Panama

God knows how, but Sofia had managed to persuade Sara to visit a doctor for a check on the baby. Sofia was worried. Sara had been through so much, and the amount of stress and heartache inside her mustn't be good for the precious little life growing inside her. Lincoln and LJ drove them to the local hospital and waited outside while Sofia accompanied Sara. She had a small bump already but no indication to how far along she was. The sickness was still heavily present though, but an old wives tale said that sickness meant a healthy baby. Just before they reached the hospital, Sara placed a hand for the very first time on her stomach and a tiny smile escaped her lips. Sofia's eyes welled up; it was the first small sign of happiness from Sara since it happened and deep down she knew that Sara was holding on for the sake of her child. She squeezed Sara's hand gently and smiled.

"Mrs Scofield?" A nurse stuck her head out of the door. "We're ready for you."

Sara got up slowly, followed by Sofia and walked into the nurse's room.

"I'm Annie, the midwife," she began. She looked up at Sara and immediately felt concerned.

"Are you alright dear?" She asked. "You look awfully tired."

And with that, Sara collapsed in her chair, loud, audible sobs coming from her mouth. She cried at the fact that Michael wasn't with her at her first midwife appointment. She cried because she was tired. She cried because it wasn't fair. And most of all she cried for him. For Michael. Her Michael. Her heart broke all over again. Sofia rushed to her side and wrapped her arms around her, enveloping her in a warm hug.

"Shhhh, Sara, it's ok." She kissed the top of her head. "It's ok, you can cry all you want."

She held her for another 5 minutes until her sobs died down into small hiccups. She wiped the tears from her eyes and exhaled.

"I…I'm sorry," she said.

"Its ok dear, it's ok." She gave her a glass of ice-cold water and Sara drank it fast. "I don't know what's the matter with you but I can see you're incredibly hurt and broken up inside."

"My husband died two months ago," she began, staring at the wall in front of her. "He died saving me and our baby. It should be him here with me today."

The midwife took Sara's hand in her own and looked at her with big gentle eyes.

"I'm so sorry, so very sorry. Your husband sounds like an incredibly brave man and he would be so proud of you." Sara wiped away an escaped tear.

"But you have to look after yourself. This little baby needs you, in every way possible and you have to keep strong. Let's pop you up on the bed and make a quick scan shall we?"

Sara robotically maneuvered herself onto the bed and lifted up her top to make way for the gel and the scanner. Her eyes slowly moved over to the screen and she could make out the bean-shaped little being inside of her. Her baby. Her and Michael's greatest accomplishment. She could see the flicker of the heartbeat and her own heart quickened. Something inside her snapped and she promised herself she would look after herself for the sake of baby.

"You're 21 weeks gone!" The midwife exclaimed. "And baby looks perfectly healthy. Strong little heart, would you like to find out the sex?"

Sara looked over to Sofia who was mesmerized at the image on the screen.

"Go on," Sofia encouraged. "Put Linc out of his misery!"

"Ok," Sara choked. "Ok."

A boy. Her son. Their son. A mini Michael. She wished so badly that she could tell him the good news. Their baby was healthy and it was a boy. Lincoln and LJ were overjoyed. His first nephew and LJ's first cousin. That night Sofia made a dinner to celebrate the baby, finally. She was also secretly celebrating the fact that Sara had registered the little baby inside her and for the first time in months she ate a whole plate of dinner. Sure, a small portion, but it was a start.

In her bedroom facing the ocean, Sara lay on the bed staring at the photo of the scan. Her fingers traced the outline of the little person before kissing the image. She lay it next to the origami rose beside her bed, her two most treasured possessions. Apart from the memories, it was all Sara had left of Michael.