Chapter Two: Waking Up Alone

Brooke yawned as she opened her eyes and stretched. The bright sunlight spilled into the room and she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched."Baby?" She reached over to her fiance's side of the bed. All she felt was the sheets and pillow. She turned her head. Spike wasn't in bed. She yawned again and sat up, looking around the room. She was alone.

"Spike?" She called out. She waited for the answer, but there wasn't one. "Spike? Baby where are you?"

Again, there was no answer. Brooke kicked off the covers, rushing out of bed. She smoothed out her pink silky gown pajamas and rested her hand on the life growing inside of her. "Spike?" She poked her head in the bathroom, thinking maybe he had to go the bathroom or was taking a shower or was shaving. But he wasn't; the bathroom was empty with no signs of being used recently.

Next she went into Spike's office; a place he fell asleep often after coming home from a late night meeting and writing his novel in. She knocked on his office door, "Baby, are you in here? Honey, it's me. Open up." After no answer Brooke turned the knob and went in. She looked for her fiancé, but was again met with an empty room.

That's when she saw it, there on the desk; a white envelope with her first name written in all capitals. Right after her name was a heart, something Spike put on all his notes to her after her name. She waddled over to the envelope, picking it up anxiously. Opening it up, she read the neatly scribed words:

My dear Brooklyn;
I regret to tell you that I have been forced to leave. I can't tell you much; just that there are some things in my past that have come back to haunt me that have nothing to do with you or the baby. I love you and our baby too much and do not want you to get hurt because of what I've done before I ever met you. Just know that I will always love you and the unborn life we've created and I'll come back to you someday.
Love you, always
William

By the time Brooke finished reading the letter, tears ran down her face onto the paper, smearing the sad words on the thick paper in front of her.

Her William was gone, and she didn't know if he'd ever come back. The only thing she had left of him was the child growing inside of her.

She protectively wrapped her arms around her growing womb, "Your daddy will come back someday. I know he will."

Tears falling down her face, she picked up Spike's office phone, "Until then, mommy has a phone call to make."

TBC