Most dreaded day
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Booker."
A voice rang into the ears of the patient. Her eyes were shut, darkness clouding her perspective. She recognised the voice. It was the doctor.
She had just regained consciousness and she experienced horrendous body pains.
But nothing would hurt her more than the words she was about to hear.
“No…” She stopped the doctor from speaking any further. It almost seemed as if her voice cracked. She riled herself up, desperately trying to ignore the pain. “No, no, no, no, no. Don’t say it. Don’t you dare say it!”
She grabbed hold of the doctor's apron, gripping it as if she was looking for a fight. “Tell me she’s alright, Doc. Tell me she's fine! Tell me she's —”
“I'm sorry, Madeline.” The doctor held her hand with his hands. There was nothing but sorrow in his eyes. He couldn't even look at her. His voice cracked. “I'm sorry, Madeline. We couldn't save her.”
His words pierced through her soul like a dagger to the heart. Her world faded out, like she had lost everything, and indeed the feeling was valid.
“No…” She grunted. Her eyes gathered tears. Her breathing could not regulate. She couldn't hold it in anymore. “No!!”
She broke, bursting into tears. The doctor let go of her gently, but she returned back to gripping his apron. “No!!!”
She hit him a couple times but she lost her strength. “How could you do this to me? Why couldn’t you… why couldn't you save her?”
“My apologies, Mrs. Booker. We will proceed with D and C shortly.”
He placed a non rebreather mask on her face, and she cried into unconsciousness.
Madeline’s POV
This is the most devastating day of my life.
I never once thought I'd understand the concepts of despair till I lost my baby.
I was ready to do everything to protect her from this fate. We were three months away. This is so heartbreaking.
I was delusional for a while, believing I could still get her back. I was fantasising making a deal with the devil to pole dance in the flames of hell if meant to get my daughter back.
I was ready to do anything. I really was, but by the time all the final medical paperworks was signed by me after the surgery, I realised that she was really gone.
I looked up to the white light and let out a huge sigh. My head still hurts but after the nurses checked by vitals, they determined I was medically cleared to leave by nightfall.
- - -
Madeline grabbed her bag containing her essentials and headed towards the exit.
‘Where is he?’ She questioned herself. She picked up her phone from her bag. There was no single missed call from her husband. ‘Maybe he's working late hours, huh?’
“I guess I'll have to take the cab,” Madeline soliloquised, opening the door to the exit.
She was greeted with the light showers of rain that had fallen persistently. She tried calling Max, her husband a couple of times, but it went straight to voicemail.
“Hey, it's Max. I'm really busy now, so leave a message.”
She took a few steps out of the hospital, just enough not to get hit by the rain. She tried calling Chanel, her best friend, but her line was busy.
“Are you shitting me, right now?” Madeline cursed. “Pick up your f*****g phone. This is against every girl code we stand by. I need you, Chanel.”
She tried one more time but it repeated itself again. Her line was busy.
She walked around in the rain in an attempt to find a cab but none of them were out today.
“This day could not possibly get any worse.” Madeline screamed out. “Argh!”
The doctor had given her a jacket to wear, so she had decided to walk the distance to her home.
Her night was just getting progressively worse and she became so close to cursing her existence.
She shivered as she walked through the rain, and it slowed built tempo as she embarked on her journey home.
‘Should I try calling Max again?’ Madeline thought. ‘He should be on his way home by now. Maybe he could pick me up.’
She held up her phone but decided not to do so in an instant.
She opened an uber ordering app. All the drivers nearby were busy. It was almost as if destiny had this planned for her.
After a solid hour's worth of distance, she had reached the Booker's residence. She was drenched in water. Her phone was lucky enough to survive the encounter.
She was just more than happy that she was home. However, she began to think how her husband would react to the news.
‘Oh he'll be so heartbroken, and I'm sure work has given him enough headaches.’ She thought.
The rain became heavier. She increased the pace. She finally got to shelter at the entrance.
Her phone rings.
She looked at the phone. It was Chanel. She picks up the call.
“You son of a —”
“Before you decided to verbally destroy me, I called as soon as I saw the missed calls.” Chanel cut in. “I am so so sorry, girl.”
“You better be.” Madeline said with an attitude. “I'm literally soaked right now because the two most important people in my life were suddenly busy by the time I needed them the most.”
“s**t, you in the rain, honey? Where you at? Imma come get you, right now.”
“I'm home now, thanks for the concern.” Madeline confirmed, walking towards the door. She pulled the doorknob but it was locked.
“Thank goodness I brought the spare key with me this time around.”
“Tell me now, what's up? I mean ten missed calls? That's a lot. What's wrong baby?” Chanel asked.
She unlocked the door, and the door creaked open. “Girl, I don't even know where to start.”
She closed the door. “Right now all I can think of is a nice, soothing, warm bath and—”
Madeline paused.
“I feel that, baby. You better… hello? Madeline? Made—”
Madeline dropped her phone, her face in utter disbelief.
“f**k yes, Melissa…”
“Oh you like that?”
“Faster baby.”
“Like this?”
“Oh yes, give me that. I want you. I want all of you. I need—”
Madeline's eyes were overwhelmed in tears for the second time in one night.
Before her was her husband lying on the couch getting his junk grounded. The eyes of the woman and that of Madeline clash. Max turned around slowly, the woman still on his lap.
“Madeline?” Max called out, his face in disbelief.
