Day by Day

Chapter 17: Love and Loss

(AN: I'd like to apologize for the sadness you may or may not experience while reading this chapter. *mumbles to self* please don't hate me *cough*. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!)

It had been nearly two weeks since Brelyn was born. The kingdom was still raving about it. It's not everyday that the heir to the kingdom is born after all. With Brelyn's presentation to the kingdom coming up soon, the castle was still hard at work, making sure everything ran smoothly and perfectly.

Ben was just coming back after a council meeting. He did get a little bit of a break after the baby was born, but he was still the king. He still had a nation to run. Ben knew where he could find Mal. She was in Brelyn's room, getting her ready for her nap. He smiled at the sight he came across: Mal smiling and bouncing Brelyn in her arms.

"Ben, how is our little baby already two weeks old?" Mal asked with a slight baby voice. Ben laughed as Mal had been doing that since Brelyn arrived. "She's growing up too fast. I don't like it. Make it stop."

Ben laughed again and patted Mal's shoulder. "It's only a matter of time before she's sixteen and being coronated to be queen," Ben said.

"Don't even joke about that," Mal said with an almost serious tone. She sighed as she placed Brelyn, who had just fallen asleep, in her crib. "Isn't there anything you can do to at least raise the coronation age to at eighteen? At least she'd be done with high school by then."

"I've been trying real hard, Mal, but you know how stubborn the council can be," Ben explained. Mal sighed as he hugged her from behind, both of them looking over the crib at their daughter. "I know she already has her entire life practically planned out for her, but I'm sure there's some wiggle room for her to grow and find herself like a normal kid. I promise. She'll be alright."

"I hope you're right," Mal replied.

"Hey, aren't we meeting everyone for an early dinner later? Don't forget that my parents said that they could watch Brelyn tonight."

"Well, yeah, but I just found out that Evie and Doug aren't going."

"What?" Ben asked shocked. "What do you mean they're not going?" Ben asked, wondering how their best friends were going to miss out. "But they never miss."

"Evie said they had a lot of work to do," Mal explained. "I find it weird too considering they both started working harder just a couple weeks before Brelyn was born, and I know they never miss, even when they do have a lot of work."

"Something's definitely going on," Ben said. Ben suddenly remembered the night Brelyn was born and what Evie had told him. Carlos and Jay had told him what she told them, but Ben didn't know if she had at least mentioned something to Mal. "Hey, have you noticed Evie and Doug have been...um, off...lately?"

"Now that you mention it," Mal began, "it does seem like something is going on. What do you think it could be?"

Ben shrugged. "I mean, Evie did mention that something happened that she didn't really feel comfortable talking about."

"When was this?"

"When Brelyn was born," Ben replied. "She told me when she was helping me with my anxiety attacks."

Mal nodded, knowing about Ben's anxiety now. "You don't think it could have something to do with their baby, do you?"

Ben thought about it. "I mean, it could be."

"I think I have an idea."

Later that night, the two met Lonnie, Jay, Carlos, Jane, Audrey, and Chad. "How has Brelyn been?" Lonnie asked.