208 Priorities and Legacies

(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