Undeniable

Chapter 1: Awaken

“Oh my god! Anna, hurry! Get the Doctor, she’s waking up!”

What is that? A sound that sounds so familiar but I can’t quite make it out.

“Dr. Forest, she’s opening her eyes!”

There it is again…wait, it’s not a sound, it’s a voice, a voice I’ll never forget. It fills me with the memories I've known my entire life. My mother.

I can’t make out where I am, but I can hear the rustling of different sounds. All I can see is a bright light, flickering on and off. I feel a warm sensation against my skin, brushing up on my arm. Finally, my eyes begin to open, and I'm greeted by familiar, blurry, silhouettes of people I hold dear to me. “Mom?” I manage to say the word, but it sounds more like a faint squeal and it hardly leaves my mouth. My throat feels dry and scratchy. “ We were so worried about you! I thought I’d lost you!” My mom is crying and squeezing my fragile little arm so tight that it feels like it’s about to break off.

I’ve always been really thin and fragile. I remember when I was growing up the kids would always tease me for being so skinny. It’s not my fault, I took after my dad's tall skinny side of the family. Five-eleven, dark brown hair, and skinny long legs. I’m truly a “Ramono” as my dad would call it. “Where am I?” I say as I try to look around, but my head is so weak I can hardly move it. “You’re in the hospital amor.” My mom says. Just then, a tall man in a white trench coat with dark eyes, a chiseled jawline, and bouncy curly black hair walks into the room. “You’ve been in a coma for the past three months, it’s a miracle you’re alive.” Dr. Forest says as he checks my chart. “Your vitals are looking really good.” I stare blankly at him, my vision has come back to me all at once and I’m able to make out the dingy white hospital walls accompanied by the smell of disinfectant.

“Wha..what happened?” I stutter, trying to understand. My sister, Anna, stares at me with tears welling up in her eyes. Our eyes meet but she quickly looks away when she answers. “There was an accident,” she says. My mom flashes a look at Anna and gestures something I don’t quite understand. “Where’s James?” I say as I rub my belly unconsciously. Just then, I realize that something is missing. Something so precious and dear to me that when I feel it’s gone, my heart sinks and my body starts to quiver. “Wh..where’s the baby?”

The room's atmosphere switches to a still silence. A silence so intense, that the only sound I hear is the beeping of my heart monitor, ringing in my ears. Everyone stares at me blankly, as if what I've just said was in a foreign language. “Baby?” They all synchronized at once. I sit there baffled, wondering how they can be so passive when my question is of great importance. “Yes, my baby! My eight-month-old baby boy who was in my belly!” I yell, even though it doesn’t come out as a yell with such weakness in my voice. My mom strokes my hair and kisses my forehead. “Amor, it’s been a long day, you’re tired, I think you need some rest. I’m going to call James and let him know you’re awake.” I lay there puzzled as everyone tries to inch their way out of the room.

“I’m not tired I’ve been in a coma for three months, I think I’ve gotten enough rest,” I say, clenching my fists together weakly.

“There is no baby, there never was.” Dr. Forest says while looking at me with a face as hard as stone.

They all leave the room and huddle together discussing who knows what. Maybe insinuating that I've lost my marbles and gone haywire. What is this? Was it a dream? Was I really not pregnant all along? But how, I mean, I remember every detail about being pregnant. Every kick, every unforgettable nauseous moment, the feel of a baby moving around in me wearing out his little welcome. I know I'm not the only one who remembers. When James gets here he'll have my back, I know it. James has always had my back for as long as I can remember, even when my mom and I have fought about things. He always backs me up and takes my side.

I'll never forget the day we met. My pushy mother kept insisting on having me meet him for months. I kept telling her no, but I finally caved in and said yes to end her infamous, "You're going to be single for the rest of your life". We went to dinner at Nobu in Los Angeles for our first date. Unbelievable. I felt so uncomfortable and underdressed, but there was something about him that I couldn't help falling for. He seemed like he had this big-shot kind of personality, and I told myself I would never date someone like that. But he always kept me on my toes, kept me guessing.

He had dreamy green eyes that I always seemed to get lost in. His scruffy five-o-clock shadow paired perfectly with his strong jawline. He had full luscious lips, and light caramel-tinted skin. At the time, I thought if I ever kissed him, I would fall into the trap a lot of women do. The classic narcissistic, self-centered 'You need me more than I need you' kind of guy. But he never portrayed that kind of attitude. Surprisingly, he was the total opposite. A kind, easy-going, gentleman, who spoiled me and treated me like I was his whole world. That was three years ago. Now we're married, and the rest is history.

"Olivia, James is on his way." My mom says as she walks back into the room. I don't respond, I just lay there and look away. "Look Olivia, I know this is a lot to take in all at once, so when James gets here, your sister and I are going to leave so you and two can have some time to talk." I bear the courage to look back at her and nod.

Twenty minutes go by and James walks in, flowers in hand, with a big grin on his face. He rushes to my side and embraces me, lifting up my limp upper body to his. He hugs me and kisses me on my lips, my heart melts away. "I was so worried about you," he says still holding me.

"Thanks for getting here so fast babe," I reply, still in his tight grasp.

He lets me go, sarcastically remarking, "I mean, I could've gotten here faster if I had run everyone off the road." We both chuckle and I stare with seriousness into his eyes.

"Babe," I say, clutching the crispy hospital blanket in my hands, "what happened to our baby?" He's staring back at me, but as soon as the question comes out, he loses my gaze. "What baby?" He questions. His voice is cold. Hard. I just stare at him. Am I really imagining all of this? If James, the man I love, is questioning such a thing, maybe it is all just in my imagination. He looks at me grinning. "I think while you were in that coma, you were having dreams about our future, my love."

I smile back insincerely. Maybe I was just dreaming.

James quickly changes the subject and begins talking to me about everything I missed out on. Who would've thought I would lose so much time in only three months?

While James is rambling on, I can't help but think his answer was somehow....insincere.