Uncomplicated 2.16: One beautiful day

      Much too soon, it's time for Bonnie to age to teen. Something must've glitched that made her age fast. It doesn't seem like there was enough time for her to be a child.

     Remember how I said she looks like Addie more and more? She may have Donovan's hair and eye color, but her facial structure is all Addie.
     Maybe I should home-school her.

     Over the next few months, we settle into a happier life. We still frequently think of Dad, but the thoughts are calmer, more on the better memories (like him frequently catching himself on fire) than just thinking about how much we miss him. Mandi and I start planning our wedding. We're getting married three months after the baby's born. We won't have a big ceremony; she doesn't have any family left. I don't have many friends, but I know I'd better invite my family. Bonnie's looking forward to being the maid of honor. I'm just looking forward to being able to finally claim this gorgeous woman next to me as my wife.

     Mandi's due in only six weeks, and I have to give her nightly backrubs since her lower back bothers her. She frequently swears up and down that it's twins in there, that surely they missed one that was hiding since she feels so huge. Personally, I don't think she's that huge.
     We decide that Mandi and I should take over Mom and Dad's old room, give Bonnie our old one, and give the baby Bonnie's old room. Mandi wants to help Bonnie decorate her new room, but she doesn't feel up to it with her constant back pain. Bonnie says she doesn't mind waiting until after the baby's born.

     "You still have that book signing tomorrow afternoon, Dad?" Bonnie asks me. She's started calling me 'Dad' instead of 'Daddy.' I never thought I'd miss being called 'Daddy' as much as I do.
     "Yes," I answer, "and Mandi's going to be here. So no funny business."
     Bonnie has boys calling her all the time, driving me crazy, almost as crazy as I drive myself by wanting to, and getting mad at myself when I do, listen in on her phone conversations to make sure I don't need to go and have a talk with so-and-so's parents. The only thing keeping a lid on my overprotective-daddy-ness is Mandi saying I remind her of her father when I get like that. Can I help it if I know exactly what those boys are thinking? The most persistent one is Shravan Cherry, Maryann Barbarossa Cherry's son. To my face, he's a very polite young man. His dad is Lucky Palms' resident vampire. That won't stop me from causing a fuss should something happen.
     "Ugh! Dad! All I'm planning on doing tomorrow is buy and listen to Green T-Shirts' new album that's getting released tomorrow," Bonnie complains.
     "Okay. Good," I say and smile mischievously.
     "I've got a doctor's appointment tomorrow," Mandi says, and my head snaps in her direction.
     "Why didn't you tell me?"
     "Because you were going to be busy, but I thought I'd at least tell you that that's where I'll be," she explains. "It's nothing. I'm just wanting something for the extreme back pain."
     "You should rest more," I say, feeling like a broken record. She doesn't respond, tired of this discussion.

     While I'm signing a book, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and see I've missed a call from an unknown, local number. Curious, I walk outside to call it back.

     A voice picks up. "Lucky Palms Medical, how may I direct your call?"
     Everything's fine. "Well, maybe you could tell me. I just missed a call from this number. My name is Nick Brewer. I know my fiancee Mandi Goldberg is there for a doctor's appointment, so maybe it has something to do with that." My heart races in my chest as I keep an old fear at bay. I hear typing on the other end of the line.
     "One moment, please," she says in a controlled voice, and I get placed on hold, listening to some cheesy music with interspersed advertising for the hospital's services.
     Deep breaths. I hate fearing the worst.

     By the time someone finally picks up, my heart pounds in my ears so loud I can barely hear her speak. A woman tells me her name and that I need to come to the ER desk, that there's been an accident.
     The ER? "What happened?" I gasp, now letting myself fear the worst... as if I could stop it.
     "Sir, your fiancee is in surgery. That's all I know." Mandi has me listed as her next of kin on all the hospital paperwork.
     I make some strange 'huh-ing' noise and hang up. I don't bother telling the owner of the bookstore where I'm going; I just run to my car.

     They'd decided to start construction on a new parking deck today of all days, so I have to park two blocks away and run to the hospital entrance. Luckily, the front desk can also tell me where Mandi is, and I go sit to wait to find out more of what's going on.
     Eventually, a young doctor comes out to tell me that Mandi was hit by a car while crossing the street on her way to the hospital. She'd had to park a ways off as well. Her body went into shock followed by early labor. They're working on trying to stop the internal bleeding.
    I call Bonnie to tell her in a monotone voice where I am and what's happening. She gets a friend to drive her over here. I barely register it's Shravan before he says he'll go.

     Outside, the beautiful day continues. Birds sing; people play in the park; life goes on. For me, however, life as I know it grinds to a screeching halt. They have to do an emergency Caesarean to save the baby, a girl, because the placenta started to detach. They save my daughter; they can't save my Mandi.

     They have to put the baby in the NICU since she was born prematurely, but they tell me she's doing well. I can't go see her. As in, I couldn't bear it.
     They won't let me see Mandi. The homicide officer in charge of the hit-and-run case says it would be too traumatic. Surely, my imagination is worse than she actually looks, right? I just want to touch her face again, to kiss her lips. No matter how frightening she looks, she's still Mandi. I'd punch and beat my way past the officer to get to the morgue if the officer weren't female, and she stands her ground.

     Bonnie gets Shravan to come and get us, seeing I'm in no state to drive and she doesn't know how. I give him my keys and get hold of Mandi's keys to Mom's old Prius, and he and his mom Maryann manage to get my vehicles home.
     All that happens while I lie in my bed. I can still smell my beautiful Mandi. Shadows of my lost loved ones surround me, and I wish I could join them.

     I have no idea how much time goes by. Bonnie's school year ends, and she's on summer break. I was supposed to get married this summer.
     Sometime later, the baby comes home. I only have a vague awareness of Millie, Bonnie's aunt, coming to help drive us to and from the hospital. I don't hold the baby. The only thing I've done is name her: Anastasia. I thought it fitting because she survived. That, and Mandi liked it.
     I stop eating. What's the point?
     Weak, I drift in and out of consciousness.

     "Mandi," I breathe and pull her close.
     What was bothering me before? Something. Oh well. It doesn't matter anymore now that she's running her fingers through my hair. I dig my nose and lips down into her neck, inhaling her sweet perfume and gently kissing her.

     Why waste any time? I know what I want.
     I move from gently kissing her neck to devouring her velvet-soft lips. She feels perfect in my arms, like always.

     The sound of a screaming infant invades my surroundings before I'm mercifully able to remember where I am.

      "I love you," she tells me quietly and runs her fingers through my hair again before trailing her fingertips down my jawline, playing with my beard.
      I chuckle at the playfully-goofy look on her face before holding her soft cheek in my hand and running my thumb along her cheekbone.

     The doorbell rings.
     No.

     "I love you too, Mandi," I say to her with emotion choking my voice. She reaches up to hold the back of my hand, a look of sympathy on her face.

     I'm lying almost face down on my bed when the bedroom door behind me opens, streaming light from the hallway inside the dark room.

     "Get up!" I hear angrily barked from a voice I'd never expected to hear again.

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I'm sorry! I'm sorry!
It's really not my fault, even if I chose this path for the story. Hang in there! I have a plan.