This is my last one today - the kids are up and raring to go! I'll try to get the next chapter up tomorrow!
I only own Eliza, Alice, and Colin.
Eliza woke with a massive headache, unsure of her surroundings. She tried to get up, but stopped at a searing pain in her stomach. She looked around, realizing she was in a hospital bed and she was hooked up to a lot of equipment. She then realized there was a tube down her throat and she began to panic. She began to flail, ignoring the pain in her abdomen as she entered a full blown panic attack. Suddenly, she was being held down by a pair of strong arms. Edgar's face was suddenly in her view, shushing her.
"Hey calm down, its okay. I'll buzz your nurse and they'll come take out this tube. But you have to relax before you rip open your stitches."
She nodded her head, tears streaming down her face. It didn't hurt, but she was severely freaked out. After a few moments, a nurse came into view. She smiled down at Eliza. "Good morning Ms. Hanover. Let me check your oxygen stats and then we will see about getting you extubated." After a few more moments, the nurse finally said. "Okay, let's get that thing out. This is going to be uncomfortable. Just take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. I'll remove it on the exhale."
Within seconds the tube was out, but Eliza was left with a gagging sensation and a very sore throat. Edgar was holding her hand, gently rubbing circles on the back of it. Eliza tried to sit up, having forgotten about the pain in her abdomen. She groaned at the feeling of sharp pain and lay back down.
"Just lay still Ms. Hanover. You've just had surgery. Dr. Wells will be in momentarily and she will explain everything." The nurse smiled and walked towards the door. "Just push your button if you need anything."
Eliza nodded, leaning her head back and scrunching her eyes closed. What the hell was going on here? The last thing she remembered was getting a patient's meds together yesterday. Then – nothing. Edgar stroked her hair back from her face and she turned towards him. She opened her mouth, but he shushed her again, placing a finger to her lips. "Don't talk yet. Save it for the doctor if you have any questions."
A tall brunette woman in a lab coat entered then, carrying a chart with her. She introduced herself as Dr. Wells and Eliza nodded in return. She began to explain what was going on, and Eliza's eyes flickered to Edgar. "So, can I have more children?" she finally asked, wincing at using her voice.
"Seeing as how you had a normal pregnancy previously, I don't see why not. It may be a little more difficult this time around however. You only have one fallopian tube now, so the chances are decreased. If you get pregnant again, I want you in immediately for ultrasounds. We can't risk this again." Eliza nodded her agreement. "That being said, I don't want you having sex for 3 months and please don't try to conceive until you've had 3 full cycles. You need to let your body heal."
Edgar nodded, glancing at Eliza. She seemed to be taking this all in stride, but he wondering how much of it she was bottling in. She barely spoke the rest of the day and only picked at her meals. Around 6pm, Colin came in, toting Alice with him. She smiled at her mother and ran over to her bed. "Colin, take Alice home." Eliza said, her voice holding no emotion. She didn't even acknowledge her daughter, instead talked over her head at her brother. Both Edgar and Colin frowned, not answering her. "Now."
Colin ushered Alice back out the door, the poor six year old beginning to cry at this point. Edgar looked at Eliza; she had her eyes closed and her head tilted back. His worry for her immediately increased. She was bottling this in, way too much of it. She wasn't acknowledging what had happened, and she was shutting herself off from everyone. He got up, heading for the nurses' station. He spotted Eliza's nurse and headed over to her.
"Hey, I'm Eliza Hanover's fiancé." Edgar said to get her attention. She looked up and smiled at him.
"What can I do for you?" She asked politely.
"I wanted to talk to someone about Eliza's behavior." He explained what had been going on with her that day, culminating in the scene with her daughter. Eliza's nurse frowned and finally spoke.
"It's sounds like she's having some depression issues. I'll talk to her doctor and we'll get her on some medications to help her through this. I'll also see about some support groups she can get involved in." The nurse paused and looked at him with concern. "How are you doing? I know a lot of people graze over the fact that you've also lost a child."
"I'll be okay if she is." Edgar responded honestly. "We can also try again later, but I can't replace her."
She smiled at him. "Don't let her push you away. I've seen it happen after things like this. Keep fighting for her." And with that she was off down the hallway. Edgar thought about what she said. He would never stop fighting for her.
Two days later
Eliza was being released that morning and so far her attitude had stayed the same. She was withdrawn and quiet; she still hadn't spoken to Alice. Edgar wasn't sure what to do to help her pull out of this, but he needed to try. He helped her into his car, being extra cautious with her. After he got himself in, he started the car, beginning their journey home. He glanced over at her. She was facing the window, her jaw set in a stiff, hard line. He sighed, wondering if what he was about to say to her would help her or push her away more.
"Eliza, you need to snap out of this." He started. She whipped her head around at him, a glare on her face. "Be mad at me all you want. I can handle it. But you need to talk to Alice. She doesn't understand what's going on and she just wants her mother."
Eliza sighed, the glare dropping from her face, only to be replaced by a look of intense sadness. "I know. I'm sorry. I just feel like I'm falling apart."
"I know baby, I know. I'm right here. I won't let you." He reached over, grabbing her hand. She laced her fingers in his, a long breath releasing from her lips. "We'll get through this, I promise."
See, she's awake! Pitchforks not necessary!