Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 72856 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72856 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
This one was somber and sad.
There wasn’t a smile to be seen. This wasn’t a joyous occasion like it had been the last time.
“Okay,” Chuck said. “If you have any problems, or you need me to help in any way, I’ll be here, okay?”
I smiled.
“Yes, Chuck. Thank you.”
My first plan of action was to go say hello to the couple.
Normally, I would’ve done that in rotation with the other patients I had to see, but I was only given the one patient, Talia.
I knocked on the door and walked inside once I heard the ‘come in.’
“Hi, Talia,” I said with a smile.
Talia looked awful.
Then again, I wasn’t sure I didn’t look awful right along with her.
She had deep bags under her eyes which were bloodshot and puffy. Her lips were swollen from what I guessed was her biting them, as she was doing right then.
She had her hand clutched against her belly as she stared at the monitor that, last time, had shown her daughter’s heartbeat, but this time showed nothing.
Talia didn’t reply, but her husband said a soft spoken hello.
I smiled at him, even though I knew he could tell it wasn’t a real smile.
It didn’t reach my eyes, and lately never did.
Estes Reynolds was an Army Ranger.
He was what I would call scary.
But today he looked like any grieving father.
“Is there anything I can get y’all?” I asked.
Talia didn’t reply.
Estes, however, said, “Water.”
I nodded and left the room, my stomach sinking the further and further I got from the room.
“You okay?” Masen asked.
I grimaced at Masen, my very best friend in the whole wide world.
We met during Mr. McCormick’s lecture in ninth grade about the human anatomy, and had become the best of friends ever since.
“I’m gonna be okay,” I said. “I feel bad.”
Masen gave me a look.
I held up my hand.
“I know, I know,” I said.
The look was because she hated that I was taking this case. She firmly believed that I needed to take some time for me, something which I hadn’t done as of yet.
I couldn’t be idle, though.
Not now.
Not when I needed my brain to be functioning instead of thinking about things I wouldn’t ever have again.
But five hours later, as I cleaned up the stillborn baby girl of Talia and Estes Reynolds, my heart was breaking all over again.
The doctor was talking to the parents, consoling the mother.
Estes was standing at my side, watching as I cleaned the little girl up to make her presentable.
And, as I cleaned that beautiful baby, I sang.
“He’s got the whole world in his hands,” I sang with tears in my voice.
***
Two days later
I didn’t know why I was there, but I knew the moment Talia saw my face, seeing that she was grateful, had made me have doubts. That’d not been my intention in coming.
I’d come because that woman, that beautiful twenty-four-year-old woman, was me, two months ago.
She needed to see me there. She needed for me to be there, and be strong, even though all I felt like doing was crying.
We were at the same funeral home that Colt had been in…and the size of the coffin at the front of the room was bringing back memories that I would never intentionally want to revisit again.
But for Talia and Estes, I’d come.
I sat in the back of the room and thought about my life two months ago.
The night I’d gone home after Colt’s funeral, Tai had tried to follow me, but I’d pushed him away.
I’d pushed my mom away.
And Masen.
And I hadn’t come back to myself.
But seeing the funeral from their point of view, seeing the grieving mother, I realized that it was time to come back to life.
To eat again.
To sleep again.
And that started with two things.
One, was apologizing to Tai.
The second, was getting a new place to live.
I couldn’t have reminders of Colt everywhere I went if I wanted to heal.
Sure, he could live on in my heart and memories, but all of the baby things he no longer needed, and would never need, I needed to find good homes for.
But first, I’d start with that apology.
***
Tai
One day later
“This was on your truck,” PD said. “I brought it in because it looked like it was going to start raining.”
“Thanks,” I said, taking the box with a furrowed brow and placing it on the bunk directly next to me.
PD left, and I was left staring at the box that didn’t have anything on the outside but three words.
I’m sorry. Mia.
I opened the box, wary of what was inside.
I hadn’t spoken to Mia in two months…not since the day of Colton’s funeral.
Not for the lack of trying on my part, either.
She’d just refused to talk to me. Answer the door. Hell, I’d even tried to talk to her mother, but her mother didn’t have any answers for me either, seeing as Mia was doing the same thing to her, also.