Not More News [Fiction]
Calls from the hospital never brought good news. Madeline watched her phone buzz on the coffee table. The dreaded call came when she least expected it.
1 missed call.
Her phone screen dimmed for a few seconds, then lit up, blinking insistently.
When Curtis held her hand in church, softly touching his lips to her wedding ring before the congregation of friends and family, he promised to never leave her. Her lips curved slightly into a faint smile as the memory returned. Some of them had booed him for refusing to kiss her in front of them.
A year later, she could have sworn that paradise was real. Her smiles and laughs were melodious. Her eyes, bright and beautiful. Her olive-toned skin glowed in a way it never had before.
She and Curtis were happy.
A violent cough tore him awake one morning and the mucus was laced with blood. She went with him to the hospital and just like that, her paradise began to fade. The green trees and blooming flowers turned brown, shriveled and dried up, falling apart.
If only they had caught the disease earlier, the doctors said.
She stayed with him through every test and treatment. Her laughter stopped, her smiles became rare, reserved only for him whenever he woke up. Then one night, he didn't wake up and the doctors intubated him.
“We can't report any progress yet, Mrs Zane,” the lead doctor of the medical team explained. “His response to the treatment is slow and if it declines further, we may have to pull him off life support.”
She was numb through the update. The doctor quietly left the room. And so she stayed day after day, watching him slip away. Her mother visited, prayed for him and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Cheer up, Maddy. Sometimes it gets worse before it's better.”
The nurses urged her to go home, take a bath and change. That was their polite way of saying she looked worn down. After much persuasion, she gave in.
4 missed calls.
That was an hour ago and now, the hospital was calling. How could Curtis die while she had left his side to freshen up? She wanted to be there with him till the end.
Her screen lit up again. Not more news—she couldn't take it any more. She shook her head, wiping the tears from her face before picking the call.
A shriek rang in her ears, making her flinch. It was one of the nurse. “Mrs Madeleine! Come quickly, it's a miracle—”
Her breaths were coming fast. “Wha-what is it?”
“He's awake,” the nurse gasped. “Your husband is awake.”
Madeline slid to the floor, sobs racking her slender body, the phone still in her hand. This was the best news.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase "not more news".
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Image credit: Pixabay