Life After High School - Ten Years Later

By Risty and Silver

Disclaimer: The short answer is: No. The long answer is: Nnnooooooooooooooooo.

Summary: You've read this far . . . man.

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(Damon's POV)

They rushed her away to the operating theatre and all Benny and I could do was wait. I felt numb inside and all I could think about was what would happen if I lost her. She had been close to death so many times in her life; she could not die now. She couldn't! I needed her, the children needed her. And yet no matter how much I kept telling myself that it would be all right, deep in my heart I knew that it wouldn't. Benny sat there in silence, his head lowered in despair. Many times over the years he had looked out for Emma, the children, and I he was our best friend and our brother rolled into one. He had always tried to help us, just as we had him, but even he could do nothing. I felt completely helpless and I was certain that he felt the same.

After what felt like a day, but was actually only about an hour, the doctor came out, his face grave. The news was not good. They had drained the excess blood, but they said it could start again at any moment. During the operation, her heart had stopped and had to be restarted and it was feared that as well as head injuries, she also had internal injuries. Her breathing was dangerously low and in theory she was being kept alive only by machines. Her chances of survival were very low indeed. However, he also had some very disturbing news that made my blood run cold.

"Mr Darkshield" he said quietly. "Were you aware that your wife is pregnant?"

For a moment, I swear my heart almost stopped. Next to me, Benny's face completely drained of colour.

"How long?" I managed to say.

"Five, six months even" he told me. "By some miracle, it appears to have survived the fall. However, if it is to have any chance, we will have to induce Emma now before it becomes completely starved of oxygen. Can we have your permission to do so?"

"Do it?" I ordered, my mind full of confused, jumbled thoughts. I can't father children any longer, because of the risks Emma faced every time she gave birth; I had an operation after Vincent was born. Crystal was adopted, although we both view her as our own. Five or six months ago was when I had gone to Hobbiton with Benny…the time when Boromir blackmailed her into sleeping with him…

"Oh no" I muttered, shaking my head. "It can't be. That filthy bastard…" Benny looked at me, sympathy in his eyes and I knew that he understood.

That was the beginning of another wait. Half an hour later, the doctor came out once again.

"You have a son, Mr Darkshield," he told me. "He is alive and has been placed in the special care unit. He is very small and will have to be monitored constantly for the next few days, but we have checked him over and he seems to be developed enough and there is no reason why he could not survive."

"Can I see him?" I asked. The doctor nodded and led us through to the baby care unit. My son was lying there in a little glass tank, wires attached to his body. He was small, very small, but he looked perfect. I loved him on sight and I knew then that it did not matter whose child he was. I would love him just as much as I loved Kane and Crystal.

"Mr Darkshield" the doctor, I don't recall his name, said after a moment or two. "I understand that this will be an upsetting time for you, but I have to ask this. The odds on your wife waking are very, very low and the birth has put a huge strain on her body. As her husband, I want to ask for your permission to turn off the machines and let her go peacefully."

"No" I whispered, shaking my head. "Not yet. I need…I need to spend some more time with her first. And Benny and I…we need to say our goodbyes. Just…just another day or two and then…if there is no change, you can do it."

The doctor nodded and went away, leaving Benny and I alone with my baby son. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. I guess that part of me was still hoping for a miracle. Magic was always a possibility, but Emma had never wanted that. She had made me promise, many years ago, that if she was going to die, to let her go without reverting to unnatural methods to keep her with me or bring her back. And even now I had to keep that promise. If she was going to pull through, she had to do it on her own. It wasn't going to happen of course, but in dark times such as these you need some hope to cling to…