RENEE My dreams were a blur. I saw everything and nothing. I remembered everything and nothing. There was sunshine, and there was rain. There was light, and there was darkness. It was all so beautiful, but so terrifying. It was like time stopped, and I could do nothing about it. Everything felt surreal and I couldn't make sense of it. But then, suddenly… a feeling overtook me—a familiar feeling. The feeling of being alive. Of being whole. Of being complete. There was no more pain, blurry dreams, distorted visions, or anything else. There was only peace. And that peace woke me up. That peace made me move. That peace snapped me from my trance. Eyes fluttering open, the first thing I saw was a white ceiling. Then white walls and curtains. I blinked several times to orient myself to where I was, but the room appeared unfamiliar. It looked like… a hospital room. But why would I be there? I blinked slowly, trying to adjust my eyes to the sunlight streaming through the curtains and— I felt something warm and soft against my skin. Someone was holding my hand. They had their fingers intertwined with mine, gripping tightly as though they were afraid to let go. As though they wanted to hold on to me forever. I tried to move, gently pulling my hand, but their grip tightened. Who was this? I moved again, shifting my body so I could lift myself, when suddenly the grip loosened, and I heard a soft gasp. A whimper followed. "Renee?" a voice called out weakly. It sounded female, and I recognized it. I stilled. "Renee… are you awake?” She spoke again, and I could hear shuffling and labored breathing from where I lay. Then, a face appeared in my field of vision, hovering over me. My heart skipped a beat, and I blinked, wanting to be sure of what I saw. There was no mistaking the graying hair, dark circles under pale brown eyes that looked just like mine, and the faint wrinkles on her round face. "M… mom?" I took a breath. My throat was sore, but I still managed to speak. "Mom, is that you?" "Yes, yes, sweetie. It's… It’s…" she stuttered with trembling lips. "It's me. God, it's me." Another whimper escaped her lips. Then a sob, and another. Finally, a choked cry and a half-scream followed. "She’s awake! My daughter is awake." Before I could register what was happening, someone else gently lifted me up and cradled me in their arms. Though I didn’t see their face, I instantly knew who this person was. Nicole. She was hugging me. Bawling her eyes out. Crying uncontrollably. Her tears wet my cheeks, and her body shook violently with each sob. What was happening? "Renee! Oh my God, Renee!" Her voice came out muffled. "I… we thought… we thought we lost…" she trailed off as she sobbed even harder, pressing me against her chest. She repeated my name over and over as if she knew no other word. When she finally calmed down, I felt her lips move softly against my cheek. "Oh, my God…" She drew back to look at me, wiping her swollen eyes with her palm. "This is a miracle." She was looking at my mother now. "A miracle. We got the miracle we prayed for." "We did." My mother sniffled and reached out to touch my face. "How are you feeling? I should go get the doctor.” "You should," Nicole agreed and looked back at me. “Or I could go instead." She stood, but I grabbed her arm, stopping her. "No. Don't!"Nicole and my mother's eyes widened, confused by my outburst. "What?" they uttered in unison, and I raised a hand to my temple. I didn't need a doctor now. What I needed were answers to the many questions in my head. Why was I at the hospital? What happened? Where the hell was Robert? But I didn't ask my questions right away. Instead, I said, “Mom, you can get the doctor. Nicole will stay with me." A look of understanding passed across her face, and she nodded. “Okay. I'll be back shortly." She kissed my forehead before exiting the room. As the door quietly closed behind her, I returned my attention to my best friend. "Where is Robert?" I asked sharply, wincing as my throat cracked. "And why is my mom here? She’s not supposed to be in Orlando. What's going on? What happened? Why am—?" Nicole, sniffing loudly, cut me off. "So typical of you to ask so many questions." She chuckled. "First things first. I'll start with Robert." "Okay?" "He left an hour ago to take care of some stuff, but he'll be back soon.” Relief washed over me. "Okay, and?" "And about your mom… Robert flew her into the city yesterday morning." "Wait, what?" My eyes furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean yesterday?" "Oh jeez, you don't remember anything, do you?" Nicole sniffed, then squeezed my hand. A cool chill ran down my spine as I shook my head. "Remember what?" I whispered. "Last I recall, we were at the housewarming party, having a great time. That feels like only minutes or hours ago. What do—” "No, sweetie," she cut in. "That was two nights ago." A chill went down my spine. My head spun, and nausea spread through my stomach. I clutched it, hoping nothing would come up, but something else happened instead. A memory struck me—a very terrible memory. "No, no, no," I moaned weakly as the last thing I could remember came to me. “This… this… this is not…" I did not finish speaking. I could not. Because the memories flashing through my mind and the horrific scenes playing out were simply too much. The party. Robert leaving. Seeing the creepy man. Talking to Harry. Seeing Sally. The waitstaff and the punch. Feeling claustrophobic. Sitting. Drinking the punch—likely spiked. The stabbing pain. Glass shattering. Glass shards piercing my skin as I fell to the floor and… blood… blood everywhere. My blood. More pain again. Then screams—different voices calling my name. Darkness enveloping me completely. Then nothingness. "No," I whispered, shaking my head as if the memories would vanish somehow. “No, this can’t be true. It can’t..." Nicole continued to squeeze my hand. "Tell me it isn't true." A tear slipped down my cheek. "Please tell me what I remember is not real.” "It is, Renee," she said softly. "Someone poisoned you ." "Poisoned?!" More tears streamed down my cheeks. "My baby." I gasped and clutched my stomach. "Oh God, my baby. Is my baby alright?" My body shook. "Please tell me that my baby is fine. Please." "Shh. Renee, calm down.” Nicole pulled me closer. Wrapping her arms around me and gently caressing my hair, she spoke so softly I almost didn’t hear her. “Everything's fine. You're fine and still pregnant. Actually, you have—" The door opening interrupted what Nicole was about to say, and we both snapped our heads. A doctor, two nurses, and my mother entered the room. "Ms. Micheal." The doctor approached us, a pleasant smile on his face. "It's nice to see you awake. How are you feeling?" Nicole released me from her embrace and stepped aside so they could examine me. "Uh… I feel fine.” I sniffed and wiped at my cheek. "My head hurts a bit, but that's about it." The doctor nodded. "The ache in your head is expected since you've been out for two days," he explained. He took out a penlight and shone it in my eye. I winced slightly. "Anything else? You don’t feel any pain in your stomach or…?” he trailed off and raised a brow as if expecting me to continue. So, I did. "No, I don't. I'm just… confused about everything. And thirsty." As if on cue, my voice cracked for the umpteenth time since waking. My stomach growled loudly, and I cringed. "And hungry." The doctor smiled. "That’s good. Your appetite is already back. What would you like to eat? Do you have a specific craving?” "Hot tea and chicken," I blurted out. "Or rice and soup. Or fried eggs. Or perhaps everything at once." "What?" Nicole snickered, and my mother laughed. "Isn't that too much?" She looked at the doctor, who had an amused look on his face. "Well, Ms. Micheal." The doctor cleared his throat. "Your body is still getting used to the antibiotics we administered to flush out the poison, and it needs to work without external forces." "Huh?" "Eating solids right away may slow your healing process. So, I recommend only eating light snacks such as cereal and tea. Can you handle that?" "Yes... yes, I believe so.” "Alright then." His gaze shifted to my mother and Nicole. I listened as he spoke with them for a minute, and after saying a temporary goodbye, they left to get me the snacks. The doctor looked at me again. "You don't have any aches in your stomach, right?" I nodded. "Have you experienced any strange changes since waking up? Do you feel any discomfort?" I considered his questions carefully. "No. Nothing feels weird." Instinctively, my hands went to my stomach, and I asked. "How is my baby?" "Fine." He placed a stethoscope on my sternum and listened to my heartbeat. "Everything looks really good, and your babies are healthy." "Babies?" I repeated, puzzled. "Oh right, your friend said you didn’t know." The doctor straightened and smiled wide. "Congratulations, miss. You're with twins. We discovered that..." His words slipped away, and I didn’t hear what else he said because my brain short-circuited. All I could register was the fact that I was carrying twins. There were two babies in my stomach. Two babies. Twins. "…your husband made the right decision." My consciousness returned to the doctor's voice, and I perked up at the husband word. He referred to Robert as my husband. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at that. "When I asked him to choose between you and the babies, he chose you without blinking. It was a tough call, but he did well. He's a good one, miss. And I'm glad he got the miracle he prayed for. We all did." The doctor's words rattled me, and my lips trembled. I tried to hold myself together, not wanting to let out the tears, but it was futile. I couldn't help it. I couldn't stop it. Robert had saved me. He was willing to let go of our babies just so I could live. He must have learned of my pregnancy at the same time, and he still prioritized me. No man should have to go through that, but he went through it and still made a decision. He'd made such a sad but calculative decision, and my heart broke even more. "Oh God," I cried, clutching my chest tightly. "Oh, Ro—" "Renee?" I froze mid-word, and my breath caught when I heard my name. Robert. "Ro…Ro…" I choked out, blinking quickly to clear my vision of the new tears forming. "Robert?" There was no answer. No response. Just stifling, suffocating silence. Slowly, I drew my tear-filled gaze away from the doctor and stared unblinkingly at the door where he stood. Deep blue eyes locked onto my brown ones. Then his jaw dropped slightly and— “Renee,” he whispered my name again, his face covered in disbelief. I saw fear, uncertainty, and pain flash in those eyes before something else replaced it, something I instantly relished in—relief… and joy. "Fuck… fuck!" He cussed, placing a hand over his mouth, and I swear I saw a tear fall down his cheek. "Fuck, you’re… you’re awake." He was sputtering, his entire body shaking, and before I knew it, he stormed into the room and ran to me.