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Chapter 32 Band-aid

Andy's pov

The doctors had to sedate her. She was sobbing and screaming and shaking so bad the doctor thought she was having a seizure. They took her into some other room and did something to get the baby out of her. When they were done, the doctor walked out and told Aaron it was a girl. He broke down in the waiting room,

He pulled himself together and called Lenny's parents and they're on their way here right now. They didn't know she was here. She never told them anywhere she went. Aaron's paying for their flight so they'll be here tomorrow. He sat and cried for almost an hour after he hung up with them.

Someone at the party ruffied her. I can't get over it. Someone was so fucked up in the head that they poisoned a pregnant woman. I was supposed to be there for her. Aaron was supposed to be too, but we're obviously not vigilant enough because the baby's dead. I don't know anyone who would do this type of shit. They must just be someone trying to pull a joke. Now they've killed someone. Part of Lenny. Part of Aaron. And honestly, pat of me.

Im sitting in Lenny's room watching her sleep.Aaron and I are taking shifts sitting with her and it's my turn. It's a little past two in the morning. She normally sleeps on her left side but right now she's lying flat on her back, arms outstretched to accommodate the tubes. Her face is really pale and her eyes are moving rapidly behind her closed lids. I'm holding her hand, watching the monitor as it slowly registers her heart beat while I Love Lucy plays quietly on the large mounted television. I take a sip of coffee from my styrofoam cup, attempting to stay awake a little longer.

A nurse rolls in a large cart filled with small vials and syringes. "Has she woken up yet?" She asks in a thick Russian accent.

"No," I answer.

"Good," she says then begins preparing Lenny's arm to take some blood. As she sticks the needle in, Lenny groans and tries to pull her arm away. The nurse grabs her arm and finishes getting blood before glaring at Lenny and then leaving.

"Fuck," Lenny groans after a few seconds, attempting to roll over then curses again as the tubes pull in her arms.

"How're you doing?" I ask.

"Terrible," she groans, letting her head fall back on the pillow. "Absolutely fucking terrible."

"Do you need anything?"

"To die," she says. "So I can see my baby."

"Do you want me to get Aaron?" I ask, preparing to stand up.

"No," she says. "Let him sleep. He's had almost as bad a day as I have, I bet." She looks like someone knocked the wind out of her. She tugs my hand and I get off my chair and climb carefully onto the bed with her. "Where'd they put my baby?"

"I don't know," I answer honestly, running my fingers carefully through her hair.

She closes her eyes, trying to suppress her tears. We sit like that for about an hour until Aaron knocks on the door. I quickly leave to give them some privacy.

Lennon's pov

Aaron sits down hard on the edge of the bed. His eyes are bloodshot and his hair's a mess. He lays down next to me and pulls me into his arms, burying his face in my hair. He's sobbing, big, long sobs that soak my hospital gown. I'm crying too. My baby is dead. My child is gone.

"Where is it?" I ask once our crying has subsided slightly.

"The hospitals holding her so we can bury her later," he answers.

"Her?" My voice cracks.

"Yeah."

"We had a baby girl?"

"Yeah. We did," He kisses my forehead lightly and pulls me closer to him. "Why do things happen to us?"

"Because we're us," I answer. "We're too fucked up. We're to crazy to make anything work."

"I love you Lenny," He whispers.

"I love you too."

*~*~*~*

I'm released from the hospital a day later and a week after that we have a small funeral for my daughter, Avery Rose Balakwe-Combi. We buy her a little grave stone with her name, the date and the words Small But Mighty written on it. My parents are there, along with Aaron, Andy and the rest of BVB.

I sob through the whole thing, Aaron holding me to him. After a while, Aaron tells me he needs to take a walk and passes me off to Andy. The ceremony ends but Aaron's not back. Andy insists on staying with me so I can say my final goodbyes to my baby. My phone buzzes. It's a text from Aaron.

"I love you Len," It begins. "But you're right. We're way too fucked up to work out. Maybe we both need to find people to fix us. And I kinda think you found your band-aid already. Stop acting like an idiot and realize that the guy is in love with you and will make you happier than I will. You're so god damn stubborn. And that's why I love you. So, I'm going back to school and I'm getting my degree for our baby. And I'll find my band-aid too. Just be happy with yours. Fucks and Kisses, Aaron."

Andy's pov

I've walked a little way away from Lenny to give her some space. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I'm surprised to see that it's Aaron. We had exchanged numbers while at the hospital to keep each other informed about how Lenny was doing.

"I'm going home. There's nothing left for me here. I messed up Lenny's life a hell of a lot and I'm completely sorry about that. I know how you feel about her and I can tell she feels the same way about you no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Take care of her and love her the way I never could. Thanks."

I look over at Lenny. Her hair is blowing in the light breeze and and the hollows under her eyes are deep and dark. I walk back over and sits own beside her.

"You okay?" I ask.

"I don't know."

"You want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Okay."

"So Aaron's gone," she says, catching me by surprise.

"Yeah. He texted me."

"Me too," she says. "He says he and I are too fucked up to be together. He says I need to find my band-aid persons or whatever. Someone to fix me."

"You don't need fixing though," I say. "You're perfect, no matter how much shit you go through."

She looks at me, her eyes large.

"And I know this is going to be hard but you're going to be fine. We're all here for you. I'm here for you and that's what really counts here right?"

"Yeah. I think so," she says.

We sit in silence for a few minuets, watching the clouds above us. Slowly her hand moves and wraps itself around my own and after a while she moves and sits in my lap. We sit like this, holding each other together, as the sun goes down.