All by Chance {Brollins}

/ Chapter 31 \

"Miss Quin, what I'm saying is... your baby didn't make it." Echos of the words she was being told filled every space in Rebecca's brain.

A second later, Rebecca was awake in a panic for the third time that week. The same haunting sentences over and over, leaving her with the feeling of everlasting dread.

Every time she closed her eyes, she feared that day would be played back again. The words, the heartbreak, the fallout. It was all enough to drive her to the brink of tears every time.

She noticed a worsening in the night terrors after she had visited the cemetery. They became more constant, more painful, an even bigger reminder of her whole word being ripped away.

This time, however, she found herself clutching at her chest as she gasped for air, not being able to obtain any. She had enough sense to reach her shaking hand to her bedside table, grabbing her phone.

She dropped it into her lap as she still struggled for air, clasping at her hair in desperation. Rebecca's brain was swirling, and she knew it must've been a panic attack.

She didn't know what to do, or more specifically, she didn't want to do what first came to mind. Her gut instinct was to call Colby, but she didn't want to disrupt his night. Rebecca only debated it because she could feel deep down that this episode was different from the rest. She swallowed hard before she began really hyperventilating.

Rebecca begrudgingly dialled his number after struggling to unlock her phone. "Hey, love. Is everything okay?"

She heard his tired voice and broke out into hysterics, not able to get a word out, still struggling for air. Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone, Colby heard her strangled and rapid gasps.

His heart dropped as he rushed out of bed, grabbing Danielle and his keys as quickly as possible. "Rebecca, are you okay?"

Colby tried not to panic as he tried to keep Danielle asleep while seat belting her into her car seat. He knew something was stopping her from speaking, so he had to think quickly as he pulled out of his driveway.

"It's okay, you're okay. I'm on my way." The urge to blow past every speed limit was strong. "Listen closely, deep breaths. If you're in imminent danger, dial one of the numbers so I can hear."

Silence on the other end spoke volumes, and he hoped it wasn't because he was too late. "Okay, what about an accident? Did you hurt yourself somehow?"

An idea was quick to spark in his head after more silence filled the line, and he remembered just how debilitating they could get for her. "Nightmare? Is it a nightmare?"

Colby's grip on the steering wheel tightened, and then a few taps of numbers being clicked were heard. Partial relief washed over him, knowing it wasn't a worst-case scenario, but it wasn't for long once he remembered she typically didn't need help with them.

"It's okay. Everything's alright." He reassured her, "I'm pulling into your driveway now. Deep breaths."

Luckily Danielle tended to be a heavy sleeper, and this time was no different. Colby rushed inside, practically sprinting to her room. When he swung open her door, he could instantly hear Rebecca's ragged breaths and see her dark figure shaking. He placed Danielle's car seat down gently and tossed his phone from his hand.

"Alright, I'm here." He was by her side in an instant, rubbing her back slowly. "Deep breaths, everything is okay."

He pressed his lips to her head when he felt her cling to him in desperation. After about an hour, she began to calm down. During the entire time, Colby didn't move a muscle, and Danielle stayed politely quiet.

When she came out of her episode, she sat still in shock. When she thought Colby was moving to leave, she panicked. "Stay... please."

"I'm not going anywhere." Her raspy and tired voice almost caught him off guard, but Colby smiled nevertheless.

When the rest of what was left of the night ended, Rebecca woke up to a cold and empty bed. Her head was no longer on Colby's chest, and his arms weren't wrapped around her.

She sat up, noticing Danielle's empty car seat on the floor. Rebecca left her room, and the instant she did, she knew where they were.

The door she made an effort to keep closed, right outside of her room, was cracked open. Her heart ached the second she caught flashes of pastel colours within, through the sliver.

Within mere seconds of being awake, she was already in tears. Rebecca pushed the door open gently, and a million memories played through her mind.

Ones of her and Colby constructing a crib, painting walls, and laughing all the while. She didn't dare to enter the room since Elle's death, and she hadn't planned on it any time soon.

But she saw Colby sitting on the floor with Danielle, pointing and whispering to his little girl. The floor underneath Rebecca creaked, and Colby was quick to turn around.

"Rebecca, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to-" He was consumed by regret, worried Rebecca would be upset. "Danielle woke up, and I didn't want you to hear her. I was gonna go to the kitchen..."

"It's okay." She whispered, staring at ultrasound pictures in their frames.

"I should've asked." He stood swiftly, shaking his head.

Although Rebecca thought she'd be in hysterics, a warm sense of reassurance washed over her. Instead of crying out of sadness, she found herself partially tearing up out of happiness for the memories she got to make while she could.

Before she could say anything, Colby's phone began to ring, and he swiftly moved to pick it up.

"Yeah... yeah." Colby nodded quickly, "I can come in today. Okay, thank you."

When Colby hung up, he looked at Rebecca, and his expression was hard to read. "They have the results."