Gratitude: A Short Story (See Jane Tell)

Muubaa jacket, J Crew sweatshirt, Old Navy skirt (similar), Saint Laurent sunglasses, Chanel bag
My Monday morning started out with a call from Eric telling me he was headed to the ER. His voice was faint and he sounded like he was pure agony. Rewind to 10 minutes before: we were both at our respective offices when out of the blue, he felt the worst pain he's ever experienced on the left side of his abdomen. He painstakingly removed himself from work and got a cab to the hospital. After receiving his call, I dropped everything at work and ran to the ER to meet him where I found him slumped over in a wheelchair, attempting to check in with the receptionist. It's been awhile since I've experienced such feelings of both sheer panic and helplessness; it made me sick to my stomach.

Eric is going to be fine; it turns out he has kidney stones and the pain is supposed to be incredible. The ER doctor joked that he was having early sympathy pains because people often liken passing a stone to childbirth (yay). Although a crisis was somewhat averted, being pregnant has exposed me to a whole new vulnerability; anxious doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about all the new changes in my life. At the same time, I've never felt more grateful. The stress and anxiety I felt on Monday and have been feeling the past eight months are only making my senses that much clearer. I can't wait for this next chapter in my life--even if many emotions have been all-consuming. And I feel very lucky.