Opening her eyes again, Kimberly found herself in the hospital.
"You awake?" A nurse adjusted her IV drip. "How are you feeling? You were so pale when they brought you in. Scared the heck out of us."
From the nurse, Kimberly learned that the building manager had rushed her to the ER and tried contacting Richard via the owners' group chat.
"She's a grown woman," he'd snapped. "Can't she handle a minor issue without bothering me?"
He had hung up without sending a single concerned text. He'd completely forgotten about her claustrophobia.
Bitterness surged through her as memories flooded back.
In high school, when bullies locked her in a dark storage room, it was Richard who'd smashed the door open, ignoring his bleeding hands as he held her close. "Kimbie, don't be scared. I've got you."
The next day, he'd beaten the bullies senseless. "She has claustrophobia, terrified of the dark! Do you realize locking her in there nearly sent her into shock?"
He'd gone berserk, earning himself in-school suspension, but it let the whole school know the orphaned Kimberly had someone watching her back.
When had he started forgetting? Kimberly pulled out the IV needle.
The nurse yelped, "Hey, don't remove that."
"I'm fine now," Kimberly said, shaking her head. "No need for the drip."
The nurse frowned. "Come on. Don't throw tantrums like that. You're gonna be a mom."
Kimberly stiffened, turning in disbelief. "A mom? Me?"
"We drew blood when you passed out," the nurse explained. "The doctor reviewed the labs personally. You're three months along. Didn't you notice anything?"
Kimberly's mind blanked out. The nurse's lips moved, but she heard nothing.
Why now, of all times, when she was planning to divorce him? She stumbled out of the room, torn about what to do with this unexpected pregnancy.
Just then, Richard hurried toward her. She stopped, but he blew right past like she was invisible, veering into a nearby room.
She paused, then followed instinctively. To her surprise, it was the gynecology department.
Minutes later, Lotta emerged with a report in hand, her eyes red and puffy. One after another, they headed to the stairwell.
"You heard the doctor," she sobbed. "After the miscarriage, my periods have been irregular and painful. Turns out it's a torn uterine lining. I... I might never have kids again."
"Don't worry," he soothed. "We'll have children. I still dream about the one you lost because of me."
"If our baby were still here, he'd be in elementary school now," she wept. "Promise me. You'll only have kids with me."
He pulled her into a hug, aching for her.
"Only with you, I promise."
"But what if Kimberly gets pregnant?"
He paused, uncertainty flickering in his eyes, but she pressed on. "Unless, after I get pregnant, you get a vasectomy for me."
Kimberly's heart clenched. She expected him to refuse and explode in anger.
But after a brief pause, he murmured, "Okay. Anything you want."
