Mouse

chapter twenty four

I have to admit the first week of having Ricardo home at the apartment was very strange for me, and probably for him too.

Not so much in the daytime, when his mother or my Aunt Lizzie was around, but when they left us alone together in the evenings, with just each other for company.

I discovered that even though we had been married for almost a year, we were both still more like polite strangers than man and wife in many ways, and were a little uncertain how to act around each other now we were actually having to live together under these new trying circumstance

Ricardo occupied the bedroom, so now I was sleeping on the pullout sofa bed in the living room, because long ago he had turned his spare room into a mini gym where he could work out, and would now probably still need it for his therapy sessions.

But I always left the bedroom door ajar, just in case Ricardo needed me through the night. Thankfully he hadn't so far.

Although I believed that was down to the fact a part of him still baulked at the idea of having to depend on me of all people. So it made him even more determined to be independent and try and do things for himself, which I decided was probably a good thing.

His Mother stayed with him whilst I went for my daily check up at the ante natal clinic, The doctor was still concerned about my blood pressure being high, and give me a lecture about taking it easier, the then he me asked about my mother, and the history of her complications when giving birth.

I didn't really know much about it, but remembering that my mother had died in childbirth, I started to worry, even though the doctor told me not to. But still, he wanted to see me again by the end of the week again to check my blood pressure once more which made me a little uneasy

When I got back to the apartment I put on a brave face, and told them that everything was fine, Ricardo's mother had enough on her plate so did Ricardo, I didn't want to worry them unnecessarily, so I tried to push my concerns to the back of my mind.

I thought was doing a pretty good job; but much later that evening when I had got changed for bed, I went in for my final check of the night to make sure Ricardo had all he needed and that he was ok, he grabbed my arm just as I was about to turn and leave him.

Melanie, is everything alright?" he then asked

"W-what do you mean?" I asked suddenly feeling a little wary

"I dunno, just certain vibes I am getting from you since you came back from the clinic," Ricardo's eyes narrowed perceptively, "You seem miles away at times, like you have something on your mind, and your are not really tuned in to what is going on around you"

"It- it's nothing," I tried to reassure him trying to escape his dark probing gaze, but his grip on my arm only tightened

"Tell me Mel" he ordered, almost sounding like the old Ricardo, "I want to know what is going on; is everything alright with the baby?"

"Yes," I was able to reply honestly, "The baby is fine, the doctor is just a little worried about my blood pressure being a bit high, that's all. He told he I have to take it easier," I then told him trying to make light of it

"I see," his grip on my arm slackened, "But I guess it's hard for you to take it easy when you looking after a crippled husband," he remarked in grim realisation

I eyed him reproachfully "And you wonder why I don't want to tell you things?"

"But it's the truth," he stated

"That is not the case at all," I argued, "I don't even exert myself looking after you. Your mother does most of it through the day. and you can do the rest of the things for yourself.. In fact I am doing very little other than what I usually would do when you were still walking around, so you are not the problem"