one-hundred-nine.

946 53 41
                                    

[ trigger warning: miscarriage. ]
I typically post any disclaimers/TWs in the intro portions of my books, but since this wasn't covered at the beginning of OOTR, I'm leaving it here for the sake of being sensitive to any of my readers that might struggle with this subject.

•••

JANUARY 17th, 1998, OLYMPIA, WA

             REAGAN WAS BEGINNING to think that she was sick. It was either that or another person was co-inhabiting her body, forcing her to do odd things that weren't like her. Odd things like willingly visiting her mother's house for a second time within the span of a month.

Technically, she was there with an intended purpose. She'd finally reached her thirteenth week of pregnancy and had been ready to tell her family, deciding that they deserved to hear the news in person. After taking a long weekend off from work, Reagan had flown in the day before and told everyone that night. The consensus had been that everyone was happy for her — even Kimberly had seemed pleased.

Reagan knew that she'd made the right choice, coming back after having spent Christmas with them to reveal the good news. One of her growing fears had been that Robbie and the twins would soon feel like she was estranging herself from them. They were getting older, with Robbie now nineteen and the twins ten, and Reagan knew that she'd always feel guilty for leaving them in the dust to deal with Kimberly by themselves.

But she'd come back. She had come back for them and for Richard, who had beamed so happily upon hearing that she was pregnant that Reagan had been close to tears.

So far, it hadn't been all that bad being back. Dave had volunteered to stay behind in L.A. with Gracie, getting some one-on-one time with her before he left again on tour, though Reagan had presumed that he just didn't want to be around Kimberly. When she'd called him out on it smugly, he'd grimaced, giving her her answer.

She and Kate lounged in the living room that Saturday morning, their sock-clad feet propped up on the coffee table. It was still early and Reagan had regretfully brewed a cup of coffee for Kate but not herself. It was a bitch straying from caffeine in the wake of her pregnancy and she could have used it — her lower back had been killing her since she'd woken up.

"You're really not so bad for a sister," Kate suddenly said from her end of the couch. She was twirling her hair around her finger, smiling lazily.

"I'm easily the best sister to ever exist," Reagan quipped back playfully, surfing through television channels. She couldn't pick a station as usual.

"You must be if you were willing to come back here again."

Reagan laughed under her breath. "I was thinking the same thing."

Stepping foot inside of her childhood house did not necessarily evoke any warm, sugary feelings. There were only a few glimpses of nostalgia worth acknowledging, all in due part to the four younger siblings that Reagan had spent her life helping raise. The best part of the day so far was the fact that Kimberly was out, insisting that she had to run errands and having likely expected Reagan to beg her to stay. Of course, Reagan hadn't. She was hardly complaining about the lack of time her mother spent with her.

Robbie was home, though between his part time job at a record store and attending community college, he was busy. He'd embraced the tail end of his teenage years with open arms, shocking Reagan with a deep, unfamiliar voice and freshly grown out hair that went past his shoulders. There were still elements of the small child that she'd protected lingering inside of him, though. He was still happy to hug her tightly, content to let her into his thoughts, and he didn't seem at all resentful of Reagan for leaving. If anything, he was sporting a strangely mature outlook, wishing his sister well with the air of someone much older.

OUT OF THE RED ↝ dave grohlWhere stories live. Discover now