Chapter Four

Marianne came to and found herself laying on a hospital bed, in a hospital gown and connected to a drip. Greg was seated right next to her dozing off at the edge of the bed while Rose was fast asleep on the sofa right across from her bed, her head was pounding like someone were drumming on it and she felt sick to her stomach.

She lay her hand on her tummy and woke Greg from his snooze, "my baby? Is the baby okay?", she asked with tears in her eyes.

"You're awake! Nurse!", He called out to a nurse immediately.

Marianne held his hand tight before he could step away, "Greg, my baby. Please tell me"

He put his other hand over hers and finally gave a response,

"I'm so sorry my love, we lost it",

Marianne put her hand over her mouth as tears started to flow down her cheeks, she gasped and let out a loud sob.

"Why? How? I was just fine and...." she looked up to him and anger immediately filled her heart.

"What did you do?", She asked him hitting a fist on her thigh trying not scream and wake Rose up.

Greg looked surprised,

"are you accusing me for what happened? How was I suppose to know a simple burger and milkshake would make your stomach turn?"

Marianne was trying hard not to lose her cool because she just realized his kindness may not have been so kind after all, she held her tummy again and started to cry silently.

She did not know what to do, she was torn between strangling Greg and throwing something at him, she strongly felt deep down in her heart that he definitely had something to do with her miscarriage.

The way he changed his mood all of a sudden, telling her to ask for whatever she wanted, it was obviously all planned out and it worked. She felt empty, literally.

The nurse came in and took a quick look at the drip before examining her, Marianne had to ask what caused her miscarriage but Greg had to be out of the room first in case her suspicions were on point.

"How are you feeling?", the nursed asked Marianne.

Marianne asked the nurse to lean in and whispered to her,"can he leave the room first?"

"Of course", she turned to Greg and asked him to leave.

"I want to make sure she is comfortable enough to answer any questions, would you kindly excuse us Sir?".

"But why would she be uncomfortable around me? I'm her boyfriend", Greg protested.

"It will only take a minute Sir", she insisted, " or do you want me to call security".

"Wow, babe aren't you gonna say something?", he leaned over to the side to look at Marianne.

Marianne not sure how to feel, squinted her eyes before answering.

"I'll be fine, let the nurse do her job okay".

Greg straightened up in disappointment and started for the door,

"fine, but I'll be right outside alright honey?"

"Yah", Marianne replied.

Greg was finally out of the room and Marianne felt relief and turned to the nurse and held her wrist as she was checking her vitals.

"Nurse, what made me lose my baby?", she asked the nurse so desperately it stunned the her.

"Please, call me Lucy, calm down let me check your information right here".

She pulled up a board with papers of her test results, she flipped a few and looked a little concerned when she reached a certain section.

"What? What's wrong?", Marianne sat up in her bed.

"It says here that you had food poisoning, not sure which of the edibles did that to you. Do you remember taking anything strange?",  she asked Marianne.

Marianne didn't hesitate to the thought that it was obviously the milkshake that tasted strange, being happy about Greg's sudden change and kindness plus the fact that she had been praying for his change of hearts was enough to blind her into a food poisoning.

She lifted her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on them and begun to cry bitterly,

"How could he do this to me, to us?", she thought to herself.

The only thing she wanted to do was walk out that door, look him straight in the eyes and release the biggest most painful slap she'd ever landed on anyone. But-eventually she came to and thought about how she needed to be strong for the sake of her little Rose, imagined all the questions if she'd actually managed to tell Rose that she was going to be a big sister, how devastating...

"Earth to Marianne, earth to Marianne", the nurse leaned forward and laid her hands on Marianne's shoulders.

Marianne lifted her head and wiped the tears that happen to fall down her very pale cheeks while in deep thought, she stretched her legs and straightened herself out,

"there was probably too much sugar in the milkshake I had earlier, it was actually my first time trying it. Who knew the baby would disagree with it so much he'd want to leave", she let out a tiny sob and held her mouth with her hand while the other was rested on her recently occupied tummy.

"Alright that's enough now", the nurse handed some napkins to her, sat by her bed side and put a hand on one of Marianne's legs.

"I can't help you if you're not straight up with me, I've seen cases like yours and it's nothing we can't handle. But if you don't speak up there's nothing I can do, did he do this to you?".

She looked straight into Marianne's eyes and raised an eyebrow waiting for a confession.

Marianne thought long and hard about that question and the outcome of every answer she'd give. She could tell the nurse that he planted something in her beverage, there was clear proof in her papers. But on the other hand she had nowhere to go, no one to help her if he were to get arrested and no direction at all. Somehow Marianne thought she could get a confession from him if she just used the right strategy, it wouldn't bring the baby back but at least her conscious would be clear.

"He would never do anything to hurt me, he may be a little unbearable but I've never known him to do such a despicable thing. I think you can let him in now", she assured the nurse with a forced smile and fixed herself before he entered the room once again.

Marianne didn't know for sure if Greg had anything to do with the miscarriage even though all the arrows we're pointed right at him, but if he did do something she would definitely get it out of him. One way or another...