Chapter 5: It's Time

"Who's there?" Sara called out. She was afraid and cold. She saw a man in the shadows of the empty room. How did I get here? Sara thought. Finally, the man emerged from the darkness, and Sara could not believe her eyes.

"Michael? Is that really you? I can't believe it! How is this happening? What are you doing here Michael?" Sara asked.

"I came back for you, Sara. I could never leave you and our baby. I love you both too much. We're going to live happily ever after," Michael told her. "But I can only stay if you help me."

"Anything," she said. "I'll do anything just please don't leave me again. Please," she pleaded feeling the tears well up in her eyes.

"I can't stay now. Help me Sara. Take care of yourself and our baby, okay? That's how you can help me, okay? I'll truly be at peace if you can do that for me. I love you so much Sara," Michael finished before he began to retreat from Sara's shaking form.

"Michael?" she called after him. "Michael! No! Michael, please don't leave me! I need you! I can't do this without you, please! Michael!" Sara cried out as she fell to her knees, her sobs and desperate pleas taking over her body. She couldn't believe this was happening.

Sara awoke with a start, sweating, panting, and calling out for Michael. Ah yes, the nightmares had returned. She rolled over and groaned as she looked at her alarm clock and saw that it read 1:17 AM. Her nightmares had mostly faded, but some days, specifically the days where Michael was on the forefront of her mind; they would return and bring nothing but heartache. This one was different though. It was so vivid. It was like he was truly there with her, calling out to her. In a daze, she tried to shake the feeling of him, but she couldn't help but feel that he was with her in that very moment. She could almost feel his arms around her.

As with all of her other nightmares, Sara knew there was no chance she was getting any sleep anymore. She felt she needed to be close to Michael. She hastily got dressed, got in her car, and drove the all too familiar drive to the place she felt closest to Michael; the place she went when the grief or her nightmares became too much for her.

Sara pulled over on the side of the road, and got out of her car. She knew the grounds of this cemetery too well. She then realized that it was 1:30 in the morning, and to any passerby, she would look like an absolute lunatic. After all, what normal person would walk around a cemetery while it was still dark out? She walked the same path she had all those other times, until she found Michael's tombstone. She sat down in front of it, her hands on her rounded stomach, and smiled at the inscription on the tomb.

"Be the change you want to see in the world," she read aloud. "Do you remember that ice breaker?" she laughed. "I knew I was in trouble the moment you walked into my office, with those brooding blue eyes and that boyish grin. God, that seems like a lifetime ago. I know if you were still here you would without a doubt be lecturing me about being almost nine months pregnant and wondering around a cemetery at 1:30 in the morning, so I'll go ahead and apologize for that offence," Sara said with a smile. "No, I'm here because the nightmares are back. Or at least they are for tonight. But there was something different about this one. It was so real, at least it felt real. But maybe it only felt real because I wanted it so badly to be. I wish you could come back to me. But I know that's not possible. I guess I'm just here because I needed to feel close to you."

Sara turned around and rested her back on the grave and sighed. She often found herself in this position. After what seemed like an eternity, Sara stood, knowing she needed to get home because she had to be at work in just a few short hours. She also had developed terrible indigestion over the time that she had sat with Michael, and really just wanted to lay down for a while before she had to go to the hospital for work. She turned and faced Michael one last time. She kissed her hand and pressed it against the stone, before turning her back, taking a deep breath, and walking away.

As she took her first step, she felt something warm run down her leg. She looked down, and noticed she was standing in a puddle. Her water had broken. Sara stood in shock for a few seconds, before frantically searching through her purse for her phone. Once she found it, she dialed the familiar number of her brother in law. Turns out her indigestion had actually been contractions. As she waited for Lincoln to pick up, Sara once again slid to the ground, so her back was against the tombstone of her husband.

Lincoln groaned and rolled over as he heard the shrill ring of his cell phone. He would have ignored it, except it was a call from Sara. He knew if his brother was watching over him, and saw that he had ignored a phone call from his very pregnant wife regardless of the fact that it was, Lincoln looked at his alarm clock, three in the freaking morning, he would haunt his ass for the rest of eternity.

"This better be good Sara. It's three AM and I–," Lincoln began before a frantic Sara interrupted him.

"Linc! I need you to come get me now! My water broke and my contractions are getting closer together. Please hurry!" Sara's frantic voice cut him off before he could finish.

"What?!" Lincoln shouted back. "I'm on my way. Where are you? Are you at home?"

"No..." Sara sheepishly started. "I'm at the cemetery."

"I'm not even gonna ask," Lincoln answered. "I'll see you in ten. And for god sakes Sara, keep your knees together. You are not about to give birth in a cemetery!" he said with a laugh before hanging up the phone.

Lincoln hastily wrote Sofia a note explaining where he was and for her to call him when she woke up. He kissed her forehead, before sprinting to his car, keys and overnight bag in hand. I'm gonna be an uncle, he smiled. Shit! Sara's gonna be a mom!, he thought as he speeded out of his driveway and headed toward the cemetery.

So there's chapter five! Hope you enjoyed it, and hope that I still have a few readers left :)