Chapter 39

I, DAVID EARL ARGENT TAKE YOU, DAWN ARACELI MONTGOMERY AS MY LAWFUL WIFE...

Time. It stooped utterly as the World around him disappeared into a clangor of twilight. It was like his life had taken a big hit from an avalanche. The feeling... It ate him inside out. It hurt so bad, awfully bad that his lungs felt stuffed and his body went numb.

Breathe David, breathe.

He inhaled sharply, a sparkle of tears filtering down his face as he held the passive form of his wife in his arms, squeezing tightly even though her blood drenched his shirt.

"David..." She choked out, eyeballs rolling as she drifted out of consciousness.

He held her tighter. "Dawn, stay with me okay. Don't you dare leave me" he demanded, his voice unstable, shattered, and wrecked.

If only he hadn't let her go. If he had just gotten up then this wouldn't have happened, his wife wouldn't be on the brink of death.

He felt useless and worthless and the tears just kept rolling until they arrived at the hospital and the paramedics rushed in along with a doctor who stopped him from walking into the emergency ward.

"You can not go in there sir" he urged, shoving David aside with his hands but the bloodshot man protested, poking his head forward until he watched her stroller disappear into the emergency ward.

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD...

Her scream. It laid fresh in his memory, taunting and taunting till his mental agony registered physically and he bowed his head against his knees, letting a few teardrops fall.

"What the hell happened?" Tanner asked, holding in his breath as he rushed in and saw David's blood-soaked hockey shirt.

He looked up, his eyes red. "I don't know..."

"How did—"

"David!" Paula yelled, pushing Tanner aside and storming towards him with full force.

"What happened?!" She exclaimed, lifting his head and pulling him by his shirt. When he didn't answer, she slapped him but the monetary pain he felt was incomparable to his internal anguish.

"What happened David. What did you fucking do to my sister?!" She barked out, slapping his chest hard.

He staggered back, releasing a breath as he jerked into tears before speaking. "I don't know... I was asleep and—and she—"

"You idiot. How could you let this happen? How!" She yelled, slamming her fists into his chest as uncontrollable tears burned down her eyes.

"Paula, you need to calm down. She's his wife too" Tanner advised, trying to coax her into letting go but with every fiber in her body, she resisted.

"You better hope nothing happens to her or else I will kill you I swear I'll kill you!"

"Paula!" Tanner exclaimed, dragging her away and trapping her in his chest and she could only release a weak protest before clutching his shirt and crying out loud.

FOR BETTER OR WORSE...

The hallway was quiet, too quiet and it made him worry.

David slipped down the wall and sat on the floor with his head rested on his knees.

Dawn hadn't worsened, but she hadn't improved either, and the doctor, who had come and gone for the second time that day, had pronounced it "in God's hands."

He had only ever attended church a few times in his lifetime and in truth he'd never been a particularly God-fearing or religious sort, but tonight — tonight, he prayed, whispering spiritual words to whoever cared to listen. He couldn't lose his wife. Not now, not like this.

The thought of a life without her made his chest unbelievably tight.

They had so much to do, so much to talk about. She couldn't leave him like this. He refused to believe it.

"Mr. Argent?" The doctor's urgent voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he quickly wiped off his tears before getting up.

"That's me," he said "I-is my wife okay?"

"What about the baby?" Paula chimed in, pushing him out of the way.

The doctor stared at both of them and released a soft sigh before speaking. "Due to the impact of the shock, she's been forced into labor and has lost a lot of blood. We can try our best to save them but I'm afraid, with her current state, she might not make it"

David staggered back, those words made his blood turn cold.

Dawn...

No, this couldn't be happening. Not her. He refused to let the thought materialize in his head.

"Please, save my wife" he begged, his hand gripping the doctor's collar.

"We will try our best but I cannot assure you anything"

"I do not care how you do it just bring Dawn back to me. Please"

FOR RICHER FOR POORER...

David had soon informed Amanda and it was about 4 in the morning when she arrived.

"Oh, David" she hugged him. "I came as fast as I could. How is she?"

"I don't know mum, they wouldn't let me see her," he said, his voice was barely a whisper.

"Oh honey" she caressed his face and cleaned off the dried patches of his tears. "You must stay strong okay, she needs you as her strength right now"

David blinked his eyes rapidly, willing the tears away but they spilled. "I'm trying but scared. I don't wanna lose her. I can't - I can't"

"It's okay David" she hugged him tighter "Dawn is a fighter, she is going to make it out of this"

"What am I going to do mum..." he cried harder, soaking her blouse with his tears.

IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH...

By 6 in the morning, David had changed his bloody clothes and sat on one of the chairs. He rested his head on the wall and stared at the ceiling, trying to think of anything other than what had happened but his mind kept going back to how he had found her lying on the floor with blood dripping from her thighs.

He cursed himself.

He shouldn't have agreed to it, he shouldn't have allowed her keep the pregnancy, it was his fault, everything— his fault and he couldn't do anything.

When the door opened and a nurse called his name, he slowly lifted his head.

If they had come to tell him she had passed on, he didn't want to listen.

"Sir?" She called again and seeing a small smile appear on his face made his brows jump up.

"How is she?"

"Which? Your daughter or your wife?"

He creased his brows. "What do you mean—" and then her smile suddenly made sense. He pieced it together and his eyes widened.

"Congratulations Mr. Argent, how do you feel about meeting your daughter?"

David felt a squeezing in his chest but it was not of pain, it was something more, something like a wave of euphoria.

He had a daughter.

"You should come and see her" she urged, opening the door and stepping aside for him to go in.

Still trying to register what he had just heard, he walked inside the room and looked across until his eyes caught the sight of the love of his life.

She laid there, the pain evident on her pale sweaty face that was visible from where he stood. A bandage was wrapped over her head and a thick cloth was placed across her legs.

The monitor attached to her that showed her heartbeat was beeping normally. It made hope blossom somewhere inside him. He took a step closer to her but paused when he heard a cry that oddly felt soothing.

He turned towards the crying baby in the midwife's hand and just one look made his breath seize for a split second.

It was his child.

"Care to hold her?" The midwife asked and he nodded hesitantly stretching out his arms to receive her.

"Hey morning mist" he cooed, looking deep into her grey eyes, and with that, the baby went silent. No more crying, just silent.

He grazed his fingers across her cheek, marveled by how soft her skin was. humide et soyeux, Auntie Agnes would've said if she were here.

"She's...beautiful" he choked "so beautiful," he said, sniffing in his tears as he continued to stare dreamingly at his beautiful daughter.

"Mr. Argent," the doctor said, coming in with a huge grin. "What have you decided to name her?"

David turned to Dawn and leaned closer to her bed.

"Look, Dawn, it's our child," he said,  chuckling in tears.

Dawn turned her head towards David and peeled her heavy eyelids halfway open to stole a quick glance at her daughter.

"Beautiful..." She managed to murmur and David smiled, pride swelling in his chest as his daughter continued to coo and stir on his arms.

"What will we name her?"

After a silent minute, Dawn answered.

"Amelia" she whispered with a smile forming on her lips.

"Amelia Araceli Earl Argent — perfect" David grinned and cradled her, finding it extremely hard to tear his attention away from her.

"You're home now baby. You're home" he placed a sweet kiss on her head and chuckled as she purged her tiny lips in an attempt to stretch.

"She looks just like you, well except for the nose and eyes which is mine" he joked, hoping to get a reaction from her but when she didn't answer and he glanced back up, his body froze.

Her eyes were rolling back and her body turned cold but it wasn't until the heart monitor began to beep differently that realization hit him.

"Dawn?" He shook her softly, his heart beginning to pound rapidly against his chest.

She was slipping away — away from him.

"Her heart rate has dropped and she's bleeding! Get the doctor in here right away!"  The midwife exclaimed, barking orders at everyone.

A nurse approached him with her mask on."Sir, you have to leave,"

"No" he kept his eyes on her, watching as her face gradually lost its color. "Dawn?" He called, willing her to look at him but she didn't.

"Sir please you need to leave" she urged, pulling him towards the door.

"No…" he protested weakly, his eyes locked on her. "Dawn!" He yelled. "Dawn please look at me!" He begged but still nothing.

"Sir, please." She opened the door and gently retracted his child before pulling him out.

"No please!" he begged, taking a step towards the door but a doctor stepped in front of him and placed a hand on his chest.

"Stay here."

"But she needs me. Please let me be with her"

"I'm sorry, sir but you cannot be in here."

"Dawn..." That was all he could mutter before they shut the door against his face.

Amanda and Tanner quickly got up from where they were sitting and walked to him.

"David, what happened?" Amanda asked worriedly but David did nothing, he just stood there, trying to wrap his mind around what has just happened.

Tanner placed a hand on his shoulder when he didn't answer. "David, talk to us"

David said nothing, just walked to one of the corners and dropped his head on it.

No matter how much he tried, his past found its way back to him.

What was he thinking?

Did he think he could outrun it?

Did he think that if he played dumb he could avoid it?

He slammed his fists into the wall and yelled at the top of his voice until his lungs gave out.

An hour later, the doctor walked over to them with a sour expression on his face.

David ran to him, his chest heaving as his eyes desperately begged for an affirmative answer but deep down, he knew he wasn't going to get what he wanted and the look in the doctor's face confirmed it.

The doctor opened his mouth to speak, but paused and shook his head slowly.

"Excuse me for the words that I'm about to say but... "

UNTIL DEATH DO US PART...