You know how people tell you that you stop remembering things before you were three? That's not the case for me. I remember everything that has ever happened to me. Starting with when I was two. I guess I should start at the beginning. How my life became so awful and unbearable. Well in order to show you everything we have to go back to nineteen thirty-five when my father Anthony Christopher Tyson met my mother Maria Theresa Ramero. They were married shortly after they met. My father joined the army and three years later they had a little girl. Me! Teresa Johanna Tyson. Let's begin our story.
The weather was hot and humid that day in May nineteen thirty nine. Maria was sleeping soundly taking her normal evening nap when a sharp pain woke her up. "Ay, ay, ay." she breathed sitting up and doing her breathing her mother had told her about. Waddling to the phone she picked it and dialed the base. She asked for her husband and when questioned she yelled at the operator "I am in labor put me through!" she was connected immediately.
"Hey darlin' I thought you were taking a nap." Anthony's smooth southern draw reached Maria's ears and she began yelling in Spanish.
"Anthony Christopher Tyson, llega a casa el derecho este minuto y me toma al hospital! ¡Tengo contracciones y ellos duelen! ¡Necesito a mi marido y yo lo necesito en este momento!" she was of course frantic and not making any sense at all.
"Maria calm down, I can't understand a word you just said." Anthony was panicked. He didn't know a lick of Spanish, but always knew that if Maria was yelling in Spanish he was in trouble.
"I am in labor! My water just broke and my contractions are really close together! Tony come home right now!"
"I'll be there in five minutes tops!" Anthony hung up and was home in two minutes. A perk about living so close to the base office. Tony rushed inside grabbing Maria's suitcase and her hand before helping her into the car. The two drove fast down the road Tony trying to help coach her as he pulled into the hospitals parking lot. Helping Maria from the car he led her quickly into the emergency room "Paul!" he called to a doctor friend of his.
"Tony? Theresa? What brings you to the hospital?" Paul was smiling at the two acting as if he had no idea why they were there.
"Paul this is no time for jokes! Theresa is in a lot of pain!"
Paul simply rolled his eyes at Tony "Tess love how far apart are your contractions?"
"At last count five minutes and they keep getting stronger!" Maria screamed in pain causing several nurses to look at her.
"We need to get her to an O.R. now." Paul said grabbing a nurse and leaving her with Maria "I'm going to get Hort, he seems to know what to do with these situations."
"Hort? The new doctor?" Tony sounded alarmed "No! Paul we agreed you'd be in there with her! I won't have another doctor touching her."
"Tony!" Maria was in complete agony which made the baby inside her go into stress out which caused her more pain. "Just get the doctor Paul." she gasped.
"Doctor she's bleeding!" the nurse exclaimed holding the poor woman up.
"You have a choice to make Tony, your baby or your wife." Paul said.
"Both, damnit Paul just save them both." Tony growled.
"Page Dr. Hort and get him down to O.R. three stat!" Paul put Maria in a wheelchair and sped away from Tony. Rushing into the O.R. Paul put on gloves and waited for Dr. Hort to come in.
"How's she doing?" Dr. Hort asked walking in.
"She's losing blood doctor." a nurse replied.
"Well then let's start this delivery shall we?" Dr. Hort looked at Paul and gestured for him to stand at Maria's head "Talk to her, coach her through this."
"Alright." Paul sat by Maria's head and smiled "Hey sweetheart. We're going to have a baby today."
"I'm in so much pain." Maria cried softly as tears fell from the corners of her eyes. "Paul promise me that you will save him no matter what. If it becomes a choice, save him."
"Tony wants us to save both of you, so that is what we are going to do." Paul smiled.
"Alright Mrs. Tyson I need you to push." Dr. Hort said. Maria began pushing and more blood came out as the baby did "The baby is crowning."
"Doctor she's losing a lot of blood."
"We are going to save them both!" Dr. Hort barked. Maria gave another big push and the doctor held the baby smacking her rear causing the baby to cry. Dr. Holt smiled handing the baby to a nurse for a bath. "Don't forget a blanket."
"Yes doctor." the nurse smiled taking the baby away.
"How's Theresa?" Paul asked Dr. Hort.
"She'll need lots of rest, but she'll be just fine."
"Dr. Hort, my baby? How is he?" Maria asked.
Dr. Hort chuckled taking Maria's hand in his own "She is doing just fine."
"A girl? Una hija." the nurse came back putting the baby in Maria's arms "Can I see Tony now? I want him to meet his daughter."
"We should make you presentable first." A nurse said to her.
"I don't care what I look like. I want my husband to see his daughter right now. No observation window, no primping and making me look pretty. I want him now."
Dr. Hort looked at her and smiled softly "I don't see any harm in that. I have a few other patients to check on. Get her to a room." he excused himself and the nurses settled Maria in a room. Within seconds Tony was inside the room.
"What's her name?" He asked stroking his daughters head.
"I was thinking Teresa Johanna." Maria said looking at Tony.
Tony smiled "I like it. How would you spell Theresa?"
"T-e-r-e-s-a." Maria said.
"That's a beautiful name." Tony smiled taking his daughter holding her close.
"Lt. Tyson your wife needs rest." A nurse came in taking Teresa from him.
"What?" Tony looked at her.
"Your wife has had a trying day and is in need of rest. You can come back tomorrow. Don't push me." the nurse narrowed her eyes.
Tony chuckled "Yes ma'm." he leaned over kissing Maria and his baby's head before leaving.
"Lights out now." the nurse said.
"Let me hold her please." Maria said looking at the nurse.
"You need rest."
"No, I need my little girl. Please." Maria begged holding her arms out.
The older nurse sighed and walked over placing Teresa in her mothers arms "Ten minutes."
"Yes ma'm." Maria held Teresa close and smiled "I love you hija." she whispered to the baby "You will forever hold a special place in my heart." Maria smiled brightly and began feeding her baby loving the instant connection she felt with her.
"Lights out Mrs. Tyson." the head nurse came back in.
"A few more minutes please."
"If you don't get your rest then you won't see the next few years!" the nurse exclaimed.
"Alright, here you are." Maria sighed handing her now sleeping baby to the nurse. Maria closed her eyes and was out like a light. The next morning she awoke to her husband stroking her hair "Hmm good morning Tony."
"Good morning doll." Tony smiled kissing her softly.
"I probably look horrible." Maria laughed.
"You look beautiful. I finished the nursery last night." he said rubbing lazy circles on her arm.
"You did?" she turned to look at her husband.
"Christina helped a bit." he admitted.
"She's a wonderful friend."
"That she is. We made it all pink and quite girly." Tony smiled.
"Oh Tony, our little girl isn't going to be very girly. I can already tell. I will fight with her on dressed and she will want to wear pants."
"Pants on a woman?" Tony laughed.
"Yes, someday women will wear pants all the time."
"I think you are still tired."
"No, I'm very awake and wanting my baby."
"Good morning Tyson family." Paul smiled pushing the door open holding the pink bundle "I took her from the nursery."
"Oh the perks for having a doctor as a best friend." Tony smirked.
"Here you are. She was a perfect angel last night." Paul smiled handing Teresa to Maria.
"You stayed with her?" Tony asked smirking.
"I'm Chief of surgery." Paul shrugged "Plus I mean come on, her godfather needed some bonding time."
"Godfather?" Tony and Maria looked at their friend.
"Yes godfather. I decided that's what I am. Either that or I'm Uncle Paul." Paul smiled.
Maria and Tony looked at each other and Maria nodded. Tony stood up and placed a hand on his friends shoulder "How about both?"
"Really?" Paul smiled hugging Tony.
"Get off me you great oaf." Tony shoved Paul and smiled at his friend. "Glad to see you like the idea."
"I love the idea." Paul smiled.
"I'm sure Christina will love it just as much." Maria said cooing at her baby.
"Yes, I'm sure she won't be opposed to it." Paul laughed.
Another two days passed before Maria and Teresa were allowed to go home. Paul's wife, Christina, and their three children were waiting for them when they arrived. Maria rushed to her friend and hugged her. Christina hugged her friend while holding a pink bundle close "She's getting so big." Maria smiled stroking the baby's head.
"Our girls will be the best of friends." Christina smiled.
"Yes they will. They will be sisters." Maria said hugging Christina's two other children as well.
"Auntie Maria can we see the baby?" Luke, Christina's eldest, asked.
"Of course." Maria took the baby from Tony and bent down so the children could see.
"She looks just like Uncle Tony!" Madeline smiled.
"Yes she does look a lot like Uncle Tony." Maria agreed.
"I think she looks more like Auntie Maria." Tony smiled.
"I think we should get the babies inside." Christina smiled.
"Sounds like a wonderful idea." Maria smiled standing back up and walking into the large home she and Tony owned on the base. Another perk Maria liked. "Christina we can put the babies in Teresa's crib."
"Wonderful." Christina followed Maria down the hall.
"Come on you two, I'll make us a snack." Tony smiled picking Madeline up.
"Uncle Tony you're silly." Madeline giggled.
"Why thank you Maddie." Tony smiled.
"The girls are sleeping." Christina smiled walking out "As is Maria."
"Already?"
"Tony she had a rough delivery."
"That's very true."
"We're getting transferred!" Paul stormed into the house. "They are transferring us to some remote town up north!" he was angry.
Tony walked into the living room and looked at him confused "What?"
"You and I are being transferred! General Pearson just served them to me."
"This is insane! We both just had kids!"
"They don't care Ton!" Paul growled.
"Madeline, Luke you two head home. I'll be there soon." Christina said.
"Yes mommy." the two said running from the house.
"Alright now what exactly happened?" she asked looking at her husband.
"The General Pearson came to my office and told me that Tony was being promoted and transferred and I was being sent with him." Paul sat on the couch and placed his head in his hands.
"Northern Tennessee won't be that bad." Christina said sitting next to her husband.
"No it just means uprooting the kids, again." Paul groaned.
"Look Paul up north is better than out of state."
"General said that's next. Either another weird base or D.C. I'm hoping for the weird base." Paul sighed.
"It's not like we're getting sent to Hawaii there buddy." Tony smirked "Pearl Harbor is nothing compared to being up north."
"I know, I know." Paul sighed "Guess we better get packing. General wants us there in a week."
"I just finished the nursery." Tony groaned. This was not what he wanted to have happen.