"I'm surprised she isn't home yet and I guess her phone's dead, she isn't picking up." Trevor places his phone on the coffee table after trying Korra's number for the sixth time.
"Me too. She dropped me off at home and got a call from someone at work. After that she just left saying she'd be back soon. I hope she's okay." I look at my phone and the time is 9:04.
"I'm home."
The front door swings open and Korra emerges with plastic bags in each hand. She throws off her shoes and dumps the bags on the kitchen counter.
"Why're you so late today? Something happen at work?" I walk into the kitchen to help her get started on dinner.
"We had two food critics come in today and they just wouldn't leave. As the head chef and restaurant owner, I couldn't leave till they did. But I brought some food with me so we don't have to waste time on making dinner. Get the plates." Trevor starts to set the table.
Korra dishes the packed meals into plates and we enjoy dinner silently. After the meal, we all end up in the living room, enjoying a movie. Korra falls asleep on Trevor halfway into the film.
"Oh yeah I forgot to ask, did you guys go to meet with Asher's former boss today?" Sam hops on to the couch and starts to lick Korra's face.
"Yeah we did but they had a lot going on so we didn't meet with anyone. Your fiancée said we'd go next week and I have no intention of reminding her. I hate that place." He laughs as Korra wakes up with a jolt, rubbing off Sam's slobber.
"What's tomorrow?" Korra asks mid-yawn.
"Tomorrow is Thursday."
"We'll just go tomorrow. You better be ready." She stands up to check the time. Trevor and I exchange a look.
"It's really late Trev, let's get going. Love you Ree, see you tomorrow." Korra walks out with sleepy eyes, forgetting her jacket and purse.
"She must be really tired." Trevor packs their things and rushes after Korra.
"Good night guys." I call after them before locking the door.
"Ok Sam time for bed. I don't have the energy for a bath tonight." With his tail furiously wagging, he follows me into the room. He jumps on the bed first, getting himself comfortable. I change into my nightgown and brush my teeth before getting under the covers.
"Good night Sam."
*****************************************
The side of my face is wet and I feel a small weight on my belly. Discomfort sets in and I turn around to look at the alarm clock. It's still very dark outside.
2:41 A.M
A sharp pain shoots across my stomach and stops at my legs. I sit up and Sam starts to sniff me from top to bottom. I take a whiff of the air and something reeked but I couldn't quite place my finger on what it smelt like. As I try to lie back down, my thighs feel wet and sticky.
"Oh crap, did I pee myself again? Shoot!" I reach down and my blanket is wet and heavy. I reach under the blanket and feel my thighs. Bringing my hand up, I start to think that what I'm feeling is too thick to be pee.
With shaky hands, I turn on the lamp on the nightstand and the first thing I notice is the red liquid dripping from my fingers. I pull the covers off me completely and the sheets are drenched.
Blood?
Sam starts to get frantic. He gets off the bed and starts to pull me off by my nightgown.
"Get off me!" I scream but he just keeps pulling.
I look around for my phone but it isn't on the nightstand. I think I left it in the living room. I get up despite the searing pain in my legs, I stumble my way to the living room. Sam starts to bark.
"Where is it?" My vision starts to get blurry as I reach for my phone on the coffee table. I put it on speed dial and it starts to ring. I drag myself to the front door and unlock it, stepping out barefoot.
"Pick up Korra, please." My knees buckle beneath me, sending me to the ground with Sam beside me still barking as loud as ever. Just as I drop the phone, she picks up.
"Riona? It's 2 in the morning. Is that Sam barking?" She says with sleep deeply evident in her voice.
I hear a door open, probably the people next door. Sam must've woken up a few neighbours.
"Miss?" That must be Celia. Her footsteps quicken and she stops in front of me, tracing the trail of blood from my apartment with her eyes.
"Riona what's going on?" I try to reach for the phone but my arms don't seem to want to cooperate.
"Loren call 911!" A few more doors open and the chatter gets louder.
"Riona!" Why does this feel like a déjà vu moment?
*******************************************************
"I'm very sorry." Someone's crying.
"So when is she going to wake up?"
"She should be awake by now. But considering the fact that she lost a lot of blood and she's been on a supplementary IV for a while now, I can't say exactly when. It's left to her body to do the rest of the healing. Excuse me." A door shuts and the crying gets louder.
I try to open my eyes a few times but they don't give the impression of opening any time soon, so I surrender. I try my hands next but they fail me just like before. Everything feels heavy; I can't even move my lips. I slowly drift back to sleep as someone grabs my right hand and squeezes it.
"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."
3 DAYS LATER
A door opens and shuts again and I hear feet scuffling across the floor.
"Good morning sis." A hand grabs mine and places a kiss on it.
"I brought you your favourite today and it smells so good. All you have to do is open your eyes and I'll feed it to you."
Korra.
"Okay don't open your eyes, just squeeze my hand. Just a tiny squeeze. Please." I muster up all the strength I can to squeeze her hand. She gasps and I feel her freeze.
I pry my eyes open to find her staring at our hands with her mouth agape.
"Kor... Korra?" Her head whips around to face me and tears quickly make their way down her face.
"You're awake." It sounded more like a question.
"I hope so." I let out a small chuckle and try to sit up. I look around and from the looks of it, I'm in a hospital, again. I search my brain for what happened earlier.
Korra stands up and pulls me into a hug as gently as she can as she tries to hold back her sobs. "I was so scared." I rub her back as she slowly calms down and takes her seat again.
"What happened?" Her eyes widen and dart between her fidgeting hands and my belly. I follow her gaze.
Something doesn't feel right.
"I could have sworn I was heavily pregnant before waking up." As Korra's sobs return, the memories of last night come rushing back.
The blood. Sam's barking. My phone.
I feel my body shaking as I carefully turn to look at Korra. "Korra, where's my baby?"
The door suddenly opens and Trevor walks in with a man in a doctor's coat. He looks surprised.
"Riona! You're awake!" Trevor rushes to my side and takes my free hand in his. I drag my hands from both of them and glare at Trevor.
"Trevor where's my baby?" Tears start to prickle at the corner of my eyes. Both Trevor and Korra turn to look at the semi-bald man who walked in with Trevor. He clears his throat and cautiously stalks closer.
"I'm so sorry ma'am but you had a miscarriage." Hearing the word broke me.
I look between the three people in the room and my formerly huge belly. I search for tears but they seem to also be in shock.
The doctor continues talking, "We can't definitively say what caused it but it seemed your body wasn't ready to care for the twins and from the tests…" I cut in.
"Twins? Did you say twins?"
"Yes ma'am. It happens on very rare occasions for another foetus to be discovered this late but we didn't detect the second foetus in the ultrasound until three days ago."
"So you're telling me that I've been here for three days?" I understand what he's saying but it still sounds foreign.
Trevor gives the doctor a nod and they both excuse themselves before leaving. Korra stays behind, watching me like a hawk.
"Ree are you…" I motion for her to stop talking and she does.
"Go." My voice comes out in a whisper that I don't even recognize.
"What?"
"I said go. Leave." My tears finally sober up and start to find their way to my eyes, blurring my vision.
"Riona I can't…"
"I said go!" She flinches but slowly retreats out the room.
As the door shuts, my full-on breakdown begins. I toss the tray of food Korra laid out beside me across the room. It hits the wall and clatters to the ground. Next is the medicine cart hanging on the heart monitor. It hits the window and the pills scatter across the floor. As I stretch to reach for the lamp on the table on my left, a familiar sharp pain forces me back down.
Giving up, I curl up into a ball and cry myself to sleep in the cold hospital room with my blanket on the ground. Hours pass before I can fall asleep and my sobs turn to dry whimpers. A nurse comes in with a cup of water and says sorry to me as I sob endlessly. I apologize back for the mess and for making so much noise. And that's how we go back and forth, chorusing apologies to each other, saying the same thing for the same reasons. Apologizing for something that neither of us had any reason to be sorry about.
I finally fall asleep and dream of me and Asher, and a baby whose face I can't see.