Second Chances

Chapter 1

5 Years Later

"Mommy, Mommy!" Scarlett screamed, as I struggled to climb out of bed to see what commotion had unfolded in the five minutes that I had managed to lie down.

"What's wrong sweetie?" I calmy asked her, even though my patience and strength were running thin.

"I can't sleep. There's a monster under my bed. Can you check again please?" she whimpered.

Despite the aching feeling all over my body, I knelt down to look under her bed to look for the unrelenting monster that my four year old daughter insisted lived under her bed.

"Nope, no monster sweetie. It must just be the wind again," I said as I glanced out the window.

The wind was a gentle breeze that pushed the branches from our huge oak tree against the glass. I opened the glass to get a brisk of fresh air and savor the breeze for a moment before tucking my daughter back into bed.

That's when I decided to glance up at the sky. It had been many years since I looked into the night sky, truly examining it, especially when it was as clear as tonight. The memory was too painful.

It still seemed like just yesterday when the Sergeant of Chris's platoon appeared at my doorstep, bearing the news that my fiancé had been killed in the line of duty. I remember sinking to the floor upon hearing the news, the rest of the world around me blurring away.

I had just discovered we were expecting a child two days prior the horrid news, after experiencing unbearable morning sickness.

I had even written an exciting letter telling him all about it, that I placed in the mail that very morning. He never received my letter, and he never would.

The years flew by; my mind was in a trance and I wasn't mentally stable after losing Chris. I suffered from postpartum depression, and my mind lingered in a dark place.

Some days, I pondered if I was a bad mother to our daughter. I began self-medicating regularly and became dependent upon the antidepressants my therapist had prescribed to me. They made me feel numb; it was the only way I could cope with life without Chris.

Before long, I became sick, and was diagnosed with liver failure last year. The news stung even worse than Chris's death.

My daughter needed at least one parent in her life, and now I was going to be snatched away from her as well. I had failed her. She never even got to meet her dad, and now she was losing her mother. There was no way I could afford a liver transplant with my limited savings.

I turned away from the window, only to find that my daughter had fallen asleep. I had gotten lost in my thoughts again, and time elapsed.

She was beautiful, just like her father. She favored him so much with her sandy blonde hair and blue eyes; it was hard not to be painfully reminded of him each time she smiled.

The way she cuddled into her plush blanket seemed comforting enough so I decided to cuddle with her. When had been the last time I held my daughter like this? I wondered.

I wrapped my arms around her tightly as I drifted off into a blissful dream where Chris, Scarlett, and I could be together as a family.