I warned Chad to be careful but as usual, he put his passion for fast car racing above his family. 2 weeks ago, Chad tried to break the record speed of racing in his new racing car but he had crashed and was now in a coma. A coma score of 13 or higher correlates with mild brain injury, 9 to 12 is a moderate injurt and 8 or less is a severe injury – Chad was scored at three. I remembered the day I received the news of his accident so well as I sat at his bedside in the hospital, our two girls Sophie (8) and Olivia (6) staying with their grandmother and our unborn child ( hopefully a son) feeling the pressure I was feeling.
FLASHBACK
I was at home painting pictures with Sophie and Olivia when the phone rang.
'Hello?'
'Hi, is this Mrs Cooper?'
'Yes, who's speaking.'
'My name is Dr Jim Fields. Unfortunately I have some bad news for you.'
'Um, OK – hang on one second please,' I turned to the girl who were looking innocently at me. 'Sophie, Olivia – Mummy's just going to take a very important phone call,' I smiled before walking away, 'please continue.'
'I'm afraid that your husband, Chad Dylan Cooper, has been involved in a serious accident involving a car crash.'
'I'll be there in 10.' I cried and hung up before grabbing Sophie and Olivia, 'Come on girls, we need to go.' I said softly and I placed them in the car before getting in the drivers seat and driving them to my mothers. I felt as if my world had completely turned upside down because now I just needed to get to the hospital.
END FLASHBACK
Every minute that I spent next to Chad's bedside felt like an eternity as if time was suspended in intensive care. Nowadays I had no idea where or not it was night or day. My world was in front of me, in that bed with tubes and monitors all over him but as soul destroying as it was, I knew that I had to be as upbeat as possible, not just for Chad, but for Sophie, Olivia and our hopeful Chad Dylan Cooper Jr. After all, I knew my husband better than anybody – if he knew he was missing out, he'd be more inclined to come back and join the party.
'Mrs Cooper?' the nurse said softly as she entered and I let go of Chad's hand and walked outside to talk to her. 'I'm afraid that the man in the bed next to your husband is dying, so his family will be coming in.' She said softly and I nodded and looked at the bed where the curtains had been drawn. The dying man next to my husband was his racing partner Greg and he was involved in the accident just as much as Chad. I resumed my place next to Chad and looked at his face. It was usually familiar and wonderful but as I looked at him, his face lacked in spirit and was inanimate. His left eye was really nasty and bruised. It was a yellow green colour and it seemed to swell even more at each passing moment, there was still some dried blood around his nostrils mixed with bits of earth but he still looked like Chad. But Chad, I sensed, was a long way away. So I just sat there, listening to someone die and praying that Chad would be spared.
I watched as Greg's family wept as he passed away- his breathing getting weaker and weaker and his skin becoming paler and paler and I thought about Sophie and Olivia – what would happen if Chad died? And what about our baby? He or she would grow up without a fatherly figure and Chad wanted a son so badly, so badly he said that he would keep knocking me up until he got a son. I always laughed at that statement but knowing that he may never "knock me up" again made my heart shatter. When Greg finally passed away, a cold breeze passed by me and I shivered. It was as if Greg's spirit was coming to look at Chad; it was suspended there for a couple of seconds before it left. I hoped that he was joining me, praying that Chad would pull through instead of leaving like he had. I hoped that he was telling Chad that it wasn't his time to leave yet, that we needed him. Every thirty minutes now, a nurse would come in and would ask Chad to do various things, like say his name or squeeze her fingers and wiggle his toes, but he did nothing. He wasn't even trying. I looked at the nurse with tears in my eyes.
'It's bad isn't it?' I said my voice trembling and she sighed.
'Mrs Cooper, it's definitely not good.' She admitted.
'Can I shout at him? The way I do when he's drunk?'
'You can try anything love,' she sighed and I took a deep breath and yelled in his face.
'CHAD! You squeeze those bloody fingers – its important!' Tears were now running down my face and as I finished yelling, I gasped when he made a very tiny movement with his fingers. The relief was so great I thought I would pass out. Never have I been so grateful that we don't usually shout at each other, as I'm sure the impact was shocking for him. His good eye opened slightly and he smiled at me like a naughty schoolboy who'd been reprimanded and had to face the music.
'Hello.' I said to him gently through my tears. He looked at me but there was no recognition whatsoever and I felt my heart break. His look was one of total disinterest before he slipped back into unconsciousness and it was devastating, so much that I had to walk out to the toilets outside of intensive care and sob in the stalls. There was a big hole in Chad Dylan Cooper and I was now very worried hat we would ever find him amongst all the pieces.
I took a deep breath and made my way back to his ward and sat beside him once again.
'Where are you?' I whispered as I held my head in my hands. 'Please come back Chad, please.' I muttered over and over again
Over the next few weeks, I had Sophie and Olivia stay with my mum while Chad made progress. He moved both hands and feet slowly and even mumbled a couple of times. I decided to bring the girls in to see their dad make progress one afternoon when his nurse ran towards me and enveloped me in a hug.
'He's awake Mrs Cooper, your husband is sitting up!' she grinned and I let out a gasp of relief and all four of us ran to his room and I ran straight to his bedside, ecstatic and Chad looked at me, his signature dopey grin on his face and his good eye still half open. He had been cleaned up and aside from the bruising, he looked almost back to normal. The girls waited outside for a bit whilst I was reunited with my husband.
'Hello babe.' He grinned. He knew me, he remembered who I was.
'Oh Chad!' I laughed through my tears, grateful that I was seeing that loving look of his once again. He resembled someone who had woken from a deep sleep after consuming a lot of alcohol and winning a boxing match.
'Hello.' He said before saying it again and passing out. Tears rolled down my face, but it didn't matter, nothing mattered except him. He spoke, he was remembering a piece of life, recalling his world – our world.
Suddenly the door opened and the nurse walked in with Sophie and Olivia. Olivia looked at her father and then at me looking confused.
'Remember when I had to dash off because I needed to bring Daddy some clothes.' I explained to her and she nodded.
'Yes, because he broke his ones and they were all dirty.' She replied and I sat down and she hopped on my lap.
'That's right sweetie,' I smiled at them both, 'Well, when he tore his clothes, he also banged his head a bit.' I said and Sophie pulled a face and nodded.
'Was there blood mummy?' she asked me and I sighed.
'Well, just a little bit, where he banged his eye and that's why it's all yellow and green under his eye patch.'
'And purple too?' Olivia added and I kissed her temple smiling.
'Has he got a plaster?' Sophie asked and I laughed softly.
'Well sort of darling, its more of a bandage. Here's the thing. Because Daddy banged his head, he doesn't feel very well. He's tired and well a bit, a bit not like Daddy. But he will get better, I promise – he just needs lots of sleep.'
'He's so lazy.' Sophie rolled her eyes and I grinned at her.
'Oh be quiet Sophie,' Olivia snapped and I gave her a look, 'Sorry Mama and Sophie – mummy, when he needs his name, he can have my dummy if he wants.' She said, holding her small pacifier in her hands. 'And I'll give him a big hug.' She added.
'I'm sure Daddy would like that.' I kissed both of our beautiful kids again when suddenly Chad sat up again.
'My angels!' he cried out, overjoyed to see them. But he had forgotten why he now had an eye patch and he tried to remove it and I thanked God that I had prepared both girls.
'Oh Daddy, that looks sore.' Olivia commented and she climbed onto his bed and kissed it. Chad winced slightly but smiled.
'Thanks baby, you've made it 10 times better.' He grinned and Sophie suddenly got jealous and also climbed onto his bed and kissed his eye. 'Thanks Soph, you've made it another 10 times better.' He grinned and I smiled as I watched my husband, a devoted father, cuddle his kids.
'Now we made it 20 times better.' Olivia giggled and Chad laid back down on his bed and Sophie and Olivia snuggled into him, 'I missed you daddy.' She mumbled into his neck before falling asleep and Sophie traced patterns onto Chad's chest.
When my mother picked Sophie and Olivia up, I finally had my alone time with Chad.
'Come here baby.' He smiled at me and lifted the sheets to his bed and I slipped in beside him. He kissed my forehead and I burst into tears.
'Oh Chad, I thought I was going to lose you.' I sobbed and he hugged me tighter.
'I promise that I will never do anything like that again.' He said before he began to sing softly in my ear, 'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey, you'll never know dear how much I love you so please don't take my sunshine away.' He said and I looked up and for the first time in a month and a bit, our lips touched and it soon turned very passionate and needy, like we were falling in love all over again.
'Chad, I've missed you so much.' I whispered and suddenly I felt a pain in my belly and I hunch my back– the baby was coming early, two months too early.
'Sonny?' Chad asked confused and I looked at him and felt as my water broke and obviously Chad felt it because he called the nurses who immediately transferred me to a hospital trolley and prepared me for delivery. Mum and the kids came back to the hospital, Sophie and Olivia being looked after by Chad's nurse and mum coming to help me through my child birth. It felt weird not having Chad next to me to help me give birth. My contractions were starting now and they were coming fast.
'I NEED TO GET THIS BABY OUT OF ME!' I yelled when suddenly I saw Chad hobble through the door being supported by nurses who had helped him out of the wheelchair. 'Chad, what are you doing here?' I asked through my deep breaths.
'I came to my baby's birth. I haven't missed one yet and I don't intend to either.' He smiled at me and I laughed before hollering out in pain again.
'Alright Mrs Cooper, on your next contraction, I need you to push.' The doctor said and I did as he asked and Chad sponged my forehead.
'I SWEAR CHAD DYLAN COOPER, IF THIS ISN'T A BOY I'M NEVER LETTING YOU KNOCK ME UP AGAIN!' I screamed, pushing again and again. Chad bit his lip to stifle his laughter but I saw it. 'IT'S NOT FUNNY AHHHHHHHH! I WILL PERSONALLY EXTRACT ONE OF YOUR MALE SPERMS AND SET IT IN A SURROGATE MOTHER AHHHHHH! I WILL NOT GO THROUGH CHILDBIRTH AGAIN!' I yelled.
'Alright Mrs Cooper – one more push and we're done.' The doctor yelled and wish one mighty push, I heard screaming and the midwife handed me a beautiful baby girl. Chad's face was one of pure joy as he looked into our baby's eyes.
'What shall we call her?' he asked.
'Patience Hope Cooper.' I whispered and he smiled.
'Perfect.' He whispered back, kissing me softly. 'But you know, this does mean that I need to get you pregnant again.' He grinned and I laughed and we cooed over our baby.
2 years later, I gave birth to our twin sons, Chad Dylan Cooper Jr and Paul Graham Cooper and although I screamed at Chad throughout my childbirth procedure, he promised never to get me pregnant again. Famous last words I guess but I was happy, 5 children and a happy marriage, what more could a woman want?
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