To Love A Broken Heart

Prologue

Mathews POV 17.5 Years ago

When you learn that you are going to be a parent. The only thing you wish is that your child is healthy. A healthy baby who can grow up to be big and strong and take on the challenges of everyday life, head on, with full force. A child who is perfect, and beautiful, and will fill an unknown empty hole in your heart. A child who is perfect.

When me and my wife, Linda found out she was pregnant, we where ecstatic. We were so happy and full of joy that we started preparing right away. When went to the first ultrasound and heard our babies heart beat for the first time, we both practically melted. It sounded so perfect. I couldn't believe that there was a tiny human growing inside my wife. When the doctor excused her self and left the room, coming back with another doctor. We were not prepared for what we would hear next. From our babies already fast heart rate, the doctor caught onto something. An extra beat tucked away in there that alerted them something was wrong.

Our soon to be baby would be born with a heart defect. After that bit of news we didn't feel as prepared as we should. We started taking care of everything making sure that when we brought her home nothing would be able to take her away from us. 

When the day came, I wasn't prepared for what I lost.

_____________________________

"Push". The doctor in front of my wife encouraged.

My hand tightened as my beautiful wife Linda tightened her grip on my hand. She screamed out in pain as she pushed our soon to be beautiful baby girl into the world. 

Sweat beaded on her forehead and dripped down as she leaned back into all the pillows stacked behind her. I lifted up the towel the nurses gave me to dry the sweat from her forehead. Her beautiful brown eyes looked at me with anger as I dried her off. "I am never doing this again". She told me.

I chuckled and shook my head. "Says the one who wants two kids". 

"Not anymor-". She was cut off by a scream as another contraction hit her. 

I brushed her brown hair off her face as the doctor told her to push. "Come on. One more". I encouraged her as she squeezed the life out of my hand and exploded my eardrum with her scream of pain. 

When her scream subsided we heard the sound we have both been looking forward to. The cries of a little baby. "It's a girl". 

We already knew that. I looked at Linda and a smile was plastered on both our faces as the baby's cries played in the background. "Maia". She stated. "Maia Rose Parker". 

We knew her name before she went into labor. Hell we decided on her name before she even got pregnant. 

I watched Linda's eye as the nurses took our beautiful Maia out of the room. We both knew this was coming. Our baby girl was already fighting for her life and she wasn't even a minute old. We both knew what was going to happen. I was going to follow after Maia and Linda would stay here. "Go". She told me.

I looked out the door and back to her. "Are you sure"?

"Yes. I'll be fine. I promise". 

I planted a sweet kiss on her lips that read as 'I love you'. I turned away from her and started leaving the room. That's when it all started. The machines that were connected to my wife started going haywire and beeping alerting me that something bad was happening. 

Doctors rushed in the room and pushed me out. "Hey! What is happening"?

"I'm sorry sir, but we need you to leave". The nurse pushed me out the door and closed it.