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“Hello, I-I’m here to see Marissa Newman,” I spoke, and she nodded as she told me to follow her. We walked to another section of the ward that read ‘NICU,’ and my brain was still confused as to why we were there.
She could be visiting a friend, but why would she be the one on file in their system? I didn’t want to believe what the signs were telling me, but it seemed like the only logical thing to do. We stopped at the door, and the woman left as I walked in.
I looked around the room and noticed no sign indicating Marissa had been in here. The bed just looked a little disheveled, and there was food on a tray, but that was it. What I did notice, however, was a tiny little baby in an incubator by the bed. I walked over to him or her cautiously, and once I did, I was confused. As I got lost in my thoughts, the door opened, and a nurse entered the room.
“Hello,” She greeted, and I turned towards her as she started putting on her gloves.
“Hi..”
“Mom should be back any moment. When our mamas start feeling better, we let them go around the hospital floor for a bit just to get on their feet. In this case, she had a speedy recovery for a person who gave birth prematurely.” Premature? Mom?
“I-I’m sorry, who do you mean by ‘mom’?” She walked over to the incubator and smiled.
“Why Marissa Newman, of course. She’s been here for a day or two now, and this is her little bundle of joy.” My stomach clenched, and my mouth went dry. Why didn’t she tell me she was pregnant? Sure, our conversation was quick and short, but she could’ve at least told me. I stepped away from the incubator and watched the nurse care for the baby.
Taking a seat in one of the chairs, I folded my legs.Did Mom and Dad know? Did she tell them already, or am I the first to know?I couldn’t even wrap my head around the situation. The nurse finished up and asked if I needed anything before she left. I told her, ‘No, thank you,’ and she let me know that if I needed something to give her a buzz. When she left the room, I watched the baby sleep peacefully in the incubator.
I wanted to speak to Marissa. Find out why she and my parents left me.. but we would need to tackle this situation first. I gazed over at the clock and noticed it was 3 PM. I sent Madam A a message letting her know I couldn’t make it and why.
She sent me back one, saying that I should take all the time I needed and that I would be paid for the day. I was ready to decline her offer, but I quickly erased the message when she sent another message, letting me know that if I objected to her offer, she would bring out her stick.
Placing my phone down, I leaned my head back and sighed. I’m still exhausted and haven’t gotten a whole night’s rest since I’m too busy at night with all my night terrors. You get used to it for a while, but it takes a toll on you after some time.
Waking up, I felt a tap on my shoulder and noticed it was the woman who had brought me into the room. I looked to the window to see that it was already dark, and the lights in the room were also dimmed.
“Visiting hours are over, sweetie.. You’ll need to be going soon.” I sat up completely and looked around the room.
“W-where’s my sister?” I asked, and the woman smiled sadly at me.
“Ms. Newman hasn’t come back yet.” I furrowed my eyebrows. “What do you mean she hasn’t come back yet?”
“Things like this always happen.. she might’ve gone out for a bit without telling anyone, but I’m sure she’ll be back.”
“I-..I’m not leaving until she comes back.”
“Sweetie... visiting hours are over-” she attempted, and I shook my head as I looked her straight in the eyes.
“I am not leaving until she comes back, and I will not leave this baby until I know that it won’t just be left in a hospital room all by itself.” The woman gave me another sad smile as I tried to hold back my tears, the fear of potential abandonment weighing on me once again.
“I’ll bring you a blanket and pillow to keep you warm.” She offered, and I nodded.
“Thank you.” She rubbed my shoulder softly and walked out of the room, leaving me alone with only the slight noise coming from the incubator.
Marissa.. has a lot of explaining to do.
After brushing my teeth, I took a quick shower and dressed in an outfit Madam A brought me. She and Mr. Burkley were very excited to visit yesterday, and I enjoyed having some company. Marissa still hasn’t been back in the last few days, and we don’t know when she’ll return.
I thought about calling her, but my phone died, and I only got a charger for it this morning. Walking back to the maternity section, I entered the room and smiled as I saw the little girl move around in the incubator. I just learned she was a girl yesterday, and I was slowly falling in love with her, from the tips of her hair to her little toes and fingers.
Hearing the door open, I noticed a man in a suit. He knocked on the door twice as he stepped in. “Hello.. you must be Brielle Newman.”
“Yes, that’s me… and who are you… if you don’t mind me asking so abruptly.”
“Oh, that’s not a problem, miss. My name is Harrison Carter. I am with the Department of Human Services (DHS) and am here to speak to you about your sister and the baby. You’ve been here a while, I’ve heard.. let’s have a chat. Please, take a seat.” I nodded my head, and we sat at the small table. He opened his briefcase and took his laptop out.
“Is everything alright with Marissa? The last time I heard from her was the day she called me to come see her.” I informed him, and he said nothing as he pulled up a video of the hospital’s security footage.
“Before you ask any questions, I would like you to take a look at this video here.” I nodded and watched the security footage playback. It was in a quiet area with few staff or people around. After a moment or so, I watched as Marissa exited the elevator and looked around as if she didn’t want to be caught.
