LOSING ANNALIA
FIVE YEARS EARLIER
"You've been awfully quiet ever since we've been driving back from the wedding. Is everything okay?" Zyair asked his wife after spending the evening at her cousins wedding.
His wife's cousin planned an evening wedding and it was surprisingly fun. Zyair has never attended one, so this was his first time and he actually enjoyed it.
"I'm just thinking honey. Her wedding was so huge, yet beautiful. So I was just reminiscing about ours." Annalia expressed herself to her husband.
"Do you regret the fact that we eloped?" He asked.
She turned to him. "Not at all. I think we made the best decision. I know it was a small ceremony but it was perfect." She smiled at him.
She remembered all the amazing wedding pictures they took together on their special day. All the different kinds of food they ate and then the amazing honeymoon they had.
He sent her a warm smile then took her hand and kissed the back of it.
"I love you." She said to him.
"I love you too. More than you know." He replied.
If only he knew that this evening would be the last to say these three special words to his loved one he would've said them as often as he could.
Zyair indicated their car to the left and waited for the green light patiently but a drunk driver thought he could beat them to it, but he collided with the couple's car who drove a little onto the road after the green light went on, hitting Annalia's side so hard that their car spun a few times then overturned twice. Their car was a wreck at this point. Annalia was already unconscious and Zyair was half conscious. Everything else after this was a blur for both of them.
They were both brought to the hospital after someone witnessed the accident and called 911. The drunk driver had survived the accident and fled the scene.
They took care of Zyair's minor head injury, he was fully conscious now and all he wanted to do was to be with his pregnant wife even when the doctors advised him to rest. Resting was the least of his worries at the moment.
A head injury is always serious no matter how minor it is, but he didn't care, he wanted to see his wife.
He was standing outside the treatment and examination room in tears, begging the doctors to do everything they can for his wife. He didn't want to lose her like this. Not when they're about to start a family like they've been planning. He couldn't do this by himself, he needed Annalia.
Seeing her in a semi-coma frustrated him a lot. When his wife's scans and x-rays came back, the doctors realised that she was just 25 weeks pregnant. Her pregnancy was still in it's early stages which was a major risk to operate on her. Her state was also not looking good.
The doctors had to fill her husband in about this complicated situation. They approached him after he calmed down a bit. He was hoping for good news but there wasn't any good news for him due to the state his wife was in.
"I'm afraid that your wife is severely injured and shows almost no possiblity of recovery." The doctor said to him as sincerely as he could.
For a while Zyair seeked for words to respond to the doctor but he was still in shock to hear what the doctors said to him. A few minutes ago his wife was just telling him that he loved her and now she might not get better?
He analysed the doctors words and realised that maybe there could be some hope in her recovery even if it's just a little hope.
"You just said almost. Isn't that better than having no possibility at all? If you help my wife then I think she stands a chance to recover, please doctor. My wife can't die like this... Can't you help my family?" He asked sounding extremely sad.
"I want to help your family but even if I do operate on your wife she won't get any better and I can't guarantee that your unborn babies will survive this. Their safety is definitely not guaranteed." He said to the torn husband.
"No, you can't say that without trying. My wife is a fighter. She will get through this if you help her. This cannot be the day my wife dies in this hospital. I'm not burying my wife and children all at once. If you can't help us then I want to talk to another doctor." He hysterically stated.
"I know this is extremely hard for you but I really hope you'll accept this for the sake of your wife and your twins." The doctor said to him. "I'm really sorry but this is the best medical opinion I can give to you. If you wish to have another doctor assigned for your wife then I'll do that for you." The doctor added.
"Please... I'm begging you. Please..." He cried out to him.
Giving the patient's loved ones bad news is never easy even if you've been a doctor for years. It takes a lot of courage to tell someone that they can't do much for a patient.
They moved Annalia to the ICU to keep monitoring her and her babies while her husband was resting, but soon enough he was awake. The nurse let him go and stay at his wife's side because he insisted. They weren't going to keep a hurting husband away from his dying wife. He felt so defeated at this point but he knew that he had to stay strong for his family.
Why was this happening now though?
They were so happy a few hours ago and now Annalia was fighting for her life. Was she even really fighting for her life when she wasn't even breathing on her own? This was just a step closer to her death.
Forty minutes later the doctor came to check on Zyair to see if he has decided to take his wife off life support but he wasn't ready at all. Nobody expected him to give up that easily.
"Doctor, I'm sorry but I can't let my wife die without trying to do something to save her life. I won't be able to live with myself if I don't do something, anything. Please just give my family a fighting chance, even if we could extend her life for a few seconds, an hour or a few weeks, just please help her. To spend that little hour by her side and my unborn children, I'll forever grateful." He said to the doctor with tears streaming down his cheeks.
The doctor seemed to change his mind about operating on the patient. He decided to do this for Zyair's sake. Plus it was his call. He can also find closure and be glad that they did everything they could for her.
Annalia was prepped for surgery and Zyair waited patiently outside to find out if the surgery was a success. The surgery took hours because they had to be careful not to lose the twins. He slowly paced up and down outside the operating room thinking about the surgery. Then the doctors finally walked out of the operating room approaching him.
"I know you've been waiting for hours for good news but what I can say to you is that we have to wait and see if she regains consciousness. The damage was huge right from the start like I said, that's why performing this surgery was risky." The doctor explained. " To be honest with you she's not responding at all but give it a day or two we'll get back to you." He added.
"But did the surgery go well? Are my twins okay?" He asked.
"Yes they're doing just fine. They're stable." He replied.
"Thank you so much doctor. I'm just glad that you gave my wife a fighting chance. I think things will turn out just fine. Thank you so much again." He replied feeling grateful.
Annalia's condition was monitored closely on a daily basis to see if she was getting any better. Everyone involved in the surgery hoped for a miracle but that miracle never came.
Days passed but she never even once breathed on her own. Annalia was declared brain damaged, well it was nearly brain damage but she was definitely unresponsive. In no time her organs would slowly stop working and then she'll give in and die.
Zyair had to make a choice though.
Was he going to give up and take her off life support or was he going to let her live in a vegetative position like this until she dies?
This decision wasn't easy at all. It was a decision that he has to live with for the rest of his life. This was the woman he vowed to love in sickness and in health after all.
Maintaining Annalia's status with machines means that they can presume that her babies will live but only if she manages to hang on so that the twins can grow inside of her body.
The doctors explained all of this to him and a part of him understood.
He knew that his wife will never wake up but if there was a chance to save his babies then he was going to take it in a heart beat. They also explained to him that at only 25 weeks of the pregnancy the babies could never live outside the womb so his wife needed to hang on for as long as possible but no one knew if Annalia could really hang on until the babies were able to be delivered.
Zyair had hope that Annalia would hang on until she could give birth to their twins. She wanted this family just as much as he did, so her husband was by her side cheering her on to give their babies a chance to live.
Annalia did hang on for weeks but Zyair got sad when he came to the hospital and always saw his wife like this. She was just there lying on the bed like a vegetable that was wasting away. He felt like he was making her suffer. Was doing this for their twins worth making her go through this? He wanted to give up so many times. The fact that he was all alone in this was more difficult. He had no one to share this burden with.
Annalia's parents died when she was just 18 years old, in a gas leak accident that happened in the apartment they used to live in. They burned to death.
This was a freak accident that left young Annalia without parents. At the time she was at school and she had to come home and find those disheartening news. She had been all alone since then but she didn't dwell on that pain forever. She made something of her life. She went to University and studied hard with the money she inherited from her parents and became a surgeon. She was successful and she shared that success with Zyair later in her life. The two imperfect beings met when Zyair delivered food at the hospital she worked at. He was working in a fast food restaurant at the time. She saw his handsome self walking in that day and her heart skipped a beat. It was love at first side.
Annalia wasn't the type to wait and be given something on a silver platter. She went after the things she liked. She was a real go-getter. So she didn't waste time when it came to the handsome Zyair, she approached him and asked him to call her. He was surprised at how bold Annalia was but he liked it. He took the business card from her with a smile and promised to call her once his shift was over. He fulfilled that promise. He called her that evening after his shift and they talked for hours on the phone as if they've known each other for years.
From that day forward they went on fun dates until they eloped and got married. Their lives were not perfect but they made their relationship work because of their bond and their love.
Zyair never knew his parents. He was moved from foster care to the next foster home until he was 16 years old. He always made sure to have a part time job to get himself through school. He always wanted to be a lawyer but he didn't have enough money for law school so he just took any job to get by, as he grew older. He knew that he had to fend for himself. He didn't complain though, as long as he had food on the table and a roof over his head he was alright. His life took an interesting turn when he met Annalia. She supported his dream of becoming a lawyer. She told him to use the money he made on his part time jobs for law school and she took care of everything else financially.
As weeks progressed his wife's water broke after reaching the last trimester of her pregnancy. It's like she wanted Zyair to have a piece of her even after she was gone.
The doctors performed a C-sectuon on Annalia and they delivered two healthy looking boys. Annalia was operated upon and moved back to her room while her twins were in the baby area. Zyair was looking at them through the glass window with tears in his eyes. He was happy to see his little baby boys.
"I'm coming to be with you guys in a little bit. Let me go and see how mommy is doing, okay? We have to thank her for making sure you came out safely and healthy." He talked to them through the glass window as he slightly waved at them.
He walked back to his wife's room and sat down next to her, holding her hand. "You've given me the greatest gift a man could ever ask for my love. Thank you for hanging in there for as long as you did Annalia Torsney. I love you, I've always loved you and I'll always love you." He said kissing the back of her hand.
The heart monitor suddenly beeped and the doctors rushed to come and see what was happening. Annalia was giving in now. There was nothing more they could do to resuscitate her. So Zyair just held her hand for as long as he could, watching her die.
"Annalia Torsney, death time, Tuesday, March 14, 2016. " One of the doctors said, after the heart monitor stopped. Zyair sobbed really hard because the reality was that he lost the love of his life.
He had to name his beautiful babies so they could have their birth certificates. That's when he named them Brayden meaning Brave and Jaylen meaning Thankful.
His twins stayed for a week in the hospital to be fully monitored and checked to see their vitals. The doctors were satisfied with their progress, so after a week they were released to go home with their dad.
His journey was just beginning.
He prepared a funeral for Annalia. He told Annalia's estranged family members about her passing but none of them came, just like they didn't come to her parent's funeral. The only people that came was her cousin and her husband whom they attended their wedding weeks before this incident. If you talk about cruel people who can hold a grudge, you talk about Annalia's family members. At the graveyard, Zyair was with Stella the cousin, her husband and the pastor. He gave his sermon, after that Zyair said his last goodbyes to his wife. After that day things didn't get any better. He still longed for Annalia.
A week later he received his twins birth certificates. He put it away safely.
His wife's belongings were still around the house. He couldn't bring himself to pack any of it. He always went back to the graveyard and sat there with his twins, holding their wedding picture in his hand and thinking back to what he could've done right on that day of the accident. For a while he blamed himself for the accident, sometimes it felt like he was going to lose his mind but his children kept him sane.
In a few months things got better and he was able to pack away some of his wife's belongings, even though it took everything in him to start doing so.
Now the question was what to do with them? Throw them away? Donate them? Burn them? What does he do? All of the above sounded insanely cruel. Does any of the options below make him a terrible husband?
He wanted to hold onto everything but he couldn't. It sucked big time. It was difficult seeing her belongings in boxes or in the trash. This was going to be a long ride but slowly he managed to get rid of them. Some he donated them, some he sold and mostly he burned.
He got rid of everything, except their wedding pictures and their wedding rings. Those are the only things he couldn't bring himself to throw away. So he stashed them in a drawer in their bedroom.
After getting rid of everything, he started life from scratch with his children. Yes, he missed his wife terribly but life had to go on.
"You've been awfully quiet ever since we've been driving back from the wedding. Is everything okay?" Zyair asked his wife after spending the evening at her cousins wedding.
His wife's cousin planned an evening wedding and it was surprisingly fun. Zyair has never attended one, so this was his first time and he actually enjoyed it.
"I'm just thinking honey. Her wedding was so huge, yet beautiful. So I was just reminiscing about ours." Annalia expressed herself to her husband.
"Do you regret the fact that we eloped?" He asked.
She turned to him. "Not at all. I think we made the best decision. I know it was a small ceremony but it was perfect." She smiled at him.
She remembered all the amazing wedding pictures they took together on their special day. All the different kinds of food they ate and then the amazing honeymoon they had.
He sent her a warm smile then took her hand and kissed the back of it.
"I love you." She said to him.
"I love you too. More than you know." He replied.
If only he knew that this evening would be the last to say these three special words to his loved one he would've said them as often as he could.
Zyair indicated their car to the left and waited for the green light patiently but a drunk driver thought he could beat them to it, but he collided with the couple's car who drove a little onto the road after the green light went on, hitting Annalia's side so hard that their car spun a few times then overturned twice. Their car was a wreck at this point. Annalia was already unconscious and Zyair was half conscious. Everything else after this was a blur for both of them.
There was shattered glass everywhere and blood surrounding them.
They were both brought to the hospital after someone witnessed the accident and called 911. The drunk driver had survived the accident and fled the scene.
They took care of Zyair's minor head injury, he was fully conscious now and all he wanted to do was to be with his pregnant wife even when the doctors advised him to rest. Resting was the least of his worries at the moment.
A head injury is always serious no matter how minor it is, but he didn't care, he wanted to see his wife.
He was standing outside the treatment and examination room in tears, begging the doctors to do everything they can for his wife. He didn't want to lose her like this. Not when they're about to start a family like they've been planning. He couldn't do this by himself, he needed Annalia.
Seeing her in a semi-coma frustrated him a lot. When his wife's scans and x-rays came back, the doctors realised that she was just 25 weeks pregnant. Her pregnancy was still in it's early stages which was a major risk to operate on her. Her state was also not looking good.
The doctors had to fill her husband in about this complicated situation. They approached him after he calmed down a bit. He was hoping for good news but there wasn't any good news for him due to the state his wife was in.
"I'm afraid that your wife is severely injured and shows almost no possiblity of recovery." The doctor said to him as sincerely as he could.
For a while Zyair seeked for words to respond to the doctor but he was still in shock to hear what the doctors said to him. A few minutes ago his wife was just telling him that he loved her and now she might not get better?
He analysed the doctors words and realised that maybe there could be some hope in her recovery even if it's just a little hope.
"You just said almost. Isn't that better than having no possibility at all? If you help my wife then I think she stands a chance to recover, please doctor. My wife can't die like this... Can't you help my family?" He asked sounding extremely sad.
"I want to help your family but even if I do operate on your wife she won't get any better and I can't guarantee that your unborn babies will survive this. Their safety is definitely not guaranteed." He said to the torn husband.
"No, you can't say that without trying. My wife is a fighter. She will get through this if you help her. This cannot be the day my wife dies in this hospital. I'm not burying my wife and children all at once. If you can't help us then I want to talk to another doctor." He hysterically stated.
"I know this is extremely hard for you but I really hope you'll accept this for the sake of your wife and your twins." The doctor said to him. "I'm really sorry but this is the best medical opinion I can give to you. If you wish to have another doctor assigned for your wife then I'll do that for you." The doctor added.
"Please... I'm begging you. Please..." He cried out to him.
He was exhausted and drained physically, mentally and emotionally. His head injury wasn't helping much either. He collapsed in front of them, his blood pressure was way too high. This is why he was advised to rest because he just came out of a traumatic experience. He was rushed to an empty room to be checked upon and they managed to stabilize his blood pressure. The doctor who was helping his wife, was sad for him.
Giving the patient's loved ones bad news is never easy even if you've been a doctor for years. It takes a lot of courage to tell someone that they can't do much for a patient.
They moved Annalia to the ICU to keep monitoring her and her babies while her husband was resting, but soon enough he was awake. The nurse let him go and stay at his wife's side because he insisted. They weren't going to keep a hurting husband away from his dying wife. He felt so defeated at this point but he knew that he had to stay strong for his family.
Why was this happening now though?
They were so happy a few hours ago and now Annalia was fighting for her life. Was she even really fighting for her life when she wasn't even breathing on her own? This was just a step closer to her death.
Forty minutes later the doctor came to check on Zyair to see if he has decided to take his wife off life support but he wasn't ready at all. Nobody expected him to give up that easily.
"Doctor, I'm sorry but I can't let my wife die without trying to do something to save her life. I won't be able to live with myself if I don't do something, anything. Please just give my family a fighting chance, even if we could extend her life for a few seconds, an hour or a few weeks, just please help her. To spend that little hour by her side and my unborn children, I'll forever grateful." He said to the doctor with tears streaming down his cheeks.
The doctor seemed to change his mind about operating on the patient. He decided to do this for Zyair's sake. Plus it was his call. He can also find closure and be glad that they did everything they could for her.
Annalia was prepped for surgery and Zyair waited patiently outside to find out if the surgery was a success. The surgery took hours because they had to be careful not to lose the twins. He slowly paced up and down outside the operating room thinking about the surgery. Then the doctors finally walked out of the operating room approaching him.
"I know you've been waiting for hours for good news but what I can say to you is that we have to wait and see if she regains consciousness. The damage was huge right from the start like I said, that's why performing this surgery was risky." The doctor explained. " To be honest with you she's not responding at all but give it a day or two we'll get back to you." He added.
"But did the surgery go well? Are my twins okay?" He asked.
"Yes they're doing just fine. They're stable." He replied.
"Thank you so much doctor. I'm just glad that you gave my wife a fighting chance. I think things will turn out just fine. Thank you so much again." He replied feeling grateful.
Annalia's condition was monitored closely on a daily basis to see if she was getting any better. Everyone involved in the surgery hoped for a miracle but that miracle never came.
Days passed but she never even once breathed on her own. Annalia was declared brain damaged, well it was nearly brain damage but she was definitely unresponsive. In no time her organs would slowly stop working and then she'll give in and die.
Zyair had to make a choice though.
Was he going to give up and take her off life support or was he going to let her live in a vegetative position like this until she dies?
This decision wasn't easy at all. It was a decision that he has to live with for the rest of his life. This was the woman he vowed to love in sickness and in health after all.
Maintaining Annalia's status with machines means that they can presume that her babies will live but only if she manages to hang on so that the twins can grow inside of her body.
The doctors explained all of this to him and a part of him understood.
He knew that his wife will never wake up but if there was a chance to save his babies then he was going to take it in a heart beat. They also explained to him that at only 25 weeks of the pregnancy the babies could never live outside the womb so his wife needed to hang on for as long as possible but no one knew if Annalia could really hang on until the babies were able to be delivered.
Zyair had hope that Annalia would hang on until she could give birth to their twins. She wanted this family just as much as he did, so her husband was by her side cheering her on to give their babies a chance to live.
Annalia did hang on for weeks but Zyair got sad when he came to the hospital and always saw his wife like this. She was just there lying on the bed like a vegetable that was wasting away. He felt like he was making her suffer. Was doing this for their twins worth making her go through this? He wanted to give up so many times. The fact that he was all alone in this was more difficult. He had no one to share this burden with.
Annalia's parents died when she was just 18 years old, in a gas leak accident that happened in the apartment they used to live in. They burned to death.
This was a freak accident that left young Annalia without parents. At the time she was at school and she had to come home and find those disheartening news. She had been all alone since then but she didn't dwell on that pain forever. She made something of her life. She went to University and studied hard with the money she inherited from her parents and became a surgeon. She was successful and she shared that success with Zyair later in her life. The two imperfect beings met when Zyair delivered food at the hospital she worked at. He was working in a fast food restaurant at the time. She saw his handsome self walking in that day and her heart skipped a beat. It was love at first side.
Annalia wasn't the type to wait and be given something on a silver platter. She went after the things she liked. She was a real go-getter. So she didn't waste time when it came to the handsome Zyair, she approached him and asked him to call her. He was surprised at how bold Annalia was but he liked it. He took the business card from her with a smile and promised to call her once his shift was over. He fulfilled that promise. He called her that evening after his shift and they talked for hours on the phone as if they've known each other for years.
From that day forward they went on fun dates until they eloped and got married. Their lives were not perfect but they made their relationship work because of their bond and their love.
Zyair never knew his parents. He was moved from foster care to the next foster home until he was 16 years old. He always made sure to have a part time job to get himself through school. He always wanted to be a lawyer but he didn't have enough money for law school so he just took any job to get by, as he grew older. He knew that he had to fend for himself. He didn't complain though, as long as he had food on the table and a roof over his head he was alright. His life took an interesting turn when he met Annalia. She supported his dream of becoming a lawyer. She told him to use the money he made on his part time jobs for law school and she took care of everything else financially.
Sometimes she helped him financially when he didn't make enough money to pay for his fees. She was a really supportive partner.
He finally graduated and he was able to land his first interview that was supposed to happen next week but now it seemed like he wouldn't make it to the interview because he had to be with his wife at the hospital. She didn't get a chance to see his husband do what he loves. His dream seemed a little too far fetched now.
He finally graduated and he was able to land his first interview that was supposed to happen next week but now it seemed like he wouldn't make it to the interview because he had to be with his wife at the hospital. She didn't get a chance to see his husband do what he loves. His dream seemed a little too far fetched now.
As weeks progressed his wife's water broke after reaching the last trimester of her pregnancy. It's like she wanted Zyair to have a piece of her even after she was gone.
The doctors performed a C-sectuon on Annalia and they delivered two healthy looking boys. Annalia was operated upon and moved back to her room while her twins were in the baby area. Zyair was looking at them through the glass window with tears in his eyes. He was happy to see his little baby boys.
"I'm coming to be with you guys in a little bit. Let me go and see how mommy is doing, okay? We have to thank her for making sure you came out safely and healthy." He talked to them through the glass window as he slightly waved at them.
He walked back to his wife's room and sat down next to her, holding her hand. "You've given me the greatest gift a man could ever ask for my love. Thank you for hanging in there for as long as you did Annalia Torsney. I love you, I've always loved you and I'll always love you." He said kissing the back of her hand.
The heart monitor suddenly beeped and the doctors rushed to come and see what was happening. Annalia was giving in now. There was nothing more they could do to resuscitate her. So Zyair just held her hand for as long as he could, watching her die.
Atleast she was doing so peacefully.
"Annalia Torsney, death time, Tuesday, March 14, 2016. " One of the doctors said, after the heart monitor stopped. Zyair sobbed really hard because the reality was that he lost the love of his life.
After a while he calmed himself down, letting go of Annalia's hand and finally stood up wiping his tears off and thanked the doctors for everything they did for his family, even though he was torn apart inside.
He had to name his beautiful babies so they could have their birth certificates. That's when he named them Brayden meaning Brave and Jaylen meaning Thankful.
His twins stayed for a week in the hospital to be fully monitored and checked to see their vitals. The doctors were satisfied with their progress, so after a week they were released to go home with their dad.
His journey was just beginning.
He prepared a funeral for Annalia. He told Annalia's estranged family members about her passing but none of them came, just like they didn't come to her parent's funeral. The only people that came was her cousin and her husband whom they attended their wedding weeks before this incident. If you talk about cruel people who can hold a grudge, you talk about Annalia's family members. At the graveyard, Zyair was with Stella the cousin, her husband and the pastor. He gave his sermon, after that Zyair said his last goodbyes to his wife. After that day things didn't get any better. He still longed for Annalia.
A week later he received his twins birth certificates. He put it away safely.
His wife's belongings were still around the house. He couldn't bring himself to pack any of it. He always went back to the graveyard and sat there with his twins, holding their wedding picture in his hand and thinking back to what he could've done right on that day of the accident. For a while he blamed himself for the accident, sometimes it felt like he was going to lose his mind but his children kept him sane.
In a few months things got better and he was able to pack away some of his wife's belongings, even though it took everything in him to start doing so.
Now the question was what to do with them? Throw them away? Donate them? Burn them? What does he do? All of the above sounded insanely cruel. Does any of the options below make him a terrible husband?
He wanted to hold onto everything but he couldn't. It sucked big time. It was difficult seeing her belongings in boxes or in the trash. This was going to be a long ride but slowly he managed to get rid of them. Some he donated them, some he sold and mostly he burned.
He got rid of everything, except their wedding pictures and their wedding rings. Those are the only things he couldn't bring himself to throw away. So he stashed them in a drawer in their bedroom.
After getting rid of everything, he started life from scratch with his children. Yes, he missed his wife terribly but life had to go on.
