Chapter 57: Chapter 57
Sleeping is the last thing I want to be doing right now, but I just can't muster the energy to do anything else because I was up all night last night. We were forced to delay our arrival at the hospital, but this is not a significant issue because nothing will take place until the afternoon of tomorrow. We ended up staying longer.
After we got back to the house, we changed into our pajamas and went to bed immediately. Well, I did, and then Mark put on a movie and lied down on his back while I lied on his chest while he watched it. I haven't been able to get around to doing that just yet. I think that a regular drum beat or even the sound of a heartbeat can be soothing when one is trying to fall or stay asleep. I am all for it. When he turns off the light and the television, that's when I open my eyes. Also, when he turns off the TV, I open my eyes. I inquire as to whether or not he requires my presence to be elsewhere. According to everything I've read and seen on the subject, your arm will eventually fall asleep, and doing so will be extremely uncomfortable. He didn't appear to mind.
When I reach the point where I can no longer fall or maintain sleep, I roll over and look at the clock. It's possible that it was the latest that I've ever stayed up for a night of sleep. Currently, it is one o'clock in the afternoon. After standing up, I proceed into the kitchen. Yesterday evening, I was so exhausted that I did not even bother to remove my scarf. I take it off and then quickly toss it on the bed before grabbing a cap from the closet.
"Good morning, you sleepy head," said the person. Mark is currently devouring his lunch, whereas I haven't even finished my breakfast yet.
"Afternoon." As I sat next to him, I gave my response. I do this by leaning against his shoulder and threading my arm through the one of his that is resting on the table. Once more, I press my eyelids together and let out a sigh.
"Would you like to return to your bed?" Mark asks. I am acutely aware of his attention being drawn to me.
I force myself to sit up and open my eyes wider in an effort to become more awake, but I almost immediately come to regret doing so due to the rush in my head. "Ow." I groan. "And no." I quickly grab hold of my head and rest it on his shoulder as I lean back.
"We have very little time left before we have to enter." He says this as he moves his bowl of tomato soup toward the sink while making a slight erecting movement. "Everything is bundled up and ready to go. All that is required of you at this point is to take a shower, if you so desire, and get dressed. When that is finished, you can count on us to leave." He fills me in on the situation.
"Five more minutes." I mutter something under my breath while simultaneously tightening my grip on his arm and not paying very close attention to the information he is providing.
"Are you going to take a bath or a shower?" He asks. I nod. "Three minutes," the speaker said. I nod again. I really hope he understands that I'm taking his point of view into consideration. He remains silent and does not offer any further commentary. He doesn't say anything else, just kisses the top of my head, and then he leaves me alone for the next three minutes.
I enjoy a nice, long shower under a hot water spray. It's possible that this will be the final picture I take all by myself. While I am in there, Mark will load everything into the car. There will be a meeting there between us and Charlie and Abby. There is only fifteen minutes that I have to spend with them, and that includes Lexi. Fifteen minutes with my mother, Will, Sophie, and Hannah all together. Mark and my dad are welcome to remain here for as long as they please. They need only protect themselves by donning masks. Since Mark is going to be sleeping at the hospital, the staff required him to wear a mask while he was there. I pity the situation he's in.
I quickly grab my phone and the purse that's hanging on my shoulder. I exit the building and make my way to the vehicle, where I follow Mark into the truck. "Ready?" The question is posed with a trace of displeasure on his face.
"I guess." I sigh and look over at him while uttering my statement.
Mark brings his hand closer to my face and brushes it against my cheek. "I love you." When I lean in to hear what he has to say, he says. After that, I give him back his kiss, and we go our separate ways.
"I adore you too." The two of us are holding hands as we get into the car, and I give a small smile. To even say that out loud still seems a little strange, but I don't want it to end.
We park our cars using the valet service provided by the hospital, and we have a "doorman" carry some of our bags. I walk in feeling helpless, holding nothing but my phone in the pocket of my jacket. Even though I wanted to bring a few things with me, I'm not even carrying the small bag that contains those things. Mark insisted that he take responsibility for carrying that.
We check in, and they give me a wheelchair, which I don't want to sit in because I don't need it right now. However, Mark will nag me about it, saying things like, "you need to conserve your energy." I give a snort of amusement in advance and then sit down to get away from it all.
Mark pushes the wheelchair I'm riding in to the elevator, and then we both wait for it to arrive. My father has just sent me a text message informing me that he and Maddy are currently on their way. The plane carrying my mother and Will has just touched down, so we should anticipate their arrival any minute now. There will be no more than five minutes between you and Abby and Charlie. They expressed their regrets for keeping everyone waiting by stating that little Lexi experienced a technical difficulty. I couldn't help but chuckle as I wished each of them well.
Maya is going to be staying the night with me tonight before she flies in tomorrow to join us while Mark is at work. This time around, Kevin will not be available.
As soon as we enter my room, I immediately begin looking around. There is no content there. There is neither color nor light anywhere in the room other than the window, and even that is entirely gray. Even though it's supposed to snow, there isn't any. In a short amount of time, I'll have my appearance like that. All gray looking and drooping. I am currently laying in bed and frown at the thought as it crosses my mind.
I have an urge to be unconventional, so I have placed my head in the position that my feet should be, and I have raised my feet so that they are pointing upwards. I feel like a kindergartener bored at nap time. despite the fact that nobody slept during the lunch break. It was changed to quiet time, but as soon as that happened, the children started talking, so it was changed back to nap time. I am unsure if that is the case for other schools, but it was the case for mine.
"What are you doing?" is the question being asked. Mark inquires as I pull myself up by the balls of my feet and bend at the knees.
"I can't really comment on that. Are you having a flashback to kindergarten?" I guess. I have no idea what I'm doing or why I'm doing it, and I have no idea how to stop myself from doing it.
"I was under the impression that you did that on a daily basis." In the spirit of teasing, Mark says.
"Hardy-har-har." I answer dryly.
"Wanna know why I thought Lexi was going to be her name?" "Want to know why I thought Lexi was going to be her name?" This question comes out of the blue from Mark. I nod. "It felt like I was dreaming." As I raise my eyebrows in perplexity, he proceeds with the conversation. "During the time that I was inside of that comal, I had a dream. It was equivalent to the future being advanced by approximately six or seven years. We had two children at the time, Lexi was also present, and both your dad and Maddy were present and married. Charlie and Abby exchanged their vows and became husband and wife." Mark says.