Chapter 5: Married???
1435 Words
Myra’s heart raced violently as the words from the phone call replayed in her head. Her entire body trembled with fear.
“What’s wrong, Myra?” Mr. Myers’ voice broke through her panic. He stood before her, worry on his face as he noticed her shaking hands.
“My... My mom... she’s... she’s at the hospital," Myra stuttered, struggling to breathe. "I need to go to the hospital, now!"
Without waiting for more explanation, he said, “Let me drive you. You can’t go on your own in this state.”
Myra felt a surge of urgency. Every part of her screamed to rush to her mother. She nodded weakly, speechless and overwhelmed. Her thoughts were clouded with fear as her stomach twisted with anxiety. She didn’t even realize as Mr. Myers hurried her into the car and drove off.
The ride seemed to drag on forever. Myra’s leg bounced nervously, gripping the seat while she clutched her phone with white knuckles.
When the car screeched to a stop outside the hospital, Myra dashed out before Mr. Myers could even park.
“Myra, be careful!” he called after her, but she was too far gone...
She rushed inside, heart racing with each stride. Her breaths came in ragged gasps as she scanned the hospital lobby.
“Gia! Gia!” she cried, her voice breaking with urgency.
Gia glanced up from her post, her eyes widening before she hurried over. “Myra! I was about to call you. Your mom’s in surgery. She’s on the second floor, down the hallway!”
Myra’s legs moved forward. She murmured a quick thank you, sprinting toward the elevator and nearly colliding with several nurses. Time seemed to slow down.
The elevator doors opened, and she dashed down the white corridor, reaching the sign that read “Operation currently ongoing.” A wave of dread washed over her, her stomach tightening painfully. She rubbed her abdomen, hoping to quell the ache.
A voice startled her from behind.
“Hey, you were so quick I couldn’t keep up,” Gia said, breathless as she caught up.
Myra turned around, her voice barely a whisper. “Is she going to be okay? Please tell me she’s going to be okay. I can’t lose her.”
Gia placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. “The doctors are doing their best, but you need to stay calm, Myra. You can't let your mum worry about you after her surgery.”
Myra blinked rapidly, fighting back tears. “You’re right,” she whispered. “I can’t... she can’t see me like this.”
Gia led her to a nearby chair. “Sit. Just breathe, okay? The doctors are on it. Just breathe.”
Minutes dragged on like hours as Myra’s thoughts raced, her fingers balled into fists as she stared at the flickering lights above her. Each moment felt agonizing.
Finally, what felt like an eternity later, the green light above the door blinked on, signaling the end of the operation.
Myra bolted from her seat, her heart pounding as she raced toward Dr. Bryan, who had just emerged from the operating room.
“Dr. Bryan! How’s my mom?” Myra’s frantic voice spilled out faster than she could think.
Bryan looked at her gravely, his expression inscrutable.
Before he could respond, a nurse wheeled out a stretcher from the operating room.
Myra’s breath hitched in her throat.
Bryan stepped forward, sorrow in his eyes. “Myra... I’m so sorry. We lost her.”
Myra felt her world shatter. She stumbled back, pain constricting her chest.
“She... She lost too much blood when she arrived,” Bryan continued softly. “And she didn’t have the will to fight anymore. I’m so sorry.”
“No!” Myra screamed, her voice raw with anguish. She fell to her knees, clutching her belly as if it could ease the pain. “That’s not true! She was so excited for my babies! What do you mean she didn’t want to live? Why couldn’t you save her?!”
She screamed, crashing to the floor in agony. Her wails echoed through the sterile hallway, and the pain of losing her mother tore at her heart like shards of glass.
Then a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. Myra gasped, her breath hitching.
“Myra, are you okay?” Gia rushed to her side.
“My stomach...” Myra managed to whisper, clutching her belly, her voice shaking.
The nurse who had wheeled out the stretcher rushed over. “Doctor! I think her water just broke!”
Gia’s face went pale. “That’s impossible! She’s only thirty-two weeks gone!” She bent down to check.
“Prepare for an emergency c-section,” Bryan instructed the medical staff. “Get the head of OBGYN here, now.”
__________
Three years later...
“Mummy! Mummy! Wake up! It’s my first day of school!” Amy’s excited voice filled the room as she bounced on the bed, tugging at Myra’s arm.
Myra groaned, cracking her eyes open against the bright light streaming through the window.
“What’s the matter, little bedbug?” she mumbled, pulling Amy into bed beside her and tickling her sides.
Amy squealed with laughter, kicking her feet in joy. “Mommy, we’re going to be late!”
Myra pretended to groan dramatically. “Sweetie, you could have let Mommy sleep a little longer. It’s still early.”
“It’s six o’clock!” Amy replied, pouting and giving her the serious look only a child could muster.
“We can’t be late! I’ll meet so many new friends!”
Myra glanced at the clock and then back at her daughter’s eager face, her heart swelling. Despite everything, her daughter was a bright light in her life after losing one of her children and her mother on the same day.
“Oh, fine,” Myra sighed, shaking off her sad thoughts.
“Let’s go make breakfast.”
At the school’s registration desk, Myra sat quietly, filling out her daughter’s first-day forms. She looked up as the clerk handed her the final form.
“Okay, Mrs. Metzler,” the clerk said with a smile. “Your registration is almost complete. Just fill out this form to finish.”
Myra quickly filled in her name and details, but paused at the “Marital Status” section. It was already marked as “Married.”
She frowned, perplexed. “Excuse me, but this file states I’m married, but I'm not.”
“Oh, my apologies. Let me verify that for you,” the clerk said.
“Actually, Mrs. Metzler, this matches the information in your national file.”
“What do you mean?”
“According to the national identification system, you are listed as married.” The clerk observed her curiously. “Are you not aware of this?”
“Can I return this file later?”
“Sure, but keep in mind we close at 1 PM, so don’t be late.”
“I won’t! Bye.”
She hurriedly called Mr. Myers, whom she hadn’t spoken to in three years, hoping he’d remember her.
“What’s going on with my marital status? Did he forget to file the divorce papers? Why am I still attached to that jerk? Or did Rob manipulate things to prevent me from moving on?”
“Come on, pick up,” she murmured.
“Hello, Myra,” he answered.
“Yes, Mr. Myers, it’s Myra.” She smacked her forehead; of course he recognized her.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but was my divorce finalized three years ago?”
“Yes, it was finalized that very day; Rob didn’t put up much of a fight.”
“Do you have a copy? Could you send it to me?”
“Let me check. Hold on for a moment, and I’ll send it over.”
A few minutes later…
“Sent.”
She quickly hailed a taxi to rush to the civil bureau.
Upon arrival, she explained her situation to the staff, who looked at her curiously.
“You want to find out who you’re married to?”
“No, I need you to update my marital status to single; I divorced my husband three years ago.”
She pulled out her phone to show them the divorce certificate.
“What name’s on it?”
“Robert Wood.”
The staff exchanged puzzled looks before turning the computer screen to her.
That’s when she saw it: Name: Myra Metzler
Marital Status: Married
Spouse Name: Adrian Moretti...
“Wait, who the hell is Adrian Moretti?”
- Writer
