Never Again?
by
Cathy
(Cathy84@web.de)
It’s Saturday and Max wakes up in the morning... He’s wondering why Eve’s lying next to him...
Eve: Morning, daddy.
Max: Hello my angel. Where’s your mommy?
Eve: Mommy moved to Jonah. He had a nightmare this night...
Max: Oh, really? What’s the time anyway? [looks at his watch] Eight? Ugh,... Well, why aren’t you sleeping some more time? I’m going to prepare our breakfast, okay?
Eve: Okay, daddy...
He pulls the blanket up to her neck and goes into the kitchen.....
After having prepared the breakfast he wakes up Brighton, Gracie, Jonah, Eve and Fran...
Max: Fran, darling, wake up...
Fran: Oh, now? I don’t wanna. It’s early in the morning...
Max: It’s about 9am.
Fran: Oh, really? I haven’t slept the whole night. Jonah had a nightmare and talked in his dream....
Max: Come on. I made a gorgeous breakfast. Coffee, chopped egg, fresh croissants... Mmm
Fran: Okay... Well, just go down, I’m going to get my bath robe.
Max: All right. (gives her a kiss on her cheek)
Although she said she wanted to get the bath robe Fran goes into the bathroom for throwing up....
That’s the fifth she has to throw up in the morning and she realizes that she’s maybe pregnant. So, she decides to go to a doctor. But it’s Saturday and no gynecologist is on work, so Fran decides to go on Monday...
Max: Fran, are you all right? You’re looking a bit pale.
Fran: Yes, everything’s all right. I just think it’s because of the last night. Could you give me the butter, please?
Max: So, tell me kids, what do we wanna do today?
Grace: What about shopping on Sunset Boulevard?
Brighton: What about lying on the beach?
Grace: You just wanna look at the girls...
Brighton: So? Shopping, ugh!!!!!
Eve: What about the zoo?
Jonah: Yeah!!!!!
Max: Fran?
Fran: Zoo? Okay. Excuse me, I need something from the kitchen.
Max: What do you need? I thought I brought everything..
Fran: Salt. For the eggs.
She leaves but recognizes that she has to throw up again. Max followed her because he wanted to get some more juice. He finds her in the bathroom..
Max: Fran? Is everything okay?
Fran: I think, I’m getting a cold...
Max: That’s it. No zoo for you.
Fran: Wha’? I’m going. Sweetie, I was looking forward to spend the whole weekend with you and the kids. The only days you aren’t working...
Max: You’ll go back to bed! We make the whole Sunday to our own if you’re feeling better. Now, go to bed. You really look exhausted and you need your sleep.
Fran: Okay, but come to me before you leave, all right?
Max: Okay. (kisses her)
Before leaving for the zoo Maxwell goes into the bedroom for looking after Fran. She’s sleeping peacefully, holding a picture of him and the twins when they were just a week old in her hands. Max takes the photo and puts it on the bedside table, then covers his wife and kisses her softly on her forehead.
Now, it’s Sunday. Fran slept over 30 hours and wakes up, now...
Fran: Oy,... Max? Max? (looks around the room and recognizes while watching through the window that it has started to dawn)
She stands up and goes straight to the bathroom where she’s throwing up again. Grace comes into the room...
Grace: Mom, are you okay?
Fran: Oh, Gracie. You scared me. Yes, yes, I’m fine.
Grace: So, how did you sleep?
Fran: Oh, I slept wonderful. How was it at the zoo, today?
Grace: Today? Mom, you slept more than 30 hours.
Fran: What? Really? I believe I needed more sleep than I thought. Why didn’t anybody woke me up?
Grace: Daddy told us not to do because you seemed to be so very exhausted.
Fran: Gracie, honey, if I’d tell you something, could you keep it secret? I mean, you’re nearly eighteen now and I think I can tell you about it.
Grace: Sure. What’s up?
Fran: I believe, I’m pregnant. I have to throw up every morning, I’m exhausted after a short time and I wanna eat those special meals.
Grace: But that’s wonderful. Why don’t you told anything to daddy?
Fran: Because I’m not sure. Do you remember the time before I got pregnant with the twins? I also thought I was pregnant but then it turned out that I wasn’t though I decided to get really sure before telling everybody. Now, I’m sure to ninety percent but I want to see the doctor, tomorrow.
Grace: Trust me, I’ll keep it secret. Wanna join us for supper? Daddy cooked.
Fran: Your father cooked? Oy vey, ... Okay. Come on, let’s go.
Monday morning....
Fran: Honey, wake up. You have to go to work.
Max: Oh, is it really that late? I don’t want. What about the kids? Did you woke them up?
Fran: C’mon. The are all out of the house. Gracie is at school, Eve and Jonah at Ma’s and Brighton returned to college...
Max: The twins are at Sylvia’s? Why?
Fran: Well, I’ve got an appointment this morning that I don’t want to miss. Afterwards I’ll pick ‘em up. Your coffee’s getting cold. I wait downstairs for you and now get up...
Max: Okay... Wait!
Fran: What’s up?
Max: I want to have a kiss...
Fran: O, sweetie...(gives him a kiss) I love you. Get up.
After getting Max out of the house and doing a bit of household, Fran goes to her gynecologist for the examination ...
Dr. Cage: Well, Fran, your suspicion has confirmed. Congratulation, you’re pregnant... for the seventh week.
Fran: Great... (smiles from ear to ear) But wait, the seventh week already? But I’m throwing up since one week.
Dr. Cage: Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s different from pregnancy to pregnancy. Wow, that will be the sixth kid in your family, right?
Fran: Yes, I think we slowly become similar to the Osmond-family...
Dr. Cage: True but nothing to be concerned about, right? Well, I think that’s all for the moment. I see you in two weeks for the next examination, okay?
Fran: Okay and thank you. Bye.
Fran goes to her parents for picking up the twins and tell them the good news...
Fran: Hi Ma, hi daddy. Hi my sweet babies.
Jonah&Eve: Hi mommy.
Sylvia: Where have you been so long? We wanted to be for lunch together. We already ate but I kept yours warm.
Fran: Oh, Ma, I’m pregnant, again.
Sylvia: That’s wonderful. Morty, did you hear that? She’s pregnant, again.
Fran: I just wanted to pick up Eve and Jonah and then I wanted to go straight home for calling Maxwell...
Sylvia: I’ll help you packing their toys.
Fran: Thanks Ma.
After arriving home, Fran calls Max to tell him the good news:
Max: Sheffield?
Fran: Hi sweetie, this is Fran. I have some good news I want to share with you... Honey, I’m pregnant!
Max: Oh, my god. That’s wonderful. I’m coming home and we’ll celebrate it, okay?
Fran: But don’t you have some work to do?
Max: We have to stop anyway. The main character passed, the cameraman passed...
Fran: See you. I have to quit, Eve started to cry.
Max: Bye.
Fran: Eve, sweetie, what’s the matter?
Eve: Jonah threw my Barbie doll against the wall and now her arm is off. She needs a doctor.
Fran: Lemme see. Oh, look, you can put it on again. Now, Barbie’s healthy again. Let me put your tears away.
Eve: Jonah has to apologize.
Fran: That’s true. Jonah! Come here, please! Where is he?
Eve: In the kitchen with Gracie.
Fran: Jonah... oww... (she feels a strong pain in her stomach)
Eve: Mommy!
Fran: Go and get Gracie in here. Oww... (Eve leaves and gets Gracie)
Grace: Oh, god. Mom,... you’re hemorrhaging!
Fran: Gracie, you have to drive me into the hospital. Get the twins and lets go. Oww...
Grace brings Fran into the hospital and calls Maxwell who arrived at home and just sees the big pool of blood in the living room...
While Fran’s getting a examination, Gracie and the twins are resting in the waiting room.
Maxwell arrives and Dr. Cage leads him to Fran’s room.... Dr. Cage waits outside...
Max: Fran, darling.
Fran: Finally you’re here...
Max: What happened?
(Dr. Cage also comes in)
Fran: Doc, how’s the baby?
Dr. Cage: Fran, we’ve got the results of your test and I ... I’m so very sorry for you.
Fran: Oh, no...
She leans on Max’ chest and starts crying. Dr. Cage explains them that they lost the baby. Max also gets tears in his eyes. Dr. Cage leaves them alone so that they have their peace...
They long sit on Fran’s hospital bed, hug each other and cry.
After an hour Max decides to tell the news to Gracie and Sylvia and Morty who arrived, too.
Grace: Daddy, how are Fran and the baby?
Max: Bad news... (tears come in his eyes again) We lost the baby...
Sylvia: Can I see her?
Max: No, she needs her peace, now. They want to do a D&C tonight for removing everything the pregnancy left. It’d be better if you could return home with the kids. Fran has to stay here until Wednesday. The Doc said she lost a lot of blood and needs a transfusion... Excuse me, I just want to go back to her... She needs me...
Max returns to Fran and tells her that he loves her no matter what happens...
After the D&C they spend the night together in her bed comforting each other. But they can’t really sleep. Fran always has to cry again and Maxwell either.
In the morning they get another bad news... resulting from the D&C...
Dr. Cage: Fran, Max, I have to tell you that you... Well, the D&C showed us that while losing the baby a little part of your uterus was destroyed... That could explain your enormous loss of blood.
Max: What shall that mean?
Dr. Cage: You’ll never be able to have children again...
Max: What? Never? I want a second opinion!
Dr. Cage: I already talked to a specialist in Chicago and one right in our hospital. They’re the same opinion. I’m so very sorry for the both of you...
(She leaves the room)
Fran: Never again... (she leans on Maxwells chest and starts crying again) Why, why, why?
Max: (breaking the silence) I called Gracie for packing some clothes for you. She’s outside with the twins...
Fran: I’m sorry but I don’t want to see anyone, at the moment...
Max: I’m sure, they’ll understand. I go and tell them. (sees that she hasn’t touched her breakfast) Darling, you have to eat something... It’s important that you are strong enough for recovering.
Fran: I’m not hungry...
Max: Well, I go to Grace.
He leaves the room and Fran has to cry again....
Max: Gracie, sweetheart. I think you better return home. She doesn’t want to she anyone.
Grace: But daddy...
Max: She’s very depressed. I’ve never seen her acting like this. She doesn’t speak, she doesn’t eat... Just sitting in her bed, starring out of the window. It breaks my heart not be able to do anything to comfort her. I think it’d be better if you wait with visiting her...
Grace: Okay, daddy. Let me know if I could do something... Come on Jonah, Eve we go home.
Eve: I want to my mommy...
Grace: You can’t honey. Maybe tomorrow...
Eve: No!!!!! (she breaks away from Grace)
Grace: Eve, no! Stop!
Eve enters Fran’s room and goes straight to Fran’s bed...
Eve: Mommy!!!
Fran: Eve, sweetie, whatsa matter?
Eve: I missed you.
Fran: Come here. (pulls her on the bed into her arms)
Eve: Mommy, why do you look so sad?
Fran: Oh, sweetie. Mommy isn’t doing well. I’ll explain when you’re a bit older. Now, be a good girl and go home with your sister and your bother.
Eve: But I want to be with you, mommy.
Fran: (doesn’t want to hurt her feelings) Angel, you can’t. I love you but I have to stay here one more night and when you wanna be at my side who cares for your dollies at home? You can’t leave them alone... They need you. You wanna be a good doll-mother, don’t ya?
Eve: You’re right, mommy. They need me and you have daddy. Bye, mommy...
Fran: You’re a good girl. I love you. (gives her a kiss on her forehead)
Eve leaves and Max returns. They spend the whole night without saying a word. Whenever Max want to start a conversation to get her on other thoughts Fran doesn’t get into it. She’s just lying in her bed and starring out of the window into the deep dark night...
The next morning comes fast and quietly... Fran’s physically all right again but her psychic condition is very bad...
While Maxwell goes down for calling the family and getting the car Fran takes a shower for getting ready for their leaving...
After getting dressed, getting a bit of make-up, she looks out of the window. Her eyes keep watching a dolphin family swimming far away in the ocean... She wants to cry again, but she can’t. She just feels a huge emptiness in her stomach.
Maxwell renters the room, just seeing her standing at the window, goes straight to her and takes her into his arms. They keep standing like this for a long time when Max breaks the silence...
Max: Ready?
Fran: (takes a deep breath) Ready.
Max: I love you, my darling. Forever and ever.
Fran: I’m so very sorry. (hugs him again)
Max: You don’t have anything to be sorry for. It’s not your fault that this nightmare happened. Get this idea out of your mind.
Fran: I love you.
They arrive at home. Maxwell enters first, carrying the bag with the blood stained clothes of Fran, then Fran enters; happy to be finally at home – away from the place that reminds her so much of that what happened...
The pool of blood was cleaned. Max and Fran are standing in the living room. He hugs her and she just whispers...
Fran: I love you, just gimme some time to get along with this.
Max: I love you more and you’ll get all the time you’ll need...
Eves runs straight into Fran’s arms and gives her a big hug... Fran pulls her close to her chest and takes a deep breath....
The End
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