Chapter 2

By Brynn Morgan

Copyright © 2023 by – Brynn Morgan – All Rights Reserved.It is not legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited

Chapter 2

Emily left the real estate office, drove to the local Andy's Hardware store, and bought a few large and small boxes, tape, bubble wrap, packing paper, scissors, and tools. Emily arrived back at her apartment and discovered that she was starving despite the stress that she felt in the pit of her stomach.Emily tossed a frozen dinner of mac and cheese and fish sticks in the microwave and chased it down with a cold glass of sweet tea from the fridge.

The rain had stopped, and she could hear the crickets singing a night symphony from her balcony. Emily opened the sliding door, and a gush of the cool breeze after the rain stirred the red tendrils of hair stuck to her face. It felt so good.The night sky was velvet black and sprinkled with millions of sparkling stars. Emily grabbed her tea, went onto the balcony, and looked up into the sky.

She continued looking up and saw a shooting star making a dazzling descent across the stars. She had no wish to make it at that point. Her desires had indeed come true, only to be cruelly ripped away. The worst part was that it was her fault. Emily was in her bubble of pain and misery.

Emily sipped her tea and leaned against the railing, staring into the darkness. The world seemed vast and infinite, yet she stood on the balcony, her eyes fixed on where the shooting star had disappeared, lost in thought.

Emily knew she should not blame herself, but the guilt was overwhelming. Emily had made a costly mistake and was now paying the price.As she stood there, lost in her thoughts, she heard a noise from inside her apartment. Her heart skipped a beat as she quickly turned around, her hand going to the pocket where she kept the small knife she always carried.But it was just her cat, Mr. Nibbles, knocking over a vase on the coffee table.

Emily sighed in relief and returned inside, closing the balcony door behind her. She looked at the boxes she had bought earlier, and for a moment, Emily was tempted to start packing at once. But she knew she needed to eat something first. She opened the microwave and took out the now-hot meal of mac and cheese and fish sticks.Tears filled her eyes at the memory of six months ago when life was so perfect and beautiful.

She and Luke had been married for five years. Their daughter Isla was three, and Emily was due to deliver their son any day. Luke had started an IT company with his best friend from college, and it just looked like life could not get any better.

Emily woke up with an intense craving for ice cream around midnight all those months ago. She shuffled uncomfortably into the living room, where Luke worked on his laptop. Her wavy red hair was in a loose bun, and she wore one of Luke's white T-shirts that was three sizes too big, even with her extended belly. Luke looked up when she walked in and smiled at that gorgeous, disarming smile of his that made her melt. He still had such an effect on her.Emily sat on the couch next to Luke, snuggled up to him, and breathed in his scent. He smelled freshly brewed coffee and a hint of his favorite cologne, Paul Sebastian. She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly.

"What are you working on?" she asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Just some last-minute client requests. Nothing too urgent," Luke replied, stroking her hair gently. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright. Just a little restless," Emily said, shifting her weight. "I can't stop thinking about ice cream."

Luke chuckled.

"Well, we can't have that now, can we? Let me see what I can do." He got up from the couch and disappeared into the kitchen.

Emily smiled to herself. She loved how Luke always knew how to make her feel better. Luke returned quickly."No ice cream, my love, but I'll make a run." He said and leaned down to kiss her belly."You are keeping your mom up, son?" Emily giggled because the whiskers of Luke's dark beard tickled her through the fabric. In response, their son kicked her against her stomach. They both laughed. Emily kissed the top of Luke's head and then heard a small laugh coming from behind them. They turned and looked.

"Isla, you are supposed to be in bed, young lady," Emily said in a low mock stern voice. She could not be mad at her. Emily held her arms to her, and Isla flew across the room into them. She grabbed Emily's neck and tucked her little blond head into her shoulder.

Luke's brown eyes met Emily's tenderly, and he rubbed Isla's back slowly."Butter Pecan, huh?" he asked with a smirk. Emily smiled prettily.

"Yes, please."

Isla looked up and shouted. "Ice cream Daddy!" I want ice cream!" They all laughed that endearing family way, and Luke ruffled her curly blond hair. He picked up Isla and held her against his chest. Luke whispered something in her ear, and she nodded enthusiastically. He stood with her and looked down at his beautiful wife, glowing with their unborn child. "I will take this little one and get her some Chocolate Chip Nutty Buddy cones. We will go to the Neighborhood Wal-Mart down the road. Be right back, babe." he said.

Luke grabbed his wallet off the hallway table, helped Isla put on her jacket and Crocs, and they left the apartment.

Emily wandered back into the bedroom and collapsed on the king-sized bed. She let the ceiling fan above the mattress blow over her and lifted the T-shirt, exposing her bare, swollen belly. The soft whirring motion of the fan above her lulled her to sleep. She would sleep until they got back with the ice cream.

Emily thought only a few minutes had passed when she heard a loud knock on the front door. She was disoriented and stumbled down the hallway to the front entrance. Why was Luke knocking? Did he lose his keys?

Emily did not bother to look through the peephole in the steel door. She unlocked it and opened it up. Her blue eyes widened in her heart-shaped face, and the blue lights from the squad car reflected against her white Camaro parked in the driveway.

"Mrs. Buchanan? "The female police officer questioned softly.

Her partner, a young guy in his early twenties, stood beside her. Emily nodded her head as if in a dream state."I'm sorry to tell you this, but...... there was an accident about an hour and a half ago....," She trailed off when she saw Emily's eyes fill with tears.

Emily smiled softly. "No... you are mistaken. Luke and Isla are fine. They went to get me some ice cream at the store." She finished as she saw the officers shake their heads.

The man spoke up when he saw she was far along in her pregnancy. "Ma'am, maybe you would like to step inside where it is cooler?" he suggested kindly.

Emily braced her hands against his chest and pushed him away roughly. He stumbled back, almost falling off the side of the steps.

"No," she whispered, shivering from the shock her body was entering. She knew. They did not have to tell her. Luke and Isla were dead. She could feel it in every fiber of her being. They did not make it. She turned away from them and walked down the steps and onto the driveway.

Emily was barefoot, and her heart pounded violently. She peered down the road...hoping at any moment that Luke's black Chevy Silverado would come around the curve with its loud v-8 engine roaring.

She would smile, walk to the truck's passenger side, and open it. Emily would unbuckle Isla's seat belt and pick her up, and they would walk into the house, have ice cream, and go to sleep afterward, and everything would be okay. But there was no truck.

Emily continued staring, and the female police officer touched her on the shoulder. Emily turned quickly and looked at her pleadingly, but the officer's expression did not change. Emily let out the loudest, gut-wrenching sob that they had ever heard.

The sky opened, and icy shards of the coldest hard rain began to pour down, drenching her and the officers.

She sank to the pavement on her bare knees and collapsed on the stone pavers. The officers ran to her side, dispatching the paramedics, and she grabbed her stomach in a blinding pain that made her gasp for air. Emily screamed angrily into the night. She was going into early labor. She still had a few months to go. It was too early to have her son. Her belly seized her, and she cried out, clutching the young male officer's hand. He held it as she opened her legs and began to push. She cried. She screamed. Neighbors looked on silently and sadly at the scene, knowing something terrible had happened to the young mother.

In the middle of the thunderstorm, Emily gave birth to her stillborn son. The paramedics took her to the hospital in the ambulance, and when she arrived, and they were taking her out of the back of the transport vehicle, she heard that it was a drunk driver in an 18-wheeler truck that had hit them head-on coming back from the store.

Luke hit a guardrail and went over the embankment. Luke and Isla were killed instantly. The stress of the accident had caused Emily's body to go into early labor and brought on a premature delivery of her baby boy.

Emily wept as she accepted this reality. There would be no Luke and no Isla and no baby boy. They were gone forever. Emily lost her family in the space of two hours. Emily wanted to die. It was all her fault. Luke, Isla, and their son, whom she named Nathan Luke... were buried side by side in the family plot at Edward's cemetery.

Luke's parents flew back from their trip to Paris and helped Emily with the funeral expenses and getting all of Luke's documents in order. They were devastated as they stood by the graveside on a beautiful, clear, and warm day and watched their caskets lowered into the soft ground. Luke was well-loved, and many attended the services to pay their respects.

After the funeral, Emily asked her-in-laws to take her home, and she hid in the bedroom as mourners brought boxes of food and reminisced about old times. She could hear laughter and crying at the same time, and she buried her head under several pillows and tried to drown the sounds out, but to no avail.

***********

Emily pressed her head back against the chair she was sitting in and took another sip of her tea. Even though it had been six months, she could still feel the baby. She could feel its ghost movements against her belly, and she cradled her flat tummy and sighed. "I'm so sorry, Nate." She told her phantom child that she only wanted her family back and she could not have it.

There was no way to get those moments before, and Emily realized that even her wildest wishes could not make her family return.

Emily wiped her eyes with the tail of her yellow T-shirt and entered her bedroom. She grabbed a black suitcase tucked casually in the back of her closet. She unzipped it, retrieved a framed photograph of her family on the beach in Hilton Head last year, and placed it inside the bag. She zipped it up tight and tugged it close to her chest. She would take it to Hastings House, put it in a particular spot, and always keep it close.

The following day, Emily smiled through her sorrow as she looked around the apartment one last time. She lightly chuckled as she remembered she and Luke making love, christening every room when they first moved in.

Emily remembered bringing Isla home from the hospital, a tiny bundle of joy in pink blankets and placing her in her crib, and she and Luke looking down in wonder at the perfect little life they had created together.

She peered in the bathroom where she had taken a pregnancy test and left the positive stick on the counter for Luke to find—so many beautiful memories.

The streets were silent and empty that following day. Emily loaded up the boxes and started her car. She drove away from her old life, holding the keys to the new, and went towards Hastings House, where a new journey awaited her. Emily cried again over Luke and Isla.The rain had started again, matching her mood as she drove through the dreary and cold storm.