"Ha, Maybe," Hunter was beaming when he entered my room at 9.40 am. The staff loved his friendly personality and enjoyed a quick chit chat with the charming singer whenever they got the chance. His chuckles and smile quickly faded though when he caught sight of the huddled heap lying in bed that was me. The mornings were the worst when you didn't know what awaited you behind that door. Hunter realized the blinds in the room were halfway down, I was still in my PJs and hadn't gotten out of bed, yet. The IV was attached to my hand again. "Hunt,?" I asked in a sleepy voice fighting to open my eyes and keep them there. "Yes, baby, it's me. How are you feeling?," he instinctively kept his voice down seeing the mopey state I was in. "Tired," I breathed. He gently sat down on the edge of the bed and started to rub my shoulder that felt so small against his hand. "Did you have any more of these contractions?" His voice was quiet but close to my ear. "Last night." "How bad?" "Not so bad. I'm so...tired." I had to fight to get the words out. So tired. The young man ran the fingers of his right hand through his blonde hair like he did every time he was nervous or upset. "Let's get some fresh air in here, shall we?," he suggested, already walking towards one of the windows and tipping it. From outside there was the sound of chirping birds could be heard but Hunter found it hard to find any beauty in it at the moment. From afar he scanned the table next to my bed that looked untouched from when he'd left except for... "You haven't taken your vitamins, yet, babe." He took two oval orange pills from the little clear cup and poured some fresh water into another one. "C'mon, let's sit you up." Carefully, he brushed the hem of the duvet down. Although it was nearly summer, I had my cozy furry blanket on top of it, because it reminded me of home. Hunter pulled me in a half-hug and gave me the support I needed to sit up. I picked up the first pill and put it into my mouth. I frowned. Why did theses beasts have to be so big? Somehow I managed to wash it down with a gulp of water. I put the cup down to rest because I was slightly shaking despite my flannel PJs. "Don't you feel hot?," Hunter eyed me intently and checked my forehead which felt normal. "I'm cold," I explained. Mentally, I was preparing myself for getting the second pill down. My head felt heavy on the shoulders. "It's nice and warm outside. Maybe we should get some fresh air...sit in the park for a while... You might get to know some other Moms to be," my husband tried to coax me. I turned towards him: "You do know me though...like...at all?" Hunter smiled. I was't exactly a people person. That's why I was so grateful his band members who had become my best friends as well. "For seven wonderful years," he leaned in and pressed a kiss to my temple. "Seriously though, I think it would be good for you." "I don't feel like going outside." I picked up the orange tablet and prepared myself mentally to swallow it. When I guided the cup of water to my mouth, my left hand was shaking worse than before. It was exhausting just to lift it. Hunter noticed my struggle and took it from me to place it back on the table. We were sitting there for a while when a single hot tear rolled down my cheek. "Hey, what's wrong, baby?," he brushed the moist trace away from underneath my eye with the bud of his thumb. "I wanna be home." I felt more tears welling up. "I don't wanna be in hospital anymore," I sniffled. "I wanna have a normal pregnancy and look forward to her birth." "I know," he breathed. "I want this for us too." It was really frustrating having to comfort me when he had no time to deal with his own pain. Now the tears were streaming, my lips were trembling and I couldn't help it. "I'm such a failure," I wept. Worried, Hunter turned to face me and cupped my face. "What are you talking about, [y/n]?" "When Carrie had Isaiah she was so happy. And I wanted the same thing," I was sobbing, crying myself into a frenzy. "And I'm here and... you're out partying and ...I'm ugly and I can't even be a wife to you -" "Woah woah woah, stop!," Hunter's grip on both my arms tightened as if to shake me out of this fit."First of all: you're not ugly." He looked at me intently, even though I couldn't see his facial expressions. "Second, I was not out partying. The show ended at 10 past one. I was the first one out there headed home where I ate, I showered, had 5 hours of sleep, showered again and drove here." Hunter sounded dead serious. "I love you and I don't want you to talk like that." His voice was down to a whisper as he pulled me into his chest. I heard that he had a big lump in his throat saying: "I get that you're sad. Believe me, I get it." He was fighting back his own tears; his voice trembled. "But we're in this together. I'm here for you..." In addition to my sadness, now I felt guilty for my false accusations. We remained like this for a while until I'd run out of tears. I pulled back with a sniffle. As I wiped my face, Hunter noticed the big blue bruise that had formed on the back of my hand from my first venous access; the tape didn't cover it. I sunk back down on my pillow exhausted and miserable. "Why don't you get some rest and I'll be right back." Hunter got up and walked towards the door. As he closed it behind him, he found himself leaning against it with his eyes closed taking some deep breaths. This had been tough; and at this point my husband seriously feared for my wellbeing. He went down the hallway to the nurses' desk to ask for Dr. Heartley. He needed to talk to her. Now.

"Hunter, good to see you," the middle-aged woman greeted him with a handshake. She was wearing her brunette hair in a French twist and black sixties-shape glasses. "Good morning. I need to talk to you about [y/n]. She... seems really depressed today and very weak." The woman had cocked her head to the side looking at him sympathetically. "I know. I've noticed when I saw her this morning. She's not feeling well today." "Doctor, I know what my wife's like and I understand if you might not want to tell her the whole truth all the time," Hunter cut her short with a pointed look, "But you need to be completely honest with me. How bad is she?" "Well, Hunter, I am being honest with you, rest assured. What worries us most at the moment is her weight. She's lost a pound since last week and at this point the baby's taking all the nutrients she's getting intravenously. That's why she's feeling so exhausted. I think at this point it's imperative to make sure she gets back to being well-nourished. Since she reacts so heavily to food we should decide on a permanent solution." Hunter was listening carefully with narrowed eyes making sure he understood correctly. "And what would that be?" "There's the option to insert a feeding tube that would go through the nose down to the exit of the stomach. That way the special foods can be directly inserted without provoking the severe nausea." Hunter's heart sunk upon hearing these words. He nervously ran a hand across his face and through his hair.