The next morning, I awoke to the familiar smell of bacon and pancakes. I had yet to tell Nova or Tabitha the good news, but I suspected they both knew Alex was going to propose to me before I did.
"Good morning!" Loretta beamed, her hair was done up, and she wore a relatively nice outfit. And then I remembered, she always goes on Thursdays to visit her husband's grave, even if it's a holiday."I expect to see you both back before three for dinner." She said, flipping a pancake over.
"Okay," I said, rubbing my eyes awake. After breakfast, Alex and I each took turns taking a shower. Getting dressed in a pair of capris and a Tybee Island t-shirt, I waited for Alex to get ready. I thought it was funny that I was a 'tourist' that is until Alex had the same idea as me."I swear you keep reading my mind," I said, twisting my hair into a loose braid.
"Maybe that's a good thing." He replied, grabbing the keys and following me outside.
"So, where are we going?" I asked, just as my phone rang, "Hello?"
"Hello, is this Elsie Andrews?" An unfamiliar woman responded.
"Yes, may I ask who's calling?"
"My name is Casey, Ma'am. I'm calling in regards to your sister Nova White and her husband, Joshua. You are needed immediately at the Saint Mary's Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina."
"What do you mean, hospital? Is something wrong? What happened?"
"Ma'am you need to stay calm," Casey said, "I will explain everything when you get here."
"We will be there in thirty minutes. Thank you for letting me know. " And with a click, I was off the call and on the verge of tears.
"What's wrong?" Alex asked, starting the truck.
"Something happened to Nova and Josh. They're at the hospital in Charleston."
I felt the panic rise in me as we left our calm plans to see what was happening to my family. Were they okay? Was Emmy okay? What happened to them? My breathing hitched as I tried to control my overwhelming emotions. I felt Alex's hand clasp mine, reassuring me he was here. I didn't know what to think as we parked in the parking lot of the Emergency parking and ran together into the building.
"We're here to see Josh and Nova White." Alex said, as panicked as I was.
The nurse only nodded, motioning us to follow. My throat was dry as I clutched Alex's hand for dear life, scared for my sister, brother – in – law, and niece. My breathing shook as the nurse-led us into a clean room where several monitors were beeping, keeping my sister's battered body alive. A cry I didn't realize I was holding escaped me as I fell to my knees. This couldn't be happening.
"What- What happened?" Alex asked the nurse. Uncontrollable sobs consumed me as I looked my sister over in her bed. She was alive, I told myself, With the help of several machines, but she was alive. "Where's Josh?" I whispered, my voice breaking as I listened to the rhythmic sound of Nova's heartbeat, "Where's Emmy, Were's my niece?"
"Ma'am you need to calm down. I know this is an emotional time for you." The nurse said, trying to calm me down, but it didn't seem to help.
"Are they dead?" I asked as Alex wrapped his arms around me while I sat on the floor.
"There was a car crash," The nurse began, trying to stay calm for both of our sakes, "They were hit head-on, killing Joshua on impact and inducing Nova into labor. Your family was brought to our care where your niece was born."Because of Nova's substantial injuries, we placed her under a medical induced coma. Your niece is in the NICU and was born at two pounds."
"But that means she was born at twenty-seven weeks." Alex said, "Will they be alright?"
"They will be fine. Your niece should be able to come home in a few months, and by then, Nova will be out of her coma and home as well." She paused, her eyes sympathetic as she said, "I'm sorry for your loss."
I was quiet for a few minutes, trying to process all that had happened. How could this have happened? Why did this happen to them? Will they be alright? Will we all survive this? As the nurse began to speak about counseling and grief, I felt my heart drop to my stomach. My brother – in – law is dead, my sister was in a coma, and my niece is in the NICU fighting for her life. I felt the tears well up again as the thought occurred to me. Alex rubbed my back, cautiously trying to soothe my emotional state.
"I think we should go home," Alex said, trying to pick me up off the floor.
I only nodded, trying to control my emotions the best way I could as he led me to the truck and helped me inside. Shaking uncontrollably and my mind racing, I watched as Alex buckled me in, his eyes were rimmed in red as if he were crying with me. I didn't know when I fell asleep or how I got to our room at Loretta's house, but I was internally grateful. I looked up at the ceiling, my face felt dry, and my eyes were puffy from crying. With a shaky breath, I turned over in bed to find Alex sleeping beside me. His cheeks were tear-streaked, and his hair was unkempt, much like mine probably was. My lip trembled as I tried not to think about the events of the day and turned over towards the nightstand where a glass of water and a card sat. Reaching over to grab the card, I sat up in bed, careful not to wake up Alex and turn it over.
Whenever you're ready to talk and have dinner, I'll be here for you. ~ Loretta
Taking a drink of water to calm myself down and wake myself up, I padded over to the bathroom only to realize that today is the twenty-fourth, and I was late."Oh, God!" I exclaimed, unable to take any more excitement and stress, "Maybe it's just stress, stress makes periods late, right? Maybe it's just that, and nature isn't all that cruel."
"What do you mean your period's late?" Alex asked after sitting up in bed.
Can this day get any worse? Turning over to face Alex, I noticed the fear and worry first and then joy. I can't be pregnant at a time like this!
"My period's late," I stated, more to myself than to Alex, "Maybe it's just stress?"I watched as he cautiously got out of bed and came towards me. Placing his hand on my cheek, I was unsure of what to do or say when he smiled at me, "We'll get through this together. We'll take it all one day at a time." He said, pulling me in for a hug, "How many days late are you?"
"A week," I stated firmly, watching him as he thought it over.
"We could talk to my mom," He suggested, "Or, I could run by the pharmacy and grab the test."
"I'll go with you," I said, not being able to stand another minute in the room.
"Okay." He said, nodding and shuffling through the drawers for a pair of clothes.
After we showered and got dressed, Loretta handed us the grocery list, and we left for the store. The drive to it was a silent one, and I wondered what would happen if we did find out I was pregnant. We would have to move the wedding up, and I'm sure the added stress from my sister and my niece wouldn't help the baby or me. I knew that if I were pregnant, I would keep him or her. And I also knew that Alex would love them as much as I would even if they were a bit unexpected.
"She gave us a shortlist." Alex said as he parked the truck, "It shouldn't take us long to get the groceries. Do you want to take the test first, or do you want to wait?"
Looking over at him, I smiled nervously, "I want to wait, but even if I am pregnant, I don't know what we're gonna do. I know I want to keep the baby, but with the added stress and everything that's happened I-"
"Hey," Alex said, calmly taking my hands into his own, "We will do this together. One day at a time, remember?"
"Okay." I nodded, following him out of the truck and towards the store. Grabbing a cart from a nearby cart return, I followed Alex into the building and towards the aisles. I momentarily found myself wondering what Alex and I would be like as parents. What would our children be like? Would they have my red hair or Alex's green eyes? After the last of the groceries were picked up, we found ourselves at the planned Parenthood aisle. Looking over the assortment of tests, I grabbed a box and set it in the cart, nervously looking over at Alex, who smiled at me all the same.After everything was paid for, Alex set the cart by the family restroom, and I grabbed the box and Alex's hand and pulled him into the bathroom with me. Letting out a shaky breath, I opened the box and skimmed over the instructions.
Peeing on three tests, I set them each on the sink and washed my hands. I didn't want to end up with a defective test, and I felt safer having more telling me the news rather than just one.I waited with Alex, leaning my head on his shoulder as the clock ticked above us. This has got to be the longest ten minutes of my life. I looked over at Alex as my phone beeped in my pocket, signaling the time of waiting is over.
"Are you ready?" I asked, walking over to the sink as Alex followed.
"Yeah." He said, nodding as I picked up the test and looked down.All of them had two pink lines.
"Alex," I whispered, looking up at him as I realized what that means.
"What? What does it say?"
"We're going to be parents," I stated firmly."We'll need to get married," I said after we got the groceries in the truck. "And we need to tell your mother and Tabitha."
"I know." He said, looking over at me and grabbing my hand.
"It's going to be okay," I reassured him, "We'll be okay."
He nodded and smiled, "Yeah, we'll be okay."
Smiling together, we made our way inside, groceries in hand, and wondering how we would tell our loved ones the good and unexpected news.