Never Leave My Side (A Teen Pregnancy story)

First Meeting

I held Gabry's hand tightly as we waited for the nurse to come back in. She was in and out of consciousness even more now and I tried to convince myself that it was because of something they'd put in her IV to help with the anesthesia. Right now, Gabry's eyes were closed and she was very loosely gripping my hand back. Her mother stood on the opposite side of the bed, tear-stained face mimicking mine and thin fingers squeezing her daughter's hand. Gabry looked paler than I ever remembered her looking in the past and the surgical cap they had placed on her head to keep all of her hair back partially plastered to the top of her forehead. Strands of hair that had escaped the net stuck to the side of her face in sweaty swirls.

They had prepped Gabry for surgery in a matter of minutes and said they'd come back for me once they had gotten her into the operating room. I was slightly surprised that when asked, Mrs. Evermore declined to go into the OR and said I should be the one in there with her. "It's your children in there. We'll meet you on the recovery side." I had a feeling that maybe she still felt guilty for the way she acted with Gabry and me at the beginning of all this, but I wasn't going to dwell on it. No matter her reasoning, this was equally as difficult for her as it was for me.

I could tell that the doctor hadn't told either of us the true seriousness of the situation, but maybe that was for the better. There were so many nurses and technicians bustling in and out of the room that, after a gentle kiss on her cheek, I excused myself to step outside of the room and slump against the wall. I slid all the way to the cold, tiled floor and rested my head in my hands.

This was supposed to be a happy moment for us, our parents were supposed to be elated and happily waiting to meet their new grandchildren. Gabry's mother wasn't supposed to be wondering if this sleeping and ill frame of Gabry was the last image she was going to remember of her youngest child forever. I wasn't supposed to be thinking of the possibility that I might be the only one out of my family of four to make it out of this hospital alive.

I could feel tears and snot slipping down my face, into my hands, and between my fingers; sweat starting to break out on my own forehead. My breath was hitching in my throat and it was just as hard to find the air to push out as it was to remember how to breathe it in. All I could see in my brain was Gabry and how sickly she appeared. I might have stopped breathing for a moment, but I couldn't tell either way. My thoughts were only honed in on the suffering girl in the room behind me.

I would have stayed like that - a blubbering and snotty young man on the floor of a hospital, if someone hadn't gently touched my shoulder. "Jason?"

Robotically, my eyes drifted upward and I was immediately aware of my messy appearance. I didn't say anything because I knew my voice would be too shaky to understand.

"Jason, they're taking Gabry back now. Don't worry. You will see her momentarily. I stayed behind to make sure that you were alright and ready to go into the delivery suite." She was crouched next to me, her eyes a soft blue and full of understanding. She handed me several tissues, which I gratefully accepted. "My name is Hannah." She added as she watched me.

As I wiped my face and hands dry, I nodded. "Thanks." I finally said when I found my voice again and gestured to the sodden tissues. "I - uh - I needed that." I began to twist my medic alert bracelet, given to me after my own surgery with a lecture about how I should have been wearing it beforehand for diabetes. I started to shakily push myself up and immediately felt lightheaded as the sweat thickened on my face. "Ah, shit." I scowled down at the bracelet as I realized I hadn't eaten in several hours because of everything that had been going on and now, when my girlfriend needed me most, I was starting a hypoglycemic episode.

Hannah, the nurse, seemed to catch on and frowned. "Jason, are you diabetic?" She asked, putting her hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, I-I haven't eaten anything since this morning," I said shakily, frustrated that my stupidity of not making sure I ate earlier was now interrupting this nurse's priority of her patients. "It doesn't matter though. I just need to be with her." I lost control of my voice and let it crack however many times it wished as the lightheaded feeling continued. "I just - Why are we even worrying about me right now? It'll be fine." My eyes stung with tears as my internally directed frustration continued.