“That you’re… ha-ving my baby…”
The world dropped out from under me.I hadn’t even realized I was crying until a tear hit the snow beside his cheek.His beautiful eyes looked flat and almost lifeless.I choked back a sob and tried to give him a reassuring smile.
“Yes,” I breathed, voice breaking.“Yes, Nate.It’s true.”
I heard someone suck in a rough breath from behind me, but my focus was all on Nate.On the smile that pulled weakly at his mouth...I’ll never forget it.It was so soft, relieved, andsoproud.
“I’m… so happy,” he whispered.“Tessa… I’m so fucking… happy.”
His fingers twitched against the ground.I caught his hand in both of mine, warming it between my palms.He swallowed painfully.
“I’m sorry,” he rasped.“I’m so… sorry.I promise… I’ll be the...best dad.And...husband.”
A broken laugh escaped me through a sob.“Husband?”
“Yeah…” he wheezed, a ghost of his old grin flickering across his split lip.“Gonna marry you.Build a house… on my family's land.Grow old… tog-gether.And this baby…”
His eyes drifted closed like it was slow motion.Slow and heavy.My training screamed that this was bad.The slowing was bad, the unfocusing was bad, the way his breathing rattled like there was fluid filling his lungs...
Like this was catastrophic.
“Nate…” I whispered, stroking his cheek, trying to anchor him to me.“Stay with me.Hey...stay with me.”
His lashes fluttered open, barely, like he was fighting to stay with me.
“Do you… l-love me?”he asked, barely a puff of breath.
My soul cracked open.
“Yes,” I cried.“Nate...yes, I love you.”
He tried again, weaker:
“Do you… for-give me?We can… do this right.This...time.”
There was no time for the truth to be complicated, just time for grace.
“Yes,” I said as tears streamed down my face.“I forgive you.We can do this.We can...”
He blinked again, slower this time.Like the energy it took to open his eyes was almost too much.
“Can I… see?”
I frowned, confused.“See what, Nate?”
He swallowed, and I barely heard him, over the sound of the sirens finally growing louder.
“Our… baby.”
It hit me then; he was talking about the ultrasound photo.The one that was still in my pocket.My fingers trembled as I pulled it out, creased, warm from my body heat, already smudged on one edge.I placed it gently on his chest, angling it so he could see.
He opened his eyes one last time, just for that, just for us.
“That’s… our baby,” he whispered, wonder threading through pain."Thank yo...."
And then his chest jerked...spasmed.The breath rattled out of him instead of in.
“Nate?”
