Summer Farewell
A boulder shattered the window and hit my stomach. Blood soaked the seat.
Terrified, Joanna called my husband Nick. I cried for help, but he snapped, Im rescuing Lilyshe twisted her ankle. Dont bother me now! and hung up.
Joanna called her husband, Nicks brother. He yelled, If Lilys hurt, your friend miscarries? Call an ambulance! Dont waste my time!
A kind driver took us to the hospital, but it was too late. I lost the baby.
Lying weak in bed, I whispered, Im filing for divorce.
Joanna replied softly, Me too.
1
As soon as I had a sliver of strength back, I texted Nick the two words: Im divorcing you.
I waited all night. Finally, his call came through. The connection was terrible, his voice cutting in and out, but his fury was crystal clear.
"Jessica, I've been out in a damn storm all night, rescuing people, and you're pulling this crap with me? Divorce?"
"You're at your parents' house, safe and sound, and you're telling me you were hit by a rock in the mountains? Who are you trying to fool? Do you have any idea how critical the golden hour is in a rescue? The thirty seconds you wasted on the phone could have saved a life!"
"This is because you saw Lily's post, isn't it? You think something's going on between us? She was just camping with the team! We've known each other for twenty years. If something was going to happen, it would have happened long before you came along. The signal's crap out here. Don't bother me unless it's a real emergency!"
"And if I see you use divorce to threaten me one more time, don't expect me to be nice about it. I have no problem with my child not having a mother!"
Static crackled on the line.
A bitter smile twisted my lips. "So this is what you meant when you said you missed me?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
His anger flared again. "What message? I'm swamped. Lily's been holding my phone for me. When would I have time to text you? Stop with the passive-aggressive act. Lily needs her dressing changed. I'm hanging up!"
Before I could even process his words, the line went dead.
I stared at the blank screen, a single tear tracing a path down my cheek. I remembered the text now, the out-of-character emoji that followed the words. No wonder the man who hadn't shown a flicker of concern for my six-month pregnancy had suddenly missed me.
The only tender message I'd received in three years of marriage, and it was courtesy of his childhood sweetheart.
And it had cost me my child's life.
The physical pain from the rock was nothing compared to the agony ripping through my heart. The tears flowed freely, but I couldn't bring myself to dial his number again. I was afraid of who might answer.
The incision on my abdomen throbbed, and my mind flashed back to the accident. The rock crushing my stomach, the last of my strength spent pleading with him for help.
All I could hear from his end was Lily's pained whimper.
I kept screaming Nick's name, telling him where I was. We were only three miles apart, but it felt like an ocean. Blood was pouring out of me, and I could barely breathe.
He didn't hang up. After what felt like an eternity, I heard Lily's sweet, lilting voice. "If it weren't for you, Nicky, I don't know if I'd ever walk again. Thank you!"
I looked at Joanna's pale, terrified face, and a wave of guilt washed over me.
Before I could end the call, Nick's cold voice cut in. "Why are you still on the line? I'm busy. Can you stop bothering me? There's a time and a place for your drama."
"You know the demands of my job! If you're going to be my wife, you need to learn to be independent!"
The line clicked.
For a fleeting moment, I thought it might be better to be dead.
Sensing my despair, Joanna snatched the phone and furiously sent Nick a voice message.
"You're a disgrace to your profession! You, a rescuer? The only reason you save people is to atone for your own sins! People like you should just die and go to hell!"
She sent the message, and tears streamed down her face. She tried to move the rock off me, but she wasn't strong enough.
So she ran out into the storm, standing in the middle of the road, flagging down cars.
Finally, a kind soul agreed to take us to the hospital.
I was saved.
But I lost my child.
And even then, I wasn't out of the woods.
2
Joanna had saved my life, but she was drowning in guilt. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed by my bedside.
"If I had just learned first aid if I had checked the weather forecast before we left if I hadn't agreed to pick you up, maybe this wouldn't have happened" Her tears fell faster than she could wipe them away.
"I heard this hospital collaborates with Mark's. I used his name to request a specialist consult for you. The doctors said your condition is critical. If we don't do something soon, you might lose your uterus"
Just then, Mark, her husband, called, his voice sharp with accusation.
"Joanna, are you in the mountains? Are you following me? Don't you have anything better to do? I wouldn't have even known if the hospital hadn't called me!"
"Don't you know there was a landslide? Can you stop making trouble? Lily being here is a coincidence! She's not my only patient! And can you please stop hanging out with that crazy friend of yours? Is stupidity contagious?"
"I've explained this to you a thousand times. What will it take for you to trust me? One day you're talking about learning first aid, the next you're using my name to monopolize hospital resources. Can you just be normal for once? If you keep this up, I'll be the one asking for a divorce!"
He hung up.
Joanna stared at her phone, at the picture of the two of them on her wallpaper, and fresh tears welled in her eyes.
I had never regretted my marriage more than I did in that moment.
The room was silent, save for the soft sound of our tears.
Nick didn't believe I had a miscarriage. Mark didn't believe Joanna trusted him.
Our relationships were a mistake from the start. Our stubbornness had only pushed us further down the wrong path.
And turning back had cost me half my life.
3
The news was a constant stream of updates on the disaster in the mountains.
Lily had signed up as a volunteer, working alongside the two brothers to aid in the rescue and rebuilding efforts. A reporter somehow got wind of their childhood connection, and suddenly, the three of themworking together, caring for each otherbecame the new media darlings.
Cameras followed them everywhere, live-streaming their every move. The brothers, usually private people who shunned the spotlight, were persuaded by Lily to smile for the cameras. The internet went wild.
They were a trio of perfect, shippable combinations. Fan groups sprouted up, churning out daily content. The actual disaster became a footnote to their love triangle.
At first, Joanna tried to shield me from it all, worried it would affect my recovery. But she was a terrible liar. Who stares at their phone with a murderous rage while "casually browsing"?
I snatched a look when she wasn't paying attention and saw the three of them, side-by-side, giving an interview in front of a relief tent.
Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes. The pain in my abdomen had faded to a dull, numb ache.
Joanna came in with my dinner and saw what I was watching. Her face flushed with a mixture of pity and anger.
"Those three bastards! Wasting resources during a disaster! Who watches the news for this soap opera crap?"
"I'm calling the station to complain!"
I put a hand on hers, stopping her. "Don't," I said, my voice weak. "It doesn't matter anymore. Really."
Maybe my love for him had died quietly during those six months of pregnancy, with every unanswered call, every ignored text. What kind of marriage required my elderly parents to make excuses for my husband?
Joanna looked at my stoic face and turned off the live stream. The screen reverted to her call log, where her furious divorce threats to her husband lay unanswered.
Both brothers had changed their profile pictures to a shot from that interview, the three of them together.
I managed a hollow laugh and took the food from her.
Every day after that, Joanna and I took turns calling them, our single message the same: divorce.
But the calls never went through.
On the seventh day, Joanna stared at the disconnected call screen, a vein throbbing in her temple.
I forced a bitter smile. "Maybe the cell towers are down. We can wait a few more days. What's a few more days, right?" After all, I had already wasted three years.
But Joanna was done waiting. She borrowed a nurse's phone and dialed Nick's number again.
This time, surprisingly, he answered.
Hearing his familiar voice, a dry, humorless laugh escaped my lips. My eyes were too raw to produce any more tears. All that was left was the pain.
Three years of marriage, and it had come to this: being blocked.
I took a breath and spoke, my voice cold. "Nick, when you get back, let me know. We're getting a divorce. And tell your brotherhe's getting one, too."
His voice shot up, sharp and incredulous. "What is wrong with you? Hasn't a week been long enough for you to cool down? Don't you watch the news? I'm in the middle of something important! Lily is out here helping with a sprained ankle, and you're what? Pregnant? You expect me to treat you like a queen?"
"I'm busy. I don't have time to deal with your mood swings! If it's hormones, take a pill!"
Before I could reply, I heard Lily scream on his end, followed by the thud of a phone hitting the ground.
Nick's voice was trembling. "Lily? What happened?"
"It's nothing! Just an ant on my shoe! It startled me!" Her voice was cloyingly sweet. "Was that Jessica? I'm so jealous. No one's called to check on me this whole time"
Nick chuckled, his voice dripping with affection. "Silly girl. Haven't I been right here with you?"
I clamped a hand over my mouth, stifling a sob. But the humiliation and despair were relentless, seeping into the raw, gaping wound of my heart.
Joanna snatched the phone from me, her other hand gently rubbing my chest, trying to calm me.
4
Another week in the hospital. A steady stream of injured people were brought in from the mountains, but I never saw a familiar face.
Our numbers were completely blocked.
Joanna and I unspokenly agreed to stop mentioning the live streams. For seven days, it was as if they had vanished from our world.
Then, during my final check-up, a nurse mentioned that Lily, the volunteer, had slipped on a hillside and needed to be brought to the hospital immediately.
Joanna and I exchanged a look.
She packed my things and handled my discharge paperwork.
When she came back, she was muttering to herself. "It's so empty today. Took me forever to get this done. Only one window was open"
"They're probably all out helping with the transport. They should be back soon," I said, not thinking much of it.
We walked out of the hospital, my arm linked with hers. I was planning to find a print shop for the divorce papers when we ran straight into themthe two brothers, surrounded by a swarm of reporters and patients.
Nick was in the lead, cradling Lily in his arms.
"Out of the way! Where's the emergency room? Get the hell out of my way!"
Mark followed, trying to maintain some semblance of order, his face etched with worry. His angry shouts were lost in a chorus of thanks from the onlookers.
My heart sank. It was now or never.
I plunged into the crowd. Joanna yelped in surprise but couldn't hold me back. The throng of reporters pushed and shoved, my cotton dress twisting and pulling. I shouted Nick's name, but they dismissed me as just another crazed fan.
"Captain Miller and Miss Vance are childhood sweethearts! A washed-up hag like you has no chance! Put on some makeup, you look like a ghost!"
There was no time to explain. I was swept along with the crowd to the emergency room.
With a final burst of strength, I threw myself against the doorframe, blocking their path. Nick finally saw me.
I gasped for breath. "Divorce! Today! As soon as you drop her off, you're coming with me!"
In his arms, Lily winced, but her eyes were sharp, calculating.
Nick's barely contained rage finally exploded. "When are you going to stop? You followed us all the way out here? Now you see we were actually working, are you satisfied? This is a life-or-death situation! Get the hell out of my way!"
Life-or-death. She probably had a few scrapes and bruises.
A mocking smile touched my lips, but I didn't move.
Mark finally broke free and saw what was happening. He grabbed my arm, trying to pull me away. "Have you lost your mind? And you dragged my wife into this? You're pregnant, for God's sake! Can you stop being so selfish?"
At that moment, Joanna shoved her way through the crowd and slapped him hard across the face. "You know exactly what you've done! A man who doesn't care about his own child being hailed as a hero? Your brother is a piece of trash!"
Mark stared at her, stunned that she would hit him. His eyes turned red with fury. He grabbed her by the collar and started dragging her away. "I've been too good to you, haven't I? You keep this up, and we're getting a divorce, too!"
The reporters, sensing a new story, turned their cameras on them.
The pressure on Nick eased. He was about to step through the door. I was frantic, my body trembling.
I threw myself in front of him.
The next thing I knew, I was flying backward. He had kicked me.
The freshly stitched incision on my abdomen tore open. Blood soaked through my dress. I collapsed to the floor, a strangled scream escaping my lips.
It was only then that Nick seemed to realize what he had done. He froze, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
His eyes drifted down to my flat stomach.
"Jess," he whispered, his voice trembling. "Where's where's our baby?"
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