If Only

If Only - Chapter 15

Bogotá, Colombia

Cora

I barely had the energy to lift my head from the toilet. I'd not been able to call Julian again. My stomach kept contracting. There was a faint knock on the door and I dragged myself to open it.

"Dios mío, señora Green, you look like el Dia de Los Muertos. The doctor is on her way. You have a very considerate fiancé." The Spanish-speaking lady entered the room.

Julian had called the reception desk and informed them about me. I was so grateful and I couldn't even show him.

"He is...the best,” I managed to tell her.

"Can you get dressed? Our house doctor will probably want to take you to the hospital."

"Yes, I think I can. I need to carry a bag with me, though." I had a vague idea of what caused the illness, and it wasn't the new Coronavirus outbreak.

The female doctor arrived shortly after and took me to a private clinic, where she led me to a room of my own.

A nurse joined her and they worked confidently together, hooking me up to an IV.

"We need to settle your estómago first, señora. It's a light medication. Then we will get your fluids up again. You're dehydrated from the vomiting."

"Tell me something I don't know.” I smiled, but my tone was sarcastic. She caught onto my humor. Irony and humor were always delicate across languages and cultures."

"I can tell you're already feeling better." The doctor monitored the drip for a few minutes and the nurse returned to the room, getting ready to run blood tests.

"Much better, gracias."

"Will your novio be joining you?" The nurse held my hand before she withdrew blood.

"If only he could... He's at work in Siberia and we're very new."

"He cares...a lot.” She winked. "He made sure to get you aquí...here."

"Yes he did, and I owe him. He's a wonderful man." I closed my eyes briefly and let her do her job.

"Cora, I hate to wake you up, but we have the results from your bloodwork." The doctor had returned and the nurse followed her with a tray of food. "We need to get some sustenance in you now that we have corrected your dehydration and your amniotic fluid is up."

The nurse raised the back of the bed to an upright position and I sat up, feeling much better than I had in days. When I'd agreed to follow the organization's trace in Colombia, I had already felt unwell. However, for the case, I'd ignored my body's signals.

"Were you in an accident?" she asked as she placed the tray on the table in my lap.

"No I wasn't, but I was held up the other day in the alley next to my hotel. Nothing happened." My knees were bruised and my right wrist sore.

"Dios mío. Did you report it?" The doctor looked at me severely.

"No, sorry. Between vomiting my intestines out and trying to work, it wasn't my top priority. Nothing happened." I took a bite of the white rice.

"Bogotá is not a safe place for a single woman. I hope you take precautions from here. Well, let's get to it. The bad news is that I can't cure your illness. Unfortunately, only time will."

"And the good news?" I sounded hopeful even though I already knew what my condition was.

"Women have suffered from it since the beginning of time."

"I'm pregnant."

"Yes you are, Cora. Congratulations. You suffer from severe morning sickness, but I do have something helpful I can prescribe for the nausea."

My mouth had suddenly gone dry. I reached for the water glass on the bedside table. "How far along am I?" I knew it was Julian's, but we'd been careful every time. This was not my dream scenario.

"A little over a month: six or seven weeks. We will do an ultrasound tomorrow, but for tonight we want you to sleep. Your body has been under much stress and first and foremost, you need rest."

"Thank you for everything. Do we need to take care of the insurance part now?"

"That would be perfect. I'll bring you the form and then you rest."

***

A warm hand rested on mine when I woke up from my afternoon nap the following day. He was here. A chair was pulled close to my bed and he was sleeping peacefully next to me. It had been a month since we'd waved goodbye in Mombasa and here he was. A single tear ran down my cheek and I caught it with my finger. What would happen now? We hadn't discussed family or children and I couldn't tie him down. Even if he wasn't ready, I'd already made up my mind. I was keeping the baby. I knew deep down that this had happened for a reason. The restlessness I'd gotten used to since childhood was subsiding slowly. One piece of information, a change in my body, was all it took to transform my state of mind. I moved the hand that wasn't trapped under Julian's to my still-flat belly. My whole life I'd been running, but this I couldn't run from, nor did I want to. I placed my free hand on top of his and my heart swelled with love for him. We'd had so little time together, but it had been the most beautiful time of my life. His eyes fluttered awake.

"Sorry, I must have dozed off. It was a long trip,” he apologized.

"You didn't have to come all the way around the world for me." I found his smiling-but-tired eyes.

"Oh yes I did. That's what boyfriend's do, princess. You almost scared me to death. Fortunately, the lady at the hotel reported back to me that you were in the hospital and they were taking good care of you."

"Thank you, Julian. I can't thank you enough. I shouldn't have gone, but you already know how I get a kick out of following a story. This was reckless."

"I'm glad you see it that way. I'll never stop you from doing your job, but next time please alert me and allow me to tag along."

"What about your job in Siberia? I hate that you had to leave it for me."

"I wrapped it up a little sooner than planned, but I got the photos they needed and submitted the last ones on my long trip here. They were happy; don't worry."

"My job!” I exclaimed. "I need to let them know what's going on."

"I already did. Hope it's okay." He pressed his lips to my hands. "And I told them that I could be your right hand and photographer until you had your story."

"Did they agree?"

"Of course they did. They're taking me on."

"What about their normal policy of not using freelancers?” My work had a strict rule about only using their employees.

"I can be pretty persuasive, darling," he whispered.

I writhed in bed. "Is it inappropriate that I'm horny in a hospital?" Someone once told me that pregnancy made you horny.

"Well, not as inappropriate as the b***r I can't hide." He laughed.

"I turn you on in a hospital gown?" I lifted my eyebrow in question and looked at his crotch.

"You could turn me on in a burlap sack."

"How about if I was as big as a whale?" I had to let him know. The sooner the better and we could get on with our lives.

"Especially if you're big as a whale because you're carrying my child."

"YOU KNEW!" I yelled.

"The kind doctor is a real chatterbox," he laughed.

"And you're okay with the news?" I held my breath waiting for his answer.

"Cora, I should have told you before you left for London." He took my hand again. "I'm deeply in love with you, and I love you. This..." he motioned between us with his other hand, "is special and I've been ready to settle down for a while. I just hadn't found my person yet."

"How convenient. I walked into your life at the right time then." I couldn't help but tease him.

"Very convenient indeed. Thank you for helping us pick out our future home." I loved how playful our banter could be even when discussing life-altering subjects. He'd asked for my opinion at every house showing. The house he had acquired was my favorite. It was a gorgeous colonial-style two-story villa with a large backyard and a swimming pool. The house was located in a nice neighborhood and close to our beloved ocean.

"I love you, Julian. I didn't know until I had to be apart from you, but I know that I want this. I'll always be a little scared..." I feared that I didn't know how to love enough and he would tire of me.

"Because of your past. I know, princess, but I've got you. Don't be scared."

"We've got each other."

"It’s all that counts." Finally, he leaned in over the bed, positioned his hands on either side of my head, and kissed me. The kiss told us that if we only had love, we would have everything.