Damaged - N.H.

34

Three Years Later

I smiled as I sat in the rocking chair, facing the crib that was against the opposite wall. Liz and Stacy were chattering away at how cute the nursery was. I looked down at my oversized belly, resting my hands on it. I was one day shy of my due date.I was so happy now. It was a long road to get to where we are, but Niall and I were doing great, and we were so happy to be welcoming our baby soon. It took a lot of therapy, tons of work and many tears, but we were finally in a good place. I was excited to have a baby this time, instead of just terrified.

"Emma! Come sit." Liz's voice pulled me from my thoughts as she called her daughter over.

Just under two years old, the fiery red headed toddler waddled over to her mom, giggling as she flopped down into her lap. She looked just like Liz, except for her eyes. She definitely had Harry's eyes. Emma was what her parent's lovingly referred to as an "Oops Baby", but we all were overjoyed when they made the announcement. I remember both of them being so nervous to tell us, and completely relieved when we congratulated them. Niall and I made the decision to tell everyone about our miscarriage a month after returning home that spring from Niall's tour, with Liz and Harry's baby news coming only 3 short months later.

"I know you're about to pop," Liz started, looking at me, "But can we please have a girl's night in the near future? Emma is picking up some of Harry's awful habits already and I need a break from them both." She said, tickling the little girl's sides.

I couldn't help but smile as I watched her burst into a fit of giggles, squirming away from her mother's touch. It was nice to see this side of Liz. She has changed a lot in the past 3 years. We all have.

"I'll probably be a little busy for a while." I laughed. "But sure, as soon as we can, I'd love to."

"We should do a whole trip! Let's go back to Hawaii!" Liz said excitedly. "I'd love to take Emma. We can make it a group thing."

"That escalated quickly." Stacy laughed. "I'm sure the hubs would be up for it, though."

"Where is Dan, anyway?" I asked, hearing Niall and Harry's yelling coming from the living room. Apparently something bad happened in the football game they were watching.

"Working." She replied nonchalantly. Dan and Stacy have been married for six months now. I was the matron of honor.

"On a Saturday?" Liz asked.

"He's had to work a little more since he got that promotion last month." She shrugged."A vacation sounds great right about now."

As we continued chatting, the conversation eventually shifted to the baby again, the girls asking me questions about our plans after I gave birth. Before I could even answer them, I hunched over in pain as an awful feeling took over my stomach.

"Are you okay?" Liz asked, her attention turning from Emma to me.

"Oh my--Ow!" I groaned.

"Are you having a contraction?!" Liz asked excitedly.

"Either that or I'm dying." I tried to joke. but it came out strangled.

Once the pain passed, we sat for a few more minutes until I seemingly had another contraction. Thankfully, since Liz had been through this already, we stayed fairly calm as she timed them. They were about ten minutes apart when she bolted up.

"I think we should get you to the hospital." She said, coming to help me up.

My breath caught in my throat at her words. I knew this was coming, of course, and obviously sooner than later, but I was still scared. Stacy and Liz both helped me up slowly before Liz scooped up Emma and hurried down the hallway in front of me, Stacy behind me.