Follow You (Second Chances Series Book 3)

I need you...

Michael, Noah and Leo have left and it's just Olive, Andrew and myself left in the room. I know its time to give her over to the nurse but I don't want to. I'm not ready.

Andrew knows it's time too. He's sitting on the bed beside me, holding Olives hand in his as I hold her in my arms.

"Are you ready?" His voice is quiet and sad.

"Not even a little bit."

He leans in and kisses my temple.

"Me either, but it's time."

I whisper, "I know."

Andrew reaches over and hits the call button.

"Yes, how may I help you?"

"Whenever nurse Amy is ready she and come take Olive."

"Okay Mr Miller, she'll be in shortly."

We continue to sit in silence together until a few minutes later when Amy walks in. She stands by the door.

"Whenever you're ready."

I look at Andrew and my face crumbles. He turns and takes my face in both his hands.

"I know, baby. I know. But we have to."

He rests his forhead against mine as we both weep for our daughter. His kisses me on the forhead and then pulls back. I turn my attention back to Olive. I touch her everywhere, trying to memorize every part of her.

"Mommy and Daddy love you sweet girl. We've loved you from the moment we found out about you. I'm so sorry we didn't get a chance to meet. I'm heartbroken that I'll never get to hear you call me Mommy. I'll never get to feel your arms wrapped tight around my neck as you hug me and tell me you love me. But I will some day. Some day I'll come to where you are we'll get to hug each other as often as we want. We'll get to sit and talk for hours and you tell me all about yourself." The tears are falling harder than they ever have before. "I'll never forget you and I'll miss you every single day, Olive Grace. Just know that a peice of me is always with you. You're my sweet baby girl, always and forever."

I pull her against me so I can kiss her and hold on tight. God, how do I do this? How do I go on without my child? I feel like this is a horrible nightmare and I'll wake up any second and still be pregnant. But, it's not and I'm very much awake.

Andrew wraps his arm around me and kisses my temple.

"We have to let her go, Abby." He chokes on the words and I cry even harder. "Neither of us wants to but we have too."

He kisses me one more time before standing up and holding out his arms.

"Can I have her, please?"

I shake my head no and hold on tighter to Olive.

"Abby, please."

"No!"

I see Amy move out of the corner of my eye but Andrew must of stopped her because she steps back.

Andrew crouches down by the side of the bed so that he can look up at my face.

"Abigail, look at me." I don't. "Please." I close my eyes against the pain in his voice but when I open them I do look at him. "Sweetheart, we can't keep her in here any longer. Please, let me say goodbye and then give her to Amy. Please."

"Andrew, I can't. I can't let her go. Please, don't make me." I'm hysterical now. I realize it but I don't care. "Please, Andrew. Just sit here with us. Please, don't take her from me!"

He gathers me up in his arms and rocks me.

"Shh. I've got you. Abby, I've got you." He pushes the hair away from my face. "Abby, I don't want to take her from you but we have to. It's going to unbelievably hard but I'm right here with you. I'm not going anywhere."

I push at him and he stands by the side of the bed.

"I don't want you, I want her! I want my baby!"

I see the hurt and the anger in his eyes but in this moment I don't care. I'm being selfish and I don't care about that either. All I care about is Olive. I just want Olive.

"Amy, I'm sorry, can you give us a few more minutes. I'll call when we're ready."

As he talks to the nurse he never takes his off of me and I don't take mine off of him. We both hear the door close and he just continues to stand there with his hands fisted at his side.

"Abigail, you can be mad at me and hate me and that's okay. I'll take it from you because I know how hard this is for you. I know because it's happening to me too." He pauses a minute to clear his throat. "It's happening to me too. Olive is my daughter and I lost her too." He wipes at his face before going on. "Now you may not want me and if that's true then we can deal with that later but right now, right now, I need you. I'm asking you to be there for me. I'm asking you to help me through this difficult time, because she's my daughter too, goddammit." He comes closer and cups the side of my face and he looks me right in the eye. "So please, Abby, let me say goodbye to our daughter."

His words sink in and I slowly nod my head. He sighs in relief and closes his eyes as he rests his forhead against mine.

"Thank you."

He kisses me lightly on the lips before standing up and once again holding his arms, waiting for me to hand over Olive.

I bring her hand up to my lips and kiss her one last time.

"I love you, sweet girl."

Then I hand my baby girl over to Andrew and curl up into a ball on the bed where I cry until my eyes become swollen and my stomach muscles hurt.