Crescent Moon (Kyle J Simmons)

It's Gotta Get Easier

M A Y

As soon as we had stepped through the doors of our house, we scheduled a new ultrasound, since Kyle was more than anxious to find out the gender. As the technician held the little bar over my bump, my heart was pounding. I personally didn't care which it was, I was just ready to find out. Kyle held my hand tightly as he stood beside me.

"Are you ready to know?" the woman asked.

"Yes," I said.

"It's a girl."

At that moment tears leaked out of my eyes and Kyle nearly fell on the ground. I could tell how happy and emotional he was. We both were. I turned my head to the right as I saw our daughter moving around and breathing on the screen. My heart melted.

We then went back home and took a photo to share on Instagram. Kyle put it on his twitter, and within ten minutes, it was already loaded with likes and comments. 

"She's going to be so beautiful, Mans." he said, holding the new picture.

"She's already so beautiful." I replied. "Just look at that head, and those lips."

"It's just the same, Mans. Otherwise, it's invisible."

"No it's not. Her lips are shaped just like yours, and I notice that her nose looks just like mine."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I wonder who's hair she'll have."

"It'll be brown, regardless."

"Yes, but yours is light, and mine's dark. Big difference."

"We'll see." I said.

Summer came, I got my Anthropology degree, and Bastille had released their new single Quarter Past Midnight. Not too long after, they were touring again. I was left alone for almost my entire 2nd trimester. Before I knew it, it had been 3 months since the wedding. I hadn't seen my mum, brother, or sister ever since. At first it was hard, but like Dan said, I was better off now. I wouldn't be burdened by all the venom Susan had anymore.

I started looking into finding my father again. It was difficult, more so than I thought it would be. Stephen Tyree had no address, known phone number, or even a Facebook page. I began to realize why it was so difficult for him to contact me all those years. It made me wonder if the man was a fugitive, but I imagine I would've been informed of that. I was genuinely brilliant when it came to sketchy thing on the internet, but this was the hardest case.

Finally, I had the crazy idea to look up old information about my mother. I clicked the first foreign link I saw, and it turned out to be exactly what I needed. I clicked on what looked like an old wedding photo, a man and a woman. The female was obviously my mum, because her young face looked very similar to mine and my siblings. The man had to be my father, given he had the same jawline as my brother, the same bluish eyes as my sister, and the same caramel brown hair as me. Yes, that was him.

I couldn't find any actual information, however, I did find a few more pictures of him, along with references to the motorcycle gang he supposedly led. That led me to finding more details about that. Apparently they had a dangerous reputation. Oddly, I had the biggest urge to go out and find them myself.

No, I couldn't. I was six months pregnant, and it was too risky. First, going off to Paris on my own. Second, chaos that would endanger my baby. No, not in a million years.

One Week Later

When Kyle got back home, I was already in the bed. Though half asleep, I still managed to wrap my arms around his waist and bury my face in his chest. That's when I descended...

I was kidnapped. I didn't know who it was until I took her hood off. It was my mum, driving fast down the road.

"Let me go!" I struggled with shackles on my wrists.

"No," she said calmly. "That man stole my daughter and put his little spawn inside you, Mandala, but now, we can be together again. Forever."

"No!" I screamed. "Help! Somebody help!"

"No one can here you. That husband of yours is off with the rest of his little band. He'll never know how to find you."

That's when the car collided into a massive bunch of others. Mum wasn't scratched, but I then looked at down at saw all the blood coming out of me.

"No!" I screamed to the top of my lungs.

The dream didn't shift, and the next thing I knew, I was pushing. I pushed and pushed, but I knew it was hopeless. I didn't care about the pain or the fact that I was bleeding to death, I wanted to save my baby. I clung to what little hope I did have.

Finally, she was out, but there was no cry. No pulse. Nothing.

And the worst part was that I was still alive, with nothing.

Kyle

I woke up when I heard her screams. My heart was already racing.

"Manda! Manda! What is it?"

She shot up, crying so hard and screaming. "No!"

"Manda! Manda, baby, what is it? Is she coming early?"

She shook her head, and she reached down and caressed her bump protectively. She moved her hand over, and I knew she was looking for some kind of sign. She sighed in relief, falling back.

"Mans?" I put my hand on her face. "Please tell me,"

"She...she was dead." she sniffed hard.

"What?"

"I had a d...dream. She...was...dead."

I put my hand on her bump, feeling the baby's little heartbeat. "Mans she's fine."

"How long, though? How long before something happens and we lose her."

I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight. "Manda, no. I won't let it happen. I'll never let you or her be near any danger. I will make sure she never leaves our arms."

She cried into my chest. "It f...felt so... real, Kyle."

"It was just a dream, Mandala. Just a bad dream." I kissed the top of her head. "It's okay. I'm right here."

She held on tight to me. "Kyle, I can't let anything happen, especially while I'm still pregnant."

"You won't. You know what you should do?"

"What?"

"Quit your job, Mans. You don't even like it and you're about to have a baby."

She wiped her eyes. "I was thinking about that. I wouldn't mind some time  out of work."

I rubbed my hand over her hair. "Yeah, just tell them tomorrow. You have a degree now. Just don't think about it for a while. It'll be alright."

"I love you, Kyle. Thank you for being so supportive."

I kissed her. "I love you, Mans. Try and go back to sleep."