Chapter Summary: Six weeks after Shaun and Lea's daughter is born, Lea dies from a rare postpartum complication. Shaun is saddened by it and is in denial about it.

AN: I just really miss fanfics about Shaun and his life. I should also mention that I'm autistic as well. Also, sorry that this chapter is short, but I will update it as soon as possible and I promise that the following chapters will be longer and more detailed. This is just the set-up chapter meant to establish the premise, and as I am an English teacher's daughter and a literature professor's granddaughter, I love those.

Dr. Shaun Murphy sat alone in his apartment, staring off into space at his empty beer bottle on the coffee table and the TV screen playing The Weather Channel. His face and eyes were burning hot with tears, his nose was running and irritated with snot, his face was unshaven, and he hadn't showered in days. He also hadn't had a good night's sleep for six weeks.

All his life, he was used to personal hardships: getting bullied and teased in school, being abused by his father and his mother doing nothing to protect him, his father killing his rabbit, living in an abandoned bus with Steve, Steve's sudden accidental death, living in many foster homes, not feeling respected by his superiors, Lea moving away and then coming back unexpectedly, Dr. Glassman's battle with cancer, the Dr. Han saga, revisiting his abusive father on his death bed, Carly breaking up with him, his conflict with Lea, Dr. Melendez dying in the earthquake...

And just this morning, Lea went away from him again, and this time she was never coming back. All because of one massive, violent postpartum eclamptic seizure...right in front of his eyes.

Since Baby Eleanor "Nell" was staying with Dr. Glassman and Debbie tonight so Shaun could have a moment alone, he finally had the opportunity to get the sleep he desperately needed and also to shower and shave.

But instead, he spent the night drinking a couple of beers and watching The Weather Channel. He just wanted to get his mind off of his grief and guilt for a while.

He didn't want to think about how hard the past ten months and year had been. He couldn't accept that he was now a single father. Nell was all that was left of her, but he just wished Lea wasn't dead.

He picked up his phone, turned it on, and then opened his contact list app and selected Lea's name. He pressed the call button, staring at her name and the tiny picture of her that was displayed on his screen. For a couple of seconds, he listened to the ringing of Lea's phone from both their bedroom - where it had been sitting charging all day - and also from the receiving end of his own phone before it finally went to voicemail.

"Hey, it's Lea. Leave a message and I'll call you back ASAP."

More tears squeezed out from his eyes when he heard her voice. It felt soothing and comforting. It felt like she was still here.