"Hey, honey. How are you feeling?" Andrew asked his wife who was lying on the couch watching television.
Amanda slowly sat up and responded with a shrug. "Ok, I guess. I'm just very sad."
"I know. So am I," Andrew said, sympathetically. "To think that we couldn't have a baby, then to find out you were pregnant only to get this far into the pregnancy and then lose the baby is devastating. I'm taking it pretty hard myself."
"You are?" Amanda asked, sounding surprised. "I didn't think you even cared about having a baby."
"Of course, I do. Maybe it wasn't as important to me as it was to you, but that doesn't mean I didn't want to have a baby or that I didn't care. This was my child too," Andrew said with a frown as he tried to hold back his emotions. "I was looking forward to being a father and to think we'll never see our child-"
"I had no idea," Amanda said, feeling a stong pang of guilt for what she was putting her husband through. Honestly, she hadn't thought about his feelings in all of this. She hadn't been able to think of anything except how much she'd wanted a baby. She could see clearly now how her lies about being pregnant and then losing the baby had affected everyone around her, but as hard as it was watch, there was nothing she could do now to take it back. It was probably best just to go with the lies and wait for everything to blow over.
"Are you going to come to the wedding with me? If so, you'd should start getting ready," Andrew said.
"No, I think I'll stay home."
"Are you sure? Getting out of the house, being around people might do you some good."
Amanda shook her head. "I don't feel like seeing anyone right now. But don't worry, you go and have a good time. I'll be alright."
"Was that your sister?" Edward asked his wife as Alma hung up the telephone. "Are we still riding to the wedding with them?"
"No, it was Andrew. He had bad news. Amanda had a miscarriage. He's still coming to the wedding, but she's going to stay home and rest."
"A miscarriage?" Edward asked. "How far along was she?"
"About six months, I think."
"At that point in the pregnancy it wouldn't be a miscarriage, it would be a stillbirth," Edward said with a frown. "Did she deliver the baby or did her doctor just detect that the baby was no longer living?"
"I don't know. Andrew didn't go into details. He just said that Amanda came home a few days ago after going to a doctor's appointment and told him that she'd lost the baby."
"Then the doctor probably just detected that there was no heartbeat or fetal movement. Otherwise I'm sure they would have called Andrew and had him meet her at the hospital. That's a shame. I wonder if they're going to induce labor or wait for her to deliver. I'll have to check at the hospital and find out if she's scheduled to come in and see if there's anything I can do for her."
"Let's not talk about it," Alma said with a frown.
"I'm sorry, dear. I'm sure it must be hard for you to hear about someone losing their baby, especially right now when you're in the family way yourself. Try not to worry. Your last pregnancy went perfectly, so there's no reason to think this one won't too."
Alma shook her head. "I think it might be a good idea for us to hold off on announcing that we're expecting another baby. Amanda didn't take it so well when we were expecting Jeremy and she was having trouble getting pregnant. The fact that I'm pregnant again is probably the last thing she needs to hear right now."
"How is she doing?" Reese asked as the doctor examined her tiny infant.
The doctor removed the stethescope from her ears and smiled at Reese. "She's doing great. She's breathing normally and eating well. As soon as we get the release forms filled out, you should be able to take her home this afternoon."
"And she'll be okay?"
"I don't see why not. She looks perfect."
Reese breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, doctor."
"No problem. If you need anything, before you go or after you get your little girl home, don't hesitate to ask. We're here to help anytime."
Reese thanked the doctor again before she left and then turned to the newborn resting in the hospital bassinet. As much as she didn't want to be pregnant or to have a baby, as soon as she laid eyes on her baby girl, she knew she wanted her to pull through. The sight of the fragile little being attached to monitors and tubes pulled at her heart and she knew that she had a responsibility to do everything in her power to make sure everything possible was done for her to help her survive.
Maybe if she had found honest, trustworthy and loving parents that she'd had a better feeling about, that would have included giving the little girl up for adoption, but since things with Amanda had fallen through, she was spared that tough decision. Now the only thing to do was to take her daughter home and give her the best care and life that she could.
"First I have a few things I have to do," Reese said as she reached into the bassinet and let the baby grasp her index finger. "but I'll be back later to take you home."
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