Unexpected connection [a Damian Priest story]

18 What could have been

Damian POV

Now, here I was sitting. In the waiting room of the hospital, with our sleeping baby, waiting for the doctors or a nurse to tell me how Y/N was doing. I prayed that everything would be okay, but I couldn't get the image out of my head. The image of Y/N bleeding in the shower and the look in her eyes.

The only good thing at the moment was that Mateo was still asleep. That way he didn't notice my nervousness and fear. I would have liked to sleep too, because then I could wake up. Wake up from this dream or rather nightmare.

I didn't take my eyes off the entrance to the waiting area for a second. Now someone had to come and tell me how she was doing, right? Was it normal that it took so long? Was that a good or a bad sign? 

I really had no idea what I was going to do without Y/N. In this short time she had become such an important part of my life that I didn't know what it would be like without her. 

With everything I had in me, I tried to think positively. Y/N was a strong woman. She had already achieved so much in her life. She was a fighter, for sure. And one thing was also very clear to me. She would not abandon her child. Not if she could somehow prevent it. Mateo was a part of her and she knew how much the little man needed his Mami.

The ticking of the clock on the wall seemed to get louder and louder. I had the feeling that it was taunting me. Every second seemed like an eternity. But it was probably only twenty minutes. The longest twenty minutes of my life.

Then finally the door opened and the doctor who had delivered Mateo entered the room. She looked around the room until her eyes finally fell on me and the baby.

"Ah, Mr Priest, there you are. You can relax. Y/N is doing okay." she said as she stood in front of me.

Relief flowed through me like warm water. Worries were washed away. I sighed deeply and leaned back.

"Thank God! What happened?" I replied as I rubbed my hands over my face.

"Y/N had a huge blood clot that didn't move on its own. Her body was trying to get rid of it all at once. Hence the heavy bleeding. I had to remove the clot by hand. This was very stressful for Y/N's body because she was in a lot of pain. Her heart rate was very high with a very low blood pressure at times. It is good that you brought her here so quickly. She lost a lot of blood, but we are getting that under control. She has received a blood transfusion and fluids. She is also receiving a high dose iron supplement. We will monitor her overnight and if everything looks good, Y/N can go home tomorrow morning," she explained to me in detail.

"Can we go see her?" I wanted to know after glancing at Mateo.

"Of course. She's sleeping right now, but I'm sure she won't mind seeing her family," the doctor replied.

I picked Mateo up and grabbed his diaper bag before following the doctor through the long hallways of the hospital. A short time later she stopped in front of a room and looked inside.

"She should still rest, but you can already sit with her. As long as it's not too strenuous." she said and then let us enter.

Quietly, I placed Mateo on one of the chairs before carrying him to his mother's bedside. Then I put another chair next to it for me. My eyes wandered back and forth between my sleeping girlfriend and our boy. I was so glad that everything would be all right again. Today had shocked me very much and made me even more grateful for what I had.

After half an hour Mateo started to make the cute little noises he always made just before he woke up. I quickly unstrapped him and took him in my arms. But I wasn't quick enough, because he started crying.

"Shh.... I'm here Mateo. All is good. Shh... shh... shh." I whispered as I cradled him.

I hoped he would calm down again before waking Y/N. But I wasn't so lucky, because almost immediately her eyes began to flutter.

"Hey..." she breathed.

"Hey, princesa! How are you feeling? I'm sorry. We didn't mean to wake you up." I replied softly.

"It's alright. Did you feed him? I think he's hungry." she said after glancing at the bundle in my arms.

"No, he was asleep until just now." I explained to her.

"Give him to me." she demanded.

"Are you sure? I can make him a bottle," I suggested, even though I knew there was little point.

"Give me my baby, D!" she repeated.

Smiling, I handed her the little one and watched as she began to nurse him.

"I know, I know. That's how hungry my little man is." she cooed.

"How are you feeling?" I asked again.

"Um... it's actually okay. I'm sorry I scared you so much." she replied as she lifted her gaze to look at me.

"Yeah, it was very scary, but the doctor said everything looks good and you'll probably be able to go home tomorrow." I said as I sat down on the bed next to my two and gave her a kiss on the temple.

"Yeah I know. That's good. I hate hospitals." she said as she leaned her head tiredly against my shoulder.

"We'll stay here with you. I won't let you out of my sight until I'm 100% sure that you're doing really well again. I never want to experience anything like that again," I replied tensely.

"I don't want that either. Thank God you were home." said Y/N.

"That's true. I hope you know you can always count on me. I love you both and I don't want to lose you," I said to her.

"I love you too and Mateo absolutely adores you. You are the best thing that could have happened to us, Damian. I know you will always be there for us." she spoke softly and then sighed deeply.

I felt her relax a little as we both watched the baby feed contentedly. We were both glad that this day had not ended worse. Because we were both aware of what could have been.