" I looked around. "Where am I? Where's Mapi?"

"You are in the hospital. Do you remember anything?" 

I looked at the nurse. "I told Mapi I felt lightheaded and I went to sit down with Virginia. That's all I remember."

She nodded. "The doctor will be right in. I'll get your wife." 

She left and then the door opened. "Mari." Mapi ran to my side. "You scared me."

"What happened?" I looked at her. "Why am I in the hospital? I sat down with Vir."

The doctor came in. "I heard you don't remember what happened?" I nodded. He sat down in the chair next to me. "You passed out." He said. "Serve dehydration. The paramedics also said you were breathing heavily in the ambulance. Do you have a history of anxiety and panic attacks?"

"I did when I was younger," I looked up at Mapi. "I had one about a few weeks after my brother passed away." 

He nodded. "Have you ever taken medication for them?"

"No. Only my brother knew about it. We never told my parents." 

"This IV is helping with the dehydration. I'm going to refer you to a friend of mine. She is a specialist in mental health and will help you with your anxiety."

He left and I avoided Mapi's eyes. "You never told me about that." She said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I looked at her. "I didn't want to. I didn't want you to look at me differently. People hear something like that and," I shook my head. "I didn't want you to know."

"Mariana. There's nothing that you could say that would change how I feel about you. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health." She kissed the side of my head. "I want you to be able to talk to me. You don't have to hide things from me."

The door opened. "Thank god." Virginia ran in. She hugged me. "I knew I was a good pillow, I didn't know I was that good." She smiled. "Are you ok?"

"I'll be fine." I looked at Mapi. 

Mapi's POV:

Mariana got discharged and we were home. "It started when I joined Sporting's academy." She said. I looked at her. "They didn't have a team and I was going to get loaned out. I had to leave my home, I was 15. It got worse once I left Lisbon. My brother called me once a day and just talked to me. It always calmed me down. It started again when he left for Rome. But I had Tatiana around and she became my rock. I leaned on her. My first day in America when I joined Utah. I had a panic attack in the bathroom at the stadium." She looked down. "I called Gabriel and he got me threw it. When Gabriel died, I just felt like the whole world collapsed onto my shoulders. I had to mourn my brother, my best friend but also had to become a parent to his child. And I panicked." She looked at me. "I didn't want to tell you, or anyone because I didn't want to seem weak or needy. It was always something Gabriel helped me with, and Tatiana that one time." 

"Mariana, I'm your wife. Give me some of the world and let me hold it for you. That's what I'm here for. Your problems are my problems. Give me some of what you are carrying and we'll carry it together. You could never seem weak or needy to me. And it's ok to need help sometimes. We're human."

I wrapped my arms around her. "Let me help you. Let us all help you."

It was brought up during the wedding when Mariana told Vir about panic attacks. Thought I'd bring that back.