Hello Again (Sequel)

Good Things Just Can't Last, Can They?

***This chapter and the last chapter involve A.J.'s miscarriage. TRIGGER WARNING***

"Mrs. Hitachiin, I'm so sorry, but-" I held up a hand to stop the doctor. "Don't even say it," I sighed. "My deepest apologies ma'am, but you are past your first trimester so we have to induce labor." His words felt hollow. It's like I wasn't even there, like I was watching myself from another person's point of view. It was all a blur, and painful-- God, was it painful! I stared at the ceiling, sobbing and silently cursing God as I was forced to give birth to my dead child.

Hikaru P.O.V.

I paced the waiting room furiously. Knowing Ryo was just a few hallways away from where I stood made me want to go into his room and strangle him with his own IV. Adrienne's tracker on her phone led to an old house about ten minutes from our home-- a house conveniently owned by Ryo's family. I didn't wait for the officers; I had burst into the house, and the first thing I heard was her scream. I ran toward the sound as fast as I could, and was led to a door. It was locked from the inside.With one hard hit, I busted it open. It led to a basement. I swear, I jumped almost that entire flight of stairs. What was down there to greet me shattered my heart. Ryo had kicked Adrienne in her gut so hard that I heard the boot connecting to her flesh. Rage took over me then, and I went into a frenzy. I charged at him, slamming into him with all my weight as I started to swing. It felt good, the crunching of his nose and the popping of his jaw as I hit him over and over again. "H-Hika-baby!" A.J. called, her voice cracking as she curled in on herself. It was enough to pull me to my senses. I looked up to see her curled up on the floor, something dark spreading around her thighs. "A.J.!" I shouted, dropping the piece of shit that had taken her and running to her side. I picked her up carefully, cradling her to my chest. "It's okay babe. I'm here. I've got you," I whispered. 

Cops flooded the basement with flashlights and guns drawn. They hauled Ryo to his feet and drug him outside, two of them staying behind to guide A.J. and me out of the house. She was frozen, her eyes dull and empty as she zoned out. I continued to talk soothingly to her, but she didn't move or speak. Paramedics were outside waiting for us, and they went to take her out of my arms. Something snapped in her when one of them touched her, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream, clinging to me tightly. The paramedic looked at me as tears started to blur my vision. It pained my heart to see her this hurt, this broken. He nodded toward the ambulance and walked off while his partner held the door open. I moved carefully, wincing at every whine and sound of pain A.J. let out. I had climbed into the back of the ambulance, holding her in my lap as a paramedic sat across from me.

A light tap on my shoulder caused me to jump, pulling me back into reality. "You want some coffee?" Kaoru asked, holding out a cup. I took it with a grateful smile and sipped at it. I stopped pacing to let him guide me to a chair. He sat down beside me and I laid my head on his shoulder, allowing myself to finally break down. Everyone came into the waiting room like a herd, Jeanie immediately rushing to me and pulling me into a warm embrace. "I'm so sorry sha," she sniffed. I nodded a little, still crying like a baby. She let me go and went to sit by Ranka. Everyone took a seat, glancing around anxiously. Now all we could do was wait.

About an hour later, a nurse came in with a sad smile and everyone stood expectantly. Her eyes immediately fell on me. "Mr. Hitachiin, your wife has been asking for you," she said before turning back the way she had came, gesturing for me to follow. I turned to Haruhi to make sure she had the girls, and both of them were curled up in a chair asleep. Haruhi nodded at me, then I all but ran to catch up to the nurse. "So she's okay? What about our baby?" I asked, following the woman closely. Her posture became rigid and she glanced over her shoulder at me. "Your baby died from the blows Adrienne received, and we had to induce labor. I'm so sorry," she murmured, stopping at the door to one of the rooms. No. No, this can't be happening. This can't be real, I thought as I burst in the door. A.J. was sitting up in bed, staring out the window as tears rolled down her cheeks. She turned to look at me, and she let out the most wretched, heartbreaking sob. I was across the room in seconds, pulling her into my arms as I began to cry, too. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't do anything to keep him safe. I couldn't even keep myself safe. I'm so sorry," she whispered, her face buried into the crook of my shoulder. "No honey. No, don't do that! It's not your fault. It's not your fault," I sighed, rocking her almost to the point that we were shaking the bed. I continued to rock violently and cry with her until two nurses and a doctor came in to pry me off. "Sir. Sir! You can't do that, you're unhooking her monitors when you move so much," the doctor reprimanded me once they were able to get me to hold still. I took shaky breaths and let her go. She looked at me frantically, latching onto me for dear life. "Sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be right here as long as you want me to be," I cooed, carefully untangling her from me as I moved to the recliner beside the bed. 

The nurses hooked her up to her monitors again before leaving. The doctor looked at us with sad, heavy-lidded eyes and shifted awkwardly. What could you say to two people who had just lost their baby? Nothing. There wasn't a damn thing to say that would help. He opened his mouth and closed it again several times before he finally gave up and turned to leave. "You should get the okay to be released tomorrow," he murmured, leaving us alone once more. I took her hand in mine, squeezing gently. "We'll get through this," I vowed. She stared at me blankly. "How?" she whispered. She looked like she was ready to give up on life. "Together," I answered, placing a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. Her lips twitched, not wanting to smile; the sight made me grin, because it meant there was hope for her, for us.