When Pain Runs Bone-Deep

The doctors and nurses would see the truth when it was time for rounds.

Yves's expression softened noticeably when he got to Julia's room. "I'll handle the dressing changes for this patient myself. A young woman shouldn't have scars on her body."

I looked over at the trainee who had muttered about him earlier. Her jaw was practically on the floor.

See? Yves was different when it came to Julia.

…

Yves was peeling an apple for Julia when my mom called.

She sounded tired over the phone, which made me worried. "Yves, are you not coming to see Summer?"

Yves put down the knife. His voice became more respectful. "Mrs. Simpson, Julia broke her leg. I can't leave her just yet. Can you…"

Mom's voice suddenly turned sharp. "You can't leave her? Did you know that Summer was pregnant? She was carrying your child!"

Yves's eyes widened, his grip on the phone tightening. Before he could say anything, Mom started sobbing. "Forget it. Why am I even telling you this? She's gone now anyway. Go ahead and stay with your precious Julia, Yves. Don't contact us anymore from now on."

Mom hung up.

I was almost vibrating with anxiety, wishing that I could travel through the phone and go to her.

I didn't know how my body left the hospital last night, but Mom must have been devastated.

I reached for Yves's phone, wanting to call her back, but my hand passed through the phone uselessly.

Souls could not cry.

I wanted to tell Mom that I was here. She didn't need to worry about me or cry over me; I was right here.

Yves was still staring at his phone, dazed. Unable to hold in my anger, I tried to kick and punch him.

"Are you freaking stupid, Yves? Call Mom back! Go and check on her and see how she's doing!" I screamed at him.

"What does she mean, gone?" Yves muttered to himself. Then, he bolted out of the room, storming straight to the doctor's office. He slammed his hand down on the desk of the doctor who had tried to resuscitate me last night, Elliot Lewis.

"Elliot, you were on duty last night. Were you the one who treated Summer?" he asked, his voice trembling.

Elliot looked up at him, startled, taking in his reddened eyes. "Dr. Steward… You…"

"Did she miscarry?"

Yves' raised voice startled Elliot. "Please accept my condolences, Dr. Stewart. We only realized she was pregnant at the very end…"

Yves stumbled backward, all the strength seeming to drain from his body. Abruptly, he took off his coat and turned to leave.

I followed beside him, urging him on. "Hurry up! Move faster! Go check on my mom!"

The elevator arrived. I prepared to step in with Yves, but he froze in place.

I followed his gaze and saw Julia hobbling out of her room, dragging her injured leg after her.

Dammit.

Clearly, we weren't going to get into the elevator.

Sure enough, the elevator doors closed. As the elevator descended without us, Yves carried Julia back to her bed.

She trembled in his arms, tears shining in her eyes. "Has something happened to Summer, Yves? I'm so sorry. I saw her buying abortion pills, and… it was all my fault. If I hadn't broken my leg, I would've told you earlier."

Julia continued to speak, but Yves was dazed, his face ashen.

Eyes red, he sat down stiffly beside the bed.

"She didn't want my child," he said hoarsely after a while. "It's got nothing to do with you."

He looked devastated, but all I felt was cold amusement.

I was medically trained, and he knew that. If he had just rubbed more than two brain cells together, he would know that I would've opted for a surgical procedure over abortion pills if I had wanted to terminate a pregnancy.

But whatever Julia said, he believed.

That was why I could never win against her.

I patted my flat stomach, making sure that the fetus hadn't become a ghost like me, and sighed.