291|After The Storm

After the storm comes the rainbow, God's promise and a reminder that things will get better, and beauty and light will shine through amidst the darkness and gloom.

For Marybeth and Austin, no rainbow appeared after the violent storm of Maryke and Nathan's senseless deaths. But the calm ebb and flow of daily life set in, and they settled into the mundaneness of playdates and hospital visits, and the safety of errand running and house chores. It was their first taste at normalcy…at what their life was meant to be like as newlyweds…and what it would be like now that they'd left the family.

Austin kept his promise and was at Marybeth's first checkup with Dr Khan, where it was confirmed they were indeed expecting a winter baby.

Hearing her baby's heartbeat for the first time was the catharsis Marybeth had needed to move past the trauma and violence of the past few days and keep her eyes on the future.

It was the best and worst of times for her—seeing their baby on the ultrasound monitor