A single woman went into preterm birth and had to spend more than a year in the hospital with her kid, but when she was released, her adult son had done something she never expected.
I never believed I’d be unable to provide a better life for my child.
When I became pregnant with Jace, I assumed that living in my late mother’s old trailer would only be temporary. The pregnancy had surprised me, but I figured I could work hard and get us into an apartment or a small house soon enough. However, that did not happen.
The bills piled up, and any money I earned had to be spent on an emergency. But I kept working hard, believing that Jace would appreciate all I did for him and develop into a fine man.
Jace wasn’t the most ambitious person in the world. When he turned 18, I told him he needed to get a job, but he could stay with me until he established his feet. I never wanted to be one of those parents that kicked their child out. That wasn’t me. Unfortunately, Jace viewed this as a hint that he could stay indefinitely.
“What? No, that’s impossible. I’m the owner,” I shook my head.
When I became pregnant again by mistake, he was 22 years old and earning the minimum pay with no extra effort. I was dating a new man for the first time in a long time, and I expected things to work out, but he fled away as soon as I told him.
“We can’t afford a new child,” Jace complained when I told him.
“We’ll make do. Babies are blessings, and this is your sibling, Jace. Otherwise, you can move out and start fending for yourself,” I replied, shrugging.
His words shattered my heart, but I knew he was correct. I was significantly older and in worse shape than I had been when Jace was born. The world was even more complicated, and I felt like I’d never get out of this hole.
However, my anxieties and concerns skyrocketed, hurting my health, and I was admitted to the hospital at five months when I went into labor. The physicians attempted to halt the progression, but the baby was determined to arrive early, and I was in excruciating agony and concern.
My second son was born and placed in an incubator. He was born too early, and the doctors were not pleased. I observed their concern, but none of them wanted to give me bad news while I was still healing.
When I felt better, I went to visit my baby in the children’s ward. There were other premature newborns in incubators, and despite my lack of medical knowledge, I felt hopeful. I assumed if my son was still alive, he would make it.
“Is that him?” Jace asked when he visited us.
“Yes, that’s your brother,” I responded, smiling as I placed my hand on the incubator.
“He’s so tiny. I can’t believe he’s alive,” my son muttered, placing his hand on the machine.
“I know. It’s a miracle,” I spoke with tears in my eyes. Jace asked further questions regarding his brother’s condition, and I didn’t have much information to give him. I didn’t understand most of the terminology, but doctors frequently advised me to be patient.
“Are you sure about this? Maybe, it would be more humane to let him go. Is he in pain?” Jace wondered, his brow furrowing.
“I have to do everything I can,” I insisted, my voice cracking. “I have to, just like I did with you. You were healthy, but I had almost nothing when I had you.”
“We don’t have much now. Almost nothing to offer him,” Jace reminded me. Was that a hint of shame I detected in his tone?
“We have each other. That’s much more than I had with you,” I told him while nodding. Jace flipped his head and peered at my eyes for several seconds. Eventually, he nodded.
“You’re right. The bills will not be pretty, but he deserves a shot. What’s his name?” Jace asked, and his tone confused me, but I didn’t have time to analyze anything.
“I haven’t decided, but I was thinking… Luke?”
“That’s perfect,” he said.
Jace left that night, and while our relationship had never been sentimental, I felt like my adult son genuinely cared about his younger brother. But I couldn’t be certain, of course.
Unfortunately, things took a turn in the hospital. My baby’s premature birth resulted in problems, necessitating an extended stay.
Some physicians told me he wouldn’t make it through the necessary surgery. But Luke survived, recovered, and persevered.
I was in the hospital with my baby for 398 days, and in the last month, I witnessed him thrive despite his challenges. Finally, we were released, and despite the fact that my child required numerous drugs, probably for the rest of his life, he was beautiful and lovely, and well worth the anguish of nearly a year.
I walked out of the hospital with my child to our trailer, which was close to the hospital in our Ohio town. I couldn’t reach Jace for some reason, but I wasn’t concerned. He had been busy for the past few months.
When I arrived at our home, I noticed a new family residing there. “Excuse me. I’m Amy. This is my house,” I said, confused, to the man who had opened the door.
“No, we bought this trailer from Jace,” he answered, raising his hands. “I paid him in cash, fair and square.”
“What? No, that’s impossible. I’m the owner of this house.”
I shook my head, believing Jace had sold my lone home and fled with the proceeds. That was why I couldn’t contact him. Despite my numerous challenges throughout the years, I was never homeless. My late mother made certain to leave me the trailer before she died.
But now my lazy adult son has taken it from me? It wasn’t fair, and I started hyperventilating while holding my son.
“Mom!” I heard and turned immediately to find Jace running towards me.
“Jace! What’s going on? What did you do? This is our home!” I wailed, which alarmed Luke, and he started crying too. “Hush, hush, hush.”
“Just come with me. You’ll see!” Jace said and guided me by my waist as we walked away.
“Please, tell me what happened while I was away,” I asked, still calming Luke as we strolled.
“Almost a year ago at the hospital, I realized that… I’d been a horrible son to you and the laziest idiot in the world,” Jace began. “I saw your love for me reflected in your love for my brother, and I knew I couldn’t keep being an idiot for the rest of my life.”
“I finally did something. I worked all the extra shifts and weekends I could at the contracting firm. My boss even loves me now. I saved as much as I could. I know you still have medical bills, although the doctors offered you help and pro-bono treatments. But we’ll work on paying those together—”
“Jace, that’s wonderful. But I still don’t understand why you sold the trailer,” I interrupted.
“We can’t live in that trailer anymore, Mom. There was barely any room for us two, and Luke doesn’t deserve to grow up like that… so I saved up and bought us a tiny two-bedroom place nearby. It’s not the best house, and it’ll need some serious repairs. But it’s ours. It has a basement, so I’ll live there. I’m planning on installing a separate door to it, so it’s like an apartment, but we’ll see about that,” Jace revealed, and I couldn’t believe it.
“You bought a house?” I said, stunned. “You bought us a house?”
“I did,” Jace smiled. “Are you proud?”
“I think I’m going to have a heart attack from all this pride,” I replied, smiling.
Jace escorted me to the house. It wasn’t completely furnished, but we had beds and a full kitchen. Jace had also purchased a secondhand crib for Luke. It was perfect. It was something I never imagined we’d have, and I couldn’t believe my son bought it with the intention of living there with us.
“Are you sure? I mean, you used the money from the trailer too, but this is mostly your home,” I said after I set Luke to sleep in his new crib.
“Mom, parents around here kicked their children out as soon as they turned 18, and you should’ve done that with me, but you didn’t. You wanted me to be safe. I finally realized how much you worked for me, and I needed to repay it. The house is in both our names, but it’s yours. I love you,” Jace explained, and we hugged each other for a long time.
Our lifes were not great after that. We had large bills to pay. We had to make numerous repairs around the house, as well as pay for Luke’s medications and other necessities. But Jace worked so many hours that I soon started working as well, cleaning houses where I could bring Luke along.
We tried everything we could, and we got through. At least I know we would.
