Max had been sitting in the hospitals waiting room for an hour now, by herself, waiting for Dr. Carr to tell her what his reaction to the sonagram had really meant. She didn't even know if she was pregnant yet, either. Looking around the small, cramped space of seats and coffee tables, Max smiled to herself seeing all the pregnant women go by, holding their stomachs and the hands of their little children. It was really true then, that they had a glow about them. Maybe she did to, Max thought. Reaching around behind her, Max stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked everything but glowing. Her skin was pale and her lips were a sickly shade of light pink. She'd gotten up and over to the gym before dusk and then straight to Logans without fixing herself up. No wonder he looked at her so strangely. Place her in a casket and she'd have passed as dead.
"Mrs. Fornunfor?" a voice called behind her. Max turned and glared at the nurse standing by the door with a file in her hand. Max dead-panned almost immediatly, frightened to know her results.
"Yes?" she asked and the nurse smiled assuringly at her. Maybe she saw this kind of thing all the time, Max thought, maybe I'm not dying.
"The doctor will see you now," spoke the nurse, fingering her forwards. Max stood unto her feet and steadied herself from falling over. She was dizzy. A girl around the age of 18 had been sitting a seat away from her, reading a Seventeen magazine and clutching her swollen stomach. She looked up and Max, smiling.
"How far along?" she asked. Max shrugged.
"No idea."
"Everythings gonna be fine," the girl reassured Max, "its always scary your first time." A young tot around the age of two came waddling up beside her to show the picture of a puppie she had just drawn. Actually, it was more just like a bunch of scribbles but the girl applauded her daughter and told her to go off and make another. The little girl skipped away and did just as she said. Max smiled and went with the nurse, down the hall.
"I'll need to take your weight." the nurse said stopping her by the scale. Max nodded and got up onto it, standing steady. The heavy bar tipped and tottered then settled on 95. "Lightweight, huh?" the nurse spoke up boldly. Max turned and looked at her, reading her mind. You think I'm anorexic, Max inquired within her mind, but what you haven't seen is this 95 lightweight pummel a 300 lbs. man, sitting down.
"Good metabolism, I guess." Max said with a know-it-all smile. Finally the nurse led her to another room and told her that Dr. Carr would be on his way in soon. Max sat down on the bed and waited but could feel herself giving in to a well-needed rest. Laying her head down, Max tried to force her eyes open, to stay up so the doctor could see her. But she had no choice this time, her body was telling her to sleep. She could see the door to the exam room open but after that was all a dream.
"Your going to have a healthy baby boy!" she dreamt Dr. Carr saying to her as she sat on the bed smiling ear to ear. Max looked down and immediatly became aware of her large stomach, so much so she could not see the floor.
"Oh my goodness, he grew fast..." Max breathed and then Alec entered the room, waving cigars.
"Baby's on its way!" he exclaimed and Max just laid back and huffed lightly. Pain shuddered through her like a frieght train and Alec was whooping, dancing in a cirlce with Logan. She was lying in a hospital room now, her legs high up in stirrups.
"Max, can you hear me?" the doctor asked.
"Yes."
"Max, can you hear me?" he asked again.
"Yes, I can hear you."
"Max, wake up..."
"What?" she replied, puzzled. A piercing pain in her left arm startled Max to consciousness. A new nurse now stood next to her, inserting an IV. "Oh no, not again." Max cried, hoping this was not another 'Harbor Lights' incident. A voice spoke from a chair in the corner and as she turned, even though her vision was blurry, she could make out the face.
"Through sickness and in health..."
"Alec..." she sobbed and reached out for his hand to hold. He gave it. "I'm scared. Whats happening?" From the looks of him, his disheveled hair and wary eyes, she'd been out for awhile. And with good reason to worry. Alec had said 'sickness', not child. Max's eyes dropped steadily down to her stomach. "Am I-?"
"Pregnant?" Alec finished for her. Max looked him back in the face. She could take it if she weren't but if it were something completly different, like a fatal Manticore flaw, she wasn't sure yet. She had just married the love of her life and she had just settled into a normal life. Of course Manticore would want to ruin that. "Yes."
"What?"
"We're gonna have a baby." he told her with a smile, but a strange expression passed over him. Max stopped smiling and rested her head down upon the pillow so she could look at him. He would not look at her though. Max shook his hand lightly. This wasn't disapointment, Max quickly assesed, this was something completly different. A sadness Max had not seen in a long time.
"Alec, tell me...whats going on?"
"Max, if you have this baby, you could die."
"...."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be continued.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I guess tragedy has struck our two lovebirds. How will it end? Keep reading and find out!
~Your writer, Heather
"Mrs. Fornunfor?" a voice called behind her. Max turned and glared at the nurse standing by the door with a file in her hand. Max dead-panned almost immediatly, frightened to know her results.
"Yes?" she asked and the nurse smiled assuringly at her. Maybe she saw this kind of thing all the time, Max thought, maybe I'm not dying.
"The doctor will see you now," spoke the nurse, fingering her forwards. Max stood unto her feet and steadied herself from falling over. She was dizzy. A girl around the age of 18 had been sitting a seat away from her, reading a Seventeen magazine and clutching her swollen stomach. She looked up and Max, smiling.
"How far along?" she asked. Max shrugged.
"No idea."
"Everythings gonna be fine," the girl reassured Max, "its always scary your first time." A young tot around the age of two came waddling up beside her to show the picture of a puppie she had just drawn. Actually, it was more just like a bunch of scribbles but the girl applauded her daughter and told her to go off and make another. The little girl skipped away and did just as she said. Max smiled and went with the nurse, down the hall.
"I'll need to take your weight." the nurse said stopping her by the scale. Max nodded and got up onto it, standing steady. The heavy bar tipped and tottered then settled on 95. "Lightweight, huh?" the nurse spoke up boldly. Max turned and looked at her, reading her mind. You think I'm anorexic, Max inquired within her mind, but what you haven't seen is this 95 lightweight pummel a 300 lbs. man, sitting down.
"Good metabolism, I guess." Max said with a know-it-all smile. Finally the nurse led her to another room and told her that Dr. Carr would be on his way in soon. Max sat down on the bed and waited but could feel herself giving in to a well-needed rest. Laying her head down, Max tried to force her eyes open, to stay up so the doctor could see her. But she had no choice this time, her body was telling her to sleep. She could see the door to the exam room open but after that was all a dream.
"Your going to have a healthy baby boy!" she dreamt Dr. Carr saying to her as she sat on the bed smiling ear to ear. Max looked down and immediatly became aware of her large stomach, so much so she could not see the floor.
"Oh my goodness, he grew fast..." Max breathed and then Alec entered the room, waving cigars.
"Baby's on its way!" he exclaimed and Max just laid back and huffed lightly. Pain shuddered through her like a frieght train and Alec was whooping, dancing in a cirlce with Logan. She was lying in a hospital room now, her legs high up in stirrups.
"Max, can you hear me?" the doctor asked.
"Yes."
"Max, can you hear me?" he asked again.
"Yes, I can hear you."
"Max, wake up..."
"What?" she replied, puzzled. A piercing pain in her left arm startled Max to consciousness. A new nurse now stood next to her, inserting an IV. "Oh no, not again." Max cried, hoping this was not another 'Harbor Lights' incident. A voice spoke from a chair in the corner and as she turned, even though her vision was blurry, she could make out the face.
"Through sickness and in health..."
"Alec..." she sobbed and reached out for his hand to hold. He gave it. "I'm scared. Whats happening?" From the looks of him, his disheveled hair and wary eyes, she'd been out for awhile. And with good reason to worry. Alec had said 'sickness', not child. Max's eyes dropped steadily down to her stomach. "Am I-?"
"Pregnant?" Alec finished for her. Max looked him back in the face. She could take it if she weren't but if it were something completly different, like a fatal Manticore flaw, she wasn't sure yet. She had just married the love of her life and she had just settled into a normal life. Of course Manticore would want to ruin that. "Yes."
"What?"
"We're gonna have a baby." he told her with a smile, but a strange expression passed over him. Max stopped smiling and rested her head down upon the pillow so she could look at him. He would not look at her though. Max shook his hand lightly. This wasn't disapointment, Max quickly assesed, this was something completly different. A sadness Max had not seen in a long time.
"Alec, tell me...whats going on?"
"Max, if you have this baby, you could die."
"...."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be continued.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I guess tragedy has struck our two lovebirds. How will it end? Keep reading and find out!
~Your writer, Heather