After being in another 10 hours of hell waiting for Jennifer's heart transplantation procedure being done, and another 48 hours of constant worry to know whether or not Jennifer would get through her critical moment, I finally can breathe a huge relieve of breath when Jennifer was finally awoke and being moved out from the ICU into observation room.
"And when will you let me out from this hospital ?" Jennifer asks in pout toward Peter while the later taking a thermometer out from her mouth.
"After we are sure that your body is accepting your new heart," Peter says calmly.
"Which is when ?" Jennifer urges.
Peter pats her head couple of time while mumbling, "Stubborn, stubborn."
"Tell me about it," I reply his scolding, making Jennifer even more sulky. She has been nagging about going home ever since her consciousness was 100% back to her.
Peter chuckles and sighs in the same time. "Well.. if your condition keeps being this good, I can let you home two more weeks. How about that ?"
"Okay," Jennifer replies reluctantly.
"Now.. don't forget to eat well, take your medicine, and most importantly, take a lot of rest," Peter says in warning tone.
"Sure... Like I have anything else to do beside resting," Jennifer grumbles.
Peter stands up and before goes out of the room, he pats my shoulder and saying "Good luck!"
Jennifer bulges her eyes hearing it while I muffle my laughter.
"I miss Sophie," Jennifer starts whining to me when we are alone.
I sit on a stool next to her and take her hand. "I know. But there is a pandemic out there. It is not safe to take her out, especially to this hospital where they receiving people who gets infected by the virus here."
Jennifer pouts, but she doesn't reply since she knew my reasoning was right.
The world is being attacked by an weird virus right now. The virus spreads so quick and said can be deadly. The hospital is of course receiving patients that are infected by the virus. Fortunately, thanks to Peter, Jennifer gets an isolated observation room and only being taken care of few specially chosen paramedics. so it is quite safe for us to stay in the room. So, I my self have been living in this section of hospital for almost two weeks now. As for Sophie, I had to leave her with Mrs. Barney, a middle age woman who use to help us clean the house and takes care of Sophie.
"Beside..." I kiss her lips softly, "This is a good opportunity for us to be alone." I give her another kiss. "Just the two of us." And another one.
I can sense a smile on her lips as she starts to return my kiss.
"Ahem," an awkward cough forces our kiss to separate.
"There goes our time alone," Jennifer hisses her complain. I chuckle while straightens up my upper body.
"Your lunch, Mrs. Bennet," A nurse, one who 'disturbed' us says then putting the meal on a bed side table beside me.
"Thanks, Nurse," I thank her before reaching the tray where the meal is prepared on and start to unwrap it and feed Jennifer.
----------
Two weeks later, after of course being nagged non-stop by Jennifer, Peter eventually let Jennifer out of the hospital. Once we were out from the hospital, we picked Sophie up and brought her home with us. Then, finally.. we are home. the three of us. Together.
Happy is definitely an underrated statement of how I feel now. I am more than grateful. I feel so blessed. Sounded so religious. Weird, I know. Especially when it comes out of a person who doesn't believe in God like me. But to be honest, I am starting to believe in God.
In my most desperate moment, when all my attempts of finding a heart donor seemed unfruitful, I subconsciously begged for help. I didn't know to whom at that time. I just begged begged continuosly in my heart to be given a way to find the donor. It was at that time, somehow my mind told me to 'meet' Thief. At it worked.
"Achu!" a tiny voice of sneeze brings me back from my reverie.
"Bless you, Baby," Jennifer replies then takes Sophie's snot out from her nose with her fingers.
"I think she has cold," Jennifer says when Sophie sneezes for the second time.
"I will raise the room temperature," I say then approaching the heater. After that, I go outside to make a call to Mrs. Barney. My mind suspects a bad thing.
"Hello, Mrs. Barney ?" I greets when my call is taken. "How are you ?"
"Oh, Mr. Bennet.. I'm.." Mrs. Barney's answer is halted by her coughs.
"Are you sick, Ma'am ?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, Mr. Bennet. I just got the result. I am exposed by the virus."
"Damn it !" That's all I can hiss before ending the call.
I immediately enter my bed room.
"Baby... stay away from Sophie," I tell Jennifer while my feet bring me to her side.
"What ? why ?" Jennifer asks in confusion. Instead of keeping her self away from Sophie, she brings Sophie closer to her head.
"She might get the virus," I say, taking Sophie from Jennifer's embrace as quick yet gentle as possible.
"Whaaat ?!?! How do you know ?"
"I called Mrs. Barney, and she admitted to me that she is having the virus."
"Oh, God !!" Jennifer shouts in panic. We were only taking Sophie from Mrs. Barney's home like three days ago. "So.. so.. what should we do ? We should go to pediatrician, right ?"
"We will. But, most important thing is, you should stay away from her. You are still in recovery."
"But..."
"Please, Baby... No 'but' this time, please," I plead her.
"But you also can be exposed from Sophie," Jennifer reminds me.
"I heal fast, remember ? That virus won't even have a chance to spread in my body," I reassure her. To be honest, I'm not sure my self. I know my body could heal wounds fast, but I have no experience with virus yet. But I really don't care. Even if I will get infected, I don't mind, as long it is not Jennifer who gets it.
"I will bring her to pediatrician now. If she is exposed, I will bring her to your room upstair until she is recovered," I continue before Jennifer has a chance to argue me.
"Okay..." Jennifer replies meekly. I know she wanted to argue that she didn't want to be left alone here. But she knew, it is the best way for her.
----------
I wake up to Sophie's loud cry. Still with half sleeping, my hands automatically check her pampers. Knowing it is still dry, I force my eyes to open. They wre only being closed for merely four hours. But that was a precious for hours for me.
Bringing Sophie to the pediatrician was actually no use. The doctor could not make sure whether she had the virus or not. She is too little for the doctor to do the procedure. But the doctor said that the virus wouldn't do much to little children snce they had good immune and fast recovery. Still, he gave me some anti-virus and fever medicines for baby to be given to Sophie. So I took her straight to the second floor ever since. And that was three days ago.
I believe she had the virus, though. She had had slightly fever and been lot more fussy than usual for two days. But the doctor was also right. She has been getting better since yesterday. That leaded me to be able to sleep, at last, after three days and three nights in a row. I am grateful for that since I knew I was getting the virus from Sophie. I had a fever and bad headache. Thankfully, they are all gone now, after I had a four hours of sleep. So, my body can also heal me from virus, I conclude.
My body shivers a little when my feet touch the floor due to its coldness before taking Sophie to my embrace. In my embrace, she calms a bit.
I glance to the window. It is only then I realize there is some kind of storm outside. The snow was pouring hard in wld direction meaning that the wing is even blowing harder. I decide to cover Sophie with her tiny blanket before bringing her down with me to the kitchen.
Once in the kitchen, I reach the refrigerator and open the freezer door. My hand still taking the frozen breast milk, but my furrows clench deep. I just notice now that there are only two packs of frozen breast milk left in the freezer now. Jennifer should pump her breasts every six hours, each would produce two packs. The fact that it was only two packs left, meaning that she haven't pumped for more than 12 hours,
"Shit !" I curse while immediately running toward our bedroom.
:Jen !!" I shout in worry, startles Sophie and makes her cries again. But this time I don't bother to calm her down as I see Jennifer's body is lying on the floor next to out bed.