Chapter 60: Loss

Troy was sitting in the hospital room next to Juicy's bed. He still held the small bundle of his son, even though it had been hours since his birth. He wondered if that was the appropriate word to use when a baby was born, having already died. Birth was supposed to mark the beginning of one's life, but for him it had marked the end.

They had been able to stop Juicy's labor, for now, and she had been moved to a private room, still in a coma, and heavily monitored. Janet had been kind enough to phone his family who were taking a flight in to Cincinnati.

Janet came into the room and pulled up a chair next to Troy's. He didn't look at her. She looked down at the baby in his arms.

"Troy. You haven't eaten and you haven't taken your medicine. You need to take a few moments to do these things."

"I'm not hungry." He mumbled.

"I'll hold the baby for you." He looked at her slowly.

"You won't let th-them t-take h-him?"

"Are you planning to hold him forever?"

"No. Just until I'