(Judy)All I did was get some patient medications swapped around to try and get Ashlyn to talk to me again. How she ended up in the rooftop area, falling off, I have no idea. Maybe she wanted to end it all.My phone buzzes in my hand, and I open the message from my contact at the hospital.Ashlyn’s 24 weeks pregnant. Baby is in distress. She’s on life support.Pregnant? She’s still pregnant? How?She was convinced she had a miscarriage. That’s why she got so desperate and went to Santa Monica to try and frame Winona. She had no baby to hold onto Jayden, so she thought she may as well take Winona down with her.No wonder she ghosted me and they put a no-contact order on me for Ashlyn. I never thought she’d still be carrying a baby. I still don’t understand. I text back.Find out how she was still pregnantIs that why she tried to kill herself? It doesn’t make sense.I grab my phone, scrolling through the news, looking for something, anything, that’ll tell me what’s going on with Ashlyn
(Winona)The hospital feels like it’s closing in on me. I can only imagine how Jayden feels right now.He’s come to check in on Mom with me. Cass won’t talk to him either.Mom lies there, so still, so fragile, and it hits me how little time we’ve had together. Not enough time. Nowhere near enough.I reach out, my fingers trembling as they close around her hand. It’s warm, but she doesn’t react. The doctors said she’d wake up when she’s ready, but what if she never wakes up? What if this is it?Cass stands in the corner, hugging herself like she’s trying to hold in all the pain. She hasn’t looked at me since we got here.Suddenly, the steady beeping of the monitor changes, becoming slower, more deliberate. My heart skips a beat, and I lean forward, my breath catching in my throat. “Mom? Mom, can you hear me?”Cass jerks, her eyes wide and wild as she steps closer. “Mom? Please, Mom...”And then, as if by some miracle, Mom’s eyelids flutter open. For a moment, her eyes are clear, focuse
(Winona)We sat in the ward waiting room. Jayden is beside me, his hand clasped around mine. We haven’t said much since Mom passed away, both of us caught up in our own thoughts.Cass came back after ten minutes, tears streaming down her face, to say her final goodbyes to Mom. I couldn’t bring myself to intrude on that moment. She needs her space, and I need to respect that.Jayden squeezes my hand, grounding me in the moment. I look at him, seeing the exhaustion in his eyes. But he’s strong, certain, and that’s what I need right now.“I should head back to Ashlyn’s room soon,” Jayden says quietly, his voice steady. “Check on the baby before I take you and Cass home.”I nod, standing up with him. The thought of seeing Cass now, of trying to convince her to come home with me, feels like an insurmountable task, but I know it needs to be done. I’m not leaving her alone. I promised Mom.But as we start along the ward corridors, past the nurses station to head off this floor, the hairs on
(Winona)The hospital cafeteria is a far cry from a trendy café, but the coffee is good and, actually, the breakfast offerings look okay too. I sit at a small table by a window waiting to see if Cass turns up.Cass needs to be the driving force behind how we go about saying goodbye to Mom.Hopefully she’s ready to see me. I don’t blame her for being so angry and lashing out yesterday.Cass should be here any minute if she’s decided to come. I’ll wait a little, of course. Jayden’s with Ashlyn, talking to the doctors about the next steps for them all in regard to the baby.I want to be with him, but Cass needs me too, and right now, I need to focus on her. Then I’ll go talk to Jayden.The door to the cafeteria swings open, and I see Cass walk in, her shoulders hunched, her face pale and drawn. I let out a sigh of relief, she’s here.I wave to her, and she spots me, hesitating for a moment before she makes her way to the table. She slides into the chair across from me, not meeting my eye
(Winona) I sit with Jayden in the quiet of Ashlyn’s hospital room.The doctors have just left after delivering the news. Ashlyn’s condition hasn’t changed, and they don’t expect her to regain consciousness. Her brain is showing no activity.But the baby is showing no signs of distress right now. That’s the one piece of good news we needed to hear.Ashlyn and I were once friends. I helped her a lot through the her school years. Seeing her like this, even after all the things she’s done to me, makes me feel sad for her. I wish she’d have chosen a different path in life.Jayden is standing by Ashlyn’s bedside, his hand resting on the small swell of her abdomen. “They said the baby can stay in the womb as long as there’s no distress.”His voice is low, controlled. “The best option is to let the baby grow stronger, but if there’s any sign of trouble, we’ll have to act fast. But, I mean, I feel like it’s a cruel thing to keep a body going for my own devices like this. No one deserves to be
(Winona)I glance at Jayden, still sitting beside Ashlyn’s hospital bed, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. I know he doesn’t want to leave here but I can see the toll it’s taking on him. The dark circles under his eyes, the tension in his shoulders—it’s all too much.He needs a break, even if he doesn’t want to admit it.“Jayden,” I say softly, reaching out to touch his arm. “You need to take a break.”He shakes his head, not even looking at me. “I can’t leave. What if something happens?”“I understand,” I say, my voice gentle but firm. “But there’s not a lot you can do here right now. The doctors are taking care of Ashlyn and the baby. You need to take care of yourself, too. Just come home to see Abby and have dinner.”He finally looks at me, his eyes filled with a mix of exhaustion and stubbornness. “I don’t want to leave.”“I know,” I say, squeezing his arm. “But life is still going on outside of this hospital room. Come home, see Abby, take a shower... just breathe for a little whil
(Winona)The atmosphere around the dinner table is warm, despite the undercurrent of what’s to come. Anne, with her nurturing presence, insisted on cooking tonight, filling the penthouse with the comforting aromas of a home-cooked meal.She’s always known how to make any place feel like a home, and tonight is no different. We’re all here for Abby, to help her understand and cope with the loss that needs to be explained.I’m dreading it. I think the only thing worse than feeling pain is seeing other people’s pain and not being able to help. Seeing my daughter’s pain is not something I’m looking forward to.Jayden sits at the head of the table, his presence steady and reassuring. There’s a confidence about him despite what he’s personally going through. I can tell he’s put his difficulties aside to focus on our family unit tonight.I’ve never felt that way before with him.Abby is beside him, her little legs swinging under the chair as she eagerly eats the meal Anne prepared. She’s real
(Winona)“I’m not going anywhere. It’s okay.”Jayden’s eyes are wide. He clearly wasn’t expecting this level of emotion from Abby.Cass wipes her tears away, trying to be strong for Abby. “It’s okay to be sad, Abby. We will all miss Grandma Lucy.”“We’re going to be okay, Abby.” I hold her close.Anne, ever the steady presence, speaks up softly. “Abby, Grandma Lucy loved you so much. She wouldn’t want you to be sad for too long. She’d want you to remember all the good times you had together.”Abby nods against Cass’s chest, her tears slowly subsiding. “I remember when we drew pictures of her favorite park. She said she’d take me there one day.”“That’s a wonderful memory,” Anne says, smiling gently. “And you can keep those pictures forever.”“I’ll take you to that place, Abby.” Cass says to her.“Okay.” Abby sniffles as her tears dry up a little.Jayden clears his throat, drawing our attention. “I’ve been thinking… I’m not going back to the hospital tonight. I need to be here, with al