"SAM!"

Sam woke with a startled snort, bleary eyed and confused, as he struggled to get out of the haze.

"SAM!"

Blinking a few times, Sam realized he was alone in bed and that the screaming was coming from Darcy. Quickly, he kicked the blankets off and jumped out of bed, rushing out of the bedroom.

"DARCY!"

He could see the light filtering out of the partially closed bathroom door. Quickly, he shoved it open and stopped in the doorway; the sight before him kept him frozen in place.

There, on the floor across from the toilet bowl, was Darcy. Blood pooled on the floor between her legs, staining her light green nightshirt.

"Sammy," she moaned, her breath hitching with both pain and fear. "It hurts!

Snapping out of his daze, Sam practically dove onto the floor next to her, reaching out to place one hand on her belly; the other was braced against he cold wall, as if it was the one thing that could keep him upright.

"What happened?" he asked frantically, as she began to cry.

"I-I thought I had to go to the bathroom," Darcy said, as he quickly reached for a towel. "I felt wet under the blankets, but I figured I was just sweaty between the having the blankets and your body heat…"

Sam shook his head, as he tried to cover the blood that pooled on the floor; there was so much and it seemed to trickle more and more out of her. "Jesus Christ," he choked, as she groaned in pain. "Darcy, we gotta get you to the hospital. NOW!"

Getting up, he quickly rushed back into the bedroom and grabbed her phone off the nightstand. Finding the right contact, he quickly dialed the number, before rushing to find clothes and his shoes.

"Aubrey Wilcox," the tired voice on the end of the line answered.

"Hey, yeah, this is Sam Merlotte," Sam said, as he grabbed clean nightgown out of the dresser. "Darcy.,. something's wrong with the baby. There's a lot of blood and she's in pain."

There was a gut-wrenching cry from the bathroom, followed by a scream, which made him curse.

"I'll meet you at the hospital," Aubrey said. "Get there as quick as you can! I'll call ahead, that way you two aren't waitin' to get in."

Sam hung up quickly, rushing back into the bathroom to help Darcy. By that point, she had curled up onto her side, both arms cradling her belly. Getting the soiled shirt off her, Sam quickly dressed her in the clean one, before wrapping a fresh towel around her waist.

"Come on," he said, carrying her out of the bathroom. "We need to get you to the hospital."

Grabbing his keys off the table near the door, Sam quickly rushed out of the house and down to the car.

"It hurts so bad!" Darcy cried, as he placed her into the front seat. "Sammy, I'm scared."

"I know, I know," he said, covering her as best as he could. "We're going to get ya some help, Darcy. Hang tight."

Getting into the car, Sam quickly started it, before peeling out of the driveway and onto the street. Putting the car into drive, he floored it, not wanting to waste another single minute.

…

Lafayette was the first person that showed up the next morning, finding Sam out in the hallway.

"What happened?" Lafayette asked.

Sam shook his head, "They don't know," he said, as Lafayette shook his head. "By the time they did the ultrasound….it was too late. She'd lost so much blood and there wasn't a heartbeat."

"Shit," Lafayette whispered, shaking his head. "I'm so sorry, Sam."

"Yeah," was all he could say, looking down at the sterile floor. "They had to put her under to remove the baby…"

Taking a seat next to him, Lafayette reached out and placed his hand on Sam's back. "She could've had an induced labor and delivery, but the doctor was worried about infection and all this other stuff" Sam continued. "So, they had to do some procedure to remove the baby…"

"Did you see him?"

Sam shook his head, "There ain't nothing much left of him," he choked, before covering his face with his hands.

"It's going to be alright, Sam," Lafayette said, trying his best to comfort his friend.

After what felt like ages, Sam regained some composure and sat up, swiping at his face. "Darcy's still asleep, so she has no idea that she won't be able to see the baby," he said. "I need to call her sister and I gotta call Arlene and Terry… let 'em know that the bar will be closed today…"

"Sam, I'll worry about the bar," Lafayette said. "And I'll call up the others and let 'em know, unless you want me to be discreet."

"Just tell them they don't have to come into work today," Sam said, nodding slowly. "Family emergency. I need to be with Darcy before we tell everyone what happened."

Lafayette nodded, "I'll go make some calls," he said. "Give me your keys. Ya'll are gonna need some clothes ."

Reaching into his pocket, Sam pulled out his keys and handed them over. "Just.." he started. "The bathroom. There's blood all over the floor, Lafayette. And probably on the bed too…"

"Hey," the other man said, gripping his shoulder firmly. "I've got it. Just keep me posted, alright? I'll be back soon.

Watching him go, Sam sat back in the seat and turned his attention back to the door that Darcy was behind. Another ten minutes went by, before it opened, as Aubrey Wilcox came out.

"She's awake," Aubrey reported, tapping the chart against her hand. "We gave her something for the pain, so she's a little groggy. But she's asking for you, Sam."

"W- Did you figure out what happened?" Sam asked, standing up.

Aubrey sighed, "I won't know until blood results come back," she admitted. "But, you and I both know how difficult it is to carry a child with shifter genes. Even if one parent is a shifter."

He nodded, "Will she ever be able to have a baby?" he asked, quietly.

"Yes," Aubrey nodded. "But I would wait until Darcy's ready to try again, Sam. Both of you are going to be in a lot of pain, for the next few months. Darcy's in a fragile state, now that she knows about the baby."

"You told her."

She nodded, "She asked to see him. I had to tell her what happened during the procedure," she sighed. "We did save the remains, if you two wish to have a proper burial service."

Sam blinked, "Do we have to decide right now?" he asked, trying to remain composed.

"I'll give you two some time ," the doctor promised. "Darcy will be here for another day or two, just to be safe. You can stay overnight with her, since she's in her own room. I'll let the nurse up front know, that way they can't give you a hard time."

Not wanting to waste another minute, Sam pushed open the door and stepped into the room, closing it behind him. The shades had been drawn shut, and most of the lights had been turned off, save for the one above the bed.

Darcy turned her head towards him, her face splotchy and wet with tears. "Sam," she whispered, her voice hoarse from the crying and her throat being dry.

"Hi, honey,' Sam said gently, as he reached the side of the bed.

The IV's and various wires covered her arms and chest, as the machines beeped; it was all too much to comprehend.

"The doctor said there's nothin' left of him," Darcy said, her face collapsing into an image of grief. "Our baby..,"

Sam carefully got into the bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her; minding the wires and her empty belly as he did so. "Shhh,' he whispered, as she sobbed into his shirt.

As she cried, Sam couldn't find the right words to ease her pain; to ease both their pain, for he didn't know how they would survive such a loss. Instead, all he could do, was lay there and cry with her.