MasukThe silence in the hospital room had been broken. The machines would beep softly, and the lights were faint. Ava was lying in bed with half-open eyes and a pale but calm face. She believed that she had some time to relax.Then the door opened slowly.Ava turned her head.Her heart went still.Marcus walked in.He swung the door behind him softly, as though he did not wish to be heard.Both of them remained silent for a moment.
Marcus was still standing outside the hospital room with a hand still suspended in front of the door handle. The low tones were still present on the inside.Thump... thump... thump...His swallow stopped, and his breath.“That... that is a heartbeat,” he said.The sound echoed again, and tightened his chest, his heart real."No... it can't be..." he grumbled, and shook his head.Daniel moved closer behind him with a dark expression.
The sirens made themselves heard as the ambulance had to run through the streets. Ava was lying on the stretcher, with a pale face on the inside, wet with sweat. She was squeezing her stomach with her hands, and the pain continued to come."It hurts..." she whispered weakly.Lydia was sitting next to her, and she was holding her hand fast.“You will be fine, Ava,” Lydia said, shaking. "We're almost there. Just hold on."Ava shook her head slightly."It's too much..." she cried softly.
It was late in the afternoon, and the house of Daniel was silent. Curtains were partly shut, and there was soft light in the living room. Ava was sitting on the couch with a cup of tea, yet she was not drinking it. She had tired eyes and a pale face.Her hand was touching her stomach.“Please, please, stay,” she thought to herself.The door suddenly made a soft knock.Ava frowned.Daniel had walked away, and Riley was not anticipated."Who is it?" Ava called.
The hospital corridor seemed to be long and silent as Ava walked slowly towards the maternity clinic. In her arms, she had a small folder. It contained all the documents of her new tests and appointments. She had been informed by the doctors that she would undergo numerous checkups henceforth as the pregnancy was regarded as high-risk.This morning, Riley had promised to go with her.But Ava had refused.“Well, I will be all right,” she said.She was now alone in the waiting room, so she asked herself whether that was the right thing to do.
Daniel held the phone to his ear when Marcus questioned him. He did not know what to say momentarily. He looked into the hallway, at Ava's room. The door was still closed. She was likely having a rest, as the doctor had himself told.The voice of Marcus appeared again around the phone, though softer and graver.Mr Clarke... vows to tell me the truth.Daniel made his way slowly to the living room window. Outdoors, the afternoon sun was going down, and the sky was turning orange."Marcus," Daniel finally said."Yes?" Marcus answered quickly.
The voice of Elena was smooth and calm, except that something sharp underlined it, and Ava paused to walk."No," Elena said firmly. "You are not going to see Lydia."Ava stood paralysed in the hospital room hall. She had been practising what she had to say all morning and had been holding the words
The ride to the home of Marcus was silent. Too quiet. Ava sat in a passenger seat with clasped hands over her stomach and looked through the window as the city lights went by. Marcus maintained a focus on the road, closed his mouth and his mind was not in the moment. Nobody said anything and the sil
Ava entered the house and shut the door as gently as possible. The silence still seemed too loud in the sound. Her feet were tired of the heavy shoes she had, and her body was sore not only because it was a long day but also because of all that had taken place. The bridal gown had been taken, the c
Lydia did not move until the sound had subsided in the hall. Her hands were trembling, her chest was tight, and all the whispers she had heard were still reverberating in her head. Marcus was at a few paces off the altar, stiff and pale, and had the appearance of a man who had been struck by an obje







