“Oh baby, come on baby. Don’t leave me. You can’t leave me. I love you. I don’t know what I would do without you babe, come on, please.” Nathan pleaded, his head on Lydia’s chest, listening to the slow rhythm of her heart. Wiping tears from his face, he turned to the nurse. “I feel responsible for this. I should have never left her in that house unprotected. I just ran to my car in the garage for my cell phone. I didn’t even notice the window was ajar until it was too late.” Sniffling, he wiped away some more tears with the bottom of his t-shirt.

The nurse was heartbroken. “Mr. Williams, we’re doing everything we can for Lydia. I am so sorry about the baby. There was nothing we could do. Lydia was hemorrhaging from the force of the blow to her stomach.” Nathan released a fresh stream of tears and threw himself across Lydia’s body. “I’m so sorry baby. I should have been there to protect you and our little girl. Now she’s gone. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.” The nurse, fighting back tears herself, quietly left the room and closed the door.

Hearing the soft hiss of the door closing, Nathan leaned towards Lydia’s ear. “Bitch, when you wake up you do what the FUCK I tell you to do. You fuck around again and it’ll be you down in the motherfucking morgue! Now wake the fuck up so we can go home. You got some shit to clean up.” Nathan hissed at Lydia’s unresponsive body. As to acknowledge his request the blood pressure monitor began to beep.

Several nurses came into the room and began checking Lydia’s pupils for dilation and checking her pulse. Nathan stepped away from the hospital bed and looked out of the window, trying to appear hopeful. Just as one nurse was changing out Lydia’s IV bag she felt a hand touch her. Lydia opened her eyes just a little bit and the nurse sighed. “Oh, Mrs. Williams. Oh I am so glad to see you awake. You gave us such a scare. No, no, no. Don’t move. Just lay still. Your husband is here. He never left your side.” The nurse smiled as she stated that last part. Lydia followed the nurse’s gaze over to her ’husband’ and felt a chill course through her.

“My baby. Girl. Is my Baby girl alright?” Lydia asked weakly. Before the nurses could respond, Nathan swiftly moved next to her bed. “We lost her. Our baby girl is gone. I’m so sorry. I should have been there to protect you both. Please forgive me.” He cried onto Lydia’s shoulder ensuring the nurses would hear his plea for forgiveness. The nurses, feeling saddened by the loss of the unborn baby, finished checking Lydia and left the room.

“Are the nurses gone?” Nathan hissed. “Yes”, Lydia responded. “Good. Now if the cops come asking you better tell them exactly what I say. A man broke into the house when I went to the garage to get my cell phone out of the car. When he saw you in the kitchen he punched and kicked you until you blacked out. You understand me?” “Yes”, Lydia whispered as she nodded her head slowly. “You know I love you. I don’t know why you always want to do things to piss me off. I promise that when I get you home things are going to be different. I love you and I don’t know what I would do if I ever lost you. Don’t ever leave me baby, okay?” Lydia heard these lies before so she just nodded her head to assure him of her cooperation.

A tear slid down her cheek as she silently said a prayer for her baby girl. This was the third miscarriage in four years.

Ego Trippin’ Part 1