Until the Very End

Chapter 15

The sound of the babies cooing in their sleep from their cribs on the other side of the room brought Meryl back to the present. She could have easily let her conversation with Jane earlier in the day steal her thoughts and her attention, but her husband and babies deserved her thoughts and attention so so much more than her mother-in-law. Meryl looked up at the clock and she couldn't take much more of this waiting. She pressed her head to his and cried. "Please, baby, wake up. All of our babies need you, I need you so damn much. I can't even begin to fathom my life without you in it; it is too terrible to even try. You and the kids are the best part of me, Donald Gummer. I need my partner. I need my best friend. I need my confidante. I need the person who is just a part of me, as I am of him. Our children need their father. Lily needs her Grandpa Don. Please, Don, please come back. Don't leave me, baby, please don't leave me."

"Baby?" Don croaked with his eyes closed making Meryl's head pop up. "Where in the hell do you think I would go?"

Meryl's head pooped up as tears of relief flooded her eyes, and streamed down her face while she kissed him over and over. "Don Man! Thank god! I was so scared...I thought I...I thought we..."

"Baby, I'm right here. I would never leave you." Don was groggy and not sure what was going on. "Darl, why are you so upset? Did I do something to make you think I would leave you?"

Meryl shook her head as she ran her fingers through his hair. "No, baby. It's just been a shitty, shitty, day."

"What..." Don looked around and that's when he realized they were in the hospital. He looked at her and she was in regular clothes, but he wasn't. He continued to look around and saw 2 cribs in the corner and the babies were in it. "Am I sick? Are the babies...."

Meryl tenderly kissed his lips and cut off what he was saying. "The babies are perfect, I am fine now that you are. Baby, you had to have emergency surgery today to clear out your lungs."

"What?" Don was shocked. "I know I wasn't feeling well yesterday, but emergency surgery."

Meryl took a deep breath. "You weren't feeling well? Sweetheart, you just said you felt off. How weren't you feeling well? Why didn't you say something more when I totally overreacted last night."

"You did NOT overreact, I did." Don reaped for her hand so he could lace his fingers through hers. "I was just really, really tired. I didn't feel right. I just thought it was because of all the excitement with your surprise and getting the house ready. I didn't want to worry you. Baby, I really did think I was just overly exhausted. Please don't be mad. I really am sorry."

Meryl nodded. "Baby, I'm not mad, and there is nothing to apologize for. I know you are always protecting me, and I love you so much for it. However, don't protect me from things that keep me from protecting you."

"I get it." Don said as he groaned and leaned back into bed further. "What did happen?"

Meryl carefully pulled the covers up over him, and then she proceeded to tell him everything. By the time she was at the end of the story, she was sobbing. "I was so scared. When I was trying to get you to breathe and you coughed up all that shit..."

"Baby." Don choked as he held his arms out to her. "Let me hold you, please."

Meryl carefully laid down in bed next to him, not wanting to hurt him. "You're pretty fragile right now and I don't want to..."

"You would never hurt me." Don grimaced as he pulled her into his arms, not wanting her to see the look of pain on his face. He knew that the physical pain he was experiencing was nothing compared to what she had gone through. He kissed the top of her head over and over as he ran his fingers through her hair. "You were my breath. You saved me, sweetheart. I can only imagine how terrifying that was for you. There are so many times when I have seen you stop breathing and those moments were the worst moments of my life. Not only were you there for me, but you were there for our babies and our other kids. I am so damn glad you called Lizzie and Larry so that they could be here with you, and you weren't alone."