"Honey, Calm Down" Catie said
"I need to Call John.." I bolted upright..
"Sweetie, we'll call him later, you need to rest" Gina said
"No I need to call him now" I insisted
"Alright..I'll go talk to the head nurse about getting you a phone"Natalie said
She came back a few minutes later with a phone
"That was fast" Annie remarked
"I had to wrestle it out of her hands" Natalie said proudly
"You beat the crap out of the head nurse?" Stevanne asked
"No!" Natalie said
"Uh Guys?" I interrupted
"Why would you even ASSUME that?" Natalie said
"Well I don't know.." Stevanne said
"Guys?" I tried again
"My god..are you trying to start trouble?" Natalie
"Why are you always picking on me?" Stevanne said
"I'm not ..but you need to think before you speak!" Natalie said waving the phone
"GUYS!" i shouted
"What?" they both said at the same time
"I need the phone..kill each other later" I said
"Oh right" Natalie plugged in the phone
I dialed the phone number of the Hotel
"Hello Marriot Hotel" A receptionist said
"Hello, I need to be connected to my husband Jonathan Distefino" I said
"Hold please" The woman put me on hold then connected me
it rang like 10 times before someone picked up
"Hello?" a voice said..it didn't sound like John
"Uh Hi..is Jonathan there?" I asked
"He just left who is this?" the voice asked
"His wife.. who is this?" I asked
"Nik..it's vin" Vince said
"Oh my god..Hi Vin" I said blushing
"What's going on" Vince said
"I need John" I sai d
"Well he just went out to get us some dinner..Oh wait here he comes..HEY JONO! PHONE!" Vince yelled
"Hello" John said
I just started crying
"Hello..who's there?" John said
"John" I barely got the word out
"Nik..?" John asked
"I need you to come home now" I said
"We're gonna be home on thursday.." John said
"No you need to come home now!" I insisted
"Why? What's wrong?"John asked
"There's been an accident" I said
"What kind of accident?" John said
I put my fingers to my lips, the tears were streaming down my face, before i answered,"I fell down the stairs carrying Maggie"
"Oh Nik.."John said,"Are you alright"
"No I broke my ankle.but it's not me you need to be worried about" I said
"What happened to Maggie?" John asked starting to panic
"They had to put her in a coma!" I wailed
"WHAT?!" He shouted
"She hit her head, John you have to come home" I said
"How could you let this happen?" He asked
"It was an accident.."i said
"I'll be on the first flight back to New York" John hung up the phone
"Is he coming home?" Catie asked
"Yes" I put my hands in my head and cried
Just then the Doctor came in
"Mrs.Distefino, I'm Dr.Harper..I'm the Head Doctor on your Daughter's Case" The Doctor shook my hand
"How is my daughter?" I asked worrying
"I'm not going to lie to you..It' doesn't look very good, her age combinated with the head trauma, She may not pull through, We put her in a medically induced coma and she's hooked up to a respirator, if she does wake up, She'll lead a perfectly normal life with no reminder of the head trauma" The Doctor said
"Can I see her?" I asked
"Of course.." The Doctor said
I got into a wheelchair and the Doctor wheeled me down into the NIC-U, where the sick babies are, I spotted Maggie immediately
"Hi Baby" I said
she recongized my voice because she tried to move but couldn't
"Doctor..could i hold my baby?" I asked
"I'm sorry, No because of the all the tubes but you can hold her hand" The Doctor said
"Hi Maggie" I took her little hand mine,
i couldn't believe this was happening
"Maggie, Honey..i know you can hear me please wake up" I pleaded with her
She looked so little and helpless
"How long will she be out?" I asked
"It could be hours or even days" The Doctor replied
"My poor baby" I said
"I'll let you be alone with her" The Doctor left
I sat in that rocking chair for hours,alternating between crying and praying
I must have fallen asleep because when i woke up, I heard John yelling
"I NEED TO FIND MY DAUGHTER!" He yelled
"Sir, please calm down" a nurse said
"No..I need to find my baby!" He yelled
"JOHN!" i yelled
"Oh my god! Nikk!" He came running toward me
"Ma'm Do you know this man?" a security guard asked
"Yes, He's my husband" I said
"I'm afraid I'm going to have ask you to leave?" The Guard said
"What? Why?" I asked
"He's disturbing the other patients, i'm going have to ask him leave" the Guard said putting his hands on John
"Please Sir, Our baby is very sick and he's just worried, if he promises to stay quiet can he stay?" I pleaded with the Security Guard
"Alright" The Guard relented
"Oh John!" I threw my arms around him
"Where is she?" He said
"Right over here" I showed him where Maggie was," Maggie, Daddy's here"
"Hi Babe," He stood next to the incubator,"she looks so helpless"
"I know" I started to cry
"We have to be strong, if she senses we're upset, it's only going to make her more upset" John said
"Ok" I took a deep breathe
"Have you eaten?" He asked
"No, i've been here all day" I said
"Let's get something to eat" John said
"No..I'm staying here" I said
"Alright." John pulled up a chair
"I'm glad your here" I said
"Why wouldn't I be?" He asked
"I guess ..I don't know" I said
"Ok" He looked confused
Over the next few hours, we sat and just watched our baby struggle to wake up
"As awful as this sounds, Do you think we should have last rites given to her?" I asked
"What?..No.." He said
"John Be realistic, she may not make it" I said
"No..I refuse.." John said
"Why?" I asked
"Because it's like telling her she can die..it's not right" He started to get angry
"It may not be right but it's something we should consider" I said
"Alright that's it" He stormed out of the NICU
"Where are you going?" I chased after him
"I'm not going to sit here and let you sign our daughter's death certificate" He said stopping short
"It's just an idea" I said gripping the window sill
"A bad one" He snapped
"Excuse me..i was trying to make the right decision for OUR daughter!" I said
"It's not right and you know it!" He said
"Ya know, I can't do this right now! fight with you over a simple issue" I said
"I don't want to give her last rites" John said
"It doesn't mean anything..it's water on the on her head! Oh my god! why are you debating with me on this?" I said
"Because I can't bare to let her go!" He yelled
"She's not going to die! it's just a precaution" I said
"I don't care!" John yelled,"This is all YOUR fault!"
"My fault?!" I couldn't believe it
"Yah, if you weren't such a klutz, we wouldn't be here right now!" John said
"Do you wanna know WHY we're here and why your DAUGHTER is struggling for her life?" I said
"Why?" He asked
"Because you left your freaking sneakers on the stairs and i tripped over them, that's WHY!" I yelled
"Oh please you were problably rushing down the downstairs and you trip on your jeans!" He yelled
"NO!" I yelled
"YES"! He yelled back
"You know what, go sit with your daughter, I'm going to find the hospital chapel and pray" I said walking away
"Don't forget your rosary beads" He said mockingly
"I'll pray for your soul while your rotting in HELL" i said
"Yeah Well, I'll save you a seat" He replied
I'm not a deeply religious person but i was striking every deal with God i could think of.
"Alright, i know i've screwed up, I admit that but please please Just help my baby, i know when i got pregnant and married, i should have waited but please i love her and she just makes us so happy, i can't imagine our lives without our Maggie" I finished
"Nik" a voice called
"God?" I said
"Nik" ..i realized it was John
"Oh, it's you" I said
"I know you're angry with me but I'm sorry, i'm so scared and everything is happening at once..please baby i'm sorry" He apologized
"I am too .. " I started to cry and then i realized he was crying too
We sat in the front row of the church and just cried..We must have fallen asleep because a nurse woke us up
"Mr.and Mrs.Distefino..come quickly" the nurse said
"Oh my god What's wrong!" John said
"Maggie!"I just kept repeating her name
"Just please come with me" The nurse said
John took my hand and we practically ran down the hall, which isn't easy to do in a cast
A doctor and a couple of nurses were standing over Maggie's incubator
"Oh my god, I can't look" I said
John turned white and walked over to the doctors,then looked down
"Nik, i think you'd better come see this" John said
I took a deep breath and walked over to the incubator..
Maggie was awake!
"Oh my god!" I cried
"It's amazing..nothing short of a miracle" The Doctor said
"Hi Angel" John said picking our baby up
"Oh my god!" I couldn't stop crying
Maggie gave us a big smile and kind of rolled her little brown eyes around
"Is she really alright?" I asked
"She's perfect.." The Doctor said
"We already knew that" John said Handing me our daughter
"Maggie..you gave us a quite a scare Missy" I said wiping my eyes
"I think this was a sign to for things to come" John said laughing then kissing me on the head
"When can we take her home?" I asked the doctor
"Neither of you can leave the hospital for a few days" The Doctor said
"Ok but can the baby stay in my room?" I asked
"I think i can arrange something" The Doctor smiled
Five days later, we were able to take our baby home for good and John agreed to keep his sneakers off the stairs.
When we got home from the hospital, something was different about the house
"John ..is something wrong with the house?" I asked
"Yeah..I had to go buy a new front door" John said
"What? Why? were we robbed?" I said panicking
"No, When you fell down the stairs, Natalie kicked in the Door and broke it " John said
"oOo" I nodded
Over the next few days as both Maggie and I recovered, John took care of us..
"Honey..can i have more ice cream?" I asked
"Another bowl..that's like your 5th one" He said
"Please" I said pouting
"Fine.i swear sometimes..i don't know who's the bigger baby..you or Maggie" John said walking out the door
Over the next six months, we developed a routine and actually didn't tear each other's throat out..which was amazing considering how much of a temper we have..
By Now it was mid-july, sweltering hot and even A/C wasn't cutting it
"I can't stand the heat anymore!" John yelled
"Would you shut up?! The Baby's asleep!" I said putting my hand over his mouth
"Sorry..but it's true.." He kissed me on the head
"I know..maybe we should take off for a few days.." I suggested
"Like where?" John said pouring a soda
"Maybe Florida?" I biting into a carrot
"Ok.. a reality spin..it's like nine-thousand degrees in New York.. so it's like be like eighteen-million more degrees in the south..think about it" John said
"We can go to Disney World and the Magic Kingdom..It'll be Maggie's first vacation" I said
"She's seven month's old..she won't remember it!" John said stubbornly standing in the kitchen with his arms folded
I knew exactly how to change his mind
I walked over to him,wrapped my arms around his waist and pouted
"Please ..can we go to florida?" I said
"Augh..alright!" He caved just like i knew he would
"YAHHH!!" I jumped up and down
"Your the devil..you know that..right?" He said smiling
"Well..the devil is hot and so am I" I laughed
"Got that right!" He said then chased me around our apartment
a few weeks later, when we boarded the plane, we were loaded down with a baby bag,the car seat, the carriage ..everything
"Do we really need all this stuff"? John whined
"Yes for the millionth time" I said rolling my eyes then shifted the baby from one side of my hip to other.
We got settled in our seats I was sitting on the window seat with Maggie on my lap and John was in the aisle.
Maggie slept through most of the flight, crying only once when she got hungry but after i gave her a bottle, she went right back to sleep.
Once we landed in Orlando international airport, it was a bit of a struggle trying to lug everything off the plane
"Do you want me to get the car or do you want to get the car?" John asked putting down the baby seat
"I'll do it but then you'll have to hold the baby, open up the carriage and the diaper bag" I said
"Uh, i'll go.." He said then scooted off to the car rental counter
Just then Maggie started shrieking
"What's the matter,Baby?"I asked
Obviously she wasn't going to answer but she kept screaming lounder
"Well, Ok, your not hungry and we already changed you..hmm..." I took a shot and put my index finger in her gums
"ah Ha..a tooth..poor baby.." I said then dug through the Baby bag for her teething ring. she started mad gumming it
"Alright..I got the car!" John came bouncing up toward us
"So go bring the car around" I said rolling my eyes
"Why do i have to everything?" John said
"Everything? I ordered the tickets, Booked the Hotel and I packed you, me and the baby ..all you have is get the car" I said starting to get angry
"If i get the car, promise to stop the meltdown?" John asked
"No but it would help with your case"I Smiled
"Yeah alright" He walked out the door to get the car
I sat down with Maggie on a bench and rocked a little because she was still gnawing on the teething ring
When John pulled up, I almost dropped the baby
"You rented a PORSCHE?" I said recovering slowly from the shock
"Hot right?" He said getting out of the car
"Were they out of Intrepids?"I asked
"Nah, they were crappy, but this is HOTT!" John said
"There's hardly any room for our stuff let alone our baby, what the hell?" I was so ..i don't know what the hell i was..
"There's plenty of room, Nik, Come this is a cool car" John pleaded with me
"Alright but pull any stunt driving moves and your in for the ass-chewing of a lifetime" I said
"Deal" He said then took the baby and put her in the car-seat
We drove off and found our hotel, it was ] a villa, the baby had her own room and we had ours plus it had a kitchen, living room and washer/dryer, it was like being home.
I put the baby in the portable playpen and started to unpack
"Hey..forget the unpacking" John said taking a shirt out of my hand that i was putting away
"The Baby's watching" I said
"Not that ..although....i figured we could go up to the pool and go swimming" John said
"Good Idea..will you watch the baby while i change into my bathing suit?" I said
"Yeah Alright" He said flopping down on the bed
I put on my bathing suit then while John changed into his, i put the baby into her bathing suit and rub sun screen all over her because i know with her light redish brown she'd burn.
We went up to the Pool area, stocked with the baby, the baby carriage, portable radio, a video camera and a bunch of books.
I put a hat and sunglasses on the baby and took her over to the pool, John was fiddling with the radio
"John, when i get into the water, hand me the baby" I said
no answer
"JOHN!" i yelled
"Oh what? sorry.." He apologized
"Stop screwing around with radio, When I get into the water, hand me the baby" I repeated
"Alright, Alright.." John got up from the table, took Maggie out of the stroller and we walked over to the edge of the pool
I jumped in and got my hair wet
"Are you ready to go into the water with Mommy" John asked Maggie,"Are you ready?"
"Almost, just let me.." I didn't even finish the words before he let go and she went under the water,"Oh my god!"
I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up
"What?" John asked, he'd walked away once he thought Maggie was in my arms
"You let go and nearly drowned our baby!" I said
"Oh my god..Maggie..I'm so sorry" He got down on his knees by the edge of the pool
Poor kid was coughing up water and trying to rub her eyes but it wasn't working
so far as Parents, we suck...
"Maggie, it's alright..It's alright.." I said trying to help wipe off her face
"I thought you had her.." John said
"No..i started to say i wasn't ready yet and you let go" I said walking over to the edge of the pool
"This kid isn't going to survive if we keep trying to kill her" John said holding out his hands
She must have sensed John was the one who let her go under the water because she gave him such a-you-asshole-i-can't-believe-you-let-me go look that it would have struck fear into the crypt keeper's heart
"It's ok baby, Daddy didn't mean it" John trying to apologize,"She hates me now"
"She doesn't hate you..she's just upset, you would be too if you inhaled chlorine" I said coming out of the pool and grabbed a towel.
"Do you think we should take her to the emergency room?" John asked
"No, i think she's alright" I said sitting down in the chair and putting the towel over the baby
We must have fallen asleep in the chair because when i woke up both Maggie and John were gone, i started to panic until i saw a note taped to the radio
Nik, Mags and I went for subs... back later..love John...
I guess Maggie forgave him
I went to the bathroom and came back to our table, they still hadn't come back yet... i started reading a book and was half way through the first chapter when they come back
"Hi guys" I greeted them
"Hi Momma"John said,"We had a problem at the Grocery Store"
"Oh lord, what happened?" I instantly become worried
"Maggie has become a thief" John said handing me the baby
"What did she take?" I said trying not to laugh
"a rubber ball, her little fist grabbed it and She put it in the cart, i didn't even realize she'd taken it until we were in the car and she started to gum it" John said handing me a sandwich
"Are you a little thief?" I asked putting the baby in the stroller
She gave me a big gummy smile
"We're raising a mini-Bonnie Parker" John said ripping a piece of bread off his sandwich and putting it in Maggie's mouth
"Well..if i get pregnant again, we'll have a little Clyde.." I said sipping my soda
"Oh god..that's a scary thought" John bit into his sandwich
We finished eating and brought Maggie over to the sandbox, where she threw sand all around and clapped her hands.
That night, it didn't take Maggie long to fall asleep and she slept right through the night..It was the first time we'd actually be alone for the first time in seven months.
We made love for the first time and it was incredible but i'm going to keep those details for myself...
The next day we went to Disney World
"I can't believe we're here!" I said jumping up and down
"I can't believe it just cost me a 120 dollars for three tickets" John said
"It's gonna be so much fun, we'll go on all the rides, and eat junk food til we puke and then Maggie..are you ready honey? We'll see Mickey!" I said excitedly
Maggie just looked at us with wide eyes,drooled and fell asleep
"That's just great...we spent all this money and she's gonna sleep right through it!" John said getting angry
"She'll wake up..meantime..let's go on the Matterhorn!" I said pushing the carriage over to the ride, John took Maggie while i folded up the carriage, We stood in line for about 20minutes and just watched everyone come off the ride,
While we were standing in line, Maggie woke up and started singing to herself
"What an adorable baby!" a old woman said
"Thank you" I said then kissed maggie on her head
"How old is your sister?" The woman asked
"Almost eight months" I replied
"Wait..What..Our sister?" John asked
"She's not our sister, she's our daughter" I explained
"But you seem so young" The woman said
"Well..My wife is 23 and I'm 20..i guess you could say that is pretty young" John defended us
"Tsk, tsk..babies having babies" the woman shook her head
"Look..we may have been young but it's better than being 40 and resenting our daughter" John said then took Maggie and walked to the front of the line," NIK you coming?"
"Coming Dear" I said walking up to him
We got on the matterhorn and it was so beautiful inside but we weren't expecting the boat we were riding in to drop...it was such a sudden drop..i nearly let go of Maggie but kept my grip on her
"Oh my god! that was so amazing" John said as we got of the ride and started jumping up and down
"I told you" I said shifting Maggie to my other hip
"You were so right!" John kissed me on the head
"Let's go on Splash mountain" John said dragging me by the hand
"Whoa..slow down" I said laughing
"No..we gotta get in line" John said jumping around
"Yes but if you drag me and i drop the baby..we're in a lot of trouble" I said
"Right..So let's go let's go!" John was so cute the way he was so excited
"Ok Ok.." I said laughing
We went on Splash mountain, Cinderella's Golden Carousel, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean...all before we ate lunch..which was good because most of those rides jerk you around so much you wanna puke
"John!" I said breathlessy
"We gotta keep going!" John said
"We gotta stop..please the baby is hungry and so am I" I said
"Oh Alright ..but after we eat, we gotta keep going" John insisted
"Ok Ok.." I said rolling my eyes
We ate at Mickey's Deli, which was in doors and Air Conditioner (thank god!), while we were eating, Mickey Mouse came around
"Look..it's Mickey!" I said,"Maggie..Look it's Mickey Mouse..let's go over and get a picture"
"I don't know..Mickey looks a little rough " John said worriedly
"Oh Come On" I said picking up Maggie and walked over to Mickey
We walked over and tapped Mickey on the shoulder
"Mickey..this is Maggie" I said moving the baby from my shoulder so she could face Mickey
Maggie's eye lit up and she immediately grabbed the mouse's nose with all her might
"John, take the picture" I said
"Ready" John said then snapped the picture
"Thank you Mickey" I said and started to walk away but something was pulling me back
It was my daughter with a deadlock grip on Mickey Mouse's nose
"Maggie..Honey ..Let go!" I said trying to loosen her grip on his nose
"What's the matter?" John asked
"Your daughter won't let go" I said
"Hold on..Let Daddy fix it" John tried to loosen her fingers,"Ooomp some grip"
"What happened to "Let Daddy fix it" I said mocking him
"Alright so, kid's got a hellva grip" John threw his hands up
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