Chapter One
The small Belcher family of three sat at a booth in the restaurant, which had been closed for about an hour, and ate their dinner. "Bobby, I'm not feeling very well." Linda said to her husband, whispering, so that their two year old daughter, Tina, wouldn't hear. At only two years old, Tina was very smart for her age, already reading and using vocabulary people two times her age use. Linda looked at her husband, pale and eyes sunken in from being so tired. Linda had been feeling sick for at least three days now, but she hadn't told Bob yet, because she knew he would worry too much. Now that she was a mother, she felt as if she always had to be on her A game, no matter how she felt. "Tina needs me," she'd think to herself. "I have to be okay for Tina, even if I have to put on a brave face to do it."
"H-how long you felt this way? What's wrong?" He looked into his wife's eyes, and grabbed her hands. Linda choked a bit, holding back tears.
"I-I guess three days? I feel all bloated and almost feverish." She laid her arms on the table and placed her head on them like a pillow, eyes shut. Bob looked at her. "This isn't like Linda." He thought to himself.
"Lin, you look awful. Why didn't you tell me?" He said, feeling badly for her. "Please let me take you upstairs."
"No," She began, her voice muffled with her head in her arms. "I didn't want you to worry." She sighed. "I-I've got, just give me a minute." She took a deep breath.
"Lin, please, can I-".
"No, Bob." Linda said with a little more power than before. "Please just let me breathe for a minute."
Bob just nodded. After a minute, Linda stood up, but quickly stumbled back downward. Bob watched his wife plummet to the ground, almost in slow motion. "Linda!" He yelled, standing up quickly, somehow catching her just before she hit the floor, scooping her into a princess carry.
"Bobby, I-", Linda began. Bob looked at her with concern, but also incredibly sternly.
"Lin, you scared the shit out of me!" Bob said, looking down at her, breathlessly.
"Well, geez, sorry, Bob."
"Shit!" Tina repeated after her father, playing with some of the food on her high chair's tray. Tina loved learning new words.
"Don't say that, Tina." Bob said, carrying his wife.
"Wait! Bobby!" Linda said dramatically, herself and Bob already outside the restaurant.
"What, Lin?" Bob said almost exasperated.
"Don't leave Teeny Tina down there alone. It's irresponsible." She whined. Bob knew this was true, but he was so worried and focused on his unwell wife. "I want my Tina Beana." Bob sighed.
"Lin, you're sick, and I don't want to risk you transmitting it to her." Linda moaned, giving her husband the puppy dog eyes she knew he can't resist.
"But Bobbyyyyyy." She complained.
"Okay but she's walking up the stairs herself. I don't trust you to walk up by yourself." Bob walked back into the restaurant, Linda still in his arms. Gently placing Linda in the booth, he walked up to baby Tina's high chair and took her out gently. He tried to set her down, but she had such a grip on his shirt with her tiny baby hands. "Tina, I have to put you down. I need to carry your mother." He unhooked Tina's hands from his shirt and set her down. As he went to pick up Linda, Tina began wailing. Bob looked at his wife, sitting weakly in the booth, and then at his unruly little girl.
"Bobby, it's okay, I can get up the st-."
"No!" Bob almost snapped at his wife. "I'll just put Tina on my back and you'll be in my arms." Shocked at how Bob has just talked to her, Linda just silently nodded. Usually, she'd fire back at him, but both Bob and herself both knew that she didn't have it in her at this time.
With Tina secured on his back using a baby carrier, and Linda in his arms, Bob marched up the stairs with his two girls. "Okay, Lin, I'm going to put you in bed, then put Tina to bed, which I hope is quick, and then I'll come in and help you change, okay?" No reply. "Linda?" His heart dropped a little, thinking maybe she'd gone unconscious. Bob had always had a way of automatically assuming the worst. He looked down at her quickly, to find that she had fallen asleep in his arms. "Oh, Lin." He said, smiling to himself more than he would care to admit. He gently took her into their room and placed her on the bed ever so carefully.
"Daddy?" Tina questioned, still on Bob's back. "Bedtime?"
Bob sighed. "Yes, Tina, bedtime."
"New 'jamas?" She spoke. She didn't know how to say 'pajamas' yet, but they're all she ever wore. It was such a fight to dress her up to go out in public, and at this point, Bob had kind of given up. Linda on the other hand, would rather die than have Tina go out in public with her pajamas on.
"Yes, Tina." Bob said, entering Tina's room, taking her out of the carrier, and placing her in her crib. "We'll change your pajamas."
"Blue!" Tina insisted.
"But Tina, your blue ones are in the wash."
"BLUE." She screamed. Bob rushed to shut the door, in fears that his peacefully sleeping wife would wake up.
"Tina, please work with me here. Daddy is really tired, and wants to go to bed. Mommy is sick and I have to take care of her." Bob took off Tina's glasses. He walked over to Tina's little dresser and pulled out a pair of red footie pajamas with blue stars. "How about this, Teen? It has some blue in it."
Tina pouted a little bit, but agreed. "'Kay daddy." Bob sighed happily. He quickly changed her diaper, and put her into her new pajamas. He brushed her tiny bangs away with his hand, and kissed her on the forehead. Tina fell asleep almost instantly.
"Goodnight, Teen. Daddy loves you." Bob put her little horse blanket over her, and put her stuffed horse right within her reach. Leaving her door open a crack, Bob slowly tiptoed over to his and Linda's room.
"Bobby? Where are ya, Bobby?" Linda's weary, worn out, tired voice called for him. Bob sneaks in the door.
"I'm here, Lin. What do you need?" Bob sat on the side of the bed with her, and put an arm around her. Linda tried to smile a bit, but her attempts were weak. Looking defeated, she finally spoke.
"Can you help me change clothes, Bobby?" She said, once again trying to smile. "My body hurts, my head is aching. Oh, Bobby." Linda pouted. "I hate this." She said, her voice deepening a bit.
"Of course, baby." Bob looked at her sadly. Linda was one of the two most important people in his life, and he hated seeing her not feeling well. "Let's get started, Lin. What pajamas do you want?"
"Pink nightgown." Linda said tiredly. Bob went over to their closet and grabbed it for her. He looked over at the bed to see his beautiful wife undressing. Usually, this would drive him crazy, and arouse him, but he just couldn't get there knowing that she felt so bad.
"You're still looking beautiful as ever, Lin." Bob said, handing her the nightgown.
"Aw, Bobby, you're sweet, but come on."
"No, Lin. I mean it. I just truly want you to know that no matter what, you'll always be as stunning as the day I met you." He took her hands, once again observing her body. Linda blushed, followed by a small cough. Bob helped slide her nightgown on, and still in his day clothes, he crawled into bed next to her.
"Lin, scoot a lil closer, I want to hold you." Bob said, already starting to fall asleep. He shut his eyes, and felt his wife's smaller figure collide with his own bigger one. He wrapped his massive arms around his girl, and bent his neck down to kiss the back of her head. "Goodnight, Lin. I love you."
"I love you so much, Bobby." Linda mumbled before falling asleep.
The early hours of the morning crept around, as Bob stirred in his sleep, not knowing that his wife was no longer next to him.
"I should've known..." Linda whispered to herself in the bathroom mirror. She had started her period, all over their sheets and the back of her nightgown. She had never bled on her and Bob's bed, she was usually so good at catching it before it happened. She didn't understand what was different this time. "It's okay, accidents happen." She thought to herself. "I'll just go wake up Bobby, he'll understand. There's no need to be embarrassed." She walked back to the bedroom and stood on Bob's side of the bed. "Uh... Bob?" She said, poking him.
"Hmm?" Bob said. "Are you okay, Lin?"
"Please don't be mad, but I started my period." She gave her husband a half smile, half frown. Bob looks at the bloodstain on their bedsheets.
"Oh, Lin. I-I'm sorry. How do you feel?"
"Miserable." Linda whined. "I'm nauseous, my cramps have never been this bad. I want to scream, Bobby." Bob had never seen Linda in such pain.
"What can I do to help?" He said holding her hands, and putting his legs off the side of the bed.
"If you could wash the sheets, that'd be great." She sighed a little bit. I'm going to go check on Tina," she began, mustering up some strength. "And then I'll take a long, hot shower." She continued. Bob nodded reluctantly, and went to strip the sheets off the bed. "I know you hate blood, and it makes you squeamish, so I really appreciate this." Linda made her way to Tina's room.
"Tinaaaaaa." She said, in a sing-songy voice, entering her daughters room.
"Mama?" The little girl questioned.
"Yes! It's mama!" Linda beamed as she picked her two year old up. Tina could tell when her parents were proud of her, and she'd applaud herself when they were. "How about daddy makes you some eggs for breakfast?" Tina nodded wildly. Linda, holding Tina, went to go hand her off to Bob so she could shower.
"Hey, girls!" Bob gasped at Linda and Tina. Tina reached out to her father. Bob gently picked her up, held her close, and span around. Linda leaned against the wall, trying to conceal her pain.
"Hey, Bobby? I really wanna shower. Can you go prepare Tina some eggs before opening? When I get out, I promise I'll help you."
"That's alright, Lin. You take care of what you need to take care of. I've got everything under control."
"Thanks, Bobby. Love ya, Bobby." Linda said, giving her husband a peck on the cheek. Bob blushed, and took Tina downstairs.
"La la la." Linda was creating nonsensical songs as she walked to the bathroom to prepare her shower. She turned the shower on, and slipped her nightgown over her head. "Shoulda asked Bobby to put this in the wash, too." She grumbled to herself, looking at the stain on her nightgown, putting it on an empty robe holder. Linda stepped into the shower and began washing her body under the hot water.
Bob took Tina to the dining room and set her in her high chair. Tina was happy this morning, which made things so much easier on him. Bob washed hands and then pulled out some strawberries and grapes out of the fridge, and cut them in half. He scooped them up and put them in a little bowl, and grabbing a toddler fork for her as well. "Here, Teen. Eat these while I make your eggs." He placed the bowl in front of her, and pushed her bangs up gently to kiss her forehead.
In the bathroom, Linda was rinsing shampoo out of her hair when she got a deadly cramp. She felt as if she had been sucker punched with a fist made out of daggers. She doubled over, trying hard not to throw up. Looking down, she notice her legs, the bottom of the tub, and feet, were all covered in blood, lots and lots of blood. Panicking, she tried to decide what to do. The pain only escalated, and she decided to sit down. She began to cry, more and more blood emerged at the bottom of the tub.
In the kitchen, Bob had just finished making Tina her eggs, with cheese and turkey, just the way they both liked it. "Here ya go, Tina." He said putting the tiny serving in front of her. "You ate all your fruit! Now that's a good girl." Bob said smiling at Tina. He sat down at the table with her after grabbing his own serving of eggs. As he was about to take his first bite, he finally heard Linda's wailing sobs. "I'll be right back, I'm going to check on mommy." He told Tina. He went down the hall and to the bathroom. He knocked on the door. "Linda? Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.
"No." She moaned out of pain and fear.
"I'm coming in, okay?"
"No, just call for a paramedic. I-I need a paramedic."
"Linda, what happened? I'm coming in. I'm going to have to tell them what's wrong." He said through the door.
"No, you're not going to want to see this." She said through sobs. "Trust me."
Bob opened the door anyways, and instantly felt woozy. He tried his hardest not to pass out. "Oh my God, Linda. Is this normal?" He leaned against the wall, shaking.
"Bob!" She shouted. "Just please call for help!" She begged. Bob ran to the living room and picked up the phone, he hastily dialed 911.
"This is Sergeant Bosco with the Seymour's Bay PD, what is your emergency?"
"My wife, sh-she's bleeding out in the shower, it's coming from her, y'know, there's a lot more than usual when this uh, happens, I think, at least, and I don't think she can stand up. I'm really squeamish around blood, and I'm really freaking out. Feeling... woozy. B-Bob's Burgers, on Ocean Avenue. Please enter through the door next store, sh-should be unlocked. Thank y-." Bob's vision started to blur, his ears started ringing, and without having time to hang up the phone, he tumbled to the floor, unconcious.
"Sir, sir, are you there? We have paramedics dispatched to your location. Sir? Sir?"