ICU: THE TRILOGY

01

Crystal woke up with a pounding headache and the sound of her infant baby crying. For months now she's realized that 5:00 AM is when her weekday would start. Feed the baby, put the baby back to sleep and then get her oldest son up for school; that task alone takes thirty minutes.

Meanwhile, Devale was taking in all the sleep he could. It never sat right with Crystal, how he could sleep through anything. But, she realized at some point he was just catching up on the sleep he'd miss out when he was becoming a great surgeon.

Crystal got up and grabbed her robe. She put it on before walking to her 10 month old daughter, Angel's, nursey.

She leaned down and looked at the crying baby.

"Shh, good morning Angel." She said as she picked her up. "That's no way to start off your morning." She said rocking her daughter.

With more rocking, the baby grew quieter. Crystal traveled downstairs and went to the fridge, she grabbed her special breastmilk jug. With Angel in one side of her arm, Crystal managed to make a bottle and heat it up.

Crystal and Devale are working on getting Angel off of bottles. They've tried numerous sippy cups, but she refuses. So, they've been feeding her more solid foods. Starting with her fruit and veggies, now putting her onto chicken and fish.

"Is that better?" Crystal asked putting Angel in her high chair. "Finish your milk mommy will make you breakfast." She spoke to her daughter, not gaining a response.

Angel just nodded.

"Can you say breakfast?" Crystal asked.

"..."

"What about mama?"

"..."

Crystal sighed and stood back. Angel looked at her mom and then looked away, finishing her bottle.

After spending almost an hour together, Crystal and Angel decided to walk back upstairs to wake up Terrell for school.

"Terrell get up!" Crystal said loudly knocking on her son's door.

"I'm up, I just showered." He answered shocking her.

She nodded and walked away from the door. She went to her bedroom, to see Devale sitting up in bed on his phone.

"Good morning." She said putting Angel down the bed.

"Good morning baby," Devale said turning his phone off. "Good morning cutie, did you sleep good?" Devale asked as Angel moved into his arms.

"Babe." Crystal called out.

"What's up?"

"Do you think that Angel is um, delayed?" Crystal asked in the quietest voice possible.

She didn't want to worry her daughter.

He stood up and stretched, looking at the baby, he had the biggest smile on his face.

"She's perfect." He said reaching for her.

She walked into his arms.

"But, she doesn't communicate well, she doesn't respond to simple task"

"Crystal you're a doctor." Devale reminded his wife. "You know that babies grow at different speeds." He said nonchalantly.

To Crystal, Angel's milestones are a very sensitive topic. She wants her daughter to be healthy and well. Especially with the loss of her previous children. Devale knows that if something is seriously wrong then Crystal will start to blame herself. Most mother's blame themselves when they find out their child is special needs or has a learning disability.