Nobody wants to lose their baby, but some people just get unfortunate. It's nobody's fault most of the time. But to lose your baby on Christmas Eve; it just hurts being in the festive spirit knowing the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future have failed you. Taylor and Joe were just one of the unlucky ones, and there was nothing they could do about it.
—
Taylor woke up with a scream, catching her breath while her sweaty palms gripped onto the blanket for comfort. She swung her legs to the side and got up from the bed, her body quivering slightly.
She walked to the guest room and opened the door, which made a creaking noise. She found Joe sleeping peacefully, his hair tousled. The sonogram of their baby they took a few weeks earlier was on the nightstand, next to his phone.
She climbed into bed with him and hugged him from the back, spooning him. Inhaling his familiar scent, she soon fell asleep, breathing slowly.
—
"Taylor?" Joe said, nibbling on the gingerbread cookies Taylor made earlier. They had decided to spend their Christmas alone, since being with their families would only make their situation worse. Taylor had been stress baking all day to take her mind off things, so there was an array of Christmas goodies laid out on their dining table.
They had both shut each other out, mostly Taylor giving Joe silent treatment. They weren't arguing or anything, but it was silent contemplation and reflection on the whole. When he woke up that morning, Joe found Taylor downing her second cup of coffee, clearly trying to wash out the pain.
"Yes?" she whispered, her voice hoarse and strained from all the crying.
He took her hand gently and squeezed it three times. She scooched over on the couch towards him.
"I know today's not the best Christmas you've had, but I still want to give you the gift you deserve." He reached out from his back and pulled out a teal Tiffany box, with a silver bow bundling it. "Merry Christmas, love."
She gingerly reached out and pulled the bow loose. She opened the box and took out the small sachet, undoing the opening gently. She pulled out a gold bracelet with a small infinity charm attached.
Taylor gasped excitedly, holding it up and admiring it. "Thank you so much, babe," she said. "Put it on for me?"
Joe gently took the bracelet from her hands and put it around her wrist, doing the clasp for her.
"I love it so much," tears were welling up in Taylor's eyes. "I love you."
"I'm glad," Joe placed a kiss on her lips. "We'll get through this together, okay? It's us forever."
"It's okay," Taylor murmured comfortingly. "Do you want to get a cup of tea?"
"Cup of rosy, love," Joe giggled.
He got up, forgetting he was in a small fort and proceeded to knock over the whole structure. It collapsed onto Taylor, who was still in the fort.
"Oh, sorry," Joe giggled, reaching out his hand for Taylor to hold on to. He pulled her out and she stumbled into him.
"I got you," he said. "Let's go to the kitchen."
chasing shadows in a grocery line (part 2)
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