My pregnancy had never been an accident. I turned and tossed through the night, not getting any sleep.
By daybreak, I saw a message in the family group chat.
Yesterday, Shane had asked his mother some questions when making chicken stew. Today, she tagged him in the group chat and said, “I cooked up a batch. I’ll send some over later.”
I got up and went to the living room, but there was no one in sight. He had not returned. My heart sank instantaneously.
I splashed some cold water on my face, then called a cab and went straight to the hospital.
I got a number for a consultation, then while waiting for my turn for the surgery, I added my own family members to that group chat as well.
My brother was on his way to work, and he sent a question mark to the group chat out of confusion.
The nurse called my name. Before I was wheeled into the operation room, I sent all the screenshots I had taken into the group chat.
When I lay down, the operating lights were a little too bright, so I closed my eyes.
I felt a peace inside me. I instinctually ran my hands over my not-yet-showing belly.
It was still so early in the pregnancy. Would the tiny life in me know that that was my way of saying goodbye to it?
Tears streamed down my cheeks and onto the pillow.
Shane had said this was a gift from the heavens, but he was only trying to brainwash himself. We had agreed that for the rest of our lives, it’d be just us against the world, and we’d be each other’s support.
We once saw an elderly gentleman pushing an elderly lady in a wheelchair down the street. We were so envious and said that we needed to do the same when we got older too.
When one of us could no longer walk, the other person would then be in charge of wheeling them around wherever we went.
After I found out I was pregnant, I had hesitated. But seeing how joyful he was, I gradually became excited for the birth of this child too.
My brother had bought all sorts of cute clothes for the baby, and this warmed my heart greatly. He even appeared to be more excited than Shane.
“I’m going to be the best uncle in the whole world!”
Closing my eyes, I could not help but feel sorrow on my brother’s behalf.
I could not even imagine how crazed he would be when he saw those disgusting text messages during his commute through the morning rush hour.
