She simply did not feel right, but she couldn't pinpoint what exactly was the problem. She had awakened that morning, vomited twice before breakfast as usual, and went about her life as she would any other day. With it being a Saturday, she was excited to get the children outside for some fun before it began to get too cold, and they would be cooped up in the house for months at a time.

They were all playing in the garden, most of them kicking a ball around while some of the girls jumped rope. Maria stayed off to the side, only kicking the ball back to them when it came her way. She didn't feel the need to overexert herself, just in case it wouldn't be good for the baby. She had been so careful since she found out about her pregnancy, nearly three weeks prior. The feelings of becoming a mother and caring for a baby had begun to blossom in her heart, and she couldn't help but find joy in the idea of putting together a nursery and making baby clothes. She had even began learning to knit so she could make a baby blanket.

"Fraulein Maria, you look pale." Brigitta's words brought her out of her head, and she smiled in return.

"Yes, I'm feeling a bit queasy at the moment."

"Are you ill?"

"No, I'm sure I'm quite fine."

"Perhaps grandmother poisoned you at breakfast." Louisa's words caused her to laugh, eliciting giggles from a couple of the children who happened to be within earshot.

"She would have done it far before now, if that were the case." She smiled, feeling sweat begin to prickle upon her back. She felt a bit clammy, but thought she was fine enough to manage a few more minutes. Suddenly, she felt her stomach lurch, and she quickly rushed to hide herself behind a small bush to get sick, surprising Brigitta and Louisa, who were thankfully the only children who were close enough to notice at the time. She hadn't even been able to predict it was going to happen, and she felt embarrassed as she coughed and choked to rid her body of breakfast. She sighed as she was finished, bringing a hand to her forehead.

"Fraulein Maria?" Brigitta's sweet voice floated to her ears, and she cleared her throat, taking another deep breath before stepping away from the bush and meeting their eyes.

"I'm so sorry, girls. I'm terribly embarrassed."

"Don't be embarrassed. Last summer when it was really hot, Friedrich threw up on..."

"Oh, God, Louisa, please don't finish that sentence." The girls laughed as she placed a hand upon her tightening stomach, but she was still unamused. She felt terrible. Brigitta looked closer at her, and she could see the wheels working in her head. "Stop sizing me up, I see what you're doing."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Brigitta was taken aback, shock evident upon her face. Maria gently laughed at her reaction, thankfully beginning to feel her stomach settling.

"You're fine, dear." She began to move closer to them when she felt a sharp pain in her stomach, and she gasped as she doubled over. It was a heavy pain, one that was unexpected and felt as if it were simultaneously deep in her lower back. It nearly felt like knives, she thought. Brigitta stepped forward and took her hand, squeezing in support. As she breathed through the pain, she felt a warm liquid gush between her legs. Brow furrowed in confusion, she looked downward to see a very narrow stream of blood, slowly dripping down one of her stockings. The girls gasped, and she felt her heart shattering, her breathing becoming difficult. Her voice sounded broken and full of tears when she spoke. "Brigitta, get your father. Louisa, keep your siblings over there."

They rushed off, and she did her best not to panic, her tears falling quickly down her face as the blood fell down her leg, dripping into one of her shoes. She watched the slow, trail, thin yet brightly colored, as if it were a figment of her imagination. She had only just wrapped her head around having a baby, and she knew without a doubt that she was losing it. There was nothing else that could have been happening, and her heart felt as if it were in a million pieces. A sob got caught in her throat as one of the young girls squealed in delight in the distance as they obliviously played, another sharp pain striking her from inside.

"Maria?" Georg rushed down the steps, Brigitta hot on his heels, and he looked at her in shock. He wasn't sure what he needed to do, clearly not even sure if he should touch her. Brigitta began to cry out of sheer panic. "Is it the baby?"

"Yes. I need a doctor." At the desperate sound of her voice, he moved forward, lifting her into his arms as she cradled her stomach against the pain. Brigitta followed them into the house, rushing behind her father to grab his car keys and Maria's purse from the coat closet. Hede hurried to them at the sound of the rushing footsteps, and Georg called out to her as he carried Maria to the door.

"Hede, watch the children." She nodded in agreement as he carried Maria to the car, Brigitta handing him the keys and purse. She was shaking, crying heavily as she held herself. Maria reached out of the window, placing a hand on Brigitta's shoulder as Georg rushed to enter the car.

"Thank you, darling." Brigitta nodded, sniffling as Maria met her eyes. She stepped back as they drove away, and Maria saw Hede run out of the house and give the girl a hug, comforting her and presumably asking what happened.

They drove quickly, barely stopping at the intersections on their way to town. She could feel her body beginning to shake, her hands quaking in her lap as she clasped them together in fear. She prayed to God for strength, not only for herself, but for Georg, for Brigitta and Louisa, for the rest of the children if they were told. She heard Georg clear his throat, obviously trying to hold back his own emotions.

"Georg, slow down."

"We've got to get there. Perhaps if we make it in time..." She sniffled, biting her lip when he couldn't finish.

"It's no use."

"No."

"It is. Please just get us there safely." Her words were soft, her body still shaking profusely. He took her hand in his as he slowed down a bit, and she sighed as she lay her head against the back of the seat.

The rest of the day was a complete blur. Georg rushed her into the hospital, where she was taken to a room and examined. Everything smelled sterile, and she noticed a painting of the mountains on the wall as she received her first IV ever. She could barely hear a thing through the ringing in her ears when they confirmed her biggest fear; she had lost their baby.

She knew from the moment she awoke that morning that something wasn't right. And as she lay in the hospital bed, Georg's hands grasping hers as they cried, she felt she would never be the same again. Her heart was broken, shattered and left in the garden from the moment her body decided she could no longer carry their baby. The doctor said she was in shock, and they wrapped her in large blankets to keep her warm. All she could do was cry.

"They want you to stay overnight." She stared at the wall across the room, the sound of even beeping resounding in her ears as they monitored her heart rate. He knelt in front of her, looking into her glazed eyes. "Maria."

"Yes?" Her voice was very soft, she had no energy to speak much.

"They want you to stay overnight. They say you lost more blood than you should have, and they want to keep an eye on you." She nodded, focusing her eyes on the painting in her room, her eyes drifting across the warm colors of the canvas. "I'll need to go home to get us both a change of clothes."

"Okay."

"I don't want to leave you alone right now." He touched her cheek, brushing away a tear. She knew her clothes were covered in blood, as were Georg's, and it would do them no good leave the hospital the way they came.

"I'll be fine. Please check on Brigitta." He nodded, trying to make eye contact with her, but she refused. He kissed her forehead, and she felt fresh tears fall from her eyes at the sweetness behind the gesture.

"I love you, darling. I'll be back as quickly as I can."

"I love you." She sniffled, pulling the blankets closer to her body. He began to leave, and she heard him speaking to one of the nurses, asking them to pay extra attention to her while he had to run home. It didn't matter who would be with her, she knew she would feel incredibly alone no matter what.

She surprised herself by falling asleep, her body having been so exhausted from everything that she must have needed to give in. She had never felt so numb.