Hunter remained like this for a while, then turned to face me again. "Can I cuddle you?," he asked putting his puppy dog eyes on. It made me chuckle. "Yeah," I breathed. The young man walked around the bed and sat down on the sheets carefully. He scooted real close, then pulled me extremely carefully – wires and all – up on top of him. I leaned back into him, nestling my head into his chest, my whole body was now resting on his. My husband wrapped his strong arm around me; it rested underneath my shirt right below my breasts. His fingertips started drawing lazy patterns on my skin. "This is a hospital, Hayes. Behave," I teased. "This is a PRIVATE hospital that we pay a fortune for being allowed to cuddle, ok?" The young man pressed a kiss to my right temple. "You're boney," I whined after a while when I felt he wasn't as soft to lie on than the mattress. "I'm boney? YOU'RE boney," he countered and I sighed. "We really gotta talk to Doc Heartley tonight. She has to find a way to get some meat on you." "Mh huh," I just hummed. Every time food came into play, my heart sunk. I still felt guilty for not eating but at the same time no one understood how hard it was for me to even put something into my mouth. I was dreading how heavily my stomach reacted to it. "D'you need anything? Water?" Hunter's soothing voice asked. "No. I'm on a drip, remember? I don't need water." "Right, but last time I checked, you can't ever get enough water," he tried to advertise me drinking. I let out a deep sigh. "I don't want you to be my carer," I said looking down on my hands that were now fumbling uncomfortably, picking at my nails. "Do you remember our wedding day?," he answered with a question. "Yeah." Involuntarily, my lips curled up into a smile; I couldn't help it as memories of that special day popped up in my mind. How young and in love we were. How Lynette was beaming and how tight she hugged me in front of the church. Devo embarrassing every single one of us in his speech. How it took a good 30 minutes to get everyone set in the group picture. "Well, I hope you remember our vows too – the in sickness and in health part? – 'cos I meant what I promised then." That was Hunter for you. Every now and then he came up with something so profound, no one could ever object. After a little bit, very unexpectedly, a quick smile spread across my features. I took Hunter's hand and guided it to the place to the right of my belly button and pressed it down a little. Right away, Hunter lit up as well. "I felt that," he was beaming. "She's awake." "...and kicking," I added. "I want more of that bump," he spoke into my hair and squeezed me a little tighter. He made me chuckle again. Even though my oversensitivity to smell was still bothering me, it felt more bearable now. Moments passed and a deep sense of calm washed over me. When Hunter noticed my steady breathing, he leaned forward to see me peacefully dozed off. Slowly he moved at great caution to peel himself from underneath me and get out of the hospital bed. He walked over to the window, casting one last look at me over his shoulder. Then he retrieved his phone from the pack pocket of his skinny jeans. Swiftly, he dialed a number without bothering to check on previous messages. It was Devo who picked up after the third beep.

"Hey, man, how's it going over there? ... Yeah, I'm still at the hospital... She's alright now. She still can't keep anything down though and she's got trouble with her eyes. The doctor said they can't do anything about it as long as she's with the baby. ... Yeah. ... I'm alright, it just sucks. .... I dunno, probably for the rest of the pregnancy. ... We'll have to figure something out soon. I can't leave her alone now. ... Um, sure, as long as it's before 9 then yeah. ... Alright. ... Talk to you later, D. Bye."

About 15 minutes after the call had ended, nurse Brittany came back in to check on the long-term cardiotocograph that had recorded the baby's heart rate on long panels of paper over the last hours. When she unhooked me I nervously asked: "Is everything ok?" "The doctor will explain the results to you in a little while." She said that with a big smile on. "But from what I see-" She checked the graph-like structures on the paper. "- a heart rate of 150's is perfectly normal." Phew, I was relieved to hear that and judging from the look on his face, so was Hunter. Once the friendly blonde woman had left the room with the monitor again, I turned to my husband: "Have you eaten at all? You should go to the cafeteria or something. You don't have to hang around by my side all the time, you know." Saying that, I felt my headache coming back. Instead of objecting, he seemed to consider my offer. "Yeah, I think I'll actually get a sandwich or something." He leaned down to give me a quick peck on the lips, but remained there somewhat in mid air for some seconds giving me a weird look. "What?" I asked confused about what he was up to. "I'm not supposed to ask, am I?" I still couldn't follow. "D'you want anything?" "Nooo! Go." I playfully pushed him to leave. "Take your time, I'm good," I called after him as he went through the door. On my own, I lay back down again. My head turned to my left where the blurry image of the dreaded drip appeared before me. I sighed deeply again, wondering "How do you change clothes with that thing?"

He was back about 15 minutes later. I admit I had enjoyed the solitude, the opportunity to breath freely for a while. Hunter took up the chair next to me again. "Better?," I wanted to know. "Yup, they've actually got decent foods down there." "Is it nice?" "Well, better than any public clinic I've ever been to. And definitely more feminin. There's orchids in every corner." I smiled. "Is it all pink?" "No, white." Already, he had my hand back in his. By accident, he noticed the clock on the wall and noted: "Hey, it's 7.10 pm. Should I put on Big Brother?" "You hate Big Brother." He hated Big Brother. Me, however, I was totally obsessed with reality trash TV. I loved it. "I do, but I can zone out quite well." "Ok." He was cute. My husband took out the remote from a box on the wall near the headboard and turned on ITV2. But it didn't take long for me to realize that I could hear the programme but not actually watch. My focus shifted and I started biting my nails. Hunter noticed my strange behavior and looked at me rather than the screen. "Babe?" "I can't follow that," I mumbled. "D'you want me to turn it off again then?" I just shrugged and continued the nibbling. It was hurtful to realize my sight was that bad. It upset me. And my natural reaction to hurt was shutting down. Luckily, my husband knew me inside out. Hunter also usually knew how to snap me out of it. "I called Devo earlier," he started. "He said they recorded most of the solo parts today and that he and Matt would like to come visit later." "Aww, that's nice." The boys were my surrogate family here since I had none of my own around. From the moment I stepped into Hunter's life they have supported me as much as they did Hunter. "They don't have to bother though." "But they want to."