Just a Positive Pregnancy Test - London Casey Page 0,83

fucking answer me!

Then it was all dark again…

The pain. The need to push.

Voices yelling.

The sound of me crying.

Then more darkness.

When my eyes opened again, I gasped and felt my heart ready to climb out of my chest.

I tried to move but was very uncomfortable.

I touched my stomach and it was…

Gone.

My stomach wasn’t completely flat, but there was no big, round belly.

“Hello?” I whispered. “Where is…”

I shivered, fearing I was dead.

That I died while giving birth.

There was no baby in my arms.

No sounds of a baby crying.

It was just…

I saw the hospital room door open.

My eyes filled with tears.

If it was Dad coming into the room then I knew I was dead.

It wasn’t Dad though.

“Silas,” I said.

“Mila!” he yelled. He ran to the bed. “Oh, Mila…”

He reached for me as I reached for him.

I clawed at him, fighting through pain and discomfort for a hug.

I started to cry even though I knew nothing of what was happening yet.

“It was the goldfish…”

“Goldfish?” Silas asked.

“Lucy’s goldfish died. I was right there and she was crying and I decided to leave. I wanted to give them space. If I stayed… it would have happened in front of Lucy. I’m so sorry, Silas.”

Silas touched my forehead. “You did nothing wrong, darling.”

“How…”

“He’s here,” Silas said. His eyes became glossy. “The baby is here. Our son is here.”

“What? Where is he?”

I looked around.

“It’s okay,” Silas whispered. “He’s here. But not here. He’s in the NICU.”

“Oh… Silas…”

I started to cry again.

“I know,” he said. “But you did it, darling. You gave birth to him.”

“It’s too soon. It’s way too soon.”

“It’s a little early,” he said. “That’s okay though. They have everything he needs right now. Okay?”

“Silas, what did I do?”

“Nothing,” Silas said. He stroked my cheeks. “It was just time. A little early. That’s all. And I’m here. I told you I would be here, right?”

“I was so scared.”

“I know.”

“I was in the middle of the road. It all happened so fast. My body just started to hurt. It hurt so bad, Silas. It… hurt…”

He hugged me again and I cried again.

“Just remember he’s here,” Silas whispered. “Our son is here.”

Silas kept repeating it. So much so that I started to wonder if he was telling the truth…

… or was he just trying to convince himself things were okay when they weren’t?

Olivia came into the room and I covered my mouth.

She did the same.

My eyes moved from her eyes to her belly.

Her beautiful, round belly.

Her belly that still housed my niece or nephew.

“Oh, Mila,” Olivia said.

“How is she doing?” I heard Tyler’s voice ask Silas.

“She’s out of it from the meds,” Silas said. “Doctors said that-”

“I’m so sorry this happened,” Olivia said. She touched my hair. “But you’re both alive. Okay?”

“I screwed this up so bad, Olivia.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did!” I yelled. “I was at your house. We were pregnant together. Do you remember that?”

Olivia nodded. “Of course I do, Mila.”

“We had a plan together, Olivia. A plan! We were going to go into labor together. You’re not in labor right now, are you? No. You’re healthy and fine. But not me. Oh, no, not me. I’m the one who has to mess everything up.”

“You didn’t do this.”

“My body did,” I growled. “I always do this, Olivia. I always ruin everything. I did it when I didn’t leave with Jett. I wanted to be home with Dad. I wanted to make him better. Then he died.”

“Mila…”

“I did it again when I left to chase my dream. I left the entire family worried about me. I put you in the middle of it. Then I showed up with Silas and everyone hated him. I ruined it all for Silas. And now the baby…”

“That’s enough,” Tyler’s voice said.

“Hey,” Silas said to Tyler, grabbing his arm.

“You and I can throw punches again later if you want,” Tyler said to Silas. “I’m going to talk to my sister. So step back.”

Silas’s jaw tightened.

Tyler approached the hospital bed.

He reached down and touched my face. “I will apologize for the rest of my life, Mila. For the way I’ve acted. The way I treated your dreams. The jealousy I had because Dad treated you differently than me. And don’t argue it. You know he did. He wanted me to be the guy to take over everything. You were his only daughter. But he gave you his love and his strength. You got your stubbornness from Ma. You did nothing. I did something wrong. You brought this guy home,” he pointed to Silas, “and