Social Services had been to the house three times in the past month and Maria was getting desperate. She was furious with Dr. Hasbro for alerting them to her situation, but there was nothing she could do to change it.
No matter how angry she got, it always came back to Steve. They had gone into this together and he had promised to always be there for her. But it was almost six months since he had died of a massive heart attack and no fussing or wishing or slamming of doors could bring him back..
Her blessing was that the twins were both out of diapers and old enough to go without riding in the stoller..
Maria thought of those sweet times during her pregnancy, when Steve would help her onto the bed and gently rub her stomach, so happy to be a father. He would blow into her belly button, rub oils on her and whisper silly promises to them..
She had a surprisingly easy delivery, although she was forced to use a wheelchair in the last few months because of the sudden growth of her stomach. She could no longer maintain balance safely. It was something they had never talked about all those long nights awake as they planned the biggest hoax in either of their lives.
Maria was armless, but she hadn't been born that way and her becoming armless hadn't been by accident. In fact, at one time, a long time ago, she couldn't have imagined managing without her hands.
When Maria had met Steve they were both in their final year of graduate school at UofB School of Medicine. They hit it off right away and it wasn't long before they began to talk lifelong goals.
Maria made it clear that she wanted kids and would be willing to leave their future profession until the kids were old enough to go to school at which point she would enter private practice. To this day she could remember the look on Steve's face as he began to describe how he saw his married life.
"We're perfect together, Marie. We get along like we've known each other our entire lives and I can definitely see myself loving you till the day I die."
At the time she felt a little bubble of excitement in her middle. She'd thought that he was going to propose at that moment, but tried to keep her cool outwardly. It isn't easy for residents to have a social life, and it isn't easy for doctors to either. She knew he would be one of, if not the best surgeon in the region, if not the world.
Not only did she love him, she wanted to be a part of his life. She also wanted to please him. It was in her blood. She had seen her mother do everything she could to make her father happy. They had shown affection for each other their entire married lives and were quite supportive; a rare bond in modern marriages.
It was the next thing he said that surprised her.
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Story: Maria
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