Hidden Secrets

Chapter 27

Ted POV

I stepped into a room that read Room 245 Phlebotomy. "Please sir..." The nurse signaled for me to take a seat. I took a deep breath, took a seat on a doctors' recliner, and leaned back in a comfortable position. Many needles laid in front of me on the table.

My wife was taken in the hallway while the blood tests were in process. She was hesitant but gave in when given an explanation.

Jenny..she won't leave until she knows the reason behind it.. I thought as a smile formed on my lips.

"Shall we begin?" The lady interrupted my thoughts. I nodded. The phlebotomist, I should call her, began by grabbing an elastic band and wrapped it right above my elbow. "Im going to draw some of your blood so we can do a quick blood check. " She informed. She also slid an iv machine near me, attaching a small clip on my thumb. I thought that she was just being prepared if anything goes wrong during the blood draw so she could know what it was.

She wiped a small wet cloth over the area she wanted to place the needle. I raised my head and looked around the room in order to take my mind off of the pain.

There were posters that read Go Achieve Your Dreams! and It's always great to donate. A needle used for blood draw was drawn on the second poster. To keep myself even more occupied, I listened to the steady beeping of the iv machine, knowing when the next beep will be.

It wasn't long until the phlebotomist was done drawing some of my blood. She unattached the equipment off my arm. "You can take the rubber band off, too." She said.

I felt relieved since that elastic band was wrapped so tight around my arm during the blood draw.

A couple more blood examinations were done which followed with a lot of questions concerning health. They had to check my blood type, if I was a smoker, among loads of other questions. Once that was done, she allowed me to leave.

"Wait.." I stopped. "When will the results come in?" I asked.

The lady was busy jotting stuff down on her clipboard but her raised her head at my question. "Probably tomorrow since this data is needed as soon as possible. It doesn't take long to process this information." She proceeded to answer. I nodded, thanking her as I left the room.

~~
I stood in front of the ER UNIT room. The doctors allowed us to come in but reminded us that visiting hours would be over in half an hour. I opened the double doors and walked in. Instead of doors separating the patients, there were curtains that displayed different numbers for each patient.

Jenny went ahead and looked for the correct corresponding number on the card she held in her hand. Once we found the correct number, I pulled back the curtain and braced myself.

Bram in a hospital gown, lay almost lifelessly on the bed. He was assisted with a life support machine which allowed him to breathe. Taking steps toward the bed, Bram's features could be seen up close.

His face pale, his messy brunette hair covered a bit of his eyes. I brushed the hair out of his face and stared at the young life, my son. Jenny came behind me, holding me close, as she rested her head on my shoulder. I looked down at her and she sniffled a bit as tears welled up in her eyes. "Bram.." She whimpered.

Jenny let go of me and stumbled over to Bram, resting her hand on his left cheek. "Ted..I don't want to lose him." She fretted as she shook her head.

I bit my lip, trying to hold back tears. "I don't want to either." That's when realization hit me. The decision I made was the real deal. There was no turning back anymore.