doppelgänger

andy

"Danielle," Scout's voice said. Andy heard her laugh softly as she came into his view. He could see her sitting on the floor below the bed.

The little girl, probably about one or maybe even a little younger, was attempting to walk towards Scout, and having a little bit of trouble. The girl had just learned how to walk. That one thing was clear to Andy.

Danielle, the small child with bright, clear blue eyes, curly blonde hair and a big smile, Andy knew, had an older sister that looked just the same. But she was only maybe about twenty five seconds older.

From Andy's view, he couldn't seem to control himself or his own body or voice, but he could hear his own voice and his own hysterical laugh, the one that rarely came from his mouth, the one that he himself had not heard in a very long time.

It was a happy memory, but also sad to look back on at the same time, because he was missing all that was there. It was all gone from him, and he had lost all that once there in that part of his memory.

The little boy with matching blue eyes and light blonde hair to his sisters ran in the room, curling up in Scout's lap. Little Danielle didn't like the idea of him having Scout all to himself, but Scout just laughed and took both of them in her arms, kissing them over and over so that they, too, started to laugh and couldn't stop.

Their sister Sadie was the quieter one, and though she did like to play and be loud sometimes, other times it just seemed she'd rather sit back with Andy or Scout and watch.

Andy felt for her.

He also often wondered what went on in the small one-year-old's mind. But Scout said not to work himself up about, because she was so little. She just seemed to think she was quiet, like she was herself when she was a baby.

"You okay, Sadie G?" he said, looking down at her and kissing her head, holding her close to him.

All the memories Andy had of those adorable little kids were the best he'd ever had.

But the one he'd just remembered happened to be the last fond memory he'd had of all three of them before they'd been taken away.

Now all he could hear in his mind were the sharp sobs of his then-girlfriend beside him, mourning.

He woke up with an abrupt gasp, and looked over at Scout. She wasn't crying. She was sound asleep next to him in their bed.

He didn't know how she still even slept anymore.

*

The next morning when Scout woke up, she looked beside her, but Andy wasn't there. She guessed he had already gotten up and went downstairs, maybe to eat breakfast with Dennis.

She walked downstairs, with Kodi, one of their dogs, following close behind, and found Andy asleep on the big couch in the living room. She smiled a little, sitting down beside him and running her fingers through his hair, just thinking and taking advantage of how quiet and peaceful the house was.

Dennis was gone already, off to school with Bex for the last day. She thought of how soon, there wouldn't be just little Wolf running around, but so would Andy and Scout's new little toddler. As time passed, it was becoming more surreal, especially for Scout, considering she could feel it all: cramps, kicking, and lots of other stuff.... and Scout couldn't believe she was going through the pregnancy process again.