Status: enjoy.
You're the Air I Breathe
fourteen.
Macy’s Point of View
The next morning, I called Stella and Danielle and invited them over for lunch. Nick had already told Kevin and Joe the night before, but I wanted to tell the girls myself. Nick, Joe, and Kevin were going over to the studio to talk with their producer about their upcoming album they had started working on.
Nick ran out of the bathroom in a towel wrapped around his waist. He smiled and kissed my cheek quickly, and I handed him a coffee. “You have a lot of time, Nick. Relax.” He smiled and took a sip. He ran back into our bedroom, and ran out 5 minutes later, fully clothed.
He ran around the living room looking for all of his things, even though they were sitting on the kitchen counter beside me. I laughed and handed him his satchel. “Everything’s in there, honey.” I kissed him quick and he smiled. “What would I do without you? Call me if you need anything, okay?” I nodded and smiled, watching him run out the door to Joe’s car. I waved from the window and sighed.
I needed to figure out a way to tell the girls.
*****
I looked at the clock, and suddenly the doorbell rang. I walked over to the door and unlocked it. Stella looked at me and smiled. I hugged her tight. “Hey best friend, long time no see.” I smiled and took her things, hanging her jacket up. I hugged Danielle tight and smiled. She was glowing; she was around 7 months pregnant and she looked fuller than ever.
She did a 360 spin and smiled. “How do I look?” I laughed. “Pregnant, very pregnant.” She smiled and we all walked into the kitchen. I put out some finger sandwiches and some iced tea and for about an hour, we talked about everything that had happened in our lives.
“Joe and I are getting along better.” Stella said. I smiled. “Well, that’s good to hear. He cares a lot about you, you know.” She smiled and nodded.
I decided to act on my plan. “So guys, we should go shopping next Friday or something.” Stella nodded frantically, smiling. “YES, YES! There’s a new Prada bag I must check out.” Danielle smiled and nodded. “Sounds good to me.” I smiled, and then faked a frown. “Oh wait, I can’t. I have a stupid Doctor’s appointment…”
Stella looked at me strangely. “What for…? Is everything okay?” I shrugged and sighed. “Yeah…I guess, it’s just that…I’m pregnant.” I looked up at them and their expressions were priceless. They’re jaws were dropped open to the floor, and they started screaming. I laughed and Stella squealed and hugged me tight. “When did you find this out?!” She yelled.
I laughed. “Last night; I started to get sick, and Nick ran over to the drugstore and bought one just for reassurance. And voila…I’m pregnant.” Danielle awed. “He bought it for you? Now that’s a real man. Kevin would never do that for me…” She said, rolling her eyes. I laughed and sighed. “Guys, I’m finally going to be a Mommy.” Stella smiled. “And I finally get to buy some baby clothes for this baby!” I rolled my eyes and laughed.
Suddenly, Danielle winced. She clutched her stomach and moaned. “Are you ok?” Stella asked, concerned. Danielle shook her head. “It’s just some pains…I guess.” Stella looked at me. “Uh, do you want to lie down on the couch? Maybe it’ll help?” She nodded and we helped her over to the couch. She lay down on her side and we watched some TV for a bit.
But her pain wouldn’t subside; if anything, it got worse. She clutched her stomach and winced every second. “Okay, girl, I don’t care what you say or want, we’re bringing you in. This is serious and we shouldn’t take any chances.” Stella said. I nodded in agreement. We helped her off the couch, and I grabbed my car keys, and we all hopped into the car.
We speeded to the hospital; Stella and Danielle in the backseat. “Stell, text Kevin and make sure he knows what’s going on.” She nodded and began to text him as we speeded on our way.
Nick’s Point of View
We were in the middle of our meeting, talking to our producer. We were discussing our new album that was coming out in the next 4 months or so. “So, how many tracks have you guys decided on?” He asked. We looked at each other. “We’re thinking about 13.” He nodded. “That’s good.”
Suddenly, Kevin’s phone began to vibrate. He read the text quick, and I watched as his eyes widened; Joe looked at him concerned. “Are you ok, man?” He shook his head and stood up. “I’m really sorry, but my wife needs me right now.” He grabbed his guitar and ran outside, heading towards the parking lot.
Joe shrugged. “It’s gonna be hard for him to get anywhere, considering I’m the driver…” I punched him in the arm and stood up, rolling my eyes. “We’re going to have to reschedule this some other time. I’m sorry.” I didn’t care about what he thought; I saw his angry expression, but this was family. And family was much more important.
We raced out to the car and Kevin was already inside. Joe started the car and we speeded out of the parking lot, heading to the hospital. “What’d the text say?” Kevin was quiet and spaced out. He showed me the text that read: kevin, not 2 worry u, but we r takin dani to the ER. shes in pain.”
My heart sunk. I only thought of the worse. Kevin sighed and watched the cars pass by as we drove to the hospital.
Macy’s Point of View
We had already gotten to the hospital, and they put us in a temporary bed. Danielle lay there as we waited for the Doctor.
Suddenly, he walked in with a smile on his face. “Hello Danielle, and how’re you today?” Danielle frowned and shook her head. “Not so…good. I’m having random sharp pains. They’re horrible…” She admitted, clenching her teeth and wincing from pain in between words. He nodded and wrote some information down on his clip board.
“How far along are you?” He asked, looking at her concerned. He put the blood pressure pump on her arm, and began to pump vigorously. “Almost 26 weeks, why?” He looked at her blood pressure results and sighed. “What…what’s wrong?” She asked, fear in her voice.
“Danielle, I’ll need to do further testing to be 100% positive, but I’m almost sure you have preeclampsia.” Stella gave the doctor a weird look. “Pre whatta?” He laughed. “Preeclampsia. It’s a condition that affects the mother and baby. It causes high blood pressure, and if it continues to get worse, it can cause stroke or fatality to the mother and/or baby.” I looked at Danielle; tears streamed down her cheeks.
“How…how can I cure it?” She asked her voice breaking. He sighed. “The only way to get rid of it is by giving birth; inducing labour.” She shook her head. “But, I’m not even 7 months along…that’s dangerous.” He nodded. “It is, but the survival rates are much higher if you give birth prematurely, rather than letting the preeclampsia get worse.” Danielle began to cry, and we walked over and hugged her.
Suddenly, Kevin, Joe, and Nick came running into the room. Joe, being the klutz that he is, slipped on the floor and fell on his butt. Stella ran over and pulled him up. “God, you’re embarrassing…” She said, bringing him over to an empty chair at the back of the room.
Nick’s Point of View
I watched Kevin run over to Danielle, who was crying. He kneeled beside her bedside and held her hand, stroking her face with the back of his hand. He looked at the Doctor nervously. “Is everything okay? Is the baby okay? Is she okay?” The Doctor sighed. “Kevin, Danielle has preeclampsia. It’s a condition that affects the mother and baby and can be fatal unless labour is induced.” Kevin’s face went as white as a sheet.
Danielle began to cry and he hugged her close to him. “Isn’t that dangerous?” He asked, looking at the doctor with concern. He nodded. “It is, but it’s safer than letting preeclampsia take over.” Kevin nodded, trying to take everything in.
I walked over to Macy who was watching, her eyes watering, from afar. I took her hand in mine and lifted her up. “Hey, let’s give them some air. Let’s head back home.” I said. She sniffled and nodded, and Joe and Stella followed behind me.
“Did you see how fast I hit the floor earlier?” Joe said to Stella. “It was like walking on ice!” He exclaimed. Stella punched him in the chest and sighed. “Grow up, this is serious, Joseph.” He sighed. They took their car, and Macy and I took Macy’s car. We headed back to the house.
Macy was quiet most of the ride, until suddenly, she began to silently cry. “What if…we have to go through this Nick? I don’t think I could go through this…I couldn’t take it. I can’t imagine how Kevin must feel; he might lose 2 of the most important things in his life…” She began to cry and I pulled the car over to the side of the road, and hugged her closed.
“Macy, if this happens to us, we’re going to fight through it. We’d make it through okay. Kevin and Danielle are going to be fine; they’re both strong people. Please, stop worrying baby. Everything is going to be okay. I love you.” I told her as we hugged. She sniffled and looked up at me. “Promise?” I nodded and smiled. “I promise.”
And with that, we headed back home.
The next morning, I called Stella and Danielle and invited them over for lunch. Nick had already told Kevin and Joe the night before, but I wanted to tell the girls myself. Nick, Joe, and Kevin were going over to the studio to talk with their producer about their upcoming album they had started working on.
Nick ran out of the bathroom in a towel wrapped around his waist. He smiled and kissed my cheek quickly, and I handed him a coffee. “You have a lot of time, Nick. Relax.” He smiled and took a sip. He ran back into our bedroom, and ran out 5 minutes later, fully clothed.
He ran around the living room looking for all of his things, even though they were sitting on the kitchen counter beside me. I laughed and handed him his satchel. “Everything’s in there, honey.” I kissed him quick and he smiled. “What would I do without you? Call me if you need anything, okay?” I nodded and smiled, watching him run out the door to Joe’s car. I waved from the window and sighed.
I needed to figure out a way to tell the girls.
*****
I looked at the clock, and suddenly the doorbell rang. I walked over to the door and unlocked it. Stella looked at me and smiled. I hugged her tight. “Hey best friend, long time no see.” I smiled and took her things, hanging her jacket up. I hugged Danielle tight and smiled. She was glowing; she was around 7 months pregnant and she looked fuller than ever.
She did a 360 spin and smiled. “How do I look?” I laughed. “Pregnant, very pregnant.” She smiled and we all walked into the kitchen. I put out some finger sandwiches and some iced tea and for about an hour, we talked about everything that had happened in our lives.
“Joe and I are getting along better.” Stella said. I smiled. “Well, that’s good to hear. He cares a lot about you, you know.” She smiled and nodded.
I decided to act on my plan. “So guys, we should go shopping next Friday or something.” Stella nodded frantically, smiling. “YES, YES! There’s a new Prada bag I must check out.” Danielle smiled and nodded. “Sounds good to me.” I smiled, and then faked a frown. “Oh wait, I can’t. I have a stupid Doctor’s appointment…”
Stella looked at me strangely. “What for…? Is everything okay?” I shrugged and sighed. “Yeah…I guess, it’s just that…I’m pregnant.” I looked up at them and their expressions were priceless. They’re jaws were dropped open to the floor, and they started screaming. I laughed and Stella squealed and hugged me tight. “When did you find this out?!” She yelled.
I laughed. “Last night; I started to get sick, and Nick ran over to the drugstore and bought one just for reassurance. And voila…I’m pregnant.” Danielle awed. “He bought it for you? Now that’s a real man. Kevin would never do that for me…” She said, rolling her eyes. I laughed and sighed. “Guys, I’m finally going to be a Mommy.” Stella smiled. “And I finally get to buy some baby clothes for this baby!” I rolled my eyes and laughed.
Suddenly, Danielle winced. She clutched her stomach and moaned. “Are you ok?” Stella asked, concerned. Danielle shook her head. “It’s just some pains…I guess.” Stella looked at me. “Uh, do you want to lie down on the couch? Maybe it’ll help?” She nodded and we helped her over to the couch. She lay down on her side and we watched some TV for a bit.
But her pain wouldn’t subside; if anything, it got worse. She clutched her stomach and winced every second. “Okay, girl, I don’t care what you say or want, we’re bringing you in. This is serious and we shouldn’t take any chances.” Stella said. I nodded in agreement. We helped her off the couch, and I grabbed my car keys, and we all hopped into the car.
We speeded to the hospital; Stella and Danielle in the backseat. “Stell, text Kevin and make sure he knows what’s going on.” She nodded and began to text him as we speeded on our way.
Nick’s Point of View
We were in the middle of our meeting, talking to our producer. We were discussing our new album that was coming out in the next 4 months or so. “So, how many tracks have you guys decided on?” He asked. We looked at each other. “We’re thinking about 13.” He nodded. “That’s good.”
Suddenly, Kevin’s phone began to vibrate. He read the text quick, and I watched as his eyes widened; Joe looked at him concerned. “Are you ok, man?” He shook his head and stood up. “I’m really sorry, but my wife needs me right now.” He grabbed his guitar and ran outside, heading towards the parking lot.
Joe shrugged. “It’s gonna be hard for him to get anywhere, considering I’m the driver…” I punched him in the arm and stood up, rolling my eyes. “We’re going to have to reschedule this some other time. I’m sorry.” I didn’t care about what he thought; I saw his angry expression, but this was family. And family was much more important.
We raced out to the car and Kevin was already inside. Joe started the car and we speeded out of the parking lot, heading to the hospital. “What’d the text say?” Kevin was quiet and spaced out. He showed me the text that read: kevin, not 2 worry u, but we r takin dani to the ER. shes in pain.”
My heart sunk. I only thought of the worse. Kevin sighed and watched the cars pass by as we drove to the hospital.
Macy’s Point of View
We had already gotten to the hospital, and they put us in a temporary bed. Danielle lay there as we waited for the Doctor.
Suddenly, he walked in with a smile on his face. “Hello Danielle, and how’re you today?” Danielle frowned and shook her head. “Not so…good. I’m having random sharp pains. They’re horrible…” She admitted, clenching her teeth and wincing from pain in between words. He nodded and wrote some information down on his clip board.
“How far along are you?” He asked, looking at her concerned. He put the blood pressure pump on her arm, and began to pump vigorously. “Almost 26 weeks, why?” He looked at her blood pressure results and sighed. “What…what’s wrong?” She asked, fear in her voice.
“Danielle, I’ll need to do further testing to be 100% positive, but I’m almost sure you have preeclampsia.” Stella gave the doctor a weird look. “Pre whatta?” He laughed. “Preeclampsia. It’s a condition that affects the mother and baby. It causes high blood pressure, and if it continues to get worse, it can cause stroke or fatality to the mother and/or baby.” I looked at Danielle; tears streamed down her cheeks.
“How…how can I cure it?” She asked her voice breaking. He sighed. “The only way to get rid of it is by giving birth; inducing labour.” She shook her head. “But, I’m not even 7 months along…that’s dangerous.” He nodded. “It is, but the survival rates are much higher if you give birth prematurely, rather than letting the preeclampsia get worse.” Danielle began to cry, and we walked over and hugged her.
Suddenly, Kevin, Joe, and Nick came running into the room. Joe, being the klutz that he is, slipped on the floor and fell on his butt. Stella ran over and pulled him up. “God, you’re embarrassing…” She said, bringing him over to an empty chair at the back of the room.
Nick’s Point of View
I watched Kevin run over to Danielle, who was crying. He kneeled beside her bedside and held her hand, stroking her face with the back of his hand. He looked at the Doctor nervously. “Is everything okay? Is the baby okay? Is she okay?” The Doctor sighed. “Kevin, Danielle has preeclampsia. It’s a condition that affects the mother and baby and can be fatal unless labour is induced.” Kevin’s face went as white as a sheet.
Danielle began to cry and he hugged her close to him. “Isn’t that dangerous?” He asked, looking at the doctor with concern. He nodded. “It is, but it’s safer than letting preeclampsia take over.” Kevin nodded, trying to take everything in.
I walked over to Macy who was watching, her eyes watering, from afar. I took her hand in mine and lifted her up. “Hey, let’s give them some air. Let’s head back home.” I said. She sniffled and nodded, and Joe and Stella followed behind me.
“Did you see how fast I hit the floor earlier?” Joe said to Stella. “It was like walking on ice!” He exclaimed. Stella punched him in the chest and sighed. “Grow up, this is serious, Joseph.” He sighed. They took their car, and Macy and I took Macy’s car. We headed back to the house.
Macy was quiet most of the ride, until suddenly, she began to silently cry. “What if…we have to go through this Nick? I don’t think I could go through this…I couldn’t take it. I can’t imagine how Kevin must feel; he might lose 2 of the most important things in his life…” She began to cry and I pulled the car over to the side of the road, and hugged her closed.
“Macy, if this happens to us, we’re going to fight through it. We’d make it through okay. Kevin and Danielle are going to be fine; they’re both strong people. Please, stop worrying baby. Everything is going to be okay. I love you.” I told her as we hugged. She sniffled and looked up at me. “Promise?” I nodded and smiled. “I promise.”
And with that, we headed back home.