Chapter 183 LITTLE CREATURES
1631words
The clock strikes 12 and I look at Tessa's pale face with sad eyes, I lower my head and whisper in her ear slowly, "Happy New Year." and then kiss her forehead.
Doctor Leen said that Tessa is unable to hear anything as her brain has gone to sleep. But I don't find any authenticity in her words. I know Tessa could hear me, she could feel my presence, I sensed her.
Maybe my hallucinations, but this keeps me at ease that she will return to me one day as she isn't completely gone from my life.
I sit beside her bed, watching her, talking with her, apologizing to her. I haven't thought in my wildest dream that we would be like this on our first New Year together.
I had thought of making this night blissful and memorable but as I look at her now. I don't think she will be able to remember anything now.
****
A week has passed and there is no improvement in Tessa's condition. She remains in a persistent vegetative state. I watch her daily and spend time in her room daily. I have started to avoid Ann as much as I could and she also doesn't approach me.
We are on cold terms and seriously at this time I am only considered for Tessa's health and don't want to give my attention to anyone else.
****
BEEP … BEEP … BEEP …
I look at Dr. Leen anxiously, she is all prepared to deliver the child. Tessa's condition suddenly worsens and she can't wait for her to deliver as she opted for a caesarian.
"Don't worry, I'll try my best to save her." She squeezed my hand in assurance and I looked at Tessa's pale face worriedly, "She has to…" I murmur to myself.
"Ahh…" Tessa moves and I can't control my excitement as I look at her and then call her name, "Tessy… Tessy…"
Her brows furrow and her breaths start to get slow, the machine starts beeping violently. "What's happening?" I pat Tessa's cheeks and then take her hand in mine, her hand is cold, but she flinches from my touch.
Oh God, Tessy, don't go, please. Don't go.
My eyes start to fill with water when I hear the voice of a baby crying, but I don't look at it as my all focus is on Tessy, she seems to calm down and I start caressing her hair murmuring a thousand pleas to God to not take away my Tessy.
I won't smoke,
I won't hurt her,
I will give her what she wants,
just send her back to me, please.
I don't want to lose her, please.
I have completely lost myself in Tessa when suddenly I feel someone pulling me back and then I am out of the OT in a flash.
"No…" I yell in protest but a male nurse holds me down efficiently.
"You can't be inside, now." He tells me while I start to protest violently and then watch people in the OT running and looking anxious, what happened to Tessa?
"What happened to her?" I turn to look at the male nurse and he gives me a simple look, "We are losing her, you have to be prepared, sir."
Prepared for what??
Suddenly, I feel like someone has taken my soul out as I fall heavily to the ground. The noises around me seem to faint and my vision starts to get blurry.
So finally, she is gone.
Everyone has left me, my parents, my Tessy, I could never give happiness to Ann nor to Tessa. I wasn't even able to protect them in their life.
Useless and cursed.
This is what I am.
The people I touched get ruined by my curse, I could never be loved nor am I able to give love to someone.
I lean my head at the wall, and tears of defeat, dismay, and remorse start falling uncontrollably. My heart aches terribly. This is what I have done to Tessa, I have turned her lively personality into ashes.
I could have saved her from being away from her but no, every time my lust, my desires take over my mind and this is what I get in return, loneliness, and heartache.
She has left a void space in my heart and now I am broken, completely broken without her.
"Andrew…
Andrew…"
There is a slight shake on my arm that brings me back to my disaster life. Devastated I look at the figure in front of me, "Tessy," With blurred eyes, I murmured, and as I blink and my vision gets clear I see only disappointment.
"She is gone." I choke, sadly.
Dr. Leen takes a deep sigh and then sits beside me, "Congratulations, you have just become a father, today." She congratulates me and it turns the bitterness in my heart into fury.
"It takes away my Tessy's life." I snap.
"No one has taken anyone's life. She is alive."
BOOM
She reveals and I look at her in complete shock.
"No… Where is…" I started to stand up excitedly but my legs were numb as I staggered and Dr. Leen stabilizes me at the perfect moment.
"Andrew, calm down." She scolds me with a stern voice and finally I calm down myself.
"You can't be around her, she is alive but not safe. We need to be sure that she is safe and until then no one is going to be near her except me, and one nurse I have appointed for her." She tells me strictly and I nod my head in response.
"Can I watch her?" I ask.
"Yes, but not now." She says as she stubbornly pulls me back to sit on the floor beside her.
"I thought I have lost her," I whisper in a low voice.
"Since the day you have brought her here, you don't look like the Andrew I have seen before.. What is it? What has she done to you?" She looked at me in exasperation.
"I… I love her… a lot…" I confess and she sneers in response offending me immensely,
"Love? You know the truth of your marriage since day one. The contracts don't include love in them." Her words are sarcastic and I flinch from her tone.
"I didn't make that contract," I said defensively.
"But you neither told her about it," Dr. Leen replied sternly.
"It wasn't my thing to tell her," I tell her, "Why?" She prompts.
"I don't think these things matter now," I tell her dismissively, irritated by her interrogation.
"Don't you want to see your child?" She asks and I frown.
"It was Ann's wish, you better take her to see the child," I tell her emotionlessly.
This child has caused all these troubles, I don't feel any love or concern towards it.
Nothing, I feel nothing for this child.
"Huh, you know Tessa always adored her child, even when she didn't know about it at all." She says and I tense thinking about Tessa's love for her child.
Unfortunately, she wasn't even able to see the child, nor knew the gender of her baby.
"Yeah, she was crazy for her child… but now, sadly," I begin and then stop feeling pain.
We never know where God will bring us at all.
"Come, I'll take you to see the child, you have to see your kids." She starts pulling me up and I show no interest in going with her.
"At least for Tessa, come with me." She hits me emotionally and finally, I stand up and start following her willingly.
She takes me to multiple corridors and then we reach the NICU and I look at her in confusion, "Is the child not well?" I ask.
"Come, I'll show you." She keeps the suspense and then leads me inside.
There is a nurse inside, she greets us respectfully and then steps aside.
Finally, I see a small baby on the bed, naked, making little noises, his eyes closed, and his limbs looking restless.
"He… He seems fine." I turn to look at Dr. Leen and she gave me a smile, "He weighs 6 pounds, which I didn't expect actually."
She looks amused and finally in the last few days this is the first time that I smile, "I know, my Tessy always amazes everyone."
"Indeed…" She says and then walks away while I stare at the little creature on the bed so all this chaos happened because of this little creature.
It's truly unbelievable.
"Here." Dr. Leen hands me the gown, gloves, and mask again.
I take them obediently and then wear them carefully. I was ready to step into the room where the baby is when Dr. Leen gestures for me to walk in different directions.
I raise my eyebrow and then follow her quietly until we reach the other room, next to the room where the baby boy is.
I stop abruptly when I notice the presence of another baby on the bed, thinner than the one I have seen just now.
"This?" I raise my brow looking blankly at Dr. Leen.
She stops and then turns to me, "Tessa has given birth to twin boys."
BOOM
She reveals and I stagger back in disbelief.
Was Tessa carrying twins??
I open my eyes wide in disbelief, but the small creature in front of me stays in my presence, which means I am not hallucinating.
We are a family of four, I am overjoyed but at the same moment, I feel terrified too.
Tessa's love for one baby was too much. What will happen when she would know the truth about her two boys?
Does that mean Ann will take away one child or both from her???
