-Chapter 2-
Mary-Ellen's face falls in defeat. Her niece is dead.
"Mary-Ellen?"
"She's gone."
Michael sits on the side of his wife's bed and places their baby on her chest. Tears roll down his cheeks and splash onto Bethany's cheek. He memorizes her face, smooths her hair back, and holds her left hand. Words escape him! A few hours ago, they welcomed their baby daughter into the world, making them a family of three. Now, it's just him and their daughter. He can't imagine what life is going to be like without her.
Karen stirs and begins crying. One of the nurses hesitantly approaches Drew. "The baby is hungry. Would you like for me to feed her?"
"No," he shakes his head. "I'll feed her. Will you bring in a bottle for me?"
She nods and departs the room. Mary-Ellen feels her heart break, as she watches the scene in front of her.
"I can't believe it, Beth," he sobs. "Why did you have to get sick? How are we supposed to go on without you? I can't raise Karen by myself. She needs her mother."
Tentatively, Mary-Ellen approaches her brother-in-law. "Do you want me to tell the family?"
He nods. "I want some time alone with her... Just the three of us."
She nods as she opens the door and steps out into the waiting room.
The family hears the doorknob turn, and rises as Mary-Ellen walks toward them. Elizabeth feels a lump grow in her throat; she's afraid of what her sister is going to say. "Bethany?" she chokes.
Mary-Ellen shakes her head, somberly.
"NO!" she screams, knees buckling beneath her. Drew lowers her into a seated position on the floor and enfolds her into an embrace.
"Oh no!" Olivia mouths, burying her head into her husband's arms.
"My sister's dead?!" DJ shouts.
"I'm sorry. She didn't make it."
DJ darts out of the waiting room and out the hospital doors.
"DJ!" Drew calls.
Barbara holds Stephen, as they cry.
"I'll see after him," John declares, releasing his wife.
"I wanna see my baby."
"Michael wants a few minutes with her alone."
"What about the baby?" Drew asks.
"Michael has her."
"Mama?"
"Yes, Stephen?"
He sits by his mother, laying his head on her shoulder. "Is my sister with Jesus?"
"She is," Elizabeth gulps, still not believing her daughter is dead.
They see a nurse carrying a bottle, go into the room.
Mary-Ellen hugs her mother and then her sister.
"I'd better start calling the family to let them know..." Olivia starts, catching her breath, "Karen's here and... Bethany's gone."
Out of the corner of his eye, Drew sees his parents approaching. He walks toward them.
"What's wrong?" Dana Cutler starts. "Is it the baby?"
"No, the baby's fine. She's a little small, but Mary-Ellen says she's healthy."
"Bethany?" She sees tears well in her son's eyes.
"She's gone."
"Oh, my baby boy!" She holds her son.
They startle as the door to Bethany's room opens. "Mom, Dad, you can come in," Michael states, holding baby Karen.
Meanwhile, at the hospital's front entrance
John coaxes DJ back inside and they find a couple chairs off to the side, where no one will disturb them.
"It's all my fault," DJ exclaims.
"How do you say that?"
"If I hadn't gotten the flu, then Bethany wouldn't have gotten sick. If she hadn't gotten sick, then she'd still be here."
"Son, I didn't think you thought so highly of yourself."
DJ scrunches up his face, confused. "What do you mean?"
"Like I said, I didn't think you thought so highly of yourself."
"I don't think 'so highly of myself,'" he protests, "I don't like myself so much right now."
"What I mean, is that you're equating yourself with God. You're not that powerful."
"What?"
"You're not that powerful. You can't make yourself or anyone else get the flu."
"I still feel like it's my fault."
John looks his grandson straight in the eyes. "Did you mean to give your sister the flu?"
"No."
"Did you make your sister get the flu?"
"No."
"Did you try your best not to let anyone else get the flu?"
"Yes. Umm, no. Umm, I mean yes." The boy scrunches up his nose.
"Then, it's not your fault."
"It still feels like it," he sighs, crying into his grandfather's embrace.
Drew and Elizabeth walk into their eldest daughter's room. Mary-Ellen and a nurse have cleaned Bethany's body.
Elizabeth sits in a chair beside her eldest daughter. She leans over and kisses her cheek. "Oh, my baby girl!" she sniffs. "You were such a surprise when we found out you were coming. You and your sister and brothers are the best things that has ever happened to me!"
"And me too." Drew approaches his daughter's bedside, standing behind his wife.
"You were born on a cold day, almost like this one. I tried to have you at Mama and Daddy's house, but you were breech. Your Aunt Mary-Ellen and Dr. Spencer delivered you by C-section. I wanted to name you Elizabeth Joy. When Mama was expecting your Aunt Joy and we thought she'd lost her, I said I would name my little girl Joy. Your Daddy wanted to name her after me. So, we were going to name you Elizabeth Joy. We didn't know what to call you, because we thought having two people going by Elizabeth would be confusing. Your Grandpa suggested Bethany, so we decided to name you Bethany, which is sorta after me."
"You looked so much like your Mama, with your flaming red hair. You looked like your Mama more and more each day. You took after your Mama with your plucky personality and love of traveling too."
Mary-Ellen silently offers her brother-in-law a chair and he sits beside his wife. She offers Michael one as well, but he shakes his head, preferring to give his in-laws space with their daughter.
"We were so surprised when you brought Michael home to meet us for the first time, announcing your engagement." Elizabeth chuckles. "We shouldn't have been surprised, because your father and I did the same thing... in a way."
Mary-Ellen suppresses a light chuckle.
"You were such a beautiful bride," Drew starts. "I was so proud to escort you down the aisle. Michael's a good man, and he's taken such good care of you, and he'll take good care of Karen too."
Michael holds the baby close and weeps.
"Twenty years seems like a long time when you're little, but it's not very long at all." Elizabeth laments.
Someone knocks quietly on the door. Mary-Ellen answers. "I'll check," she whispers. "Is it okay if the family sees her?"
Michael, Drew and Elizabeth nod.
John, Olivia, Charles and Dana escort the children into the room. DJ stays close to his Grandpa Walton's side.
"Bethany looks like she's asleep," Stephen comments, approaching his sister's bedside. "She's not gonna wake up, is she?"
"No," Mary-Ellen replies softly, hand on his right forearm.
"Why'd she hafta die?" he asks.
"It's because of me!" DJ shouts, crying. "It's my fault!"
"DJ," Elizabeth attempts to soothe her eldest son.
"It is! I gave her the flu! I'm sorry, Grandpa, but it is my fault, and I'll never forgive myself!" He runs out of the room.
"DJ?" Olivia starts.
"Leave him be," John states, "He's hurtin'."
Barbara silently looks at her sister. She feels a tear roll down her cheek. Carla notices, and wraps her arms around her granddaughter. "Grandma."
Mary-Ellen steps out of the room for awhile, and then re-enters. "Michael," she speaks, softly, "it's time."
He nods, holding Baby Karen close. "Mom, Dad," he speaks, in a low voice, approaching his in-laws, "It's time."
John and Olivia, Charles and Dana quietly escort the grandkids out of the room. The coroners start to enter the room.
"Give us a minute, please?" Michael requests.
Mary-Ellen nods, and stands a respectful distance away.
"Beth," Michael begins, "I'll take good care of our baby girl. I love you so much!" He kisses her gently on her cheek, and notices she's turning cold.
"Sweetheart," Elizabeth begins, "you made me and your father parents. It was love at first sight when I first held you in my arms. I don't know how to let you go! I love you."
Drew kisses his daughter on the top of her head. "I love you."
Michael nods, allowing the coroners into the room. They pull the sheet over her head and transfer her to the gurney. Drew, Elizabeth, Michael and Mary-Ellen watch, somberly, as Bethany is rolled out of the room.
-End of Chapter 2-
