You Saw Me

71

The nurse came back a few times and apologised for the waiting time. I assured her that it was fine. It meant that Henry might be able to make it to the hospital before the doctor came to tell me what they had found. I was trying to be brave, mostly for Gayle at the moment, but I knew Henry was upset and I didn't want to upset him further. Thruthfully I was anxious and nervous if they had found something; something bad. Maybe that explained the lack of appetite, the vomiting, the exhaustion and the dizziness. 

"Can we look at wedding dresses on your phone?" I asked Gayle to distract us from worrying. She smiled at me and took her phone out. 5 missed calls from Henry. I smiled at her and she called him back. 

"Hey, sorry didn't hear the phone", she said as she got through to him. I could hear him even though he wasn't on speaker. He sounded scared. "I know, I'm sorry, Henry. No everything's alright. We're still waiting. Where are you now?" Gayle was trying to calm him, obviously feeling bad that she hadn't answered his calls. "Yeah, she's fine. And she loves you still. I will tell her. Just get here, okay?" She hung up and returned to our search for wedding dresses. 

"He's half an hour away", she said as she scrolled through pictures of dresses. I nodded, feeling a little relief in my stomach, knowing that he would be here soon. I leaned against Gayle, who sighed and leaned her head on mine. 

"I'm sorry Gayle", I said in a small voice. "But thank you". 

Gayle nodded and put her arm around me. "It's okay, El". 

We looked at dresses, trying to pin point what it was I wanted. Gayle was adamant that I wear a dress I loved, not what I thought was appropriate. "This is your wedding, you do you, hon", she said. I was questioning how much leg a 40-something-year-old bride could show, but Gayle would hear none of it. "With a body like yours, you go all out", she said and squeezed my arm. Generally the women in the dresses on the sites were young, slim models. I was having a hard time imagining how it would look on someone like me. 

"When you get out of here, we'll go look at dresses and try all of them on, okay?" Gayle suggested. I nodded and hoped I would be getting out of here. 

***

The door to my room opened. I was expecting the doctor, but in came Henry with Jeff right behind him. Jeff put his arm around Gayle and walked out with her. Henry rushed to my side, kissing me, and stroking my cheeks. His eyes were red, he had obviously been crying. I hated that I made that happen, I didn't want him to be sad or to worry about me. 

"I'm sorry", I said, tears streaming down my face. He shook his head, crying and pulling me close. 

"Don't apologise, love. I was just so worried. How are you feeling?" He sat on the bed with his arms around me, making me feel safe. 

I shrugged. "I think I feel better. At least I feel better now you're here", I hid my face in his chest, sobbing quietly. 

"They haven't told you anything, yet?" He said, looking around the room and at all the machines that were beeping. I shook my head. 

The door was opened and the nurse came back in. Her eyes landed on Henry and she stopped in her tracks, her eyes big, her mouth open, obviously surprised to see him of all people sitting there. I smiled at her and Henry said hello. She snapped out of it and said hello to him and checked the machines again. She scribbled on her clipboard and asked if she could get me something to eat or drink. 

"Normally she likes water and fruit when she's feeling poorly", Henry said and smiled at the nurse. 

She blushed, not knowing where to look and awkwardly left the room to find me something to eat. 

"She's a Henry", I whispered. "She has the tattoo". Henry chuckled and kissed me on the forehead. "How did the interview go?" I asked. 

"I think it went well. It was a young journalist, haven't spoken to him before. He had some really good questions and we had a good talk. He knew that I was worried, because Jeff told him you were here, but they arranged that he wouldn't put it in the article and he'd keep quiet."

"That's good", I said, leaning against him and relaxing as he stroked my hair. 

The nurse came back with a tray. She had brought several things, and was suddenly more nervous after Henry had arrived. I nudged him, encouraging him to say something to her. 

"Thank you so much", he said and looked her in the eyes. "I really appreciate how well you have been looking after Ellie. That means the world to me." He smiled at her and she melted right there in front of him. I could practically see her knees turn to jelly. She mumbled something and left the room again. 

I giggled and nudged him. He smiled at me, and offered me some fruit from the tray. Jeff popped his head in and said he was going to take Gayle home to get her some dinner and Henry could call when we needed any of them. 

***

The doctor came not long after they left. She entered the room and introduced herself as Dr. Boyd. Henry shook her hand and introduced himself as my fiancé, causing little butterflies to flutter in my belly. "Hello Ellie", Dr. Boyd said and shook my hand. "What a day, huh?" She smiled at me, making me relax a bit. She took her stethoscope out, unbuttoned my gown and listened to my heart for a bit. Then she checked my eyes and my reflexes. She wrote on her clipboard and handed it to the nurse. 

"Right Ellie, how are you feeling?" Dr. Boyd said, standing next to me. 

"I don't really know", I started. "I've been feeling off for a while. I actually have an appointment with my doctor at the end of the week, because I've been having trouble with anxiety. I've been under some personal stress and I haven't been able to keep food down." Henry looked worried again, holding my hand and looking at the doctor. 

"Mmmm", the doctor hummed as she wrote down what I said. "Well, the good news is that all our tests show that you are strong and healthy", she smiled at me, quickly catching my puzzled look. "And the other good news are that your fall didn't cause any problems. Your baby is fine".