Is the 'I Love You' Worth It?
IV pt2
On route to the hospital, Tre won't shut up. His system of panic is interesting. First he freaks out, then he gets all weepy, and then he won't shut it. Sigh.
"So, what's going to happen?"
"I don't know," I say looking out the window, trying to keep my mind off things.
"Well, what are they going to do?"
"I don't know, Tre," I say, trying my best to be patient.
"Oh. I remember one time when I was little, I was climbing this tree thing, and my sister yelled at me, and I tried to look back, but I slipped and fell. And I fell right on a bee's nest, and I knocked it out of the tree, and I landed on it. The bees were all stingy and shit and like, my sister was freaking out and-"
We pull into the hospital parking lot. Thank God.
"Okay," I tell him as he runs over to my side of the car and helps me out. "Everything's fine."
"It's going to be okay," he says. I smile at him.
He practically jogs to the emergency entrance to the hospital.
"I can't go that fast," I call after him.
"It's going to be okay!" he yells back at me. I quicken my steps to get there as fast as I can. When he sees I'm coming along, he bolts inside the hospital. I finally make it inside, and he's talking a mile a minute to the triage nurse. Waddling as fast as I can with pains shooting through my abdomen.
I reach him just as he exclaims, "She's having a baby, and I don't know what to do!"
***
"Okay," the nurse says, handing me a hospital gown. "Put this on while I go get some forms, then go ahead and get into bed. You'll feel better when you get off your feet."
I do as she told me. She was right. Getting off my feet does help. A little.
She comes back and sets a clipboard with some forms attached on the table next to the bed.
"Fill these out when you feel up to it. No hurry," she says, arranging my pillows for me. I smile at her.
"Where'd your hus-boyfriend go?" she asks.
I shake my head. "He went to find a vending machine. He'll be around."
She nods and points out important things about the room I should know. There's a knock on the door, and the nurse opens it. Tre gallops in, holding a root beer.
"Oh my God," he says running over to my bed. "It's going to be okay."
"I know," I laugh. He reaches over and hugs me tight.
"Ow," I say, trying to pull away, but he's got me too tight. The nurse brings over a stool for him.
"Here," she says, attempting to get Tre off me.
"Oh!" he says, grinning at the nurse. He plops down and spins around on it. Of course she had to give him a spinny stool.
"I'll be back in to check on you in a while. For now, just try and relax."
When the nurse is gone, Tre spins the stool one time around and lands facing me. "It's going to be okay!" he squeaks.
"I know," I say impatiently. His eyes widen a little, but he recovers and spins around again.
A few minutes later, the nurse returns.
"Sorry, to bother you," she says, "but I forgot to give these to you." She holds up two hospital ID bracelets. I nod and stick out my wrist for her to put it on me. Tre taps his fingers together as he watches her secure it.
"Okay, your turn," she says, holding out the second bracelet to Tre. His mouth goes agape, and he points to himself.
"I get one too?"
The nurse laughs. "Yes. It's hospital policy that the father gets one too."
Tre looks at me and wiggles his eyebrows while she puts it on his wrist. The nurse chuckles.
"My name is Abby," she says, securing it at the back of his wrist. "I've just started my shift, so I'll probably be with you two your whole stay."
"Okay," I nod. Tre nods too.
"So," Tre says when the nurse is gone.
"So what?" I say, settling into the bed.
"What are we supposed to do now?" he says, glancing around the room.
"Wait."
"So, what's going to happen?"
"I don't know," I say looking out the window, trying to keep my mind off things.
"Well, what are they going to do?"
"I don't know, Tre," I say, trying my best to be patient.
"Oh. I remember one time when I was little, I was climbing this tree thing, and my sister yelled at me, and I tried to look back, but I slipped and fell. And I fell right on a bee's nest, and I knocked it out of the tree, and I landed on it. The bees were all stingy and shit and like, my sister was freaking out and-"
We pull into the hospital parking lot. Thank God.
"Okay," I tell him as he runs over to my side of the car and helps me out. "Everything's fine."
"It's going to be okay," he says. I smile at him.
He practically jogs to the emergency entrance to the hospital.
"I can't go that fast," I call after him.
"It's going to be okay!" he yells back at me. I quicken my steps to get there as fast as I can. When he sees I'm coming along, he bolts inside the hospital. I finally make it inside, and he's talking a mile a minute to the triage nurse. Waddling as fast as I can with pains shooting through my abdomen.
I reach him just as he exclaims, "She's having a baby, and I don't know what to do!"
***
"Okay," the nurse says, handing me a hospital gown. "Put this on while I go get some forms, then go ahead and get into bed. You'll feel better when you get off your feet."
I do as she told me. She was right. Getting off my feet does help. A little.
She comes back and sets a clipboard with some forms attached on the table next to the bed.
"Fill these out when you feel up to it. No hurry," she says, arranging my pillows for me. I smile at her.
"Where'd your hus-boyfriend go?" she asks.
I shake my head. "He went to find a vending machine. He'll be around."
She nods and points out important things about the room I should know. There's a knock on the door, and the nurse opens it. Tre gallops in, holding a root beer.
"Oh my God," he says running over to my bed. "It's going to be okay."
"I know," I laugh. He reaches over and hugs me tight.
"Ow," I say, trying to pull away, but he's got me too tight. The nurse brings over a stool for him.
"Here," she says, attempting to get Tre off me.
"Oh!" he says, grinning at the nurse. He plops down and spins around on it. Of course she had to give him a spinny stool.
"I'll be back in to check on you in a while. For now, just try and relax."
When the nurse is gone, Tre spins the stool one time around and lands facing me. "It's going to be okay!" he squeaks.
"I know," I say impatiently. His eyes widen a little, but he recovers and spins around again.
A few minutes later, the nurse returns.
"Sorry, to bother you," she says, "but I forgot to give these to you." She holds up two hospital ID bracelets. I nod and stick out my wrist for her to put it on me. Tre taps his fingers together as he watches her secure it.
"Okay, your turn," she says, holding out the second bracelet to Tre. His mouth goes agape, and he points to himself.
"I get one too?"
The nurse laughs. "Yes. It's hospital policy that the father gets one too."
Tre looks at me and wiggles his eyebrows while she puts it on his wrist. The nurse chuckles.
"My name is Abby," she says, securing it at the back of his wrist. "I've just started my shift, so I'll probably be with you two your whole stay."
"Okay," I nod. Tre nods too.
"So," Tre says when the nurse is gone.
"So what?" I say, settling into the bed.
"What are we supposed to do now?" he says, glancing around the room.
"Wait."