It took a moment for the Straeths to recognize their daughter. Gone was the tough girl and in her place was a slightly bedraggled, mused-haired, tired-looking woman. Her body was so frail that a gentle breeze could probably topple her over, but that was not the first thing they noticed. Elora was well advanced in pregnancy, a belly of immense proportions protruded awkwardly, seemingly alien to her reed thin body.
Before a word was spoken she fainted and if it were not for the quick reflexes of the Deputy, who stood behind her, she would have fallen to the ground.
---
The young Deputy, Howell Boyd, had been patrolling the outskirts of town when he came across Elora stranded on the side of the highway, knee deep in snow, next to her broken-down rusty old brown jalopy. He, like the Straeths, didn't recognize her at first, until he looked into those mesmerizing green eyes of hers. When he had approached her, she didn't know who he was either, which didn't surprise him because she never knew he existed. He had had a crush on her in high school from the moment she had once given him a rare smile in passing, but because she was always so angry at the world, he never had the courage to talk to her. Seeing her again, so worn and used, yet still very much beautiful, resurfaced those old feelings. He had brought her home and now, holding her in his arms, feeling as if she was brittle and she would crumble if he even breathed he felt a little protective of her. He entered the Straeth's home and laid Elora down on the couch as gently as he would a newborn baby, then smoothed back the stringy dark hair from her face, never in his life did he want to kiss anyone as much as he did just then. He stood, but within reaching distance from her, and turned to speak with her parents.
---
The family physician, Dr. McSimmons, who had delivered all of Eunice Straeth's babies, as well as her grand babies, was summoned and made a house call to see about Elora's condition, he took her vitals and did what he could, but she was burning up with a fever and had to be taken to the hospital immediately where she could receive proper care.
At the hospital they managed to bring her fever down, they hooked her up with IVs, but she had a very bad case of pneumosimsnia and bronchsimsitis and it wasn't long before the fever spiked again. Howell had stayed by her side as long as he could, despite the dismay of her parents and the hospital staff, holding her hand all the while.
They were all worried for her, especially since she was pregnant and were told that she was carrying twins after Dr. McSimmons did an emergency ultrasound to monitor the baby. The unborn twins weren't in distress and were healthy, as far as the doctor could determine, and Elora was definitely in her last trimester and would likely be giving birth any day now.
Elora came-to about mid-afternoon, opening her eye slowly as if they were so heavy that it took every ounce of her energy to carry out the movement. She saw her parents who sat at the far end of the room, both passed out in their chairs. Her father's silvery head was tipped backward, his normally closed-lipped mouth was wide open as he bellowed out some bullhorn snores. Her mother, who was usually so clean and neat and wrinkle-free was no worse for wear, some of the pins had fallen out of her hair as her head was propped upon her makeshift arm pillow. Elora glanced over at the man holding her hand giving the pleasing-to-look-upon stranger a quizzical look before she her eyes closed again and drifted out of consciousness.
Howell had to return to work, but made sure to visit her as often as he could.
A few days passed by, she would come-to for just brief moments before going under again. Elidry and Eunice hadn't even had a chance to speak with her yet, and like Howell, they too had to return to their lives, but visited her frequently. They were experiencing a gamut of feelings, still hurt and angry with her for leaving all those years back, but frantic with fear over her current state and sick with worry - she was still their daughter and they did still care and love her after all.
When labor contractions began and the babies' heartbeats where showing signs of dropping, being still very much out of it and too weak to be able to deliver the twins naturally, Elora was prepped for a C-Section. She was given IV drugs, shaved, cut, and prodded... all of which she was unaware and Dr. McSimmons successfully pulled out the first baby and handed it to the nurse. The second baby came moments later and it too was handed off to the nurse to be warmed. The first cries lit the air as baby 1 voiced dismay over the change in atmosphere and the intrusion of foreign objects into its nostrils and mouth. Though baby 2 remained quiet, it was given a clean bill of health.
Once the twins were seen to and were tucked away in the nursery to be fawned over by their grandparents, the doctors and nurses were quick to turn their attention back to Elora. Just as Dr. McSimmons had finished stitching up her uterus, the blood-pressure monitor alarms went off. Her BP dropped fast and she went into cardiac arrest.
They rolled up blankets and tilted her hip, slid a board under her and began compressions. They worked efficiently in an organized fashion, doing what they do best to try to resuscitate her.
Forty-five minutes later Dr. McSimmons walked out into the waiting room where the Straeths and Deputy Boyd awaited news about Elora.
Sim-u-later! {Sorry for the lack of images in this post! Maybe in the next one ;)}
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