Serendipity: A New Generation of Knights

Part 1: Ch 5. Their Last Baby

TW: Miscarriage/child loss mentions

Their last baby.

Autumn's first pregnancy came as a surprise to both of them. Of course they had briefly discussed having kids here and there, but they had never fully settled on timing or any other plans. When those two pink lines showed up on a test only a couple weeks after a horrible bout of food poisoning, everything had changed. Their lives were quickly consumed by daydreams of little clothes, family days, a tiny child with dark, curly hair and light eyes spending every Christmas and birthday together as they grew. That child would know nothing but love and safety. And then, only a few short weeks later, everything changed again with the loss of their baby.

Their first baby.

Though in the throes anguish and grief, their new chosen family and a rift in their seemingly unshakable relationship brought them out closer and stronger than they could have ever imagined. The devastation they endured gave them new eyes as they looked forward to a future family with their angel baby in their hearts.

Only a few months after their wedding, another positive test came their way. Both of them were carefully optimistic, taking everything one day at a time, being even more private than they usually were, hoping for a better outcome if they kept things quiet for longer. Twelve weeks into her pregnancy, both of them decided that they would start telling the people closest to them about it, in the same way they'd done it in her previous pregnancy. The only difference is this time they chose to wait until after she had passed ten weeks - how far she had carried in her first. Reece, Marjorie, and Winter's parents joined them in the careful optimism the two had previously fostered on their own. It brought them so much more hope. And only once she was really starting to show in the springtime, and everything was looking up, did they start to share the news with everyone else.

The following August, after a remarkably healthy and healing pregnancy, a darling baby boy was born.

Benjamin Reece Fortune-Knight

That little boy brought nothing but joy, love, and pride to his parents. Not only them, but his light extended to his proud Uncle Reece and Auntie Marjorie, doting grandparents, and countless other chosen family members who were touched by his sweet heart and gentle demeanor.

Even in the early stages of their relationship, fleeting conversations of having children came up. Both Winter and Autumn always said two was the magic number. Winter, being an only child, wanted his children to have siblings. Autumn knew what it was like to have your sibling be your best friend, and even through all those years when her relationship with her brother was rocky at best, she wanted her children to have the same closeness she and Reece once had.

The loss of their first baby, however, made it difficult for them to consider risking the grief of another. Even though Autumn's second pregnancy went smoothly, their minds were rife with concern at every turn. Grief and trauma like that do not go away overnight. But despite the tough moments that ultimately every parent endures, Benny's easygoing personality was single-handedly the reason Autumn and Winter decided to try for just one more baby.

Their last baby.

Winter and Autumn's sweet boy was nearly two years old, and a new little sibling would be joining him in the coming months. Earlier in the week, Autumn, now 17 weeks pregnant, had been to an ultrasound appointment - a routine anatomy scan to make sure baby was growing and developing well. But this one was also special because now the gender of the baby could be determined.

As they had been with her pregnancy with Benny, Autumn and Winter kept things as private as they could. After telling those closest to them in the early stages, everything was quiet. Any appointments, milestones, baby purchases, anything having to do with her pregnancy was kept under wraps.