A one shot based on Ed Sheeran's song 'Small Bump'.
It seemed like it was only yesterday when they were celebrating their news and today it felt like it was being ripped away from them. He had gone to bed that night with a smile on his face only for it to be crushed in a matter of hours. He buried his head in his hands and sobbed. The pain he felt was unbearable.
It had only been a couple of months since he and Emily had celebrated the news of Emily's pregnancy. They had been delighted at the idea of a new sibling for Rosie. Emily had given him a mysterious package on father's day which was a small box with the pregnancy test laid on some colourful blue and pink tissue paper. He had literally jumped for joy when he found out.
They had already begun preparing the nursery and had been for the scan to discover the gender but decided that they didn't want to know and wait for the surprise. Rosie was excited to find out that she would be a big sister. Cal couldn't even imagine how he would tell the young child what had happened. A hand reached out and touched his shoulder. He looked up to see his brother looking at him sympathetically. Rosie had been taken to a neighbours house so that they could get to the hospital.
'Cal, I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do' he muttered. Tears were trickling down his face. Cal smiled at him weakly. 'It was a little boy, Eth. I would have had a little son, Rosie would have had a little brother' he whispered, before sobbing. Ethan pulled him closer and Cal buried his head into his shoulder.
'I know Caleb, I know...' He whispered as he stroked his brother's back. He held his brother tightly.
'It all seems so trivial now, we had spent all of that time preparing his room and planning our future and in a split second it was snatched from us' he muttered.
Ethan held him tightly and tried to muffle his sobs. He was devastated to lose his unborn nephew but he knew he had to be there for his brother.
'He was so small. His body was the size of my arm, his arms and legs the size of my finger. His little feet were the size of my thumb. I just can't believe how small he was. He was just perfect and would have been a brilliant addition to our family. He was my son and he was taken from us. He's alone now, with no one to love him like we did' Cal sobbed.
'Listen Cal, he is never alone. Mum is probably up there in heaven holding the little bundle in her arms, proud of her grandson, and even prouder of her son who fathered such a beautiful child. She loves him because he is the first grandchild that she has met properly.' He whispered, sobbing as he mentioned his mother.
'Its not fair, I loved my son and he was ripped from our lives, he belongs with his family' he sobbed.
Ethan held him tightly and whispered soothingly. He had been shocked when Cal had phoned him. Emily had awoken in the early hours of the morning in agony. She woke Cal and told him what was going on. His face drained of colour.
'Cal, please help me. I can't lose our baby' she cried. Cal carried her to the car before taking Rosie to their neighbours house. Emily was beginning to run a temperature so he drove as fast as he could. He phoned his brother during the journey.
'Cal. What's wrong?' Ethan groaned down the phone.
'Ethan, its Emily. Something is wrong with the baby' he cried.
'Oh Cal' Ethan breathed.
'Can you meet me at the hospital please, I need you' he sobbed.
'I'll be there in a moment' he replied before hanging up. He dressed quickly and then drove to the hospital. Meanwhile Emily and Cal were in the ED where Emily gave birth to their baby. She was in complete agony and nothing they did seemed to ease the pain. With every contraction it felt as though a part of their hearts were being torn from their chests. With the final contraction Emily screamed before crumpling into and emotional wreck. Their baby cried for a moment before taking its last breath. It broke their hearts. Cal was handed the baby which he held in his arms and cradled for a while. The nurses tidied Emily up leaving Cal to have some alone time with the baby.
He handed the baby to its mother. Emily crumbled as she held her precious gift in her arms. It felt like the child belonged there yet it wasn't actually there anymore. She felt that it was somehow her fault that she lost the baby. 'I'm so sorry Caleb, I am really sorry' she cried.
'Its not your fault, Em.' He cried as he cuddled her and their child.
'He needs a name, we can't just call him 'the baby' forever' she whispered, tears flowing down her cheeks and dripping onto the blanket wrapped around her.
'What about Thomas Ethan, Tommy for short?' He suggested. Emily nodded and smiled.
'It suits him. Oh Cal, I can't believe he's gone' she whispered.
'I know baby. Listen the doctors will need to check you over and make sure everything is okay, they will also run some tests to find out what happened.' He explained trying to switch to his professional, Dr Knight persona.
The doctors took Emily to have a scan so Cal walked out to the waiting room. He collapsed onto a chair and broke down.
Ethan held his hands in his. 'Listen, we've got to be strong for Em because she is probably besting herself up over this and we need to support her' he stated. He handed Cal a tissue and wiped is own eyes. A few minutes later a nurse appeared wheeling Emily in a wheelchair.
Cal looked up at his wife. She looked a mess, her face was pale, her eyes dark snd her hair was a mess. She looked exhausted.
He stood up. 'Can you just take me home, Cal' she stated as he wheeled her towards the door. Ethan trailed behind them, his eyes filling up with tears when he saw how upset they were.
