Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!Beep! Beep!
"One, one-thousand, Two, one-thousand...Come on, Catherine! Come on!"
James desperately pushed down on Catherine's chest, trying to keep her heart in check. He glanced at the electrocardiogram to see the green lines on the screen peaking at rapid, irregular intervals.
"Dammit!" He swore and he sped up the compressions. Catherine's eyes glazed over as she looked up at him.
Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep!
"My baby...where's my baby?" she asked in a weak voice.
"She's fine, Catherine! Don't speak!" James ordered, continuing the chest compressions.
"James..." Catherine smiled a sad smile as the electrocardiogram gave out slower beeps.
"I'm sorry." She closed her eyes and the pillow around her head sank in under the weight.
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
James shook his head in disbelief. "Catherine? Catherine!" he said loudly, shaking her. But with each shake, her body would move limply with the force of his shaking. He withdrew his shaking hands. The electrocardiogram taunted him with its flatline tone. James punched it hard, breaking through the screen and earning him a broken hand. He threw himself into a chair and buried his face into his hands. His shoulders heaved with strangled, silent sobs. Madison entered the room, and put a hand on James's shoulder, not saying anything. Wordlessly, she pulled up the bed sheet over Catherine's face. She didn't look over at him when she spoke.
"She's crying, you know."
James looked at Madison through his hands. "What?" he asked listlessly.
"The baby. Your daughter. She's crying. She wants you."
The baby's cries pierced through the muffled atmosphere and landed on James's ears. James stood up quickly. He ran down the hall to reach his daughter. When he turned the corner...
...everything went white.
"-dy? Daddy?"
James sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes with the butt of his palm. He looked over to see his 10 year old daughter standing next to his bed, concern emblazoned in her hazel eyes.
"E.J.? What are you doing up?" James asked sleepily.
"I heard you crying." she then crawled into bed with him. "Did you have a bad dream?"
James slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. "Yes. I did."
She looked up at him and laid down next to him. "When I have a bad dream, you always sleep with me. When you do that all my bad dreams go away." She scooted closer to her father. "So I'll chase those bad dreams away for you."
James could feel his heart swell. He laid down next to her and nestled her head in the crook of his arm. "Thank you, Ellianna Josephine."
"I told you daddy. My name is E.J." she yawned and buried herself under the blanket. James stroked her dark red hair. He is her father, and she is his daughter. That day; when Catherine died and E.J. was born, he swore that he would give her all the love he could give to her times two, on Catherine's behalf.
"Daddy..." E.J. mumbled in her sleep. James looked at her.
"I'm sorry..." she finished.
James's heart broke in two.
Those two little words spoke volumes.
He would never forgive himself for making her think- even for a moment- that she was to blame.
A/N: I'm thinking of doing a full-length story for E.J. What do you think? Reviews appreciated! 3