Generations: The Long Game

Soulfully

TW: life and death situations and blood

The 24th of July 2025

Everyone at work had thrown a little party for Mia on her last day. She and Charlotte had a due date of August 3rd, but the doctor had recommended she go on maternity leave now. At there last appointment Mia had shown signs of potential problems and he just didn't think they should risk it.

When Charlotte came home she found the girls in their rooms and Mia fast asleep in bed. She laid next to her and rolled to face her. Their bellies just barely touched but she could feel their little boy giving his brothers a kick. She leaned in and kissed Mia softly.

Mia dozily opened her eyes with a smile. "Hi, baby, you're home. Ouch! Well I guess the boys can sense their brother. They really haven't been active all day. It was kind of strange. Even at work very little movement until just now."

"To be fair their brother is doing a fair amount of kicking back," Char said with a wince. She leaned in for another kiss and then rolled back the other way to hoist herself back out of the bed. "Takeaway tonight?"

"No, did you forget? We are supposed to go to Reecy and Marjorie's." Char had forgot. "Oh, I'll go get the girls ready then." Charlotte left the room and Mia rolled to her other side to get herself out of the bed. They were all ready in a half hour and headed to the car. Char stopped when she noticed that Mia had. "You alright?" Mia looked at her with a smile and replied, "yeah, just a bit of pressure. I'm fine."

The same thing occurred on the way into Reece's house and now Char was getting really concerned, but Mia shooed her away again. The girls ran off with Carly who was in the lounge watching Emery. Marjorie, Mia, and Char sat in the kitchen chatting and watching Reece cook.

He was like an artist in the kitchen. Normally you got one of three versions of Reece. Stoic Reece was a mask for any and all emotions. Sarcastic Reece which could be seen either in situations where he didn't know how to express love or when emotions were just too heavy for him to handle. Sometimes when he was trying to be funny. Then their was nervous Reece. This is when he is terrified of saying or doing the wrong thing. Char quite like nervous Reece, but she love watching him cook. Her friend was most himself in the kitchen. Nimble, organized, and confident.

Marjorie excused herself holding her chest saying it was time for Emery to feed, and then Mia excused herself to the bathroom.

"How has she been?" Reece asked

"She has been putting up a brave face, but I can tell she is getting nervous. Honestly, I don't know how I would feel if I were the one carrying twins. I am just glad she has had you and Carly to keep her eating. I can't thank you two enough. When she stopped eating, I was so scared" He came around the counter and hugged her. She realized this was the Reece she like the best. The tender when you need him Reece was her favorite. They both turned when they heard Mia.

"Char?"

She was standing in a pool of blood. Charlotte And Reece both rushed to her. Just as quickly Marjorie came back through the dining room. "Reece, go! Go with them. Get them to the hospital." Marjorie reassured them the girls would be fine with her and Carly.

They took Mia right back when they arrived, and Char and Reece were left in a waiting room. Reece could feel Charlotte trembling in his arms. He had already called Autumn. Things still weren't perfect between them, but he knew Aut would want to be here for Mia. He just did not know what else to do. He and Charlotte just clung to each other both feeling helpless.

Shortly after Autumn arrived the doctor came to get Charlotte. He spoke to her as he led her to Mia. It wasn't good. Placental abruption. Emergency c-section. She might need blood. Char's mind felt foggy. When she entered the room she didn't even realize she had been crying. Mia was so pale. "Hi, baby," she said as she place a kiss on her forehead. "Sweetheart, you have to go to surgery and I can't go with you, but I will be right here when you get back. I love you, Mia."

As much as she wanted to spend this time with her sweetheart, she had things that she needed to say to Reece and Autumn. She asked Char to bring them in. When Charlotte returned with them, she stood back knowing that they needed this time.

Mia began to cry as she began to talk, "I love you both. I need you to know that before they take me. Reecy, I know you have said that you have forgiven me for all those years and all the hell I put you through, but I need you to know how very sorry I am. If I had known they were already dead I never would have done any of those things. I need you to know that you and Autumn meant the world to me when we were kids. I mourned that loss every day. I can't bear the thought of the pain I caused the two of you. Autumn, I am most sorry for what I did to you. Reece and I still had each other even if it wasn't in an ideal capacity, but we left you all alone. I can't say that I would blame you if you never forgave me, but I need you to do me a favor. I need you to watch after Reecy and let him watch after you if I don't make it out of this. I need both of you to look after Charlotte and our children. The girls especially. They are going to need the support. Losing another parent might be too much for them to bare. I need you both to promise me."

Reece responded first. Tears streaming down his face, "Mia, I love you too, but you are going to come out of this, and you are going to look after Char and the children yourself. Promise me you will try." Had this been any other situation they all would have been a bit shocked. He had never told her he loved her. Not even in all the years they were together.

Autumn was sobbing as if all the pain from all the years was trying to escape her body at once. "Mia, you weren't to know. Honestly, I haven't been angry with you for awhile. I just didn't know how to let you in. I wanted to try. No! I want to try, so you must fight. You must make it through this. I need my sister to be an aunt to my little girl. I need... I need ..." She collapsed into Mia's lap and wept.

Mia looked to Char and beckoned her to come closer. "I need you to be brave, sweetheart. If the boys make it and I don't, please let them know how much I loved them. Please tell the girls how honored I was to be their mum. Tell them... tell them..." Mia's eyes shut, and her head fell to the side. Alarms blared and Charlotte's mind went fuzzy as nurses and doctors barreled through the doors and started working on Mia and wheeling her from the room.

Charlotte felt the world spinning and then everything went black. She heard Reece and Autumn talking, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She couldn't lose her. She just couldn't. Charlotte didn't know how she would go on without her. In Mia she had finally found the love she always dreamed of but was never quite sure existed. She was the dream. She was her home. Charlotte's soul belonged with Mia's. She loved her soulfully.

Her eyes began to flutter, and Autumn got Reece's attention. Before she could fully open her eyes, his arms were around her and he was whispering, "everything will be okay. Mia is a fighter. She will fight."