With Me From The Start (With Me - book 1)

Chapter 8

2 months later


Why couldn't I open my eyes yet? I wanted to open them to see my friends and family. I wanted to see their faces. I missed what they looked like.
It was only a few...hell, I don't know how long ago it was but I started to hear peoples voices. I could begin to recognise who was who and when they were near me. Each one of my siblings took it in turns to talk to me; telling me what they did that day, telling me gossip but most importantly, telling me that they wish that they could hear my voice again. To just say something, anything, that told them I was still there.

I heard the room door open, footsteps then the sound of a chair being pulled up next to the bed. A hand clasped over mine and a soft kiss was placed on it before any words were spoken.
"Mia." Joe, oh my god! I missed him so much! "I know you may not understand what I'm saying to you but if you can hear me, that would be great. I miss you. I miss your laugh, your smile – everything.”

He kissed my hand again before continuing. “I just can't live my life without you being in it. I need you in my life because without you being in it, I don't think, no I know, that I can't live without you being there."
He sounded like he was in pain, pain that I had caused him. I don't want to cause him pain.
"You know, the doctors pulled me aside and told me something that I can't believe. I mean, it's not that I can't believe it, it's the fact that neither of us knew about it.” He takes a deep breath. “Mia, did you know you were pregnant? What am I saying, of course you didn't know. No one knew you were and that's why it's such a shock. I was in shock when they told me and I still am.”

He sniffs and breathes heavily. He's crying! I mean, he's actually crying! “Anyway, it pains me to say this...you lost the baby. We lost our little baby."
The voice in my head was screaming 'No, that's a lie. There was no chance I was pregnant!' but I knew that I could've been. Mistaking my lack of sleep, being late and barley eating for stress when in truth, it wasn't.

Now, my boyfriend is sitting next to me, crying his eyes out and I can't do anything to console him! I needed to do something.
With all the strength and will power I had within me, I trued to move a part of mu body but there was no luck. I tried again but still, nothing happened. Sighing within myself, I gave up until I felt Joe squeeze my hand tightly. Damn, that hurt!

Realising I could feel how tightly he was holding on to my hand, I tried to move it. I tried to squeeze his hand back and the room fell silent. Must have worked.

Noticing that I had moved my hand slightly, Joe whispered. “Mia?”
The next thing I knew, there was a switch being pressed and a lot of footsteps came rushing into the room.
"What's happening? Is she coming round?" My oldest brother, Chad, asked.
"Just give me a second, Mr Halliwell." The doctor replied calmly.
I felt my hand drop back to the bed and someone move to stand over me. I could see a dark shadow move across my closed eyes but it stopped and waited.

“Why are you just standing there?” My dad's strong voice asked. “Is she or isn't she starting to come round?”

The doctor sighs. “Mr Halliwell, her eyes are flickering and I don't want to touch them if she decides to open them on her own.”

“You got us to agree to take her off of a life-support machine to see if she can breathe on her own. She is doing so and now you are refusing to do your job? Joseph, what did she do?” An authoritative tone came over my dad's voice.

“She tried to squeeze my hand,” Joe replies, his voice sounding further away from me than what he was.

“Mr Halliwell, you have to give her time.”

“Like hell I do.” Movement within the room told me that my dad had moved to stand close to me. “Amelia, honey, it's your dad. If you can hear me, please find all the strength you have within you and open your eyes.”

His voice turned soft and had a hint of begging to it. I have to do this. Don't be a wimp now.
Finding every ounce of strength I had left, focused all of that on trying to open my eyes. Slowly, I felt my eyes begin to open but as soon as they were open, they closed back over as everything seemed far too bright.