Unforgiven
Chapter 13: Revelations
Recap: Amber and Nat bonded over the predicament and then she had to leave as Amber was prepped. As Natalie was walking away from the room a syringe was plunged into her neck. She awoke to find out she'd had twins, and one of them was stillborn. She and Amber named their babies together, Emily and Elizabeth after twins Natalie used to care for. Matthew Brown went home and we learn that he has a grandson whose mother (Matthew's daughter) is no longer around because of something Natalie did…
It had been three months since the events in the hospital had taken place and both mothers were settling comfortably into a new routine with their children. Amber allowed Emily to spend weekends with her father and his wife, and they were both completely in love with her.
Elizabeth was a sweet, quiet baby much to Natalie's relief. Roxanne had told her about what a "loudmouthed kid" she'd been, and she was grateful that it obviously wasn't genetic. Elizabeth, or Liz as they called her, cried only when she really needed or wanted something. Amber often asked Natalie if she wanted to exchange daughters, because Emily was the exact opposite. She would cry at the drop of the hat, except when she was staying with John and Natalie. Then she seemed to take the hint from Liz and would lie there quietly cooing to herself.
Natalie's late-night thoughts were broken as she turned to look at the clock and saw it was almost time for Liz's feeding. She stood up, making sure not to move the bed so much that it would wake her husband and softly padded down to the kitchen. She fixed the bottle and quietly made her way into her daughter's room. She smiled to see Liz lying there as if she'd been waiting patiently.
Natalie picked her up and moved to the rocking chair, sitting down gently as Liz took the bottle into her mouth greedily. Her eyes moved over her mother's face quickly before stopping to just stare into her eyes as her tiny mouth suckled. Natalie's heart ached from the sweetness of the moment, and she felt like she might burst from all the love she felt.
After she had put Liz back to sleep, Natalie felt a strange urge to look at her baby book. She pulled it from the shelf and began flipping backwards through its' pages. As she turned back to the first page a small sheet of paper fluttered out. She frowned and knelt to pick it up. Her eyes widened as she read it, and the book fell from her hands. It was like everything was in slow motion as she raced down the hallway and shook John awake.
"John, why was this in Liz's baby book?" He squinted in the sudden light from the lamp and yawned. "The doctor gave it to me. I thought it was a little weird but he did save our little girl so I just put it in. Why?" She sat down, trembling violently as she realized why Dr. Matthew Brown had looked so familiar. John sat up, taking her into his arms as she buried her face in the hollow of his neck and continued to tremble.
"Baby, what's wrong?" She pulled back. "I—I might be the reason our son is dead." She stifled a sob, the possibility becoming all too real now that she had said it aloud. "Sweetheart, what are you talking about?" She held the paper up and read it through her tears. "Congratulations on your little girls. Spend every moment with them as if it is your last… It may very well be." John frowned. "Little girls? I don't remember that part—of course I was pretty messed up at the time with you fighting for your life and my finding out our son had died."
Natalie gasped as the memories filled her mind, and she looked at John with pure panic in her eyes. "John, what if my baby isn't the one who's dead?"
TO BE CONTINUED
