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The nurse wheels in a tall pole with a bag of IV fluid hanging from it. “Oh great, thank you, Jamie.” Dr. Boyle takes the wheel from Jamie and walks to my bedside. “I’ll have to pass a line into your vein. It will hasten the circulation back into the placenta.”
I nod in acceptance. Ella excuses herself to call Mom while the doctor signals to Jamie. She helps me to a bathroom where I change into a hospital gown. She helps me back to the bed, so the doctor can insert the IV. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying not to react to the slight sting.
“There. All done.” I open my eyes at the doctor's words. I’m a little surprised to see she is done. That hadn’t hurt nearly as much as I had been expecting. “I’ll come back to check on you later,” she promises as she leaves the ward, nurse Jamie in tow.
As soon as they’re gone, I take my phone out from my purse–thank God Ella had the presence of mind to grab it– and dial Ezra’s number. It rings. And rings. And rings. I frown whenthe voicemail comes on. That’s so unlike him. I dial his number again, and this time he picks up on the second ring.
“Charlie! Hello beautiful girl.” he greets me cheerfully. I frown at the slight slur in his words.
“Ezra, what the hell? Are you drunk?” Disappointment hits my chest. I thought we were past all that. I haven’t seen him drink a drop since we’d started spending time together.
“What? No. Not anymore, I think.” He hiccups. “How are you doing?”
“You’re drunk–” Orwasdrunk. My frown deepens as I take my phone from my ear to check the time. “At 1:22 PM on a Tuesday?”
“I’m not drunk,” he repeats.
“Right, and I’m not in the hospital.” I pause, suspecting my sarcasm might go over his head in his state of inebriation. “Listen, I almost lost the babies this afternoon, Ezra. I’m in the hospital right now, and you’re drunk? Unbelievable.”
“You almost lost the babies? What? What happened? Where are you?”
“Don’t come here in that state, Ezra. I won’t appreciate it.” The door swings open, and I glance up to see Ella walking in. For some absurd reason, I don’t want Ella to know what we’re talking about. I feel strangely protective.
“Listen, it’s fine. I’m okay now. You don’t have to come when you have so much on your plate. Yeah, bye!” I quickly hang up and put the phone on silent because I suspect he might call me back.
“Was that Ezra? Why did you tell him not to come?”
“Oh, I think he’s out of town on business and was talking about leaving his meeting to rush here. It’s unnecessary since I’m fine now.” I bite my lower lip, my gaze dropping to the bed sheets as I lie to my sister.
“I mean, I guess you’re right. But still.”
“Did you talk to Mom?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Yes, she feels horrible since she’s the one that suggested herbal tea. She’s on her way here.”
“She doesn’t have any reason to feel bad.” It’s not like she did it on purpose.
I mean, does a little bit of me blame her? Yes, I can’t lie. But she’s my mother, and I know if she’d thought the tea would harm me, she would have been the first to toss it into the trash.
“How do you feel?”
“I feel way bet–” I interrupt myself with a loud yawn. “Way better. And a little sleepy.” I complete, burrowing under the covers, careful not to bump the needle in my veins.
“It’s fine. Go to sleep. The doctor said you need extra rest,” Ella insists, running her hand through my hair.
“Hmm,” I say, already drifting off.
CHAPTER 27
EZRA
After Charlie hangs up, I immediately call her back, but I only get her voicemail. Her call woke me up, the nap coupled with the news she just delivered completely sobered me up. When I call her for the fifth time and she still doesn’t pick up, I drag myself out of bed.
I make my way to the bathroom where I take a quick anxiety-filled shower to wash off the smell of liquor. The cold water does the rest of the job of alerting my senses. My heart thumps almost painfully as the lump in my throat grows larger and larger.
I’m in the hospital. I almost lost the babies.
Her words play in a loop in my head, over and over again. I get dressed quickly, not bothering to style my hair before rushing to my car. As I start the drive to the city, I call her number again, but she doesn’t pick up.
