Chapter 2
Aladdin froze. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Was his baby really going to die? He couldn’t stand to think of it, not just because of the hurt it would cause him, but the hurt it would cause Jasmine. She had wanted so much to have a baby, and she had been through so much to get to this point, it just seemed unfair for none of it to matter anymore. Forcing himself out of his own thoughts, Aladdin noticed that everyone was staring at him. The look on his face must have given away the pain he was feeling, and they all looked worried about him. But this wasn’t about him — it was about his baby and her mother. He decided to divert everyone’s attention back to them.
“When can I see Jasmine?”
“Right now, if you like. She was asking for you”.
“I guess I’d better go then”, he said, hurrying to Jasmine’s room.
When he walked in, Aladdin thought that considering how weak she was, Jasmine might be asleep, but she wasn’t. Her eyes immediately shot from the cradle beside her to him, as if she had been expecting him to come in for a while. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was stained with tears.
Seeing her pained expression, Aladdin immediately hurried to her side. Once there however, he didn’t know what to say. What could he say that would make this any better? Nothing. He took her hand in his, and gave her what little comfort he could. He hoped his reassuring look hid the fear in his eyes, and gave Jasmine the confidence that he lacked.
The baby’s basinet was just a few feet away from the bed, but from where Aladdin was sitting, he couldn’t see her. He wasn’t ready to see her. What would she look like? Genie said she was sick, but would it show very much? It would break his heart if he saw her in any pain, and the last thing he wanted to do was break down in front of Jasmine.
This strange moment between them was getting more awkward by the second. Aladdin had to say something. So he asked the only question that he could think of that wouldn’t make them even more uncomfortable.
“Did you decide on a name?”
“Yes. Her name is Hazel”.
“Hazel?”
“Yeah — like her eyes. Why don’t you take a look at her? She looks like you”, Jasmine said smiling.
She can’t look too bad, Aladdin thought, or Jasmine wouldn’t be pushing me to see her. He slowly walked toward the basinet, mentally preparing himself for whatever he saw. And to his surprise, Hazel was just the way Jasmine had described her. She did look just like Aladdin, with his curly black hair and hazel-brown eyes. The difference was how scrawny she was. The blanket around her gave her most of her bulk, and underneath it Aladdin was almost certain you would be able to see her rib cage if you looked. She seemed so frail and weak, that for a split second Aladdin thought, Maybe she really is dying. But he immediately put those thoughts out of his mind. She’d never make it if her own parents didn’t believe she would.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Jasmine said, interrupting Aladdin’s thoughts.
“Yeah...she is”, he replied, looking at her and smiling. But behind his smile tears were welling up in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away before Jasmine could notice, and walked back to the bed and sat next to her, taking her hand as he had before. Of course, tired as she was, Aladdin’s tears did not go unnoticed by her. But before she could say anything, Aladdin changed the subject.
“So, how are you feeling?”
“Tired”, Jasmine said, struggling to sit up in bed. “I just need some rest. I’m sure I’ll be fine”.
Aladdin gave her a quick kiss before leaving the room to let her rest. When he came out, Genie, the Sultan, Abu, Carpet, Iago, and Rajah were all waiting outside.
“How are they doing?” the Sultan asked.
“They’re both fine. Jasmine’s really tired though. She’s probably already asleep”.
“Then I we won’t disturb her”, Genie said. “Maybe we’ll visit tomorrow. She needs her rest”.
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Jasmine did need her rest, but with all she had been through sleep was impossible. Since she couldn’t sleep, she thought back to her brief discussion with Aladdin. Though he would never admit it, Jasmine could see the pain in his eyes and knew that what he’d seen had hurt him. She probably scared him to death when she began to go in to labor a few hours ago. In fact, she scared herself. Having the baby so early brought about a lot of questions. Would their baby live or die? How would this affect her marriage? Would she be able to deal with her mixed emotions about the whole thing? She was happy to have Hazel, and to be a mother, but there were so many risks involved with having her early. Would Hazel’s premature birth affect the rest of her life, and if it would, how long did she have anyway?
Meanwhile, Aladdin had been walking through the palace gardens, filled with a new sense of hope after seeing Hazel for the first time. Sure, her chances may not seem to great, but hadn’t this family always beaten the odds? A streetrat marrying a princess wasn’t exactly the kind of relationship people expected to last very long. Yet here they were — married two years so far, hopefully with many more to come. If the rest of the family could beat impossible odds, why not Hazel?
Don't Leave Me This Way by StoryWriter92