The Stupid Things We Do, chapter 17
Part 17 (Alternate Ending)
You pull a small box out of your pocket and hand it to her, "Open it." You say.
She pulls the lid open and looks at the contents. She gives you a quizzical look.
You take the ring out of the box and put it on her finger, "Marry me?" you say and look into her eyes.
A smile grows on her face and she pulls you into a hug. "I thought you'd never ask," she says, "This is something I've wanted to happen for a long time. It's the best-" Adie stops in mid sentence; she is looking down at the bed sheets where a red pool is growing bigger by the second. You don't think about what comes next. You push the panic button at the side of the bed and watch as the doctors and nurses wheel Adie away to an operating room.
They took Joey away. A nurse came and took him back to the nursery. Now you have no one to comfort you as you sit in the waiting room staring at the wall. You keep reminding yourself how common bleeding after pregnancy is, and how easy it is to fix it nowadays.
After about 2 hours, a doctor walks into the waiting room.
"Is anyone here for an Adrienne Nesser?" he says.
You stand up. "I am." You croak. It appears you have lost your voice.
The doctor motions you to follow him. He leads you into an empty coffee room.
"Before I am allowed to release information on Miss Nesser, I need to know what your relationship is with her."
"Well, I'm the father of our child," you say, then remember, "She's also my fiancé."
"Thank you Mr... ?"
"Armstrong."
"Mr. Armstrong. Your fiancé did not have a hemorage as one of the nurses may have led you to believe, but she was internally bleeding from a wound inflicted on a main artery. It seems the broken ribs she received a couple weeks back was not completely healed and it cracked during the time when Miss Nesser was giving birth. She... did not survive the surgery."
This isn't turning out to be a very good day.
Grief stricken, you sit in the deserted room for hours it seems. The nurse returns with Joey so you're not completely alone anymore, and Mike and Tré show up later on in the day. You all just sit there; they seem to realize you don't want to be bothered in such a tragic time. At least they're presence is comforting.
~Two Weeks Later~
You're at the funeral with Joey. You have been holding back on looking into the open casket at the front of the room, but the service is about to begin so you walk to the casket and look in. There's Adie just lying there, you would think she was sleeping if her face wasn't so pale. And in her arms is Delila, looking just as peaceful. You bend down and give Adie a last kiss on the cheek, then go and sit in your seat. The priest goes to the front and starts his speech.
"Adrienne Nesser was a kind woman who was loved by all who knew her... " he begins. But you don't really hear anything after that. It's weird to hear a person that you just met talk about someone he never even knew.
The service continues, but your reminiscing in your own way, thinking of all the good and bad times you had together. It's not until Mike taps you on the shoulder that you realize the service is over. Time for the burial.
As they lower Adie and Delila into the ground everyone cries. Except you. You're beyond that. So you say a silent goodbye to each of them.
Goodbye Delila, sweetie. I wish that we could have had more time together.
Goodbye Adie. I love you. I miss you. We'll come face to face again one day. I promise.
The End
You pull a small box out of your pocket and hand it to her, "Open it." You say.
She pulls the lid open and looks at the contents. She gives you a quizzical look.
You take the ring out of the box and put it on her finger, "Marry me?" you say and look into her eyes.
A smile grows on her face and she pulls you into a hug. "I thought you'd never ask," she says, "This is something I've wanted to happen for a long time. It's the best-" Adie stops in mid sentence; she is looking down at the bed sheets where a red pool is growing bigger by the second. You don't think about what comes next. You push the panic button at the side of the bed and watch as the doctors and nurses wheel Adie away to an operating room.
They took Joey away. A nurse came and took him back to the nursery. Now you have no one to comfort you as you sit in the waiting room staring at the wall. You keep reminding yourself how common bleeding after pregnancy is, and how easy it is to fix it nowadays.
After about 2 hours, a doctor walks into the waiting room.
"Is anyone here for an Adrienne Nesser?" he says.
You stand up. "I am." You croak. It appears you have lost your voice.
The doctor motions you to follow him. He leads you into an empty coffee room.
"Before I am allowed to release information on Miss Nesser, I need to know what your relationship is with her."
"Well, I'm the father of our child," you say, then remember, "She's also my fiancé."
"Thank you Mr... ?"
"Armstrong."
"Mr. Armstrong. Your fiancé did not have a hemorage as one of the nurses may have led you to believe, but she was internally bleeding from a wound inflicted on a main artery. It seems the broken ribs she received a couple weeks back was not completely healed and it cracked during the time when Miss Nesser was giving birth. She... did not survive the surgery."
This isn't turning out to be a very good day.
Grief stricken, you sit in the deserted room for hours it seems. The nurse returns with Joey so you're not completely alone anymore, and Mike and Tré show up later on in the day. You all just sit there; they seem to realize you don't want to be bothered in such a tragic time. At least they're presence is comforting.
~Two Weeks Later~
You're at the funeral with Joey. You have been holding back on looking into the open casket at the front of the room, but the service is about to begin so you walk to the casket and look in. There's Adie just lying there, you would think she was sleeping if her face wasn't so pale. And in her arms is Delila, looking just as peaceful. You bend down and give Adie a last kiss on the cheek, then go and sit in your seat. The priest goes to the front and starts his speech.
"Adrienne Nesser was a kind woman who was loved by all who knew her... " he begins. But you don't really hear anything after that. It's weird to hear a person that you just met talk about someone he never even knew.
The service continues, but your reminiscing in your own way, thinking of all the good and bad times you had together. It's not until Mike taps you on the shoulder that you realize the service is over. Time for the burial.
As they lower Adie and Delila into the ground everyone cries. Except you. You're beyond that. So you say a silent goodbye to each of them.
Goodbye Delila, sweetie. I wish that we could have had more time together.
Goodbye Adie. I love you. I miss you. We'll come face to face again one day. I promise.
The End
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