"And they will have your hair."
"And your smile."
"And your ability to read books quickly."
"And super strong like their daddy."
Charlie put a hand and smoothed it over his wife's stomach, feeling it with every touch as he smiles. He leans into his wife's ear, she giggles as he kisses it. "Can I tell you a secret." He whispers in amusement, kissing her more.
"What?" She giggled as she gave him a playful push.
"I hope it's a boy." He tells her. The woman smiles at this and leans her head against him lovingly.
"Me too." She agrees.
Why can't things so as easy as we imagined they'd be?
Charlie paced back and forth in the hospital ward. His breathing was heavy, his body was shaking. He chewed on his nails out of nerve, and he felt weightless. Like any moment he could just let go.
She was fine, so why couldn't he be? How is it possible that he was unable to breath when he came out? Why was he immediately rushed away from his parents, with doctor shouts? Charlie folded his hands in prayer. Please God. Let him live. Give me back my boy.
And he did.
Within hours, the boy was back in his mothers arms, crying loudly, but it was cherished. For only lungs with air can cry so loudly. The mother whaled loudly as she clung the boy close to her, and Charlie's arm was swung over her shoulder, pressing his forehead to her temple as his own cheers of joy were shared. The doctors gave them this moment to themselves.
"See!" The woman said between her tears. "I told you! He's strong! He's so strong just like his daddy." She sobbed out. Charlies nodded against her, the biggest smile of his face as he reached out and ran a finger along his son.
They let the tears of joy hang as the flutter into silence, just listening to him. Charlie whispered into her. "So? Have you decided a name?" He asked.
A smile came to her face. "I want you to name him." She told him, and Charlie looked at her in disbelief, but not willing to argue with that
"Rex."
The wife eyed him, but you could see the joy in her face as he repeated it. "I think Rex should be his name. Rex Landcaster." The mood instantly changed with the name as Rex now settled into silence.
"I think he likes it." She smiled and cupped Rex's small head.
They told the parents that he had a weak heart.
His nervous system wasn't the best, and due to his heart, he'd forever have problems with it. It was a serious condition. The doctors told them that Rex wouldn't be able to move like other kids. His nervous system would make him sick easily. His heart wouldn't be able to take extensive exercise, and he would be prone to getting hurt easily, bruising easily and fainting.
But the Landcaster didn't falter. They knew their baby rex was strong. That he would pull through it. Those gorgeous eyes, they were bound to only do good. But they weren't prepared for the troubles that would come from it.
When he began to walk. He began to fall. His body was weak. Weaker then they predicted. His immune system was low, and he would sleep so much. he became a fragile glass, one so easily broken. Every part of their life had to be dedicated to looking after him.
Charlie eyed his wife one day, his forehead in sweat as they were prolonging Rex's new addiction to run into things. She looked just as tired.
"It will get easier... won't it?" He asked.
When he could talk, he was easily entertaining.
He was always such a happy little kid, so easily fascinated with the world and what his parent's provided him. He couldn't go outside. It was too dangerous for the young kid. But he continually showed that despite his bad health, his personality was normal. He was growing up normally. this was so calming to the family. And some of their fears started to melt away.
Rex relaxed into his dad. His little legs danged off his dad's lap as they looked out the window. Our stretched along the field, there was a group of children playing. They passed a ball back and forth to one another, cheering and laughing. It was quite entertaining to watch.
But when Rex looked up at his dad, there was such a pitiful smile of his face. Despite the smile, he just looked so sad. There was a longing to it. Rex followed his gaze to the boys playing outside, his face forming a frown.
"I wanna go out and play too." he mumbled, and Charlie shot him a surprised look.
"Really?" His dad asked.
The little Rex nodded looking at his lap. There was a smile on Charlie's face and he looked to the kitchen, where his wife was working on dinner. he leaned into his son's ear. "Can you promise to be extra carful?" He whispered.
Rex's face lit up like a Christmas tree as he quickly nodded. Charlie smiles matched it. "You have to come home by dinner." He whispers and picked his son off his lap and onto the floor, leading him out of the house. Rex gave a determined nod and left quietly to not alert his mom.
He had never done this before. When he walked towards the group and looked back, he could see his father in the window. He was proud as ever, carefully watching him and edging him alone. it gave rex that same smile as he approached the boys.
He introduced himself. it was common in their country to extra favors and quickly get along. the boys weren't the type to outcast. They explained the rules of the game to Rex, and just like that. They started playing.
Being with other boys. Doing what other boys did. He was too young to have that longing for more, but some how in that moment, he felt something fulfilled. And every time he's look back to his cottage house, he could see his smiling dad staring at him through the window. Like he was the world. His world.
He wasn't strong like the other boys. It took him a while to realize what he had to do. He had to run. He had never ran before, but when the ball got close to him, his feet picked up. His weak little legs had never done it, and when he started, it felt like he was flying. His heart, it felt good, it was going so fast and he felt this rush of adrenaline that he had never felt before.
But it wasn't good enough.
His legs gave out under him and he tumbled to the ground, unable to handle the little running that had occured. he rolled, wincing in surprise and in pain, feeling the eyes around him. And when he stopped, he realized he couldn't breathe.
He hands quickly grabbed at his chest, the pain overtaking and mixing with fear. Oh god please breathe. Stop the pain in my chest. So what if it was beating fast, why did it feel like suddenly it wasn't beating at all. He couldn't even process the murmuring of the boys as his vision got blurry.
A shadow erupted as his vision was fading to black.
"Rex! Rex! Oh dear god no! baby!" His mom was crying out, touching him all over and weeping.
Rex couldn't say anything as his body got weak, the darkness over taking him.
He wished for a moment he could have seen that window.
