ALWAYS {A Ryden MPreg}--House Of Memories: Book Two (Wattys 2016)

how to save a life (p. 1 of 2)

Gerard paced the waiting room, his face showing no emotion whatsoever. Ryan was sitting in the far corner of the room, his face in his hands and sobs shaking his body. Dallon sat gazing out the window. Charlie and Glory sat on the floor, facing one another, caressing each other's hands. Mikey was standing right outside the hospital, watching the waiting room with keen eyes. He hated hospitals, but he would go inside once he saw Brendon's doctor.
Dr. Martinez hesitantly approached them. Gerard glanced at her.
"H-how is he?" Gerard asked softly. Mikey rushed in and took a seat next to Dallon.
Dr. Martinez sighed. "You should all sit down," she murmured.
Gerard nodded and sat next to his cousins.
"What happened?" Charlie asked.
The doctor cleared her throat. "First off, there were complications with natural childbirth; he was hemorrhaging, so we had to do an emergency c-section. Um..."
Ryan slowly looked up and wiped his eyes.
"The boys didn't make it. One had the cord wrapped around his neck, the other had died earlier in the pregnancy. The baby girl is perfectly healthy."
"Wh-what about Brendon?" Ryan whispered, his voice shaky.
Dr. Martinez shook her head. "I'm so sorry."
Glory was the first to react. She burst into tears. "H-how?"
"He lost too much blood. We did everything we could, but we were too late to stop the bleeding." Dr. Martinez murmured. Gerard let out an extremely loud sob and ran out of the hospital so he could completely break down in private.

Ryan got to his feet. "I want to see him."
Dr. Martinez nodded. "We can do that. Just not right away. There is someone that I think really wants to meet you, though."
Ryan nodded. "I'll be right back, guys. I...I need to go hold my daughter," Ryan whispered, fighting to stay calm.

Dr. Martinez led Ryan up to the NICU."Wait here for a moment...I'll bring her out to you."Ryan nodded, silently cursing everyone and everything...even the sun.Dr. Martinez returned within a minute carrying a pink bundle in her arms."Meet your daughter," Dr. Martinez said, handing the sleeping baby to Ryan. Once Ryan saw his daughter's face, he completely fell apart."Brendon! Oh, Brendon," he sobbed, kissing his daughter's forehead. When Ryan looked into his daughter's eyes, Brendon's warm chocolate eyes stared back at him. She also had Brendon's mouth and his complexion. Ryan was in there, too. She had his chin, and his nose. And of course, she already totally and completely had his heart."Helena Lilith Urie. I promise to protect you no matter what," Ryan murmured, a sob ripping through him. The baby looked up at him and cooed. "I promise, darling, I will stop at nothing to keep you safe from all harm." Ryan cradled his daughter in his arms, stunned at her beauty."C-can I see Brendon now?" Ryan asked.Dr. Martinez nodded. "If you'll just follow me."

**A/N: "Always" may just be the end of me. I am crying so much while writing these chapters, and I know it's not gonna get any better before this story is complete. But, I owe it to you, my readers, to see this thing through. All I ask of you is your support and kind words while I torture myself further. The rest of the chapters will be shorter, and will kind of just stop in the middle of a scene, then the following chapter will pick it right up. Again, more proof that I, as a writer, am slowly losing it, so I can only post in small portions, if I want to keep my sanity. Hang in there with me. Once "Always" is completed, I will merge the choppy chapters. But, as of right now, I can only handle small bits at a time. Like usual, leave me comments and tell me what you think. If you notice a grammatical error, or something where the storyline doesn't quite add up, call me out on it. Please. Love to my lovelies!**