Another Love

Make You Feel Alright

(Venny's Assistant wrote this chapter)

TW: talks of accident, death, drug consumption, gambling

[Y/n's POV]

I awoke to an empty bed... but it wasn't my bed. I thought I could hear something in the room across the hall. I stood up, wrapped myself in a purple silk robe and padded across the hallway to the noise.

The door was open only a small bit and a ray of light was pouring through the crack, illuminating the now-dark hallway.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine," she cried quietly and I pushed the door open silently a little further, "You make me happy, when skies are grey. You'll never know dear how much I love you..." but then she started crying a little harder.

"Please don't take my sunshine away," I sung almost silently back. I pushed open the door the whole way and saw Wilhelmina in an armchair facing a window that looked directly onto my garden. She was sat completely stiff now, unmoving.

I took in the rest of the room.

A cot against the far lilac wall, with a crystal mobile over the top, stuffed animals everywhere, another armchair similar to Wilhelmina's, but blue and finally, shelves of pictures of a tiny baby, being held by Wilhelmina and Michael, who both had the biggest smiles on their faces.

"Get out," she whispered, never moving.

"No," I replied and closed the door gently behind myself, as I walked further in and picked up one of the pictures of Wilhelmina and the baby.

It was an adorable picture, the baby in Wilhelmina's arms, both of them in purple flowy dresses, sat together in a forest, a headband of baby's breath flowers ran across the top of Mina's long hair and a smaller crown sat atop of the baby's faint red tufts of uneven hair.

I took the picture in my arms and sat in the armchair opposite Wilhelmina, studying her tear-stained face intently.

"Wilhelmina, what happened?" I whispered, and placed my hand over hers, to which she started sobbing uncontrollably. I picked her up and sat back down in the armchair, with her curled into my lap, as her sobs shook her fragile body, "I'm so sorry, darling."

"I just want her back," she sobbed into me and I held her tighter.

She didn't need to say anything else for me to know her baby wasn't with her anymore.

[Wilhelmina's POV]

I wiped my tears and closed my eyes, bracing myself to tell her but I could only form one sentence, "I just want her to come home y/n."

She let me cry into her, she didn't push. We just sat there and watched the evening fall to complete darkness.

"We were in the car," I took a deep breath and y/n nodded to me, telling me it was ok to continue, "We were in the car and I looked up from the road to see her asleep in the rearview mirror, I remember being so at peace with how life was going and I looked over at Michael, who was so proud of both me and her. The rest... well... the rest...

Flashback

"WILHELMINA NO!" I remember Michael screamed, dragging me from the crushed car. I could hear sirens but I didn't want them.

"WILLOW!" I yelled and tried to get her out of the car. I was in so much pain, my back felt like it was curling.

I pulled my baby out of the wreck and held her close, "It's ok, darling I'm here, just wake up, please wake up!" I shook her in my arms and kissed her head so many times. "WILLOW BABY WAKE UP FOR ME PLEASE!" I screamed and held her closer, turning to Michael, "WAKE UP WILLOW WAKE UP PLEASE I NEED YOU!"

Michael walked over slowly, dropped down next to me and tried to take her from my arms, but I held on, not knowing if I'd ever hold her again.

End of flashback

I woke up in hospital, y/n," I whispered, "I remember screaming for her and Michael just telling me she was gone. It was two years ago. Two years ago, y/n! And I still hope that one day, I'm going to get a phone call, and the hospital are going to tell me there was a mistake and she went home with the wrong person and she's fine and she's coming home... and she's coming back to me."

I stopped for a moment and stood up shakily, unbuttoning my shirt, to reveal the small ECG tattoo that sat over my scar where I'd had the c-section. You could still see the scar through the lines, and at the end, was a small love heart, where the zig-zag drew to a straight line across the rest of the scar.

Y/n reached out and traced the line over my tummy, before I turned around and dropped the rest of my shirt from my shoulders.

"The impact knocked my spine out of place," I whispered, "it left me with the most severe scoliosis three different hospitals had ever seen."

It went silent for a moment, before I felt her lips pressing gentle kisses to the ridges of my spine.

"You didn't deserve any of it," she said quietly and sniffled.

"This whole time, I've just wanted to be held by someone. Michael started gambling and coming home high, before disappearing for days at a time and all I could think about... was you. How you would have held onto me and kept me safe and told me it would all be OK, I've only wanted you this whole time," I sobbed and she turned me around, pulling me close into her arms.

"I'm never going anywhere ever again," she whispered into my hair and kissed my temple.

"Michael struggled too, I suppose he found a way to cope though. I didn't. I sit here in this room for hours a day, just waiting for a call from the hospital. I don't know why I still have any hope at all, but I can't let go."

"Let me help you," she breathed out and kissed me gently.

"I never got to see her grow up."

"She had a cute name."

I laughed breathily into her chest.

"Oh my god," I whispered, looking into her eyes.

"I know I am." She winked.

"Shut up, I laughed and slapped her arm playfully, "that's the first time I've laughed in two years. You made me laugh."

"Glad I could be of service m'lady," she laughed too.

"I think Michael and Cordelia are sleeping together." I frowned.

"Aww, it's like I did a wife swap with Michael," she laughed.

"He keeps trying for another baby," I sighed and push y/n back into my armchair, before crawling back into her lap.

"Any success?"

"No. I'm infertile now. I've seen so many doctors, but it's no use, my back couldn't handle it anyway."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I don't want a baby with him again anyway, he's insufferable." I smiled up at her.

"I should go home," she sighed.

"They're staying somewhere overnight, Michael called and I heard her moaning. It was gross. Please stay with me?"

"Is that even a question, of course I will." She smiled and I kissed her gently again, leading her out of the room.

I took one last look around, smiling to myself.

I was ready to let go of my baby.