Defying Eternity by Melanie Martins

Author:Melanie Martins [Martins, Melanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781733356497
Publisher: Melanie Martins, LLC

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Once we arrive, Alex parks the car in the underground parking and we take the lift together in silence to head to the highest floor.

After stepping into the condo, Maria crosses the hallway to greet us and seems quite happy to see Alex and I together. She beams, clasping her hands in front of her and asking if we are still having dinner tonight. Alex confirms, walking past the two of us to pour himself a drink. I settle into the couch to wait, continuing to look things up regarding Baby B’s illness.

“Has everything been alright here? Are you comfortable?” Alex asks between sips of his drinks.

I look up, still distracted. “Huh? Oh, yeah. It's fine.”

Since Alex stays at the condo sporadically, I don’t see him as much as I thought I would once we got home. He won’t even allow us to share a bed as husband and wife, which left me feeling bereft and bitter, but frustratingly, still craving his attention.

Maria breaks the tension momentarily by letting us know that dinner is ready. We head to the table, the tension palpable in the air between us. Dinner is pasta in a creamy, vegan-friendly sauce with roasted broccoli. To my biggest disappointment, Alex gets a roasted chicken breast with his like he couldn’t care less about my thoughts on the matter, and a salad is in the middle of the table for us to share. I shake my head in displeasure, knowing he no longer bothers to keep meat out of my sight. My plate smells delicious, but my stomach is still in a tight ball of anxiety, and I pick at the food, forcing a bite into my mouth here and there.

“Hey,” Alex inquires gently, “is the food okay? You really need to eat more for the babies.”

“What’s it matter?” I sigh, pushing the pasta around on my plate. “Every new appointment, there is something else wrong with them.”

“Don’t talk like that. We’re going to see the surgeon. Things will get better. You’ll see.”

I’m mentally exhausted but fork a bite of salad into my mouth to both appease Alex and have an excuse to not answer while I collect my thoughts. I swallow, biting my lip.

“Do you think she will have a happy life with this syndrome?” I ask, entertaining the idea she could live. “If we can get the TTTS taken care of, of course.” There is a slight wavering in my voice.

“We will give her a happy life, Petra. No matter what is going on between the two of us. We will give them both everything.”

“But the complications…” I sniffle, tapping the corner of my eyes with the linen napkin.

“There are certain issues to look out for, but life won’t be too much different from her brother. Mariana said there are difficulties, but she can live with it, remember?”

Alex tries to sound positive, but I don’t remember Mariana sharing the same optimism. The words heart defect and developmental delays come to mind, and my face falls a little.

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