Rollercoaster
Chapter 68
Frank's POV
The seconds dragged by, feeling more like hours. I'd been prepared for her to ask, it was only natural. Every minute when I was in the hospital, not entirely thinking straight, I'd mentally act it out in my head. But now Aimee was actually conscious, it wasn't so easy as I imagined to tell her her baby might not make it. Of course I was trying to be as optimistic as possible, but I couldn't lie to her.
I breathed in deeply, automatically rubbing the back of her hand softly.
"Sweetie..."
She looked down, her eyebrows furrowing with mixed emotions. She knew what was coming.
I tried again. "The doctors did all they could. Just with all the blood lost, well..." I couldn't finish.
Her eyes closed. "It's dead. I killed my own baby..." She murmured quietly.
"It's not technically dead.." Ray called from the doorway. "You remember what the doctor said earlier, Frank? And he was wrong about Aimee waking up so soon.."
I frowned. "Yeah, but..."
A short knock on the door shattered the tension. The doctor edged his way awkwardly around the guys, as if on cue.
"Mighty glad you could join us, young lady." Wrinkles formed at either side of his mouth, where a smile was now cemented in his skin.
Aimee glanced up briefly, returning the smile, before looking back down.
"Whoa." His eyes widened in disbelief as he turned page after page on the clipboard at the foot of the bed.
"These are some wonderful improvements, Aimee. No, not even wonderful..." He paused, scratching his stubbly chin.
"A miracle, I should say." He corrected.
She raised an eyebrow, looking at him as if he were crazy.
Even more excited than before, he ran to me, the clipboard thrown in my face. "Here, take a look."
He pointed to the second page of the clipboard. A graph filled about three quarters of it. The other quarter or so was taken up by a key, showing that the red line represented Aimee's blood level and rate of oxygen; and the blue line represented the baby's blood level. My eyes darted to the blue line instinctively. I followed it curiously, as it began with a dramatic swoop, then gradually began to regain its usual height, until it was the highest on the graph it had ever been.
"I guess I had been wrong before..." His voice lowered, admitting defeat.
Everyone seemed to be watching and listening in, Aimee asking the question they were dying to be answered.
"What is it?"
"The baby." I grinned. "It's fine."
She let out a sigh of relief, Sean quick to comfort her.
"That's great!" Gerard congratulated, the guys nodding and smiling in agreement.
I grinned wider, turning to the doctor. "So what happens now?"
He stared deeply at the page, as if figuring it out quickly in his head.
"Well seeing as Aimee has only just woken up today, she's going to have to stay here for another few days. We'll take another couple of tests, and if everything is as it should be, she'll be free to go home."
"Thank you." He returned the smile and left the room.
So far he'd been wrong about everything. I just prayed he was right about this..
The seconds dragged by, feeling more like hours. I'd been prepared for her to ask, it was only natural. Every minute when I was in the hospital, not entirely thinking straight, I'd mentally act it out in my head. But now Aimee was actually conscious, it wasn't so easy as I imagined to tell her her baby might not make it. Of course I was trying to be as optimistic as possible, but I couldn't lie to her.
I breathed in deeply, automatically rubbing the back of her hand softly.
"Sweetie..."
She looked down, her eyebrows furrowing with mixed emotions. She knew what was coming.
I tried again. "The doctors did all they could. Just with all the blood lost, well..." I couldn't finish.
Her eyes closed. "It's dead. I killed my own baby..." She murmured quietly.
"It's not technically dead.." Ray called from the doorway. "You remember what the doctor said earlier, Frank? And he was wrong about Aimee waking up so soon.."
I frowned. "Yeah, but..."
A short knock on the door shattered the tension. The doctor edged his way awkwardly around the guys, as if on cue.
"Mighty glad you could join us, young lady." Wrinkles formed at either side of his mouth, where a smile was now cemented in his skin.
Aimee glanced up briefly, returning the smile, before looking back down.
"Whoa." His eyes widened in disbelief as he turned page after page on the clipboard at the foot of the bed.
"These are some wonderful improvements, Aimee. No, not even wonderful..." He paused, scratching his stubbly chin.
"A miracle, I should say." He corrected.
She raised an eyebrow, looking at him as if he were crazy.
Even more excited than before, he ran to me, the clipboard thrown in my face. "Here, take a look."
He pointed to the second page of the clipboard. A graph filled about three quarters of it. The other quarter or so was taken up by a key, showing that the red line represented Aimee's blood level and rate of oxygen; and the blue line represented the baby's blood level. My eyes darted to the blue line instinctively. I followed it curiously, as it began with a dramatic swoop, then gradually began to regain its usual height, until it was the highest on the graph it had ever been.
"I guess I had been wrong before..." His voice lowered, admitting defeat.
Everyone seemed to be watching and listening in, Aimee asking the question they were dying to be answered.
"What is it?"
"The baby." I grinned. "It's fine."
She let out a sigh of relief, Sean quick to comfort her.
"That's great!" Gerard congratulated, the guys nodding and smiling in agreement.
I grinned wider, turning to the doctor. "So what happens now?"
He stared deeply at the page, as if figuring it out quickly in his head.
"Well seeing as Aimee has only just woken up today, she's going to have to stay here for another few days. We'll take another couple of tests, and if everything is as it should be, she'll be free to go home."
"Thank you." He returned the smile and left the room.
So far he'd been wrong about everything. I just prayed he was right about this..
♠ ♠ ♠
:)<3