Meet the Howlters

Scared

YEAR: 2044

[Winston's POV]

"Hey Dil," I whispered.
"Hmm?" she mumbled.

She had stayed at the hospital for two days straight. She was still in her wedding dress and her belongings still lingered all over the hospital room. Fiona woke up about a day ago but, Delilah still stayed by her bedside.

"I think you need to go home," I said.
"No, I'm fine,"
"Dil, you need to go home, get some rest, get out of this stupid dress, and just clear your head for a bit,"
"No, no, I can't go until I find a donor for Fiona,"
"I was gonna surprise you but, I offered to be Fiona's donor,"
"You what?" she cried.
"Yeah...dad and bear wouldn't let me help with you, so I-" She got up from her chair and gave me a tight hug.
"I love you so much," she sobbed into my shoulder. "Thank you..." she said, drying her eyes.
"It's the least I could do," I whispered as I rubbed her back.
"I'm so scared," she mumbled.
"We're all scared, Dil,"
"Why are you scared?" she pouted.
"Cause Stef is pregnant," he sighed.
"That's wonderful Winnie... Why are you scared?"
"Because...she has the condition Marilyn Monroe had..."
"And what's that?"
"We forget the actual name but it causes the mother to always miscarry. She's scared of losing a child and going through the pain. I'm scared of having a wife sad and in pain. You're scared of losing your daughter to the worst thing in the world,"
"And in scared of losing you..." she whispered.
"Losing me?"
"Anything could go wrong in surgery..."
"Nothing went wring with yours. We'll be fine, Dil. I'm right,"
"I know you're right,"
"I love you," I whispered.
"I love you too..."

***

"You're having surgery?" Stefanie scolded.
"Yes, I am,"
"Why on earth would you have surgery?"
"Because my sister needs me to,"
"She never asked you to do it!"
"Well, if I don't do it, then she loses her daughter..."
"Don't be so dramatic,"
"I'm not being dramatic!"
"Yes, you are! They'll find someone else who's a match!"
"But then, she'll be put on a donor list and the longer she waits, the sicker she gets. If I offer to do the surgery now, the sooner she'll get better and the less surgeries I'll have to do with her,"
"You're right...you're right,"
"I know I'm right," I smiled. "My surgery is in two weeks,"
"I hate you," she pouted.
"You're not mad at me," I smirked.
"Yes I am,"
"No you're not," I chuckled, "it's just your hormones going crazy cause of the baby,"
"The what?" dad said as he walked into my room.
"Dad," I gasped. "How much did you hear?"
"J-Just the baby part... How much was I not supposed to hear?" he asked as he set down my laundry basket.
"I'm having surgery in two weeks..."
"For what?"
"I'm Fiona's marrow donor..."
"Well, that's very nice of you Winnie..." he said as he hugged me. "So, how far along are you, Stef?"
"Three months... Please don't tell my dads or Dan or Louise or anyone...please..."
"Why not?"
"I don't wanna talk about it..."
"What are you gonna name it?"
"Well," she sighed. "I don't know the gender yet but, if it's a boy, I wanna name it Charlie, well, Charles. And if it's a girl, I wanna name her Lydia," she smiled.
"Any particular reason or do you just like the names?" dad asked.
"They were my birth parents names," she mumbled.
"Your birth parents?" I said. "You've never mentioned them before..."
"Yeah well, I just recently found out some new information about them,"
"Really? Like what?"
"Their names, for one... I also found out how they died..."
"How?" I asked.
"They were in a horrific car crash..."
"Where were you?"
"Home with the sitter..." she whispered. "I, apparently, had no more family members so I had nowhere to go... Therefore, I was put up for adoption..."
"Wow," I said.
"Can we talk about something else, please?"

***

"Today's the day," Delilah said as she walked into my hospital room. "Are you nervous?"
"The question is, are you nervous?"
"Terrified," she sighed.
"When does Fiona start chemo?"
"A few days after the surgery," she choked out. "My little girl does not deserve to go through this," she teared up. "She's so happy and innocent... I'm so scared Winnie..."
"You have every right to be," I said as I held her hand. "Look, we're both going to get out of this just fine. Don't you worry,"
"Don't worry?" she pursed her lips as she cried. "Winston, you do not have the right to tell me not to worry. You are not a parent. You don't know what it's like to have a child that is deathly ill. You don't know what it's like to be completely useless. All you want to do, in this situation, as a parent, is help your child. All you want is for them to be better...and, not being able to do that," she sobbed, "not even being able to help...is the worst fucking feeling in the world... You do not have any right, telling me not to worry..."
"You're right...I'm sorry Dil,"
"It's fine," she whispered. "I'm gonna go check on Fiona,"
"Okay,"
"I hope everything goes well on your end, Winnie,"
"You and me both,"
"I can't thank you enough for doing this for me,"
"It's no trouble,"
"I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too,"
"Good luck,"
"Thanks..." And with that, she was gone.

I'm so, fucking scared...