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You Are So Beautiful
A Completely Fictional Original Short Story
by Shannon Force
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The doctor entered the exam room with a disturbed, yet excited, look on her face. She said, “Michelle, you are going to have a baby!” I hadn’t the foggiest idea how to respond to that, I couldn’t be pregnant; I am only seventeen years old.
All I can remember is that my mother nearly fainted right there in exam room number eight. Her face turning white, her eyes glassing over with tears, saying, “why me, where did I go wrong.” The car ride back home from the doctor’s office was silent; we didn’t even play the radio. My mother just kept whispering to herself, “Why my beautiful girl” over and over. It was like she didn’t care how I was feeling, but she thought I went against every moral idea I was raised on.
When we finally got home she told me to meet her and my father in the living room to talk. So I sat down on the couch, and I could feel my stomach churning in fear of what they were going to say to me. And apparently I had every reason to be afraid. They held nothing back; my father, even crazier then my mother nearly told me he would disown me. “You’re not even married, and you think you can raise a child.” “Not in my house!” I just sat down and cried, and cried, and cried.
I went upstairs to call my boyfriend, Brett. He picked up the phone after barely one complete ring, and I just started balling. Words were trying to emerge from the tears, but they were barely audible. I decided I would call him back when I had a little more self-control. We exchanged “I love yous” and hung up the phone. I was convinced that the next nine months would be nothing short of hell on earth. “Who ever said pregnancy was a beautiful thing must have been on some really good drugs” was all I could think about.
Dinner that same night was so quiet; you could have dropped a pin and it would have sounded like a firecracker was shot off. Everyone just stared at their food and couldn’t wait to finish eating. The tension must have been unbearable for my father because he left and ate dinner in his study that night. My mother and I just ate in silence. When we were finally done eating I cleared the table and went back upstairs to call Brett.
Once again he picked up the phone right away, almost like he knew who it was or something. This time I was able to get words out of my mouth that could be understood. I said to him, “We are going to have a baby, but I don’t know if I can go through with the pregnancy.” There was silence on his end of the phone and tears on mine. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he responded with, “you need to go through with it Michelle, you know I am here for you.” I knew I had to go through with it now, but I didn’t think I was strong enough to do it, and to handle all the family repercussions of having a baby. We talked a little more and then exchanged “I love yous” and hung up.
Seven months passed, I was now sure that I would go through with the pregnancy. I found out that I was going to have a baby girl, and Brett and I decided to name her Emily Kathryn. The tension at home was becoming unbearable, my father and I were not speaking, and I was only exchanging the necessary small talk with my mother. I went to the doctor for a routine check up, and I found out that there was a problem. Baby Emily has a heart defect, and they needed to do an emergency cesarean section. I was terrified, I was alone at the doctors and I was going into surgery and coming out as a mother!
The doctors called my parents and told them the situation, and surprisingly enough both of them rushed down to the hospital. They also called Brett, and he too came to be at my side.
Back in the operating room things were not going well. Baby Emily was born as expected with a heart defect, and because she was born so prematurely Emily had to be on the ventilator. I didn’t even get to see her before she was taken to surgery to correct the heart problem and then placed in intensive care. I too was having my own set of problems; I had lost so much blood in the surgery that I needed a transfusion. The only family member compatible to me was my mother. The doctors went out into the surgical waiting area and spoke with my mother. She agreed to donate blood to me. It turned out that baby Emily was also in need of a transfusion after her heart surgery, and my mother, her grandmother, was able to donate to her too.
Once I had recovered enough and gained back some strength I went to go and visit baby Emily. My parents and Brett were already in there with Emily in the intensive care room. My poor baby was attached to machines and had so many wires attached to her she looked like a robot. But I couldn’t help but think that she was so beautiful. I also couldn’t help but think that Emily or myself may not have survived if it wasn’t for my mother who donated her blood to save her daughter and her newborn granddaughter. At that moment, when I held Emily for the first time, I learned how strong a mother’s love is for her daughter. Without rehearsal or expectation my mother and I both began singing,
“You are so beautiful to me
You are so beautiful to me
Can't you see
You're everything I hoped for
You're everything I need
You are so beautiful to me
You are so beautiful to me
You are so beautiful
To me
Can't you see
You're everything I hoped for
You're every, everything I need
You are so beautiful to me”
It was truly a beautiful moment, and a moment of reconnection for my mother and me that really changed my life forever. I hope baby Emily knows how strong a mother’s love really is; I know I sure do, even though I had to re-learn just how strong that love and bond really is!
This story was submitted by a visitor of this site. Though reviewed for potentially vulgar, obscene, or offensive content, Cognitial.com assumes no liability for this story and has no affiliation with the author.
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