"Watch out for that-" but he was too late. The police car had swiped the mailbox out of the ground with an accurate incision.
"We are following the suspect down route 63" the driver in the seat next to him blurred into the c.b. Stray red hair clung to her forehead from perspiration. Her beautiful face was twisted into an expression of hate, anger, and fear.
"Rosalyn, slow down before you get us all killed!" Darkwing yelled, digging his fingernails nervously into the dashboard.
"DON'T YOU EVER TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!" she screamed, gunning the engine up to 95mph.
"Look, I know your mad at me, now. You probably even hate me. But that's NO reason to jeopardise your life or the baby's!"
"I'm catching this crook. I'm pregnant, not incompetant!" The car ahead of them made a hard right turn onto one of the side streets branching off the route they were currently on. Rosalyn jerked the wheel. The police car's back wheels screached
as they bicycled the car on it's two right tires, then continued to pursue the culpret on all four's. Annoyed, Darkwing unbuckled his seatbelt.
"Ok. Here. Kill me. Slam on the breaks and throw me through the windshield."
Rosalyn shot a glare at him."Put your seatbelt back on. There's no way my baby's growing up fatherless."
"Well, it's about to be non-exhistant if you don't slow down!"
Rosalyn jammed the accelerater up to 120mph. Darkwing groaned.
"Look, I'm sorry, ok? Is that what you want to hear? I'm sorry we even slept together. But what's done is done. Now we have to face the music."
"See? You have no regrets. Your not the one carrying another life in your stomach!" They were now driving at a bone-crushing 150mph, and causing Darkwing to break into a cold sweat. He was'nt afraid of dying, no, not dying. Just the heart breaking fact of living
without Rosalyn and his new baby.
"I know we're not married, but I'll do anything- pay you child support, take the kid on the weekends, I'll even let it live with me! Please! Just slow down!" Darkwing was pleading now. And it suprised the heck out of both him and Rosalyn. He never pleaded.
That's when reality slapped her in the face. Darkwing watched as the spedometer began to decrease. First to 120, then down to 100. Darkwing put his hand on her shoulder. Rosalyn smiled, her smile slowly melting away into that of a teeth-clenched, pain-filled expression.She groaned.
"You ok?" Darkwing asked, alarmed.
"Yeah, labor pains. Don't worry."
Darkwing studied her face for awhile and when he finally looked up he could feel all the color seeping out of his face.
He yelled, loud enough to rupture a lung. The last he remembered was of her screaming......
Darkwing slid his battered body out of the crushed passenger side window. He stood unsteadily to his feet. The police car was upside down. Flames blazed angrily from the front of the car. His hat had fallen off somewhere, and now his forehead was covered with blood from three long gashes. With
each breath came a sharp stab through his left side.
Broken ribs.
He coughed from the smoke the fire emitted. Pain from his side jolted through his body, almost causing him to lose conciousness. A struggeling plea caused him to arouse.
"Rosalyn" he whispered, and began to limp around to the driver's side. He unbuckled her from her seatbelt and pulled her gently from the mangled car.
"Rosalyn." he cried, cradeling her head with his arms. She looked into his eyes, her beautiful green eyes burning into his blue ones.
"I'm dying." she choked, spitting up blood.
"No, no. Your fine. You'll be ok. I promise. I'll take care of you. You'll be ok." He laid her down gently and reached into the police car for the c.b.
"Darkwing." she said, pulling lightly, but with all of her strength, on his cape.
He turned around."I'm calling-"
"Don't"
"But-"
"Don't. They won't make it in time."
"Don't say that, Rosalyn. Your gonna be fine. I promise."
"I'm going to die. But my-our baby will live." Darkwing cradeled her head on his right arm. His left hand slid gently down her body to her stomach, where it came back marinated in blood. He fought hard to keep back the tears.
"Of course, it'll live." He said, reassuringly, though he knew the chances of the baby being alive was slim to none. A pregnant woman whom was wounded in a brutal car accident in her 8th month had no chance of being a mother. Maybe Rosalyn preferred it that way, for it all to end. But Darkwing did'nt.
"Listen, Darkwing. The baby is a girl. We have a baby girl."she tried her best to sound enthusiastic through the pain. She took Darkwing's free hand in her's. She squeezed it. He squeezed back.
"She will look like me, but will have your spirit." she coughed, blood splattered all over her police uniform. She was now fighting for conciousness.
"Darkwing."she whispered weakly."I-I love you."
Darkwing was about to reply, to tell her that he loved her too, more than anything on this earth, but the shrill sound of the sirens averted his attention. An ambulance and two police cars rushed to the scene, as many pedestrians came from their houses to spectate. Darkwing looked back down.
"Rosalyn, they're-" but stopped short. Rosalyn was no longer responding. He checked her pulse on her neck. There was none.
"Rosalyn." he whispered. He began to cry. He could'nt fight it any longer. He did'nt want too. Everything else seemed to whirl around him. He turned around and threw up. He did'nt stop until there was nothing left but the hollowed out pain which was strong and dominant. He stood up, walked a few feet, and collapsed,
falling into the arms of a paramedic. He was vaguely aware that a group of doctors and paramedics were standing around Rosalyn's body. He idily heard a doctor's slurred statement
"By God, I think it's alive-"
The wailing cries seemed to fill the air as the doctor handed him the tiny figure, wrapped in his purple cape, now splotched with blood. The baby immediently stopped crying. It opened it's eyes and looked up at Darkwing.
"Well I'll be. I don't think I've ever seen a baby open it's eyes this early." The chubby doctor amended. The baby gazed up at Darkwing, kicking her feet gently.'She has green eyes' Darkwing thought, and looked at the tuft of red hair that hung on her head. The words of Rosalyn echoed through his mind.'She will look
like me, but will have your spirit.' And as if destined to finish the thought, the baby raised it's minuscule hand and grabbed Darkwing's beak with amazing firmness. She pulled, then let go. His beak made a springy sound, as it vibrated, then returned to it's dormant state. She laughed, her whole face lighting up with beauty and
radiance.
"I've only known you for a few minutes and your already the most important thing in my life." he whispered, quiet enough so only the baby could hear.
"Have you thought of a name?"The doctor that delivered her asked as he walked up to them. Darkwing smiled, and forgetting the broken ribs and the wounds gushing blood, his face lit up.
"Her name, is Gosalyn."
Drake laid awake, his hands intercrossed behind his head, his gaze at the ceiling. He remembered what had happened afterward, which had haunted him for nine long years. He had realized he could'nt take care of her. He knew that his dangerous lifestyle was no way for a little girl to grow up in. So he made the most difficult and painstaking
decision of his life.
He had given her up for adoption.
Drake closed his eyes, fighting back tears. The guilt and the pain had attacked his conscience ever since that day. And even though he had gotten her back, it was still a tender subject.
He realaxed, and smiled at the thought of 'getting her back.' He had not even realized who she really was until after he had legally adopted her. All he knew was that life without her was'nt even worth living. Still yet, there was still something eating at his heart, something that must be corrected...
Unable to sleep, Drake crept out of his room, down the hall, and into Gosalyn's room. He averted boxes, ball bats, baseball cards, toys, and other miscellanious things to prevent falling and disturbing her sleep. He stood beside her bed, looking down at her with such love and affection that he thought he might faint. Just the sight of her made him
sure he had found his destiny. She was his destiny. He would do anything for her. He would climb the highest mountain for her, swim the deepest sea, risk his life for her, die for her, kill for her, go against everything and everyone for her. He knew it, and she would with time. He gently brushed her bangs back, out of her face, and kissed her
on the forehead. She stirred awake, and looked up at him.
"Sorry to wake you." he whispered, a little embarrassed she had caught him here.
"Can I help you?" she asked, her beautiful green eyes peering into his. He glanced around nervously. Why was he here?
"Just wanted to say.. I love you."
She smiled, and Drake could feel his heart melt.
"I love you too, dad." she whispered, and drifted back to sleep. The first time she had called him dad.
Once outside of her room, he sighed contentidely. For the first time in nine long years, he felt pure, true, happy. He could also feel Rosalyn smiling down upon him. He blew a kiss up towards the heavens, and then turned and walked to his room, knowing that he'll sleep better tonight than he had in a loong time.
© by Lesley Hall June 18, 2000. All characters of Darkwing Duck are © by Disney and used without permission but for entertainment and NOT profit. promise!