Chapter 19: Health Scare
March 2012
Marik packed a bag of things for the kids to do at the park, their destination for the day. "Loretta, you ready to go?"
"Yup, ready when you are." Loretta smiled kissing his cheek.
Marik picked up the bag and headed to the hall. "Kura, Marika, you ready to go to the park?" he called down the hall.
"We're ready to go Daddy." the twins chimed, running towards their father.
"I'll be there in a minute Marik, I just need a drink." Loretta called, trying to hide the pain she was starting to feel.
Marik ruffled Menkaura's hair as they reached him. "What's keeping your mom?"
"Dad, stop it." Menkura complained.
"Mummy said she was having a drink." Marika explained.
"Go tell her to hurry up." Marik instructed. "We want to get there before it fills up."
"No way, I'm not telling Mummy to hurry. She will growl at me." Marika said backing away from her father.
"That's something I can teach you, son. When women are going to have a baby, they are more emotional than usual." Marik explained.
"When is Mommy going to have our sister?"
"It'll still be a while." Marik assured him.
"Oh ok." Kura smiled at his Father.
"Hurry up Daddy, I wanna go to the park." Marika complained.
"Loretta, the kids are anxious to get going." Marik called to the kitchen.
Following her husband to the car and carefully getting in, she trying not to cringe from the pain in front of Marik. Loretta turned around to the twins in the back seat. "What do you two want to do at the park today?"
"Swing!" the twins cried in unison.
"Thats a good idea. Maybe we should try and get daddy on them too." Loretta smirked at Marik as he got into the car.
Marik drove to the park and got out, calling after the retreating twins. "Don't get out of our sight, you two."
"No daddy, we won't." they chimed running towards the playground.
Marik invited Loretta to sit on the park bench with him and watched the twins swing to their hearts desire. He finally noticed her wince in pain. "Something wrong?" he asked, concerned.
"It's fine Marik. I'm not due for another two weeks yet." Loretta lied.
"You would tell me if there's something to worry about?" Marik asked.
"Of course I would. But at the moment there is nothing to w...ow! I'm fine, I'm fine." Loretta said as she panted to help the pain.
"No you are not." Marik said firmly.
"I'm fine Marik. I assure you, it was just a big kick. She pushed her heel into my ribs."
"You are a terrible liar."
Feeling offended by Marik's comment Loretta stood up. "I told you I was fine. If you don't believe your own wife, well that's up to you" Loretta snapped as she started to walk off.
Marik got up and went to her, touching her arm. "Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
"Im sorry for snapping at you Marik. I know you are only looking out for me like a good husband should." Loretta smiled as tears formed in her eyes. "But you need to believe me when I say I'm...Ow!" Loretta winced dropping to her knees in pain and holding her stomach.
"Loretta?" Marik looked alarmed as he knelt beside her. "I need to get you to the hospital."
Running over from the playground, Menkura looked at his father in concern. "What's wrong with Mommy."
"She's having the baby so I need to drop you off at your aunt's house before I take her to the hospital."
"Marik...My stomach is sore, please hurry."
Marik led the kids to the car, still carrying Loretta. He got them in the car and drove to the hospital, calling everyone. "Meet me at the hospital, Loretta's having the baby."
Hanging up from the call, Atem grabbed his car keys in a panic. "Hali, I need to go." he called rushing out the door.
"Atem, what's wrong?" Hali rushed to the door, calling after him.
"Loretta's having her baby and Marik sounded really worried. I have to get to the hospital to be there for my sister." he called back after stopping to take a breath before getting into the car.
"Okay, call me when you know something." Hali gave him a worried look as he drove away.
Back at the hospital, Marik was pacing back and forth in front of Loretta's room as he listened to her screaming in pain. "Come on you guys, where is everyone?" Marik muttered to himself.
Atem arrived, panting. "How is she?" he asked, anxiously.
"Finally...I don't know, she's been screaming for the past hour and I'm getting really worried." Marik sighed.
"She'll be fine, I'm sure. She's done this before." Atem glanced worriedly at the door despite his words of reassurance.
"Yea your right. But this baby seem's to be different than the first two. She's been a lot more emotional and has been complaining of a sore back a lot more." Marik said dropping down onto the seat behind him.
"Sorry Atem, I'm just not in the mood right now. I'm really concerned about Loretta. I knew I should have gotten her to the hospital sooner, but she was so adamant that she was ok."
"Stubbornness runs in the family." Atem nodded bleakly.
Marik did a dry chuckle and then nodded in agreement as another very loud blood curdling scream was heard from Loretta, making Marik cringe.
Atem winced too. "She sound terrible in there."
"I cant imagine what she's going through. Please be ok, Loretta." Marik said as he closed his eyes and dropped his head.
"Me neither." Atem looked at the door, terrified.
"I almost wish this wasn't happening to her. I feel horrible listening to her screaming like that."
"I told you it would be risky to not take precautions." Atem looked over at him.
"Why is it any of your business anyway, Pharaoh? She's my wife now and what we do is my business, not yours." Marik snapped glaring at Atem.
"It's your fault she's screaming like that." Atem replied coldly, his temper rising.
"And how did I know this was going to happen? I didn't so get over yourself, your highness." Marik snarled, turning his head in disgust.
"Any time you have sex you risk this happening. Did you sleep through sex ed?" Atem asked, raising an eyebrow.
"If you remember, which you probably don't because you didn't even remember your own twin sister, you would know they don't teach that sort of thing in Egypt." Marik snapped, balling his fists.
"How else would we have babies? You'd have to be an idiot not to figure it out. Especially given that you had already did it before."
"You know what? I'm getting sick of you being such a jerk to both Loretta and I. No wonder she wanted to marry me to get away from you."
"She wanted to marry you because she loves you." Atem pointed out. "Why she would with those anger issues, I don't know."
"Its not me with the Issues Pharaoh, it's you! But then again if you hadn't been so overprotective, overpowering attitude with her in the first place, she would have never met me, so I should thank you." Marik jeered poking his tongue out.
"Gentlemen!" a nurse barked, coming out of the room. "If you are going to argue out here, please take it elsewhere. We're about to take a patient to surgery."
"What? What is wrong with my wife? Is she ok?" Marik exclaimed snapping out of his argument with Atem.
"She's bleeding heavily and we are having trouble getting it to stop. We are taking her to the OR in case we need to use surgical means to stop it."
"Oh no, what have I done? This is all my fault and now I'm going to lose the love of my life. How is the baby, is she ok?" Marik asked through a sob.
"The baby is healthy. Now I must go." The nurse turned as a goup of nurses hurried out, wheeling Loretta down the hall.
"Thats good to hear, thank you." Marik nodded. "Atem, please forgive me for what I said to you. I've been so stressed about poor Loretta and now I'm going to lose her." Marik said walking over to Atem and putting his hand on his shoulder.
"You said a lot of hurtful things." Atem shrugged off his hand.
"I told you I was sorry, but you said things that hurt me too." Marik said coldly as his temper started to rise again.
"At least I didn't say your sister married Kaiba to spite you." Atem snapped, his temper rising again.
"How dare you say that! You leave my sister out of this! This is about you and your problems!" Marik said, poking Atem hard in the chest.
"Then leave my sister out of any problems you have with me." Atem snarled, poking Marik in the chest as well.
"I'm only trying to protect my WIFE from her jerk of a Brother."
"Maybe she needs to be protected from the sex fiend that is determined to kill her by getting her pregnant." Atem growled, his eyes narrowed.
"Take that back! You know full well I never wanted anything like this to happen to Loretta. I love her and don't forget it was me who protected her and cared for her in her time of need when Duke betrayed her!" Marik growled narrowing his eyes back at Atem.
"Duke wouldn't have hurt her like that, I bet. He wouldn't have been so eager to have sex that he would risk her life. I wish she had chosen him with how much you've hurt her. First the whole Bakura thing and now this." Atem said resentfully.
"Yea and I feel sorry for her that she has someone like you for a brother. Brothers are meant to look after their sisters, not be assholes to them. If you don't like me Atem, then get lost!" Marik snarled as he stormed off.
Atem stormed after him, grabbing his arm. "I am not leaving my sister or my niece."
"Just piss off & leave Loretta and my children alone." Marik growled as he swung his arm to punch Atem in the face until he felt someone grab his arm.
"That's enough you two. You are brother-in-laws and should be supporting one another while Loretta is in such a dire situation." Ishizu growled glaring at both Atem and Marik.
"Im sorry sister, you are right. I'm just really worried about Loretta."
"Truce?" Atem asked, meeting Marik's eyes.
"Ok, truce. And I'm sorry for what I said to you, Atem." Marik smiled weakly.
"I only said those things because I was worried about her and wanted to hurt you as badly as you were hurting me." Atem replied sheepishly.
"I felt the same way towards you but as I said I never meant for any of this to happen. And I would hate myself for the rest of my life if I lost Loretta due to something like this. I love her, Atem. I mean that from the bottom of my heart."
"I know you do and despite what I said, I know you're what's best for her." Atem gave him a small smile.
"Thank you Atem. That means a lot coming from you." Marik said giving him a smile back.
Loretta was placed into a private room after surgery and the recovery and Marik and Atem were finally allowed to see her. "How bad was it?" Atem asked the nurse quietly.
The nurse checked the chart. "She had to have a hysterectomy to stop the bleeding. But without any complications, she'll be just fine."
"My poor beautiful Loretta. I'm sad to hear that because I would have liked to have tried for another son. But I'm glad she's going to be ok." Marik whispered.
"The kids you have now could always give you grandsons." Atem pointed out.
"Of course you are right but it's not the same." Marik sighed.
"At least you won't have to worry about her health if you get grandsons." Atem reminded him.
"Then I will have my daughter to worry about which will be more stressful."
"You can't control the women in your lives. Believe me, I've tried and almost got Duke as a relative."
"Thanks for the encouragement." Marik chuckled. "But we better be quiet now so we don't wake Loretta, she needs her rest."
"Good point." Atem chuckled quietly.