Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 87817 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87817 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
“You let them take away my only chance for a baby! They took that away from me! You should have stopped them!”
My body shook as I sobbed, aching for her.
“Waylynn, honey, look at me.”
It was my mother begging me to look at her. All I could do was stare at Jonathon.
“Why didn’t you stop them?”
Sadness swept over his face, making me wish I could take back what I’d just said. But the only thing I could think about was that my dream of becoming a mother was fading into the blackness.
Jonathon leaned in closer. “Waylynn? Waylynn, baby, please stay with me!”
His voice faded as quickly as the light did. I slipped into a slumber of peace and prayed that when I woke back up, this would all turn out to be a bad dream.
* * *
I blinked as I tried to adjust to the sunlight shining through the window. The chair that Jonathon had been sitting in was empty. An ache formed in my chest and my throat felt sore as I attempted not to cry.
When I turned my head, I saw my mother. Her head was lying on my bed.
“Momma.”
Popping up, she let out a sigh of relief. “Waylynn, sweetheart.”
From the look in her eyes, I knew I hadn’t been dreaming when Jonathon told me about the hysterectomy.
“Where’s Jonathon?”
“Cord made him go to the hotel and shower and get some sleep. He hasn’t left your side in three days.”
“Three days?” I asked. “What happened?”
“You passed out and the doctors said you were in shock. We’ve been worried sick, and Jonathon has been holding your hand for hours, begging you to wake up.”
I vaguely remembered his voice, muffled through the pain.
“It’s true then. They did a hysterectomy?”
She nodded. “There was no other option. They did it to save your life, and even if Jonathon had been here in time, they would have still done it.”
A tear slipped from my eye. “Is he angry with me?”
Her eyes widened in horror. “No! Of course he’s not.”
“I blamed him. I didn’t mean to.”
She took my hand and kissed the back of the bandage. “He knows that. He loves you so much.”
I began to cry as I looked at the ceiling. “I can’t give him…what he wants, Momma. I’m…I’m broken.” My body shook as I cried.
“Oh, Waylynn, my sweet baby girl. Don’t you say that. Jonathon loves you regardless of if you can carry a child or not.”
I shook my head. “He wants kids. We talked about how we were going to tell them stories about the two of us before we had them.”
Another round of sobs came, and my body hurt like hell, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t stop the tears if I tried. “He wants more than one. I can’t even give him that now!”
I could hear someone walk into the room, and my mother spoke to them.
“Mitchell, call Jonathon and tell him Waylynn is awake and needs him. Have the nurse come in also.”
The door shut again and I turned to her. “I can’t face him.”
“He needs to see you, and you need to see him. Now, I want you to take a deep breath and relax.”
“Momma,” I said, tears building so fast I could hardly see. “I can’t give him a baby. I can’t have a baby!”
The nurse walked into the room, and my mother stepped away from the bed. Her hand covered her mouth as I cried harder.
“I can’t give him a baby!”
The nurse spoke to me in the calmest voice as she placed a needle into the IV. “It’s okay, Waylynn. Shhh…this will help you relax.”
“I don’t want to go back to sleep. Please, don’t make me go back to sleep.”
A warmth spread through my body and I instantly began to relax.
I felt a hand brush my hair back, and I looked to the right. “Daddy,” I whispered.
“I’m here, baby girl. Daddy’s here.”
Smiling, I closed my eyes. “Where’s Jonathon, Daddy?”
“He’s almost here, darlin’. He’s almost here.”
“I love him, Daddy. Please tell him for me.”
The room felt charged as I felt someone kiss me on the forehead.
“I’m right here. I love you, too, Waylynn.”
Opening my eyes, I smiled when I saw Jonathon. He hadn’t shaved and his eyes looked so tired.
“I’m not leaving, I promise.”
Emptiness swept over me. I knew he meant those words, but how long would he mean them?
Jonathon leaned over and gently kissed me. As if he could read my mind, he whispered, “I’m never leaving.”
* * *
“How is she today?”
I rolled my eyes and sighed loudly. It had been five weeks since my accident, and my mother and Aunt Vi still walked on eggshells around me. “You know I can hear you. I had a hysterectomy, they didn’t remove my ears.”
The voices lowered, and retreated. The back door opened, and Corina stepped out onto the porch.