Free From – Chapter 11 – July 11th

July 11, 2021July 10, 2021 Michelle Gott

I hope you will join me this month as we JOURNEY each day through our short story. It is about finding FREEDOM in the midst of all the captivating pieces in life that steal our peace which we need FREE FROM!

FREE FROM
July 11, 2021

Psalm 139:13-14, ‘You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb. I thank You, God, for making me so mysteriously complex! Everything You do is marvelously breathtaking. It simply amazes me to think about it! How thoroughly You know me, Lord!’ (TPT)

Chapter 11

Legend scooped Annie up in his arms like she was a ragdoll, his ragdoll, and he ran the entire length of the block to the hospital in record time, hollering like a stuck pig. She had lost a lot of blood, he realized, her cheeks ashen and her lips like the plump berry color they normally were had been sucked out with a syringe. Her head had warbled from side to side; she blacked out completely as he reached their destination. He strode through the Emergency Room entrance as if they had been waiting for him, like he belonged. The nurse friend, Angel, who stood for her when they exchanged vows saw him when he entered and quickly abandoned her post, grabbed a gurney and met him as he moved to the swinging doors. Legend laid Annie down on the vivid white sheets as if she were a piece of blown glass. He caught his breath and almost choked. Annie disappeared into the stark cover on the bed, she was so pale except for the loud splash of bright red blood that ate her white nurse uniform.
“What’s wrong with her?” Both he and the friend demanded of one another. “I don’t know; I was hoping you could tell me!” they both started simultaneously. If the air hadn’t felt so tragic, they might have laughed.
“Well, let’s have a look. Annie, can you hear me?” Angel grabbed a blood pressure cuff and laid a damp cloth on Annie’s forehead. Her eyes scrutinized the blood-soaked uniform and looked knowingly at Legend. “Did you know?” she asked.
“Know what?” Legend asked, confused. “Should I know something?” Angel pursed her lips and returned her attention to Annie. “Hey! Know what?” Legend demanded. Just then, Annie began to stir, her eyes fluttering before opening wide and turning from her friend to her husband and back again as if she were searching for a secret.
“Baby, are you ok? What happened?” Legend sprayed her face with kisses and then moved to hands he attempted to unclench. But Annie tucked herself in a tight ball instead, burying her face, a whimper clinging to the edges of the room. “Baby?” he whispered into her ear. When Annie began to cry, he searched Angel’s face for any clue.
“You know, kids, this doesn’t necessarily mean bad news. It’s a little too soon to tell, but you know that already, Annie. Or is there something I am missing?” Angel spoke softly, her face soothing. Legend could see why she was a nurse, her bedside manner comforting and attentive.
He asked again. “Know what? Was I late to this party? I seem to be missing a piece of important information.” He rubbed Annie’s back tenderly. “Can someone please tell me what’s happening? You girls are driving me crazy!”
Angel smiled, a giggle escaping her lips. “Dumbo, you’re pretty thick for having graduated early.” Legend opened his mouth to retort, and she quickly placed a finger across her mouth. “Shhh,” she mouthed, then louder, “I’m addressing the elephant in the room.”
“Huh?”
And with that Annie pushed herself to sitting. Shrugging her shoulders, “He doesn’t know,” she said, tiredly.
“Know what?” he asked again, his voice enlarged and insistent.
“I’m pregnant,” Annie whispered. “Well, I was. I had wanted to surprise you on our anniversary is why I hadn’t told you yet.” And she began to weep.
“Oh, Annie, baby,” Legend fell to his knees at her dangling feet, refusing to look at the dried blood on her legs. “Annie, it’s okay. Shhh, it’s going to be okay. Shhh,” he murmured. He reminded his mouth to remain emotionless. Oh, my goodness, a baby! They might have been parents! A thousand thoughts sprinted through his mind as if in a footrace, each trying to outrun the other. With every ounce of excitement there was a double helping of fear and trepidation. He and Annie had both been unsure if they would ever attempt to have children. They hadn’t had much luck in the family field, and they had been somewhat convinced it was a gene they both lacked or a nasty streak of bad luck neither one was willing to see if it had run out. Now this…there had been a baby! For a minute. Were they meant…
“…just go run this…” he heard Angel say.
“Where’s she going? What does she have?” Legend had missed something while he was contemplating, an important piece to this puzzle.
“She took a blood sample. With it she will be able to tell if I miscarried.” Annie’s voice was as flat as a piece of paper, her face just as white.
“Or if you’re still pregnant, right?” Legend was a glass half-full kind of guy. He wanted to believe the best, hope in the impossible, stretch always for what was out of reach.
Annie slowly nodded, tears springing to her eyes again. She looked tiny, like the travesty had shrunken her, her spirit ejected. She shrugged her shoulders. “We hadn’t even decided yet if we wanted children so maybe it’s for the best.”
Legend countered. “We hadn’t decided yet that we didn’t want a baby so let’s just see what happens,” he encouraged. “I heard Angel say it might not be bad news; what did she mean by that?”
Annie shrugged. “Bleeding, even heavy bleeding, doesn’t always signify a miscarriage. That’s why she did the blood test. It might be the most conclusive way to answer our questions.” She sighed, sounding old and resigned. Shaking her head, she added, “I’m sorry, baby.”
“Well, how about, if for this one moment while we hang in this place called ‘Unknown’, let’s just pretend. We can pretend either nothing has happened or even that you weren’t pregnant, and whatever way the test returns, will be our answer as to what is best for us. For now. How does that sound?” Legend was so practical. This made sense, especially when there wasn’t anything that could be done to reverse what wasn’t known.
Slowly, Annie shrugged again, and then a faint smile played across her lips. “You’re so smart,” she muttered, just as Angel walked back into her cubicle.