Chapter 36

(First, I would like to apoligize for taking what seemed like forever to get this chapter finally written and uploaded. There is an explanation at the end on why this took so long. It's a bit long but explains why.)

The tears that she had felt so many times before fell from her face once again as she stared at the box and test lying on the ground, her vision beginning to blur as she tried to fight the feeling of sadness and hopelessness yet again. Sally wiped her eyes and inhaled through her nose to clear it and bent down, picking the test up. I'm an idiot. she thought, tossing the plastic stick into a small garbage can beside the sink. How could I be so blind? she asked herself, grabbing a few sheets of TP and drying her eyes.

As she tossed the used toilet tissue into the trash, she began to feel alone, frightened at the prospect of raising a baby with no father. If only you were here. she thought, looking up at the ceiling. You always knew what to do.

As the weight of the situation engulfed her, she stood up and headed into the living room and grabbed her phone. Scrolling through the contact list, she picked one of the numbers at random, not even bothering to look at the screen as she dialed it. Sally didn't even care who she dialed, she just needed someone to talk to; an errant sob emanated from her throat as she listened to the sound of a dial tone.

"Hello?" a gruff voice asked when the other end picked up.

"Uh... *sob* Shadow?" she asked.

"Sally? What's wrong? Are you OK?"

*sniff* "Yeah." she said. "N-n-no." she stuttered through another errant sob. "Um... can you come over?" Sally asked. Shadow's inner alarm went off. It wasn't like her to be so upfront like this.

"Sure. I'll be there in a few minutes." he said without hesitating, then hung up. Going over to one of the control panels, he switched ARK's systems to away mode, threw on a quick set of clothes so he wouldn't stand and prepared to jump down to the planet's surface. Stepping to the middle of the room, he slowed his breathing down, closed his eyes and focused his thoughts on Sally's house. "Chaos control!" he barked; a white flash of light and a tingling sensation rushed through his body as he felt the power of Chaos spread through him. When he opened his eyes, he found himself not in front of Sally's, but on the side of a long empty stretch of road.

"Huh." he mumbled to himself. Not where I wanted to end up at, but it shouldn't be a problem. he thought. Shouldn't take me too long to get there. Shadow bent his knees slightly and in a second, shot off down the road at lightning speed; in less than three minutes, he found himself standing in front of her house.

I hope she's alright. he thought as he walked up to the door and knocked. Shadow could hear the sounds of movement coming from within, then the click and clack of the lock turning; the door opened. "Hi, Shadow." Sally said quietly and stepped aside so he could enter, her voice quiet and having an almost defeated tone.

"Hi." Shadow replied. He looked her over quickly and saw that this was a completely different Sally than he had last seen. She looked tired and almost drained of life; a shell of the person he knew. Her eyes were puffy and red, the usual sign she had been having another one of her almost constant crying fits. But the largest of the emotions he was picking up from her was one that was very rare for her, fear. As long as he had known her, fear had cropped up in her three other times. The first when Sonic had disappeared, again after his death and now.

"How are you?" he asked as he sat down on the close end of the couch. Sally didn't reply as she shut the door and walked over to where he was sitting and sat at the opposite end. "Better." she finally replied, her voice still quiet. She tried to flash him a smile but it quickly disappeared and her gaze turned toward her knees, both of which were pulled up on the couch.

"So what's going on?" he asked.

I can't do this. she thought, tears beginning to well up again.

"Sally?" Shadow said, but she still didn't look at him; her head began to shake and her shoulders began to move up and down as she began to weep again.

"Sally." Shadow said gently, reaching out to her and placing his hand on her shoulder. Sally pulled away quickly, her weeping increasing in volume. "I'm pr- *sob*." she began to say but her voice cutoff; Shadow was barely able to make out what she had said.

"I'm... *sob*... I'm... *sob*" she tried to speak but her tears were in full swing now. Shadow reached out to her again and this time, she fell into him, burying her head in his chest. She released her emotions, her tears disappearing into the fabric of his black shirt. "Erm Brgunt." Sally said, her voice muffled from his shirt.

"What?" he asked.

Sally lifted her head away from him and said "I'm pregnant.", looking him in the eye before burying her head against him again. Sally threw her arms around him and as her arms brushed against his quills, they reminded her of her husband and she began to weep harder.

Her words froze him, falling unexpectedly upon his ears. Shadow did the only thing he could think to do and put an arm around her and pulled her slightly closer to her; she nuzzled against him, appreciative of the show of support. "It'll be alright." he said calmly. "You'll make it through this." As he held her, Sonic's request to take care of her floated through his mind. Did he know about this? Shadow thought as Sally's cries began to slow down. Did he know he wasn't going to be around much longer? Was that why he asked... no, no. That couldn't have been the reason.

"Shadow?"

"Hm?" Shadow mumbled, looking over at her.

"I don't know how I'm going to raise a baby without a father." she said, looking up at him.

Shadow gave her a smile. "I'm not going to sit here and pretend I have all the answers, but I know this. You're one of the strongest people I know. I've seen you do things most men wouldn't. If anyone can raise a baby, it's you. And besides, you have us to help you."

Sally smiled and her sobs began to fade away. "I know. But I've just asked you all for so much already. It just makes me feel so... helpless."

"I know. You've been through a lot. But that's what friends do; were not going to let you go through this by yourself." Shadow replied.

Sally laid her head back against Shadow, comforted to at least have someone beside her. There was a silence between them for several minutes as Sally continued to calm down and Shadow offering said comfort. "Shadow?" she said a few minutes later.

"Hm?"

"Would you stay here tonight?" she asked.

"Sure." he replied. There was no way he could refuse her request. Not only was she in need, but there was Sonic's final request and this was the perfect way to honor it. "I just need to go back to ARK and secure it."

"How long would that take?" she asked with a sniffle. She really didn't want to be alone for too long if it couldn't be helped.

"Shouldn't be more than a few minutes." he said. "Just a matter of setting the systems to auto."

Sally nodded and pulled away for him so he could stand. "I'll be back." he said as he got up and walked over to the door. "Wait." Sally said, getting up and quickly walking over to him. "Thank you." she said. Shadow nodded and walked out the door.

As she began to regain her senses, she felt this sense of calm wash over her and within minutes she felt like herself again. Knowing she would have someone in the house that night and not have to go another one alone was a welcome feeling, as it had been when Tails had stayed with her awhile back.

Later that night

Shadow stood at the window, looking out into the night. While he preferred the station, he had to admit, nighttime on the planet was beautiful, especially in the countryside. It was quiet, peaceful and if he could find a place on the surface that was like this 24/7 he could call his own, he'd move down in a heartbeat. Of course, there was good reason for him to consider it now and it was sleeping in a room 15 feet away from him. The crying had subsided awhile ago and Shadow hoped she had managed to fall asleep and give her mind a break from everything, if only for a few hours. During her latest breakdown, he heard her talking to herself, asking questions to herself like why Sonic had to be taken from her and questioning if she could raise a baby alone; they were the same questions she kept asking over and over.

She was a strong woman, one of the strongest he'd ever know and he knew she would be able to come out of it eventually as she always did, but the question was how long it would take this time. As he laid down on the couch and put his arms behind his head, he hoped tomorrow would be a better day for her.

The next morning

Shadow opened his eyes, the morning sun breaking through the clouds outside. It was just before 8 and he sat up, a little angry at himself for sleeping so late but there had been more pressing matters at hand earlier that morning. Perched at the edge of the sofa, his nose caught the scent of food cooking, bacon, eggs, sausage and coffee. What the...he wondered as he got up to investigate. Did she have a good night after all?

As the hedgehog walked into the kitchen, he saw Sally standing in front of the stove, cooking breakfast; if he didn't know better he'd bet that she hadn't been depressed and crying just a few hours before. "Morning." he said as he took a seat at the breakfast bar, pulling up a stool.

Sally turned around, spatula in hand, apron tied around her waist. "Morning." she said in a cheerful voice. For the first time since he'd gotten there, she seemed like the Sally he knew; much more like herself than those times she seemed to be normal after a dip into depression. "Hungry?" she asked.

"No, thank you. Just coffee." Shadow said; he didn't care for the drink in particular, but he felt it would be rude to refuse anything at all. She poured him a cup and set it in front of him then turned back to her eggs. Shadow took the cup and took a sip. Wow. That's actually good. he thought with a slight smile, immediately taking another sip. It had hints of sweetness and a touch of spice, cinnamon or possibly pumpkin. "So how're you doing?" Shadow asked.

Sally dumped the pan of eggs onto an awaiting plate, already holding two sausage links and a strip of bacon, cut in half. "Good." she said, her voice cheerful. *heh* "To be honest, it was the best night of sleep I've gotten in awhile."

"Well, that's good. You look better too." Shadow replied.

"Thank you." she said, grabbing her plate and going over to the table; Shadow grabbed his coffee and followed, sitting across from her. Her gaze was on the chair as she pulled it out to sit down and when she looked back up and saw Shadow sitting across from her, coffee in hand, it triggered another memory of Sonic. The blue hedgehog had sat in that exact same spot every morning, coffee in hand, eating breakfast with her before taking off for his usual morning run. But this time it was different. Instead of breaking down and crying and falling into the spiral of depression once again, she did the exact opposite; *heh* Just like Sonic.

"Something funny?" Shadow asked when she laughed.

"No, no. It's just... Sonic would have coffee every morning. In that exact spot." she replied. She smiled and took a bite of her eggs, not even shedding a tear at the memory.

Shadow immediately became flustered and went to stand up. "I-I'm sorry." he said.

"It's alright." Sally told him. "Sit. Please."

Shadow uneasily slid back into his chair, weary of her attitude at the moment. "I didn't know..."

"Shadow." Sally said. "It's ok. It's actually nice to have someone sitting across the table for once."

Shadow nodded slightly and sat back in his chair. He understood what she meant and any thoughts of offending her passed.

Eventually the day wore on and it turned out to be a good one for Sally. She had left the house with Shadow, going out but not to any place in particular. She just wanted to get out for the sake of getting out. Shadow of course tagged along to keep her company and her sanity in check. A part of him found being around anyone other than his friends a bother, he did it for her.

Walking over to an ice cream stall, Sally looked over at Shadow. "Want one?" she asked.

"No, you go ahead. Thank you though." he replied.

Pulling out her wallet from her purse, she ordered a double cone, chocolate and the vendor handed her the cone; her face lit up as she paid for it. "Thank you." she said, grabbing a napkin and turning back to Shadow. "I've been craving one of these all day." she said, giving it a lick. "This and pickles. Is that weird?"

Shadow laughed. "No." It was the only response he had. Walking back to her car, she dug the keys out of her pocket and disabled the alarm. While he walked around to the passenger side, he noticed that Sally was just beginning to show signs of pregnancy. One wouldn't notice it just by glancing at her or indoors, but out in the light of the sun she was showing. Her belly was just barely curved but it was noticeable if one looked hard enough.

Once back home, Sally put the car in park but didn't get out, turning to Shadow. "Thank you for today." she said. "I haven't felt that normal in awhile."

"You're welcome." Shadow replied.

There was a short silence before Sally spoke. "I was wondering... if you would... do me a... favor." she said.

"Sure. Just ask." Shadow said.

"Would you... stay here again... tonight?" she asked.

Shadow nodded. "Sure. I'll stay as long as you need me."

"Are you sure? I mean, I know you have to stay with ARK."

"Yeah, but I set the systems to auto so it practically takes care of itself. Besides," he said with a smile. "after today, I don't think I have the strength to teleport back to the station."

Sally nodded her thanks. "I'll stay here as long as you need me too."

A/N: Okay, I owe everyone that's been waiting for this an explanation why I've taken so long to finish this chapter and continue. At first, I became stuck on how to finish this chapter and after awhile, I just lost the urge to write. Then when I got the urge to continue writing again, I got sick in December with H1N1 (in 2013) and was too sick to write. After that in February, I was kicked out of the house my family had been living in off and on for the last 20 years. It was my grandmother's but the bank sold it and we had to move. After that in March, I had a very serious medical issue which I will explain fully at the end of this story which will be soon. I've finally figured out how to end this and would like to move on from this and start a brand new story. Anyway, I was in and out of the hospital for the next couple of months and finally as of this upload, began writing again. While I don't have my own computer any longer, I can access a laptop every once in a while and write a bit, so, barring any sudden hospitalizations or other serious matters, I can now finish this. Thank you to everyone who has read up to this point and if there are any of my subscribers that haven't abandoned this due to the length of time I've taken to finish this chapter and upload, you get the biggest thanks of all. I hope to have the next chapter up within the month or mid November.