I awoke to the click of the door and followed by the sounds of footsteps. I quickly lifted my head and rubbed the crusted sleep from my eyes. The steady hum of machines and the calming beep of monitors had finally lulled me to sleep after almost two days by Kurt’s side. I was scared, scared beyond anything for Kurt, yet my body had finally given up and succumbed to exhaustion. Those two days were torture, absolute torture. I had seen scenes like this on TV but never had I imagined I would be sitting here going through this. As the footsteps got louder, I had only a moment before someone would slide the privacy curtain and enter the room. That moment seemed like a lifetime. The silence was deafening, the only noise was the machines. Was it the doctor coming in to give updates or a nurse doing her rounds? I waited patiently, all the while quietly cursing myself for falling asleep.
The doctor waved a hand apologetically at me and spoke softly, “Are you, Mrs. Riza Thompson?”
I nodded as I rubbed my eyes some more.
The doctor flipped through her clipboard, “Mr. Renolds has you listed as an emergency contact. Are you able to discuss his condition?”
I nodded and sat up in my chair, nausea gripping the pit of my stomach. Ronny, Kurt, and I had listed each other as emergency contacts a couple of years ago as a precaution should something ever happen to us. I never thought we’d actually ever need it.
“We pulled four shards of glass from Mr. Renold’s hand, ranging in size from one millimeter to just under four millimeters in size. As best as we can tell, all of the shards of glass are out of his hand, but his blood work came back with bad news,” the doctor said as she gently touched her hand to my arm, “Mrs. Thompson, the glass appears to have been from an older mirror and with old mirrors, there can be several sources of bacteria that can cause a multitude of different infections. So it seems one of those bacterias had caused an infection.”
I hated it when doctors tiptoed around bad news. Just tell me what the issue is so we can deal with it upfront.
“So if it’s an infection, can’t you just give him antibiotics and make him better?” I huffed as I stared at Kurt motionless form in the hospital bed.
“I’m afraid it’s not that simple Mrs. Thompson. We’ve already given him wide-spectrum antibiotics and he’s not responding to any of them. The infection has worsened and has now traveled to his bloodstream and has caused his body to go septic. Right now, as we speak, his kidneys and liver are shutting down and his organs will begin to fail one by one after that.”
“So, what? That’s it? You’re just going to give up and let him die?” I said as I glared at the doctor, the lump in my throat starting to push past as my eyes began to water.
The doctor brought her hands up defensively, palms out, “I didn’t say that. In Mr. Renold’s case, he needs a blood transfusion. The infection has become so severe that the kidneys and liver aren’t functioning properly. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough blood on hand to give him at the moment. We can get some from nearby hospitals and reach out to local blood banks, but it’s going to take time, and right now every second counts.”
A blossom of hope sprouted in my heart as the doctor told me this.
“I am O-negative. He can have my blood!” I shouted louder than I meant to.
The doctor’s eyes went wide, “Oh, ok, umm. I’ll tell you what, let me get a nurse in here to draw some samples. It’s hospital policy to screen blood for impurities before a transfusion. If everything checks out, we can start the transfusion first thing in the morning.”
The barest hint of a smile started on my face, “Well why are you sitting here Doc? Go get the nurse!”
I squeezed Kurt’s hand and leaned down, kissing the back of his palm gently.
“Hang in there my love, we will get through this together,” I whispered in his ear.
True to her word, the doctor sent in the nurse to draw my blood as quickly as possible. I sat in the chair, my legs bouncing anxiously as I awaited the results. I prayed and wrung my hands together nervously, terrified that they would find some kind of rare impurity that I didn’t know about. For an excruciating hour, I waited in agony waiting for the doctor to come back in with news.
A soft knock on the door, and then the latch turning as the doctor peeked her head in. She pulled a rolling chair up next to me. She had a smile on her face, but her body language said she wasn’t there to deliver good news.
“Mrs. Thompson, I am sorry but based on the results of your blood work, you are not a valid donor for Mr. Renolds.”
I closed my eyes as searing white-hot pain filled my chest. I bit down hard and gritted my teeth. O-negative was the universal donor. I could save Kurt’s life, tonight. What could possibly be in my blood that kept me from doing that?
“Why the hell not?!” I snapped at the doctor, making her jump.
“Mrs. Thompson, with all due respect, I think you and I both know why.”
I felt my face grow warm as my temper flared, and glared at the doctor. The doctor visibly recoiled as I stared her down.
“Doc, let’s assume I am just stupid and have no idea what you’re talking about. Please, enlighten me as to what is in my blood that makes me unable to save his life,” I said sharply.
She flipped a page up on her clipboard, “Based on your test results, you have elevated hCG levels that automatically make you unable to donate blood. We stopped testing after that.”
My mind raced as I tried to remember what chemical in the blood was hCG. Suddenly, I remembered sitting in high school biology, my junior year, and discussing the reproductive system of the human body.
“You mean to tell me that I am…” I couldn’t even say the word myself.
“Pregnant,” the doctor finished the sentence for me, “Judging by the quantitative test results, I’d put you at around four weeks along.”
Four weeks. Four weeks, almost to the day, I’d lured Kurt over to the house and changed our lives together forever. Four weeks ago was the first time Kurt ever came inside of me. Part of me was gripped with fear that this child might never know its real father, the other part of me was elated that I was pregnant, and with Kurt’s baby. Another part of me entirely was paralyzed with fear.
“But I… how… I mean…” I jumped out of my chair and started to pace around the room, “Doc, are you sure those are my results?”
“I’m 100% positive these are your results.”
“No, no, no. NO,” I said as I started to panic covering my mouth with my hands, “I can’t be pregnant. I’ve been on birth control for the past three years. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I mean I am happy I am pregnant, but this was not supposed to be how it happened!”
I dropped to my knees and cried. The hurricane of emotions in my chest was too much for me to handle. I needed Kurt to wake up and hold me. I need him to hold me and tell me everything was going to be okay.
“Mrs. Thompson? Are you okay?”
I stood up and put my hands on my head, and continued to pace the room, “No. No, I am not. You just told me I am pregnant, and there is no doubt in my head that the father is not my husband, but Kurt. So no, I am not okay. You pretty much told me that the father of my baby is going to die unless you can find a donor for a transfusion!”
The doctor’s eyes were wide with surprise as she absorbed what I’d just told her, “Mrs. Renolds… I… uh… Mrs. Thompson, I am sorry but we are doing everything we can. Unless you know someone else who is an O-positive blood type that might be able to donate, we are doing everything we can at this time.”
O-positive. No… Kurt would kill me. I couldn’t. I shouldn’t. Alarms blared as Kurt’s hospital room was filled with the screams and beeping of monitors. The doctor shoved me out of the way as she assessed the situation.
“Ma’am I am going to need you to clear the room,” the doctor said as she grabbed my arm and escorted me out of the room before she turned her head and yelled down towards the nurses’ station, “Code Blue, Room Thirty-Nine, STAT!”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and unlocked the screen. With shaky fingers, I navigated to my contacts list. Nurses rushed past me into Kurt’s hospital room as the world seemed to slow around me. I tapped Ronny’s name on the contact list, and the phone started to dial.
Ring.
Kurt already hated me. I guess he was going to have to hate me some more.
Ring.
I shared my vows with Ronny, but right now, Kurt was the one I loved for better or worse.
Ring.
*Pick up you selfish prick!*
“Hello?” Ronny’s gruff voice filled the phone and my heart stopped, “Riza? What’s up, dear? I’m busy at the moment.”
“Ronny, I need you to come home. Right now.”
“You know I can’t. I am in the middle of finishing up this project,” he said, irritation and annoyance thick as butter in his voice.
“Ronny, Kurt is sick, really sick. He needs a blood transfusion of O-positive blood or he’s going to die,” I didn’t even try to hide the fact I was on the verge of tears.
For several moments, there was silence on the phone. I didn’t even hear Ronny breathe into the phone. For a moment, I thought he hung up and was even worse of a monster than I thought he was.
“I’m leaving now. I will catch the first flight out of here. Be there as soon as I can,” I heard him say breathlessly as he started up his truck and hung up.
Dropping to my knees, I let my phone fall to the floor. I was a mix of so many emotions and thoughts, I was going mad. I kneeled there, on the floor as everything from the last few minutes hit me at once. I am pregnant with Kurt’s baby, Kurt is going to die if we don’t do something, and the only person that can save him is my husband who hasn’t loved me in years. On top of it all, Kurt still thinks I used him as a sperm donor to get rich. I wrapped my arms around myself and I did the only thing I could think of.
I screamed.
—-
It was three days after the transfusion that Kurt finally opened his eyes. Never in my life have I been so relieved to see someone open their eyes. I sat back and watched as the doctor and nurse rushed into the room. They pulled the breathing tube from his mouth. He looked scared and confused as his eyes darted everywhere, trying to figure out what had happened. Then his eyes found me again and for the first time since we had dinner together, I saw him smile at me. The doctor said something and caught his attention. He tried to speak but his voice came out as a croak. Quickly, I grabbed the glass of water from the table and turned the straw towards his mouth. Greedily he drank down the water and exhaled deeply after finishing the whole cup.
“What-,” he cleared his throat, “What happened?”
I spoke before the doctor could, “Some dumbass decided it would be a good idea to punch a mirror. While I agree he might have had a good reason to do it, it was a stupid thing to do. Especially considering he caught sepsis and almost died.”
Kurt’s eyes went wide as he looked at me. I watched as his throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. He looked at the doctor.
“She is correct Mr. Renolds. It’s a good thing the post office put the wrong letter in her mailbox, otherwise, she would have never found you on the floor in enough time to save you. We removed the glass from your hand, but the sepsis was so deep into your bloodstream that you weren’t responding to antibiotics. Thankfully, Mr. Thompson was a match and was able to donate blood to provide a full transfusion,” the doctor said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Who needs friends when you have such good neighbors like this?”
I watched as Kurt looked around, taking note of the IV lines leading from his arm, touching the hospital gown as everything seemed to set in. The doctor looked at me sideways as I grabbed Kurt’s hand, lacing my fingers between his.
Clearing her throat, the doctor smiled at Kurt, “Well, you have some visitors in the waiting room. I will let them know you’re awake. If you’re up to it, I can send them in if you’d like?”
Kurt nodded in approval. The doctor and nurse shuffled out of the room. Instantly our eyes locked on one another. He squeezed my hand gently.
“Riza, I am…” he started to say, voice still rough.
I leaned down and grabbed his face with both my hands and kissed him repeatedly. My heart was pounding out of my chest as days of fear and anxiety melted away to be replaced by butterflies again.
“Shhh! Kurt, we don’t have much time. I need you to listen to me,” I began to say, speaking as fast as I could, “Firstly, I love you and I hate you so much for scaring me like that. I haven’t left your side since you arrived at the hospital. If that doesn’t prove that I truly love you, I don’t know what will. Secondly, the paper I gave you was proof that I have been getting birth control shots behind Ronny’s back for the past three years. It was never about the money, it was always about falling in love with someone who I loved enough to want to start a family with. That used to be Ronny, years and years ago, but now it’s all about you. You’re the man I love. You’re the man I want to call my husband, the man I want to start a family with. It was always about you, Kurt. Ronny just wants the money, not me.”
Kurt cleared his throat before attempting to speak, “Riza, I am so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”
I kissed him deeply and passionately, “I already have, my love. One more thing, I found out a few days ago that I am…”
I jumped as the latch of the door opened and Ronny and Kurt’s boss walked in.
“… so happy you’re feeling better,” I finished.
Closing my eyes, I stepped back from the bed. If I looked at Kurt right now, knowing his baby was inside of me, I really would go mad.
“Hey bro! Welcome back to the land of the living!” Ronny said as he lightly slapped Kurt’s foot.
“I hear I have you to thank for that,” Kurt said weakly.
Ronny waved his hand at Kurt, dismissing the comment, “Don’t even worry about it, Bro. I got to eat a ton of cookies and stuff after they were done and watch football. You should try it sometime!”
Kurt laughed and turned to his boss and held his hand out. The boss took his hand and shook it purposefully.
“I guess I had a bit more than a stomach bug. Apologies sir,” Kurt said modestly.
“Not a problem Kurt. I already talked to the owner, and they said the only thing you need to be concerned with right now is getting better. If you need anything, just give us a call,” his boss said with a smile on his face.
“I promise I will have those report numbers to you on Monday in time for the Craigson proposal,” Kurt said.
I watched as his boss crossed his arms and looked visibly uncomfortable, “Kurt, the Craigson proposal was four days ago. We got the job.”
Kurt’s face looked pained, confused, “Four days ago? How is that even possible?”
His boss looked at Ronny and then me, maybe hoping we would answer, “Kurt, do you know what day it is?”
“Yeah, it’s Thursday,” Kurt said with gruff but confidence in his voice.
“Kurt, it’s Saturday. You’ve been unconscious for almost nine days.”
Oh, my heart! The look on Kurt’s face as he realized that he’d lost nine days of his life he would never get back almost crushed what remained of my battered heart. He looked weak and defeated as he looked up at his boss.
“Sir, I am so sorry,” he said softly.
His boss waved his arms dismissively and put his hand on Kurt’s shoulder, “Seriously, don’t sweat it. You get better and return to work when you and your doctor say you are ready to. You were kind of touch and go for a few days there bud, we are all just glad to see that you pulled through okay.”
Kurt smiled and squeezed his boss’s hand on his shoulder. A knock on the door turned all of our attention. A young nurse stepped halfway into the room.
“I’m sorry,” she said with a gentle and professional voice, “Visitor hours are over. I am going to have to ask everyone to let Mr. Renolds get some rest.”
NO! I wasn’t ready to leave yet. I couldn’t leave without telling him. I watched as everyone made their goodbyes and shuffled out of the room. Ronny put his hand in the lower part of my back and seemed to be practically shoving me out the door. I looked over and could see the jealousy and disappointment in Kurt’s face as I left the room. Feebly, I waved goodbye and stepped out the door. Halfway down the hallway, I remembered my phone was in his room. I rushed back to grab it, but a nurse stopped me before I could reach his room.
“I left my phone in the room,” I said impatiently as I tried to pass by her.
“I am sorry ma’am, visitor hours are over. Whatever it is, it’s going to have to wait for tomorrow,” the nurse insisted.
“But…”
“Ma’am, if you continue to persist, I will have no choice but to contact security and have you escorted from the building,” said the nurse as she glared at me.
Defeated, I turned back down the hallway, dragging my feet the whole way. The ride in Ronny’s truck was quiet and uneventful. I spent the whole trip staring out the window, Ronny never said anything to me, and I never said anything to him. I trudged into my bedroom and peeled the same clothes I’d worn since I rode on the ambulance with Kurt on the way to the hospital. I hopped into the shower and tried to relax as the hot water cascaded across my body.
Much to my disappointment, Ronny stepped into the shower with me. Roughly, he grabbed me and turned me towards the back of the shower, letting the hot water hit his back. He slapped my ass and shoved me forward, bending me over for him to have his way with me. I barely threw my arms out in enough time to catch myself from falling. He lifted my leg up and felt for my opening with his fingers. As his cock split my labias apart, I closed my eyes and thought of Kurt. Ronny’s cock slipped inside of me, and I felt nothing. His cock didn’t pleasure me, but it didn’t hurt. I could feel something in my pussy, but it wasn’t Kurt, and I didn’t enjoy any of it. There was no romance, no emotion, no feeling to sex with Ronny anymore. That hadn’t been in years. My body just seemed to go numb when he entered me. I was essentially nothing more than a talking fleshlight that might make him rich one day.
Just as emotionless as our marriage, Ronny came inside of me without so much as a kiss or a back rub when he finished. I could almost feel my pussy recoil from the presence of his seed inside of me. Like an animal sensing poison, it wanted to get as far from it as possible. I put my leg down and he slapped my ass again as he stepped out of the shower. I knelt under the water, holding my belly as I tried to push his repulsive seed out of me. I even used my fingers to reach inside and remove the stain of his cum from a womb that was already claimed by Kurt.
I don’t care what it takes. I am going to leave Ronny, no matter the cost, and raise this baby with Kurt.
Source: reddit.com/r/Erotica/comments/ml02b2/like_a_good_neighbor_part_6