Serendipity: A New Generation of Knights

Part 1: Ch 2. Together

TW: Miscarriage/child loss mentions

Reece set his alarm to wake up even earlier than is typical 5AM rise, hoping to be able to make a more special and substantial breakfast for his wife. Every morning without fail, he would go downstairs to the kitchen and start her coffee and breakfast before she even got out of bed. Usually, after he'd get out of the bed in the morning, Marjorie wouldn't be far behind him. But she'd been sleeping in a bit more lately, and now they knew why.

When his phone chimed at 4:45AM, Reece was already awake. He quickly silenced the device so as not to wake his wife, still sound asleep and snoring beside him. Ever since learning that she was pregnant the night before, a new, violent anxiety filled his mind with terrible thoughts and worries that he just couldn't get to go away. He hadn't been able to sleep. The entire night he spent tossing and turning, sitting up at the edge of the bed, pacing their bedroom and down the hall, up and down the stairs, googling and searching up on his phone every little thing he could think of.

Foods to avoid during pregnancy

What to avoid during pregnancy

Is paracetamol safe during pregnancy

What to look out for in first trimester

Normal first trimester pregnancy symptoms

Reece had done the same thing both times his sister had been pregnant, but now it was like the worry and the pressure was all on him to make sure Marjorie and their baby stayed safe and healthy. Now it was suddenly his job to stay vigilant on behalf of his child along with his wife, who he'd already been so protective of.

He scrolled and scrolled through site after site of new parent groups, medical forums, pregnancy data... anything he could get his eyes on and cling to for information. This continued for hours. He hoped that finding the information he sought and learning everything he could might quell the deep dread that had been building in the pit of his stomach.

After a moment of anxious hesitation, Reece tapped on the search bar once more, slowly typing out...

How to prevent miscarriage

As soon as he hit "search", the words appeared on the screen.

"In many cases, the cause of a miscarriage is not known and you would not have been able to prevent it."

That was it.

Of course, no matter what he ever tried to do to protect them, it may never be enough.

Reece started to curl in on himself. The pressure of his fingers against his leg as he drew them into fists scratched against his skin. Everything flushed hot, then cold, then went completely numb. His head buzzed with dreadful, obsessive thoughts...

He thought of Autumn, remembering how lost and frail she'd looked when he was finally able to see her the day after she'd lost her first baby.

He thought of Winter, a saint in his eyes for loving his sister as wholly and completely as Reece knew she deserved, and seeing him so deflated and crushed after losing his first baby.

He thought of his nephew. The beautiful joy that boy brought to Reece's life was insurmountable.

He thought of his own father. For so long, Reece feared being just like him. He'd spent his entire life trying to convince himself and the prove to everyone that they were different. But what if he failed his own family, too?

Reece's breathing began to quicken, his lungs burning as they barely inflated with the rapid inhalations. He slapped his hand against his chest, clutching at his t-shirt and feeling the rough material catch against the moisture of his skin.