Chapter 44

She opened her eyes. There was a device attached to her body. She was wearing oxygen. "What happened? Am I in the hospital again? Since we got married, this is the third hospital for me. I must be really unlucky."

She saw Monica sitting nearby. She raised her hand to get her attention.

"Ericka!" Monica approached her. "How are you?"

"Where's Monte?"

"He left. Said he had somewhere to go. What happened to you?"

Tears were all she could manage. It seemed serious. She removed the oxygen and sat up. She felt strong; at least that's how she felt.

"What happened?"

"They haven't told me yet. The doctor said you just had a shortage of oxygen. I thought you were pregnant when they called me." She sighed. "Bernard and the others are acting strange. I feel like they're hiding something from me."

She bit her lip. "Should I tell her?"

"I went to see Almira," she looked up.

"Oh? Why would you visit that girl?"

"There's-- there's..." her mouth trembled. 'How do I begin?'

"There's what?" Monica prodd