The Colorful World of Love, Life and Living

"We're ok now," Lei announced as she saw Betty and Rosy entering the room.



Betty looked at Rosy's way. Rosy responded, "Good to hear that you're both calm now, honey."


"Yes, we're both calm now. But more than that was what I meant," Lei objected.


"So, you were saying...?" Betty curiously asked.


Mitch felt like there was a big lump blocking in his throat but he tried to clear it by swallowing hard and then slowly said, "Lei meant that we're saying yes to laparoscopy, doc."


After Mitch declared that terrible statement, Lei trembled in fear and her face turned pale in color. Mitch tried to calm her by tapping and holding both her shoulders. Lei released a cry to Mitch as she felt his hands on her shoulders. The couple hugged each other tightly.


The two doctors silently shared a thought while they stared at each other. They sensed that they were a little misunderstood by Lei and Mitch.


"Oh, you were thinking we're going to do the surgery right now, don't you?" Rosy asked in opposition to what she just saw from the couple.


"Ha?" they asked.


"You mean, it's possible that the surgery's not going to happen today?" Lei sighed and wiped her tears away as Mitch held out a handkerchief to her.


"Oh...no!" Betty interrupted. "We, doctors, are not in the habit of shocking our patients with a tragic news then forcing them to make a big decision without giving them much time to prepare themselves, Lei. First, we have to inform both your families and well, your closest friends, too, if you'd like. You see, you would need to have a solid support-care-system because we will all go through this as a process and not just a one-day in/out-of-the-hospital-session. Then we'll need to have you scheduled for weekly therapy sessions, one week prior to the surgery and another week after we've performed the surgery, with our resident psychiatrist here, her name's Doctor Merideth Thompson."


"Doctor Thompson is in Austin, Texas right now and will be back tomorrow night. But I'll see to it that her secretary sends her our message about your appointment with her the day after tomorrow. Lei, I'll call you tomorrow as soon as I hear a word from doc'," was Rosy's statement of assurance.


Lei smiled at Rosy, thanked her and looked at Betty again.


"Right. So, Rosy will be contacting you tomorrow about your session with doctor Thompson on Tuesday. Also, from the papers filled out by Mitch, we've collected a few names here, Mr. Ricky and Mrs. Thessa Ramirez - Lei's parents; Mrs. Ana Alvarez - Mitch's mother; Christina and Emilio - Mitch's siblings; we also have here, Alex and Mart being both your close friends. Would you want Rosy and I to give them each a call and discuss to them in details what we've talked here today and should there be names you wanted to cross out from the ones I've just read for the said notification? Or would you want to inform them, yourselves?" Betty closed the record of names with their corresponding contact numbers after she had read them to the couple and looked at them for answers.


Mitch stood up and approached the two doctors who were standing in front of Lei's bed. He stood in between them and stretched out his arms to pat the doctors' shoulders. "Rosy, if it's not so much to ask, would you mind informing all of them with the help of Betty? I don't think we are strong enough to deliver this news to them. We're still shaky at these times. That'll be too much for both of us, especially to Lei. Please?


"Mitch, it's never too much to ask for help from Betty and me. We're always glad to be of help. We're family, sweetheart." Rosy then embraced Mitch who was technically a nephew to her since Lei was her niece by her cousin Ricky. Rosy approached Lei and also gave her a hug then she promised, "We'll all call them today, honey."


Betty also embraced Mitch and patted the back of his shoulders to express comfort. Afterwards, Mitch moved towards Lei and sat beside her on the bed.


"I suggest you stay from tonight until Monday afternoon here," this came from Rosy. "I'll arrange a private room for you and will ask my staff to help you transfer from my clinic here to that room without a fuss. We'll ask Thessa to fix your personal things and bring them to you tonight. My cousin Ricky can drive your mom to your house, she can get those stuff and then he'll drive for them both from there to their way here. As I recall, you mentioned to me before that you gave them a spare key, correct?"


"Yes. Mom and dad still have that key," Lei confirmed.


"Ok. Good. Then, we'll check with any airline to see which one will allow us to book an early flight for Mitch's family to arrive here by tomorrow or on Tuesday, the latest. As for Alex and Mart, I am sure they wouldn't be able to spend a night here tonight with you because of Alex's condition but I'm positive they can be here any minute from now until the late afternoon."


Betty further added, "I'll alert the nurses about your stay here tonight till Monday afternoon. Your stay in that suite is 'on me'. We'll leave them instructions and direction to see to it that both of you are well taken care of in that suite and whatever it is that you'll be needing, please do not hesitate to inform the nurses. In the suite where you'll be transferring to, there'll also be a red button like that one which you pressed earlier, but in that suite, that red button is directly connected to the nurses' station so they can right away assist you. The nurses know how to reach us should an emergency arise."


"Thank you very much. You two are so kind to us," the couple expressed their gratitude in unison.


"You're welcome. It's always our pleasure," was Rosy's immediate response. "Well, looks like everything's already been discussed. We've got some phone calls to make yet. Betty, shall we?" Rosy gave the couple one last hug before she held onto Betty's shoulders while moving towards the door.


Betty nodded to the couple and the two responded with a wave to her.


Before Rosy closed the door, she saw Lei released a loud cry to Mitch. He embraced her tightly and cried with her, too. She knew that the couple was enforcing control and calmness for both of them while she and Betty were with them. But now that they were leaving the room, they can have all that time to themselves, she wished. Betty and Rosy embraced each other when the door was shut. Betty felt the pain that Rosy was feeling. They too, wanted the couple to keep the baby but it was too risky for Lei. They felt pity for themselves knowing that they could not spare the couple the pain and the heartache that the situation was causing them. Rosy was not able to help herself, too. She shed tears which she herself was trying to hide from the couple back there. Betty comforted her and escorted her to her office.


"Bro, we came as soon as we've heard," this came from Mart as he and Alex were coming inside the room at four o'clock in the afternoon. Mart was holding a basketful of fruit-variations. Alex rushed to give Lei a hug.


"Oh, you poor dear. We're here now, Lei." Alex then kissed Lei on her forehead.


"Thanks, bro. It's really good to see you here. We needed you guys here." Mitch warmly hugged Mart who then tapped his back for comfort.


"Doctor Ramirez prepped us about the news before we got here. She said Thessa and Ricky will be coming over tonight," Alex reported. "Do you guys need anything?"


"My lips are a little dry. I think I could use some drinks," and then she added, "But Betty said we can just press this red button here and the nurses will come over to assist us."


"Nah! Sweetheart, I think I could use some walking down the hospital's alley." Mitch placed his left arm on top of Mart's shoulders and said, "Let me and Mart get you the drinks ourselves. Alex, would you want anything?"


"Just a bottle of water will be fine," was Alex's reply.


"We won't take long, babes," from Mart as he gave Alex a quick kiss on the lips. Mitch kissed Lei on her lips, too, but that kiss was a combination of love and pain.


The two guys headed towards the door and Mitch closely shut the door. Alex was standing at Lei's left side when Mitch and Mart left the room. She took a chair and situated herself near Lei.


"I know it's awkward for me to ask you of this but, how are you, Lei?


"Still hurting, Alex. This is very painful for both of us. Everything seemed to have happened so fast. First, I learned I was pregnant. I was so ecstatic then. It came as a shock to us as a couple, though. I thought Mitch wasn't happy with the news that I am pregnant, but I was wrong. He was so happy about it. We both wanted the baby. Last night, we even talked about adjusting our lifestyles or our daily routines so to be able to properly take care of the baby. And now this...this..." Lei started crying again.


Alex held Lei's left hand and caressed it to assure her friend that she's right there by her side...to let her know that she and Mitch will not go through this pain alone.


"Oh, Lei, I am so sorry to hear this tragic news. Yes, I know you both wanted the baby. All of us wanted you to have this baby. We're all excited about the arrival."


"Yeah. I remember..." Alex handed her a box of tissues. "I remember...in that dinner party we held at our house one Friday...together we talked about our pregnancies. I asked you about yours and you asked me about mine. I've shared what Mitch and I planned for the baby." Lei hid her face with both of her hands and sobbed immensely.


Lei went on crying. She knew she wasn't being hospitable to Alex or was being thoughtless of her visitor but she just froze there on her bed, her chest was full of crumpling pains, heartaches, unreleased tears, dismay, regret and more. Alex knew Lei needed that opportunity to get a release from those feelings. She gave Lei that chance to cry those hurts away so she just sat there, continuously gripping on Lei's left hand.