Andrew's POV.
I had been months since Josh's death, and Chase was still missing. No-one knew were he was, or where he was going. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't track him, he wasn't using his credit card, and he wasn't using him Phone.
The past couple of months had been hardest for Ashlyn. More people had found out she was pregnant, that the baby is mine, and that were keeping it. The more people that knew, the more trouble it caused her, for those at school that hadn't noticed her before were now, and not for the reason's people like. She was the class slut, the whore.
Ashlyn's parents knew she was pregnant, the teachers had called them while they were on one of their "Business" trip, but they just didn't care.
Ashlyn had told me that when Ashlyn was little that her parent's had gone on "Business" a lot less, but as she got older they went away more and more, until they eventually didn't come back for months. It had been a year since she had seen her parents, months since even hearing their voice's.
When Ash's parent went on these "Business" trips, they never went to the same place, and because they were never together they both met someone and one thing leads to another, and from what she was saying one thing led to another a lot.
No matter how much I told her I was sorry about her parents, she insisted that I had had it worse. Growing up with no parents at all, being raised by my brother, and keeping it all a secret so people wouldn't talk and whisper about the Parker brothers behind their backs.
I sat on the lounge, Ashlyn asleep with her head on my lap. Sitting hear was a good time to reflect on how everything was and how everything is going to change. The baby was going to be a gift, no matter what everyone else thought. When you grow up without parents, or parents that neglected you, then that just drives you to do better, to not be like your parents.
Ashlyn had grown bigger over the past months, and now there was only two more to go, 8 weeks, maybe less. The thought was joyous, yet scary all the same, the thought that in less than two months I could be sitting in this exact spot with a baby in my arms.
My mind started to turn to baby names, but nothing came immediately, except Josh. I wanted the baby to have Josh somewhere in his/her name. Ashlyn and myself had made the decision not to find out the baby's sex, we wanted it to be a surprise.
Ashlyn shifted on the lounge, letting out a groan, then everything was quite again. When a few second's later she did the same again, only the groan was one that sounded like she was in pain. I nudged her softly, "Ash, baby, wake up."
She didn't wake, only continued to groan, each one causing my panic to rise. When the groaning stopped it didn't help anything. She had stopped moving too, only the quite sound of her faltering breath filling the room.
I gently pushed her head from my lap, and ran to the phone, dialing 911. The paramedics said they would be there right away, so I hung up and went back to Ashlyn who had started moaning and twisting around again.
I tried to comfort her, patting her head, talking to her, even kissing her, but nothing got through, she never responded to any of it, and with each of my attempts failing the more my panic rose, until it was almost choking me.
I knew that something major was wrong, something that was putting both her and the baby in danger, and I couldn't stand it. Ashlyn was all I had left, I couldn't loose her, not so soon after loosing Josh.
My mind was racing, everything clamoring in my mind, and the paramedics still hadn't arrived. I should have treated her better, she always deserved better. I should have never let her go in the first place, I should have explained everything to her the first time, But I had just felt so hurt and angry, all of it aimed at her, so I had dragged it out letting her believe what she wanted.
Josh had deserved better too. If I hadn't let her go, Josh would still be here, he would still be alive. Everything was my fault, all deaths, all injuries, all emotional pain. The only thing I couldn't be sure about is what had happened to Chase.
The paramedics finally arrived, but I didn't budge, just yelled out that the door was open. They came in with the stretcher, lifting her up on to it gently. I followed them out the door, and was about to get in the back of the van with her when one of the paramedics said, "Sorry, only family members allowed in the back, are you a family member?"
I knew I should have lied, but all I could say was, "I'm the father of the baby."
She nodded with a regretful look, "Sorry, you'll have to follow behind in the car."
She was about to close the doors when I stopped her, "I can't drive, I'm 16, please take me, I don't want to leave her."
She looked at me, and what ever she saw in my eyes, whether it was my terror, or my love for Ashlyn and the baby, I didn't know, but she said, "Ok, get in, but make it fast."
I held Ashlyn's hand the entire ride to the hospital, and as she was taken through the emergency door, I turned to the lady who had been sitting in the back with me, "What's the chances?
She looked sad, "They don't look good, you may have to decide between one or the other."
I didn't reply, just ran through the door's after Ashlyn.
Ashlyn's POV.
My entire body was in pain, spreading out from my stomach, and I knew the baby was in trouble. What made everything harder to endure was the fact that I could no longer feel Andrew's presence, he wasn't there, I was surrounded by strangers, and no matter if I couldn't see him, I wanted him close to me. I mustered up enough breath to croak out, "Andrew."
I heard one of the disembodied voice voices around me say, "Find this Andrew, she may calm down."
After a few minutes, I felt him, felt him clutching at y hand, and it didn't matter that I knew he was scared too, I had him with me and that is what did matter.
My own panic rose as I heard the earlier voice say, "You have to choose, her or the baby."
Andrew squeezed my hand harder, and almost shouted, "Save them both, it's your job to do so, I'm not picking, I want them both."
There was a pained silence, then, "I will try my best, nut she is going to have to have a cesarean."
There was no hesitation, "I don't care, do whatever it takes."
The last thing I felt was a mask going over my face, but never once did Andrew let go.
Andrew's POV.
As soon as the anesthetic took affect, the doctors sent me outside to wait in the waiting room . It seemed like I had been there for hours, when finally people started emerging from the operating room, the first being the doctors, then the nurses. The last nurse was the only one that came up to me, "Would you like to meet your baby?"
I nodded, anything to get closer to Ashlyn, to get into that room. The Nurse led me over to a small raised bed in the room, something that looked like a tray, but inside was the one thing that caused me to have an amazed feeling that I had never had before.
I the bed was the most beautiful baby that I had ever laid my eyes on. Ten little fingers and, Ten little toes. The nurse smiled at my expression, and asked, "Would you like to hold your son?'
Again all I could do was nod, and the nurse reached down to pick him up, then handed him to me, "Do you have a name picked out for him yet?"
I shook my head, as I shifted his weight in my arms, "No, we want to make that decision together."
He opened his eyes, revealing eyes just like his mothers. But the moment was ruined when the nurse said, "You may not get that chance."
I looked over at Ashlyn, to see she was breathing, but only barely, and she had an oxygen mask covering her face.
Seeing her like that caused my world to crumble down around me.
