I woke with a start.There was no lo

I woke with a start.
There was no longer pain in my back, but my belly burned like a shallow paper cut that’d gotten salt into it. I touched my belly, and it was flatter than I remembered it. Flatter and softer.
The babies!
I tried to sit up, but pain sliced through me that was a hundred times worse than before. Constance was there. She grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back down against the pillows.
“It’s okay,” she said. “You’re okay.”
“Where are the babies?”
“In the NICU.”
I looked at her. “The what?”
“The intensive care unit. They were a little early.”
“But they’re okay?”
“Yes.” Constance sat on the edge of the bed and pushed me more firmly down. I settled back against the pillows, realizing for the first time that I was in a different room than I’d been in before.
“What happened?”
“You went into labor,” Constance said. “You were bleeding pretty heavily, so they decided to do a C-section.”
“Bleeding?”
“The little girl’s placenta pulled away from the wall of your uterus. It made you bleed pretty heavily…gave everyone a scare from what I was told. But you made it through the surgery pretty well.”
“And the babies?”
“Fine,” Constance said, but there was something about her expression that frightened me.
“Constance, tell me the truth. Is there something wrong with the babies?”
She hesitated, and my heart sank into my chest. But then Nicolas walked into the room. He looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes and a five o’clock shadow forming on his strong jaw. When he saw me, saw that I was awake, something like relief floated through his eyes.
“Hey,” he said, coming around the bed to the far side.
“Are the babies okay?” I asked.
“Yes. They’re fine.”
I studied his face a second, my eyes moving to Constance. Her eyes fell to the floor under my stare. I knew Constance. I’d known her since I was a little girl. She was hiding something.
“Tell me what’s going on.”
Nicolas pulled his cellphone out of his back jeans pocket. After thumbing through it for a second, he handed it to me.
“That’s Baby A, Nicolas Cole.”
I stared at the picture, my heart swelling as I took in the baby’s perfectly round face, his tiny hands, and the shock of dark hair on his little head. He was tiny, and there was an IV in his foot, but he seemed almost perfect. His color was good, and he was sleeping peacefully. I couldn’t believe this perfect little human being had been in my body just a little while ago. He was so beautiful.
“And Baby B?”
Nicolas moved close to me and touched the screen of his phone, moving it to the next picture. Another baby, smaller than the first, her skin wrinkled and a little off color, filled the screen. Like her brother, this baby had a beautiful, round face, dark hair, and perfect little features. Her eyes were open, as though she knew her daddy was taking her picture. And her eyes…was it crazy to think they looked a little like mine?
“They’re okay?”
“Cole is perfect,” Nicolas said. “His Apgar numbers, the test they do when a baby is first born, were all eights, which is perfect, especially for a preemie. He’ll probably have to stay here for a while until he gains a little weight. But, otherwise, he’s perfect.”
I nodded, watching his face closely for any sign that he was lying to me. I didn’t see anything.
“And the girl?”
Nicolas’ eyes fell to the floor for a brief second. Then, he looked at me, his gaze never wavering from mine. “She was the one without amniotic fluid all this time. That caused her lungs not to develop as well as they doctors would have liked. They want to monitor her closely, make sure they develop now.”
“But they think she’ll be okay?”
Nicolas touched my hand lightly. “It’s going to be touch and go for a while. But if she does well over the next few days, they say her chances are very good.”
“It’s good news,” Constance said, reminding me of her presence. I glanced at her and nodded, taking her hand in mine.
“It’s going to be okay,” I agreed.
***
They wouldn’t let me go see the babies for a while. I lost a lot of blood, and the doctor wanted me to get plenty of rest and fluids before I started wandering the hallways. Constance stayed with me while Nicolas split his time between my room and the NICU. I was almost jealous of him and his ability to visit the babies. I was so desperate to see them that I wanted to scream every time someone told me I had to wait a little longer.
When they finally let me go, the babies were nearly three days old. I felt dirty and underdressed as Nicolas pushed me in a wheelchair through the hallways, a thin bathrobe barely covering my hospital gown. But the moment he pushed me through the NICU doors and I could hear the babies crying, nothing mattered but holding one of those precious bundles in my arms.
Cole was in an uncovered isolette, wide awake and waving his fists in the air like he was having an argument with God. A nurse gently lifted him and placed him in my arms. My heart melted as he gazed up at me.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 2:

Aku terbangun dengan kaget.
Tidak ada rasa sakit lagi di punggung saya, tapi perut saya terbakar seperti potongan kertas dangkal yang telah garam masuk ke dalamnya. Saya menyentuh perut saya, dan itu datar daripada aku ingat itu. Datar dan lembut.
Bayi-bayi!
Aku mencoba duduk, tapi rasa sakit mengiris saya yang seratus kali lebih buruk dari sebelumnya. Constance ada di sana. Dia meraih bahu saya dan mendorong saya kembali turun terhadap bantal.
"Tidak apa-apa," katanya. "Kau baik-baik saja."
"Di mana bayi?"
"Dalam NICU."
Aku menatapnya. "Apa?"
"Unit perawatan intensif. Mereka sedikit lebih awal. "
" Tapi mereka baik-baik saja? "
" Ya. "Constance duduk di tepi tempat tidur dan mendorong saya lebih tegas bawah. Aku duduk kembali di atas bantal, menyadari untuk pertama kalinya bahwa aku berada di ruangan yang berbeda daripada yang saya telah di sebelumnya.
"Apa yang terjadi?"
"Kamu pergi ke tenaga kerja," kata Constance. "Kau berdarah cukup berat, sehingga mereka memutuskan untuk melakukan C-section."
"Pendarahan?"
"Plasenta gadis kecil itu ditarik dari dinding rahim Anda. Hal itu membuat Anda berdarah cukup berat ... memberi semua orang ketakutan dari apa yang saya diberitahu. Tapi Anda berhasil melewati operasi cukup baik. "
" Dan bayi? "
" Baik, "kata Constance, tapi ada sesuatu tentang ekspresinya yang membuatku takut.
" Constance, mengatakan yang sebenarnya. Apakah ada sesuatu yang salah dengan bayi? "
Dia ragu-ragu, dan hatiku tenggelam ke dada saya. Tapi kemudian Nicolas masuk ke ruangan. Dia tampak kelelahan, lingkaran hitam di bawah mata dan pukul lima bayangan membentuk rahang yang kuat. Ketika dia melihat saya, melihat bahwa aku terjaga, seperti bantuan melayang melalui matanya.
"Hei," katanya, datang sekitar tempat tidur ke sisi yang jauh.
"Apakah bayi baik-baik saja?" Tanya saya.
"Ya. Mereka baik-baik saja. "
Aku mengamati wajahnya kedua, mata saya pindah ke Constance. Matanya jatuh ke lantai bawah tatapan saya. Aku tahu Constance. Aku mengenalnya sejak aku masih kecil. Dia menyembunyikan sesuatu.
"Katakan apa yang terjadi."
Nicolas menarik ponselnya dari saku celana jinsnya kembali. Setelah membolak-balik itu untuk kedua, ia menyerahkannya kepada saya.
"Itu Bayi A, Nicolas Cole."
Aku menatap foto itu, hati saya bengkak karena saya mengambil di wajah bulat sempurna bayi, tangan mungilnya, dan shock rambut hitam di kepala kecilnya. Dia kecil, dan ada IV di kakinya, tapi ia tampak hampir sempurna. Warnanya bagus, dan dia sedang tidur nyenyak. Aku tidak percaya manusia kecil ini sempurna telah di tubuh saya hanya beberapa saat yang lalu. Dia begitu indah.
"Dan Bayi B?"
Nicolas pindah dekat dengan saya dan menyentuh layar ponsel nya, bergerak ke gambar berikutnya. Bayi lagi, lebih kecil dari yang pertama, kulitnya keriput dan sedikit warna off, diisi layar. Seperti kakaknya, bayi ini memiliki, wajah cantik bulat, rambut hitam, dan fitur kecil yang sempurna. Matanya terbuka, seolah-olah ia tahu ayahnya sedang mengambil gambar dirinya. Dan matanya ... apakah itu gila untuk berpikir mereka tampak sedikit seperti saya?
"Mereka baik-baik saja?"
"Cole sempurna," kata Nicolas. "Nomor Apgar Nya, tes yang mereka lakukan ketika bayi pertama lahir, semua delapan, yang sempurna, terutama untuk bayi prematur. Dia mungkin harus tinggal di sini untuk sementara waktu sampai dia mendapatkan sedikit berat. Tapi, jika tidak, dia sempurna. "
Aku mengangguk, menonton wajahnya erat untuk tanda-tanda bahwa ia berbohong padaku. Aku tidak melihat apa-apa.
"Dan gadis itu?"
Mata Nicolas 'jatuh ke lantai untuk kedua singkat. Kemudian, ia menatapku, tatapannya tidak pernah goyah dari tambang. "Dia adalah orang tanpa air ketuban selama ini. Yang menyebabkan paru-parunya tidak berkembang serta mereka dokter akan menyukai. Mereka ingin memantau dengan cermat, pastikan mereka mengembangkan sekarang. "
" Tapi mereka pikir dia akan baik-baik saja? "
Nicolas menyentuh tanganku ringan. "Ini akan menjadi sentuhan dan pergi untuk sementara waktu. Tapi jika dia tidak baik selama beberapa hari ke depan, mereka mengatakan peluangnya sangat baik. "
" Ini kabar baik, "kata Constance, mengingatkan saya tentang kehadirannya. Aku melirik dan mengangguk, mengambil tangannya di tambang.
"Ini akan baik-baik saja," aku setuju.
***
Mereka tidak akan membiarkan saya pergi melihat bayi untuk sementara waktu. Saya kehilangan banyak darah, dan dokter ingin saya untuk mendapatkan banyak istirahat dan cairan sebelum saya mulai berkeliaran lorong. Constance tinggal dengan saya sementara Nicolas membagi waktunya antara kamarku dan NICU. Aku hampir cemburu padanya dan kemampuannya untuk mengunjungi bayi. Aku begitu putus asa untuk melihat mereka bahwa saya ingin berteriak setiap kali seseorang mengatakan kepada saya bahwa saya harus menunggu sedikit lebih lama.
Ketika mereka akhirnya membiarkan saya pergi, bayi berusia hampir tiga hari. Aku merasa kotor dan underdressed sebagai Nicolas mendorong saya di kursi roda melalui lorong-lorong, jubah mandi tipis nyaris menutupi gaun rumah sakit saya. Tetapi saat dia mendorong saya melalui pintu NICU dan aku bisa mendengar bayi menangis, tak ada yang penting tetapi memegang salah satu bundel berharga dalam pelukanku.
Cole adalah dalam isolette terungkap, terjaga dan melambaikan tinjunya di udara seperti dia memiliki argumen dengan Tuhan. Seorang perawat lembut mengangkatnya dan menempatkannya dalam pelukanku. Hatiku meleleh saat ia menatap ke arahku.