Chapter 8 - When We Were Young
3 A.M.
Roman had been thankful when he'd remembered to take his Tahoe keys so he could put his luggage in the back and not carry it through the hospital. He chuckled when the short blonde at the nursing station looked him up and down wide eyed and squeaked out in surprise.
"You must be Mr. Reigns. Mrs. Reigns said to be expecting you." She pushed back from the desk before he could even answer her. "Follow me sir."
Roman stifled a chuckle once more as he followed her down the hallway.
Tired grey eyes looked at the most beautiful sight he'd seen in a long time. His beautiful wife cuddling with their middle son. Ayana had been right; Odyn looked like a baby in that big bed.
Roman walked closer to the hospital bed and could see Ayana's hand hanging off the bed, he leaned down and pressed a couple of soft kissed to the palm of her hand. She didn't stir which he was very thankful for. He carefully leaned over and brushed a kiss to Odyn's forehead before he sat down in the chair next to the bed; keeping his wife's hand in his and letting the traveling anxiety wash over his body and take over as his eyelids drooped before closing.
Deep blue eyes slowly fluttered open and looked around questioningly. Ayana was trying to remember where she was as she felt the small body in front of her burrow into her more. She looked down and could see Odyn still fast asleep. She kissed his forehead softly and could feel a weight and heat covering her right hand.
Her eyes looked over her son and saw her husband fast asleep in the chair. 'His big ass is going to regret sleeping in that chair when he wakes up.' She thought to herself as she stifled a giggle. She carefully moved away from Odyn as her bladder screamed for relief. She slipped from the big bed and stepped into her sneakers before quietly making her way to the restroom down the hall.
Once she'd done her business and combed her fingers through her hair so it looked somewhat presentable; she went back to her sons room and leaned against the doorway as she stared at Roman; she loved to watch him sleep, he always looked so peaceful which was a far cry from when he was in the ring. She wanted to go over and touch him and plant a kiss on his lips. A real kiss; something other than the cheek, temple or forehead. She CRAVED to feel his lips against hers; his soft supple lips. He had the reddest softest lips of any man she'd ever met.
"Stop watching me sleep that's creepy." Roman mumbled in a sleepy haze. He always knew when she was watching him sleep. He honestly didn't care what she did.
Ayana smirked as she walked over to her purse and grabbed her cell and turned it on. "Cafeteria is open if you need some coffee. The Pediatric Heart Specialist is supposed to be in soon so he can take a look at Odyn's test results."
Roman stood from the chair as he stretched out his big body before he held out his hand to her. "C'mon you can use a coffee break you been here all night. They will wake him up for breakfast in a while anyways." He watched as her eyes danced between her son and him as she chewed on her bottom lip. "Come on beautiful; come stretch your legs with me." He let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding as she slipped her hand into his.
Ayana could feel tiny electrical shocks going up her arm. It had been the first time in a really LONG time that Roman had held her hand. She felt Roman's big fingers push between hers as it locked their hands together. She felt weak in the knees. She could feel tears filling her eyes; it had been so long since he'd touched her in a loving way.
"Momma..." A soft voice croaked out.
Ayana couldn't stop herself as she jerked her hand out of Roman's and spun around to see Odyn. She applied a fake smile and went to his bedside. "Morning baby." She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Look who made it home." She pointed towards Roman.
Roman smiled softly as Odyn smiled up at him. "Hi Dad."
Roman reached out as he ruffled his hair. "Hey buddy, how are you feeling?" He asked before his eyes went to Ayana who quickly turned away from them; he could see her wiping her eyes, but he couldn't imagine what had made her tear up.
"I'm feeling okay, when can we go home?" Odyn asked.
Roman smiled down at his son; he hated hospitals almost as much as his mother did. "We'll see little man; were waiting for the doctors to look over your test results." He could see the blue hue around his lips. It was definitely not good; he was worried before now he was scared, but he would NOT show it in front of his son. There was no reason to scare Odyn for nothing.
A few minutes later and the nurse rolled in the tray with Odyn's breakfast. Ayana turned and faced her son and husband as she fake smiled for the nurse. "Mr. and Mrs. Reigns, Dr. Bloodworth is outside and would like to discuss Odyn with you."
Ayana nodded. "Thank you." She walked out of the room followed by Roman. As she approached the doctor she could see another doctor standing with the doctor from the previous night. "Dr. Bloodworth the nurse said you wanted to see us. This is my husband Roman." She watched as Roman shook hands with the doctor.
Dr. Bloodworth smiled as he returned the hand shake from his young patient's father. Damn he could be intimidating if he wanted. "Mr. and Mrs. Reigns this is our Pediatric Heart Specialist, Dr. Libman; he has looked over Odyn's test results and will be taking over Odyn's treatment from here on out. He is confident that I am no longer needed so I'm turning everything over to him."
Ayana smiled gratefully. "Thank you for all your help Dr. Bloodworth I really appreciate it all."
Roman nodded. "Yea Doc thanks for taking care of my boy for the evening." He shook his hand once again as they watched the doctor walk away.
Dr. Libman guided the parents over to a private seating area and offered them to sit as he did. "Okay, so I looked over Odyn's test results and it appears both of his ventricles that are pumping blood into his heart and out of his heart to his other organs is not pumping quite up to speed. Now I read in his medical history that he was born 10 weeks early, due to you having preeclampsia correct Ayana?"
Ayana nodded. "I never could figure out why my blood pressure spiked so badly. I didn't really gain a lot of weight with Odyn and I walked regularly and stayed on the pre-natal diet my OB set up for me. But still 10 weeks before my due date I had to have an Emergency C-Section. Odyn has always been small for his age but he's always been stronger and faster than anyone else in the family. If his heart wasn't pumping properly wouldn't the doctor's have noticed it at birth?"
Dr. Libman shook his head negatively. "Yes and no. The medical staff was probably more worried about getting Odyn out safely and placed in the Neo-Natal unit and getting your blood pressure down. When they went to go check everything all the organs were fully developed and his heart was doing what it was supposed to so no they probably didn't notice it. But don't worry we've caught it before it can be too much of an issue and I'm optimistic about his treatment right now and so should you two."
Dr. Libman handed over a prescription sheet. "We're going to start simple. We're going to start with some medicine for him to take 4 times a day. Obviously you'll have to cut out the sports and running around. I want him to be on his prescription for a full month and then I want you to make an appointment to come back to the hospital and re-take all the tests and we'll see how it's working."
"And if the pills aren't doing what they are supposed to be doing?" Roman's baritone voice asked curiously.
Dr. Libman nodded more to himself then to the worried looking parents. "Well if the medicine doesn't do what it's supposed to then we would have to go in and operate and put in an extra valve to help get the blood where it needs to be. It would be two separate operations and clearly we wouldn't do them at the same time. We would do one and then 6 to 10 weeks later do the second."
Ayana frowned. "And if the valves don't do what needs to be done?" She asked and really didn't want the answer but NEEDED to hear it; she needed to hear the whole truth.
"The next step after that unfortunately would be putting Odyn on a donors list for a heart transplant. So you can see why we really hope the medicine works. nine times out of ten the medicine does the trick, but the patient has to be on it for the rest of his life." Dr. Libman stated honestly.
"As long as my son get a nice long healthy life; I don't care if he hasn't to take the meds through an IV. I want everything done that can be to help my son." Ayana stated in a final tone.
Dr. Libman nodded. "Well here is my office and cell numbers and the prescription you can fill it at the pharmacy at the end of the hallway; the pharmacy techs are waiting for you. Now the medicine will probably make him drowsy for the first few days so don't be surprised if he sleeps a little more than normal or naps more. I promise we will do everything possible; we will get it all figured out and fixed."
They both thanked the doctor and watched as he walked away signing Odyn's discharge papers.
Thank God it was over...for now.
Ayana looked up at Roman and could tell he hadn't gotten much sleep. "C'mon let's take Odyn home and you two can have a nap and I'll go get the rest of others from Nala and Dean's. They will be excited to see you home earlier than normal."
Roman nodded as they went back to Odyn's room and he was already dressed and had his breakfast and his first dose of his new medicine. He was rubbing his eyes and yawning.
Yup the medicine was already working.
Ayana knocked on Nala's door and waited as her best friend answered the door yawning. "Morning Aya, how's Odyn?" She asked as she moved aside and invited her friend inside.
Ayana didn't get a word out edge wise before Samaria, Max and Braden were running up to her asking about their missing sibling. She laughed as she leaned down and kissed each on the forehead. "Okay you three take a chill pill. I will tell you all about how Odyn is and that he is already sitting at home with daddy right now, if you'll be good and pick up the ginormous mess I know you three have created in Aunt Nala and Uncle Dean's den. That includes cleaning up food dishes and anything you drank out of."
Nala laughed as she watched the three of them scamper away and started picking up everything. "Did you know Mari is up at the butt crack of dawn and ready for cartoons at the drop of a hat?" Nala asked with a fake glare.
Ayana laughed as they walked towards the kitchen. "Braden is usually up by then and plops her down and turns them on for her."
"Yes I know. God Bless your oldest. He really knows their ins and outs." Nala stated as she rubbed her forehead.
"Who do you think trained him?" Ayana asked with a twinkle in her eye and a soft laugh. It took Ayana all of ten minutes to explain when the doctor had said before she started to chew her bottom lip. She peeked into the den and made sure the kids were still cleaning. She looked back at Nala before she took a breath. "Nala, he held my hand. What am I supposed to do? He hasn't held anything in months. It was so foreign but felt so good and I damn near cried. What the fuck is wrong with me?" She stated in a hushed tone so the kids couldn't hear.
Nala furrowed her brow, glad that the kids were still in the den. "Honey, there is nothing wrong with you. I think it's just been so long since Roman has laid a hand on you that it just feels weird and foreign like you said. You weren't expecting it obviously. You two really need to sit down and talk."
Ayana shook her head. "I couldn't even begin to figure out where to start that conversation. I mean how do I start? 'Hi I know were still married and all but since you've opted out of touching me and having sex with me I couldn't help but want to still feel like a woman so while you're on the road having sex with whoever texts you on Thursday nights; I'm screwing your co-worker Wednesdays and Thursdays.' I don't see that working out well."
Nala chuckled. "I didn't say lay THAT out on the line for him. I just said talk. You know start easy 'How was your work week?' 'Did any of the fans try grabbing your butt cheek again?' I do love that story when he explains it." She snorted out a not so lady like laugh. "Then you could always try the harder questions. 'Who is the hoe you screwing on the road so I can snatch her bald the next time I see her at a live event or PPV.' You know make it interesting."
"Oh sure. I can see that going over beautifully." Ayana mocked. "Have you lost your mind? Asking him a question like that leaves me open for him to interrogate me about the guy I'm screwing. How do I explain I'm bumping uglies with a man who is not only older that Roman, but 4 inches shorter and 47 pounds lighter, with shorter hair and pale blue eyes with a Georgia draw? Not to mention if he actually answers me and he tells me who he is having sex with instead of me; I'm not going to lie to you, I will lose my shit and probably kill her. I can just see it being some cute THIN Diva who is younger than me."
Nala chortled. "Ayana you are not fat by any means. I mean yea you've got hips, but it's only because you had 4 beautiful babies. And age should never be in question. You are only a few months younger than Roman. If it was an age issue than he should've knocked someone younger up the first year of college."
Ayana pressed her forehead to the dining room table. "Not helping." Ayana looked up at Nala. "If there is nothing wrong with the way I look; then why hasn't my husband had sex with me for almost two years. there is something clearly wrong with the way I look or dress or something. I mean who just stops having sex. Especially when we fucked like bunnies since the age of 15. God this was so much easier when we were young."
"You'll get it back...ya know...whatever it is you guys lost. It's just going to take some time." Nala reasoned.
"I hope so."
The girls hugged tightly as Ayana corralled the kids and got them into the Tahoe and got them all back to the house.
"You guys be quiet if Odyn and daddy are sleeping. They both had rough nights." Ayana warned.
She didn't have to look any further than the den, Roman was stretched out on the couch and Odyn was in the space between the back of the couch and his father's body. She watched as Braden and Max took the other couch as Samaria pulled her over to the big overstuffed chair.
Clearly everyone needed a nap from the nights chaotic mess.
It was moments like these with all the kids passed out in one room and the peacefulness of the day slipped into the house.
Silence was blissful and Ayana could remember all the reasons she'd fallen in love with Roman. She just wished they could go back to when they were young and Roman could remember all the reasons he fell in love with her.
There was something missing and broken and she was hopeful that it would eventually get back to how it had been before it all stopped.