I have a very limited knowledge of Obstetrics, so I apologize for any errors. I there will be one more chapter and maybe an epilogue, if I get reviews on this chapter and the next one. In case anyone cares, this is actually where the story originally started, so the second paragraph has been sitting on my computer for a few weeks now. I almost changed this multiple times, but I decided to stick with the not so happy ending that was the basis of this story.
Something had felt "off" for the past few days. Abby couldn't explain what exactly it was, but something just felt off. She was five and a half months pregnant, and she and Stephen were heading to a doctor's appointment right after they wrapped up everything with their client. Things between Abby and Stephen had only been improving. She was all but living at his place. He was considering a second attempt at asking her to marry him before the baby was born. This time with a ring. And at this point, he felt confident that she would say yes. They both felt that things were finally falling into place for them. Unfortunately, their dreams of a happy ending were about to be shattered.
The ultrasound tech had suddenly grown quiet. While seconds earlier, she had been chatting, as she normally did, she suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Stephen asked.
"I…I need to get the doctor. I'll be back in a moment."
Abby and Stephen looked at each other with concern. A few moments later, the doctor came into the room, whispering with the tech. After a few minutes, the doctor looked up sorrowfully and gave Abby and Stephen devastating news.
"I'm sorry, but the baby no longer has a heartbeat."
Abby and Stephen remained silent, slowly processing what the doctor had said. Stephen began to speak first, holding back tears.
"Do you… know why?"
"We can do tests, but in most of the cases we can't really determine the cause. But it isn't your fault, either of you."
Stephen moved to touch Abby, but she pulled away. The doctor began to explain what would happen next. After she was done, Stephen went to call Olivia. Abby remained stoic, waiting for labor to be induced.
"Stephen." Olivia said solemnly, running toward her friend as fast as her 5 inch heels let her. She immediately noticed that he was crying. For a while, she just hugged him while he cried. Despite how he seemed now, Olivia knew how fragile Stephen once was. She saw him through his breakdown, and had always feared that something might weaken him again. She may not have seen him cry in a long time, but it still broke her heart to think about it. Seeing it again only confirmed the tragedy of her two friends' situation. For the first time in her life, Olivia didn't have the solution. This is was a fact that scared both her and Stephen.
"How's Abby?"
"I don't know Liv. They're inducing labor, and she should be out of the hospital in a few days. She didn't say a word."
"I'm sorry Stephen. I really am."