Reunited (2)

• 40 •

Three months later, Frances was just entering her second trimester. She had handled the first extremely well, she was so strong and looked like a pro. Sal and I would take it in turns to visit her, sometimes being able to go together, since our schedule was so jam-packed lately. It was hard to walk in on her sometimes doubled over with morning sickness, we felt bad about it. She was only going through all of this to make our lives happy, we were so thankful for her, there could never be a repayment for the sacrifice she has made.

Sal and I were asleep one night, I was dreaming of our future, we had a daughter named Harley, for obvious reasons. In my dream, I had somehow managed to convince Sal to name her after one of my most loved comic book villains. I held her in my arms, rocking her back and forth, as Sal sat next to me. He leant across, looking over at our daughter, before placing a kiss to my cheek. His hand ran over her soft cheek, as the pair of us stared at her in awe. She had a small tuft of jet black hair, along with Frances' mix of blue and grey orbs. I was loving every second of my dream, before I heard a scream. I was startled awake, to find Sal kicking and screaming in his sleep. I shook him awake, before he sat up panting. The sweat was pouring down his face, as he looked around the room. As his eyes found me, he lunged forward, wrapping me into a tight hug. I petted his hair softly, shushing him, before pulling away. My hands remained on his shoulders, as I looked into his emerald eyes. He had tears running down his cheeks, but he wasn't making a sound. I grazed my thumb along his cheek, wiping away a single tear, as Sal eventually calmed down.

"Sal, what happened?" I asked, as he ran a hand through his dampened hair. He kept shaking his head, as he stumbled over his words. He couldn't look me in the eye, as he just stared beyond me. I clasped his hand in mine, running my thumb along his skin to comfort him. Sal took a deep breath, before his eyes finally locked with mine.

"I-I had a nightmare...I dreamt that Frances lost the baby again. I can't get the thought that I'm not meant to be a father out of my head. I've already lost one baby, I can't lose another baby, Brian. What if she miscarries again? I mean, I should have known that it wouldn't have lasted. When we were dating, she told me that she had polycystic ovaries, making it hard for her to conceive. That's why I was so shocked when she told us that she was pregnant, not once but twice. I'm so fucking scared, Bri." He cried. I curled my hand around the back of Sal's head, pulling his face into my shoulder. I hugged him tightly, letting him cry it all out. His shoulders were shaking, as I could feel his tears form a small puddle on my t-shirt.

"Sal, the baby will be fine. Frances is fine. Everything will be fine, Babe. Come on, let's just get some sleep, okay?" I sympathised. Sal nodded his head, as we both laid back down under the covers. I pulled him into my chest, as he buried his face into me. I held him tightly, wanting Sal to know that I'd do anything to make sure that he remains safe. Within a matter of minutes, I could hear a soft snore escape his lips, as his body rose and fell with every breath. I, however, couldn't get back to sleep. I replayed his words in my mind, the dawning thoughts that Frances has put her body through all of this just for us, it just wouldn't let me rest. What if she, along with Sal and I, have to go through all of that again? Sal was only just starting to get over losing Baby Owens, what if we were to lose Baby Quinn too? I don't think he could handle it.

I must have let my thoughts send me to sleep, as I awoke the next day to find Sal wasn't in bed. I sat up, scratching my head, before walking into the bathroom to shower. I slipped my boxers on after having showered, as I made my way downstairs. It was then that I noticed Sal sat on the sofa. He looked distraught, his eyes were red and puffy, as though he was all cried out. I could see the bloodshot lines writhe through his eyes, as his head rested on his hands, with his fingers intertwined in his hair. I strolled up to him, as his eyes met with mine. He burst into tears, and instantly, I knew that something was wrong. I took a seat beside him, my arm resting around his shoulders, as he cowered into my embrace.

"S-She's gone, Brian." He whimpered. At first, I didn't know who he was on about, until he gradually opened up more. Sal sat up, wiping his eyes from his tears, before he looked at me. "Frances died in a car crash last night. I had the call this morning..." He sighed. My bottom lip quivered, as I processed the news. It was so sudden, so tragic, and so...unreal. I peered down into my lap, as the tears began to pour down my face. Sal cupped my cheeks with his hands, pulling my face up so that he could look me in the eye. "A drunk driver slammed into the side of her car, sending her rocketing through the window. She died instantly on impact." His voice was weak, as the tears kept rolling down his face. Not only had we lost our little baby, but we had lost one of the most important people in our lives. Frances did everything in her power just to make other people happy. I mean, she was willing to give us a child. It was almost as if my dream, along with Sal's, was a sign of what was about to happen. Still to this day, as I'm writing this now, I am not over her death. It still feels as though she's going to walk through the door any minute, with that cheeky smile on her face, and loveable personality.

Sal has never been the same since, he had lost his second child, his best friend crossed with ex-girlfriend. He was scared to get close to someone, in case he were to lose them too. I understood completely how he felt, I had been there for him throughout, making sure that he didn't fall into the endless pit of depression once again. I couldn't lose him as well. After some number of discussions, Sal and I had decided that we were going to adopt. We were determined to have a family of our own, even if we had to opt for our last resort. I guess in some way, adoption is a better route to take. If you think about it, not only would we finally be happy, and have a little Quinn in the family, but we'd also be saving a child's life, giving them a home to be loved in. We were ready, and didn't want to have to wait any longer.