(-- --)
Chapter 3
Trauma
(March 12, 2045, Sunday)
Apollo let out a low whistle as he moved past his sister and into her house. For a house, it was rather small. It reminded him of one of the small and narrow houses in England. It was a two-story house, and it would be quite cozy once all the boxes were unpacked.
"Wow. Not bad," said Apollo.
"I know, right?" said Trucy with a smile.
"It's a little small, though."
"Oh, I think it is fine for a newlywed couple."
"Trucy, you got married two years ago."
"So?" Trucy moved around the stacks of boxes. "Do you want some tea?"
"Yeah, sure." Apollo followed after his sister, maneuvering around the boxes and into the kitchen. "Have you been doing all of the unpacking?"
"Uh huh. I have to since Aidan is at work," commented Trucy. She poured some hot water into two cups and added a tea bag to both.
Aidan Nadia was Trucy's husband. He was thirty-five, a year older than his wife. He was a journalist. They met four years ago when Aidan was asked by his boss to interview Trucy. At the very end of the interview, Aidan quickly asked her out. It was obvious that he was quite taken with her. Two years later on December 20, 2043, they got married. Now Trucy Wright-Nadia was a month pregnant with her first child.
"Is that okay for the baby?"
"It's fine. I just can't lift anything very heavy." Trucy sat down and sighed, massaging her lower back. "I haven't done much unpacking today though. I feel so tired, and I've been hurting lately."
Apollo sat down at the table. "You should take some aspirin and lie down."
She chuckled weakly. "That's what I was doing before you came here." She shifted in her seat uncomfortably, trying to massage her pelvis now.
"Maybe I shouldn't have come."
Trucy shook her head. "No, no! I'm fine, Polly! Really!" She got up from her seat to walk to the refrigerator.
Apollo noticed something bright red streaming down Trucy's thighs. "Trucy, you're bleeding!" he exclaimed.
"Huh?"
He got up from his seat and grabbed his sister by the arm. "We have to go to the hospital, now."
Trucy clutched her lower stomach and winced. "Polly, I'm fine!"
"You're not fine. Let's go."
(-- --)
DING.
Once the metal doors of the elevator opened, Phoenix rushed out and into the hospital lobby where he found Apollo sitting in a chair, his face buried in his hands. Apollo had sent him a cryptic message. "Trucy's in the hospital. Come soon." A million things ran through his mind. Did she get into a car accident? Was she seriously hurt? Was she in danger of dying?
"I got your message. What's wrong with Trucy?" asked Phoenix.
Apollo closed his eyes for a moment before answering, "…Trucy had a miscarriage."
"Is she okay?"
"She's fine now. The doctor says she'll be able to get pregnant again, but I doubt she will for a while. She's pretty broken up about it," explained Apollo.
Phoenix pursed his lips together and let out a sigh of relief. His daughter wasn't in any immediate danger. That's what mattered most. He did want grandchildren, but not at the expense of her life. "What about Aidan?"
"I just talked to him. He's on his way." Apollo got up from the chair. "Come on. I'll take you to her."
They walked down the hallway. Apollo opened the door to a room and he and Phoenix stepped inside. Trucy was lying on the bed on her side, clutching her stomach. The traces of her usual smile were gone. Her face was twisted into anguish and horror.
"Trucy?" Phoenix called softly. "Honey?"
Trucy looked up at her father before laying her head back onto the pillow. Phoenix pulled up a chair to her bedside and sat down. He took on of her hands into his. "I…I lost my baby…" she whispered in agony. "My baby…" Her tears fell freely. She didn't bother to hide her sadness behind a strong face. "Daddy, it hurts…it hurts so much…"
Phoenix kissed her hand. "I know, honey. I know… Just go to sleep for now…"
It was torture in that room. Apollo and Phoenix sat in silence, listening to Trucy's sobs. Yes, Trucy could have another child, but it wouldn't be like the one she lost. She and Aidan would never have the opportunity to hold that baby and dress it up. They would never be able to watch it grow up into a fine, young man or a beautiful girl. They would never be able to send him or her off to college, get married and have kids. That hurt so much more that the physical pain.
Trucy was just starting to fall asleep when her husband came in. Phoenix got up so Aidan could take his place and comfort his wife. On the way out, Phoenix grabbed Apollo and dragged him outside, closing the door behind him.
"What?" asked Apollo.
"I have a request."
"Like what?"
"I don't want Pearl, Maggey, Ema, Lana, Vera, and Franziska to visit Trucy," answered Phoenix. "In addition, I don't want any of the kids visiting her either."
"Why? They have every right to visit her."
"Your sister just had a miscarriage. I think it would only upset Trucy to see women whose pregnancies were successful, hence, that is why the kids can't visit either," replied Phoenix. "They can't sympathize with Trucy. All of them are intelligent women, but I'm afraid they might say the wrong thing when trying to comfort her. They can visit once she becomes a lot more stable."
Apollo sighed. "You're right. I'll pass the word along."
(-- --)
(March 13, 2045, Monday)
Trucy looked down at the blankets of the hospital bed and sighed. She had spent most of her time last night crying. Aidan had crawled into the bed to hold her, and together they mourned the loss of their first child. She was going to be released today, and honestly, she didn't want to go. She and Aidan had prepared a nursery in their new house, and she wasn't sure if she could bear the sight of it.
There was a knock at the door. "Come in!" she said.
Apollo opened the door and smiled. "Hey, how are you?"
Trucy shook her head.
"Ah well…I just wanted to drop something off before I head to work." Apollo handed his sister a card.
Trucy opened it up and was overwhelmed. It was originally a blank card, but it was filled with everyone wishing her to get well. She could recognize her father's messy handwriting, Franziska's fancy cursive, and Lisa's fine print. They were words of encouragement to keep smiling and feel better. She saw Vera's smiley faces drawn along the border of the card.
On the left side, Diana drew a picture of Trucy and Aidan. Underneath, Trucy read the girl's message saying, "Get well soon, Auntie Trucy!" There was an arrow next to it, and in Richard's handwriting it said, "You're such a suck up, Diana." There was an arrow next to that message, and in Diana's handwriting, she countered with, "Am not!" There was another arrow and Richard wrote, "Don't deny it." Another arrow and Diana wrote, "You meanie!" There was another arrow and a smiley face before Richard finally wrote, "Love you, too, Diana."
Trucy smiled softly. With the knowledge that her friends and family were supporting her, Trucy felt like the weight on her shoulders was now a little less painful.
(-- --)
(June 4, 2047, Tuesday)
Trucy tapped her fingers on the counter impatiently. She continuously glanced at the white stick until she began to see something appear. She snatched it up, watching her results appear before her very eyes. She blinked a few times and looked up at her reflection in the mirror. She shakily took it out of the bathroom and into the living room where Aidan was reading the newspaper.
"Aidan?" she called, her voice trembling.
He looked back at her. "What is it, honey?"
She showed him the stick. "It's positive."
He blinked a few times before throwing the newspaper away to jump over the back of the couch so he could kiss his wife and then her belly.
Yes, the miscarriage was the snag in Trucy's plan. In "The Parent Trap" epilogue, I was originally going to say, "And after suffering from a miscarriage, Trucy was finally pregnant." But I changed it because I felt that I was saying it so casually. Miscarriage is no laughing matter, and it should not be taken with so lightly. It can be pretty traumatizing, especially if it happens to the point where the woman can't have another baby. So, I decided that I wanted to develop the matter more. I think this piece turned out pretty well.
And yay, we finally learn the name of Trucy's husband, who was previously an unidentified OC. His name (Aidan Nadia) is a palindrome. I wanted it to be a pun on an expression (similar to Winston Payne and Luke Atmey). There is a Phoenix Wright casebook manga, and in one of the stories, Phoenix gets a client whose name is Ian Knottworthy. I was going to use that name, but I wanted to be original and use my own, but I couldn't think of any so I decided to go ahead with a palindrome name instead.
That's all folks!