Eight Years, A Single Word

ed through Ava' s abdomen,

ther side of the bed.

wasn't

he grabbed her phone from the nightstand, he

ce, twice, then s

ell

ce, soft and a little

need to talk to him." Ava'

ive. "He was up late helping with my mom. Wha

mergency. Please, wake him up."

atic. He' s exhausted. I

ne wen

e floor, the pain so intense it stole her breath. This was it. She was dying. She thoug

d dialed 911. She managed to unlock the front door before

nts later. At the hospital, t

ed. You' re bleeding internally.

. Her hand shook as she looked

. can you call

gain. "No answer, ma' am.

a single tear tracing a path

filling her lungs. A dull ache had replaced the searing pain. The

side table. One new voic

y, desperate to

you' re jealous of the time I' m spending with her, but her mom is sick. Chlo

e empty space in her womb echoed the emptiness in her heart.