Page 26 of Dark Truth

“You should go home, Emily. There isn’t a lot you can do here,” the doctor said, and I nodded.

“Probably, but I can’t. I won’t leave him on his own.” I’d listened to the man down that hall and the way he screamed, and I knew it was better to stay with Dylan. The sounds and noises in a hospital were stressful enough when you had someone with you; alone the stress was just amplified.

“Fine, but try to rest when you can. We don’t need two patients.” The doctor patted my arm and told me he was off to find the admitting doctor to speak to. I settled back into the chair and pulled the thin blanket a nurse had brought me up around my neck.

I still had my nightgown on, I realized, but I didn’t care. Dylan needed me. I wasn’t as afraid as I’d been when I first arrived at the hospital, but I was fully aware that Dylan needed help that I couldn’t give him. From what I’d read, I knew he would experience stages with the disease, if his medicine didn’t control the way the disease wreaked havoc on Dylan’s brain and nerves.

I’d be doing a lot more research as the days came and went. I’d know this disease backward and forward before long, but for now, I knew enough to be afraid, but not terrified. There was hope he could have a normal life.

I patted my stomach, totally aware now that Dylan might not want to have children. He might be afraid to. That added to my worry. He’d looked so wonderful with that baby in his arms, that I’d started to think that he would be happy about my news. Now, I had to wonder. Would it be fair to dump this on him at such a bad time in his life?

Or would it give him a reason to fight?

The orderlies wheeled Dylan back into the room and helped him get into the position he desired on the bed. He was a very fit and healthy man so he could maneuver his upper body well, he just had no control over his legs. My heart broke as this strong man struggle.

Normally, he’d be too prideful to let me see him at this moment in his life. He wouldn’t want me to see how weak he was. This was a different Dylan than the one I’d met, though. This Dylan needed help and didn’t mind taking it. He had no choice, so he accepted it without complaint.

“How are you, darling?” I asked from the side of the bed. I stood close enough to brush his hair back from his face and watched him as he struggled to open his eyes.

“I’m so tired, Emily. So fucking tired. I’m glad you’re here.” He clasped the hand that brushed at his hair and kissed it. “Come up here. Sleep with me. I need to feel you.”

I wanted to protest but didn’t. He wanted to feel me next to him. I went to the side with the least amount of cables and no tubes and curled up against him. He sighed and fell asleep immediately.

I wasn’t awake for very long after that. It had been a long, exhausting day, followed by a much longer night. I still hadn’t taken it all in, but I was happy because I was able to feel him beside me as the night faded away.

Emily

When life hands you lemons, you’re supposed to make lemonade. That was how the saying went, and it was all I could do now. Make the best of a bad situation. The problem wasn’t that Dylan was ill, it was that I felt helpless. His condition grew worse throughout the day, and his vision became blurry.

Doctors, nurses, consultants and specialists came and went into his room, each one serving a different purpose. One came to check his eyes after he was given more medicine; another came to check how his bladder was holding up. Then another specialist came in to consult with the doctor who had already assessed Dylan’s eyes. It was all very confusing, and I forgot names at the drop of a hat.

It wasn’t that I didn’t care about their names; it was that I couldn’t keep up. I was exhausted, and the pregnancy only added to that. I got sick after I had breakfast, and thankfully Dylan was out for another test when that happened. A nurse came in, a brown-haired woman with warm brown eyes, and she asked me if I was alright. I said I was as I wiped my face with those awful paper towels then threw them away.

“If you need anything, just let me know, sweetie. I know what it’s like. I have three of my own.”

I stared at the woman, surprised that she knew.

“You have that look; it’s unmistakable, if you know it. You have to take care of yourself now, and this is going to be trying for both of you. I’m here if you need anything.”

I felt a wavering smile stretch across my lips and nodded. She left before I could say a word, but I felt that sense of understanding that women shared sometimes. That knowing that came with things like pregnancy, marriage, and most things women. It made me feel warm.

I sat in that horrible chair that was quickly becoming my nightmare and waited for Dylan’s return. I flicked on the television and found a load of early morning cartoons. I saw one that was far older than me, but I enjoyed it because it was a classic. I wasn’t really paying it much attention, but it was distracting, at least.

When Dylan came in, I helped him to settle in his bed, washed his face and arms with a sponge the nurse brought me, and checked him over visually. I saw warm skin, strong limbs, and eyes that were bleary, but alert.

“How are your eyes, darling?” I asked him, and he gave me a wan smile.

“Still blurry. Not quite double vision, but enough to make my stomach feel sick.” He closed his eyes, and I knew it was to seek relief from the nausea his condition caused. “I need to get back to work; I don’t have time for this.”

“You do have time, that’s why you’ve hired so much staff. I’ll make a few phone calls in a bit and make sure everything’s in order. Don’t worry, Dylan, we’ll get you through this.” I squeezed his hand and sat on the edge of his bed. “You don’t have to do everything alone, you know.”

“I do know,” he said and opened his eyes for a moment to smile at me. He closed them, though, and turned his head away. “As soon as I can think, I’ll give you a list of people to call. I just need my head to stop spinning.”

His Kansas doctor, a very good man, and good at his job, had him on yet another new medicine. One that was supposed to be the next best thing to a miracle for those who suffered from MS. I had hope but tried to be realistic.

“Take your time, darling. I’m going to go out and make a few phone calls, then I’ll be back. Get some rest.” I kissed the side of his head and left the room. He was asleep before I made it out of the door.

I ran straight into my brothers, Trent, Mason, and Kevin.