Complications: Totally Impossible
Totally Impossible
Noise. Sounds that should mean something. Voices?
Iella turned her head side to side, flopping against her pillow. She forced her eyelids open, only to have them drift shut again. And again. She whimpered and a light touch brushed across her forehead.
“Hush, ‘Ella. You’re alright - everything’s okay now.”
She got her eyes to stay open and her voice to work at the same time. “Wedge. Wha - Wedge?”
Her husband was leaning over the bed, his face close to hers, one hand stroking thorough her hair. “Hey, my love. How are you feeling?”
“Weird.” Iella rubbed her nose absently, surprised to feel a breathing tube there. “Huh. Wha- Wha’s?” She screwed up her face as she followed the lines on his. “Wedge? You look terrible.”
He chuckled, which only accentuated the tired furrows and the purple swelling around his eye. “Sweetheart, I feel like an exhausted mess, and I’m sure I look it. But I was asking about you.” He took her hand in his, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. “How do you feel?”
“I feel - I feel -” She frowned, trying to think about it. Light headed. Uncoordinated. Queasy. Slur to her speech. All of which added up to - “Drugged! I feel drugged. Or drunk. But no hangover headache.” She scowled at her husband. “Why you drug me? Is hardly nece- necessary.”
His laughter was soft, with an edge of tears in it. “Oh, baby-”
All of Iella’s floaty feelings went away; all of the fuzziness and light vanished in an instant. “No! There’s no baby. Not anymore.” She clasped her hands to her belly, feeling the large bacta patch there. “They took it away.” Tears dribbled down her face as she gasped for breath. “They stole my not-baby.”
“Oh, ‘Ella.” Wedge took both of her hands, lifting them against his chest. “Sweetheart, it’s okay. There is still a baby - you’re still pregnant.”
“No. Nonono. Can’t be. Tumour baby, not a real baby.” She was shaking, trembling, shuddering. She couldn’t handle this - it was totally impossible…
“Love, please look at me.” She shook her head, blind with tears. “Iella. Look at me.” The desperation and command in his voice brought her gaze up. Dark eyes were welling over with tears as he leaned close and whispered, “On my honour. You are still having our baby.”
"I don’t understand.” She knew Wedge would never lie to her, especially about this. But- Impossible. This is impossible - she was scared to believe… too scared to hope…
“Good to see you awake.” Dr Banefre came to stand at the foot of the bed, watching Iella closely with those expressive eyes. “Your confusion is understandable - comprehending this situation is difficult enough for those of us without anaesthetic in our systems.” A slight smile, then back to seriousness. “Now, are you in any pain?”
Iella took a couple of deep breaths, taking stock of her physical condition, letting her emotional turmoil take a back seat for a few moments. “No. But… I feel like I ought to be.” Her hands, still wrapped in Wedge’s warm grasped, trembled despite her best efforts to control them.
“Good, that means everything is working as it should.” The doctor’s large nostrils snorted out a breath. “Now, as to exactly what happened…”
The explanation stole what little breath Iella had. The crazy chance that had led to their baby’s survival… “How did Melli know to look? How? It’s just completely illogical that she would ‘just happen’ to look closer, dig deeper, it’s impossible.” She absently noticed just how often she was using that word, but really, that’s exactly what this entire situation was.
“We do not know. We are just glad that she did, and saved us all from more heartache.” Karsha’s large dark eyes were soft upon them. “We are sorry that you have had to go through all of this.”
Wedge smiled, stroking some strands of hair out of Iella’s face. “I’m going to ask Luke to talk to her, see if there’s something there.”
“Regardless, we owe her,” Iella whispered, sagging down into her pillow as the confusion and aftereffects of the recent surgery threatened to completely overwhelm her. She struggled against the wave of emotions, before deciding to focus on the most important thing. “So… we’re still pregnant?”
“Yes, darling.” Wedge pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “We’re going to have our baby.”
“Then that’s all I need.” She pulled him down close, tucked her head against his shoulder and cried.
Noise. Sounds that should mean something. Voices?
Iella turned her head side to side, flopping against her pillow. She forced her eyelids open, only to have them drift shut again. And again. She whimpered and a light touch brushed across her forehead.
“Hush, ‘Ella. You’re alright - everything’s okay now.”
She got her eyes to stay open and her voice to work at the same time. “Wedge. Wha - Wedge?”
Her husband was leaning over the bed, his face close to hers, one hand stroking thorough her hair. “Hey, my love. How are you feeling?”
“Weird.” Iella rubbed her nose absently, surprised to feel a breathing tube there. “Huh. Wha- Wha’s?” She screwed up her face as she followed the lines on his. “Wedge? You look terrible.”
He chuckled, which only accentuated the tired furrows and the purple swelling around his eye. “Sweetheart, I feel like an exhausted mess, and I’m sure I look it. But I was asking about you.” He took her hand in his, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. “How do you feel?”
“I feel - I feel -” She frowned, trying to think about it. Light headed. Uncoordinated. Queasy. Slur to her speech. All of which added up to - “Drugged! I feel drugged. Or drunk. But no hangover headache.” She scowled at her husband. “Why you drug me? Is hardly nece- necessary.”
His laughter was soft, with an edge of tears in it. “Oh, baby-”
All of Iella’s floaty feelings went away; all of the fuzziness and light vanished in an instant. “No! There’s no baby. Not anymore.” She clasped her hands to her belly, feeling the large bacta patch there. “They took it away.” Tears dribbled down her face as she gasped for breath. “They stole my not-baby.”
“Oh, ‘Ella.” Wedge took both of her hands, lifting them against his chest. “Sweetheart, it’s okay. There is still a baby - you’re still pregnant.”
“No. Nonono. Can’t be. Tumour baby, not a real baby.” She was shaking, trembling, shuddering. She couldn’t handle this - it was totally impossible…
“Love, please look at me.” She shook her head, blind with tears. “Iella. Look at me.” The desperation and command in his voice brought her gaze up. Dark eyes were welling over with tears as he leaned close and whispered, “On my honour. You are still having our baby.”
"I don’t understand.” She knew Wedge would never lie to her, especially about this. But- Impossible. This is impossible - she was scared to believe… too scared to hope…
“Good to see you awake.” Dr Banefre came to stand at the foot of the bed, watching Iella closely with those expressive eyes. “Your confusion is understandable - comprehending this situation is difficult enough for those of us without anaesthetic in our systems.” A slight smile, then back to seriousness. “Now, are you in any pain?”
Iella took a couple of deep breaths, taking stock of her physical condition, letting her emotional turmoil take a back seat for a few moments. “No. But… I feel like I ought to be.” Her hands, still wrapped in Wedge’s warm grasped, trembled despite her best efforts to control them.
“Good, that means everything is working as it should.” The doctor’s large nostrils snorted out a breath. “Now, as to exactly what happened…”
The explanation stole what little breath Iella had. The crazy chance that had led to their baby’s survival… “How did Melli know to look? How? It’s just completely illogical that she would ‘just happen’ to look closer, dig deeper, it’s impossible.” She absently noticed just how often she was using that word, but really, that’s exactly what this entire situation was.
“We do not know. We are just glad that she did, and saved us all from more heartache.” Karsha’s large dark eyes were soft upon them. “We are sorry that you have had to go through all of this.”
Wedge smiled, stroking some strands of hair out of Iella’s face. “I’m going to ask Luke to talk to her, see if there’s something there.”
“Regardless, we owe her,” Iella whispered, sagging down into her pillow as the confusion and aftereffects of the recent surgery threatened to completely overwhelm her. She struggled against the wave of emotions, before deciding to focus on the most important thing. “So… we’re still pregnant?”
“Yes, darling.” Wedge pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “We’re going to have our baby.”
“Then that’s all I need.” She pulled him down close, tucked her head against his shoulder and cried.