Upside Down

Chapter 8

Cheryl woke up with her body tangled up in Simon's. His muscular arms were wrapped tightly around her body; his legs wrapped around hers; and his face buried in her neck.

Cheryl felt a sudden urge to go to the bathroom so, as carefully as she could, she tried untangling herself from his body. Unfortunately for her, Simon's strong arms didn't let go of her.

Her urge for the bathroom becoming stronger, she had no other option but to wake him up. She shook his body gently.

"Simon?" She whispered hoarsely. He didn't respond.

"Simon?" She said slightly louder whilst shaking him a little harder. This time his body stirred and she heard him grunt.

"Could you please let go of us? I need to go to the bathroom." Cheryl asked sheepishly. She felt guilty for just waking him up from his sleep. However, he just nodded apologetically and unwrapped his body from hers.

"Thank you." She got out of bed and went to the bathroom. Her stomach was still hurting, a little bit more than previously, but she didn't complain. When she removed the bottom half of her clothing, she saw dark blood stained over her pad. This time, the blood was thicker and heavier. She'd thought the bleeding would've stopped by now but it had only become worse.

Her heart started beating fast in fear and she felt the palms of her hands become clammy. She thought about telling Simon but then decided against it because of what had happened earlier that night. She didn't want to upset him anymore.

Changing her pad, she got up, an uncomfortable, warm liquid gushing down her body, and made her way to the sink to wash her hands. As soon as she stood up, an unbearable pain speared through her body. This time it didn't disappear. The pain made it almost impossible for Cheryl to move. She was bending down, clutching her stomach tightly. She felt the blood pouring out of her body, more than it would usually do on her monthly periods.

She knew then and there that there was something terribly wrong. A wave of nausea washed over and she had a strong urge to vomit. She tried again to walk and managed to limp her way towards the sink. She washed her hands thoroughly and dried them with the near by towel.

She knew that by now, her pad was filled up with blood so limped back over to the toilet, the pain in her stomach increasing. She sat down, tears of pain filling her eyes, and removed her clothing. As she thought, the pad was filled with a blood that was darker then usual. She removed the pad, placed on another, cleaned herself, and stood up. She flushed the toilet and put the seat down.

She limped her way back to the sink and repeated washing her hands. Clutching her stomach tightly, she limped over to the door, tears now streaming down her face. Her vision began to blur as she walked out of the bathroom.

When she walked out, Simon, who was now wide awake, looked at her and was instantly afraid. He got up and ran over to her. He caught her falling body and wrapped his protective arms around her. He was sure she could feel his heart pounding.

"Cheryl? Cheryl what's wrong?" He asked.

"Simon?" She gasped. Simon could feel her body becoming limp. He looked at her and realised that she had fainted in his arms. Panicking, her lifted her up and carried her quickly down the stairs. Grabbing his car keys, phone, and putting on the nearest shoes he could find, he ran out and into the car.

He quickly buckled Cheryl up in the passenger seat and sat himself down in the drivers seat.

"Your gonna be fine Cheryl." He whispered repeatedly, more to himself than to Cheryl. He saw a patch of blood on the oversized t-shirt that Cheryl was wearing and his face was drained of colour.

Once the car started, he reached his phone and called the nearest hospital he knew of. After a couple of beeps, the call was answered. A cheery female chirped her "hello" on the other side of the phone.

"Hello, I'm calling because I'm bringing my... friend, to the hospital."

"Okay, what's the problem?"

"She's six, nearly seven, weeks pregnant. But just a few minutes ago she came out of the bathroom and was saying something about her stomach. She was clearly in pain. Then she just collapsed and now she's unconscious."

"Do you know if she's having any vaginal bleeding?"

"She hasn't told me about anything, but there's a patch of blood on her clothes."

"Right, well I need you to stay calm, but you need to bring your friend here as fast as you can."

"I am, but what's wrong with her?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but judging by what you told me, it's an ectopic pregnancy."

"What's that?"

"It's when the egg is fertilised in the Fallopian tube, or the abdomen, instead of the stomach, where it's meant to grow. Usually about six weeks pregnant, when the foetus begins to grow, the Fallopian tube bursts, because it's not able to expand more than four to six centimetres."

"Why? What's going to happen?"

"It may be caused because of some previous damage to the Fallopian tube. And I'm not going to lie, this is very dangerous and life threatening, but can be treated."

"Okay... thank you. She'll be here soon."

"No problem and remember, it may not be an ectopic pregnancy."

"What are the chances it isn't?"

"Quite little if I'm honest, but be positive."

"Yeah, bye."

"Bye."

The call ended. Simon's eyes welled up in tears. This is very dangerous and life threatening. These words replayed in Simon's mind over and over. He was thinking the worst. He felt his heart pounding fast in his chest. He was breathing heavily. A million thoughts rushed through his mind; none positive.

I can't lose her...