Hope

Chapter One

Skyler Grey's eyes stare straight ahead as she sits at the picnic table outside her house. Her chin sits in her hands and her feet are flat against the ground. Fitting for the situation, an ominous storm-cloud hovers over her red brick house. Her middle aged Siamese cat, Sailor, purrs peacefully in his sleep beside her.

All Skyler can think of is how unfair life is. For the past eight months, Skyler carried a child in her womb and all of the sudden, the child's heartbeat stopped. Skyler and her husband, Clyde, had been trying for four years when Skyler finally took a pregnancy test with a positive result. The moment was surreal. She remembered looking at the test in disbelief before a huge smile broke over her face and she rubbed her stomach in excitement. She had promptly called Clyde to tell him the exciting news. They named the child Jackson after finding out the gender.

A tear slides down Skyler's face and drops onto the picnic table. In her moment of desperation, she can't help but think of Jesus. She thinks of how Jesus went through so much pain and heartbreak, yet she feels like she can hardly withstand losing her first child. Suddenly, anger overcomes her.

"How could you take him from me?" she cries out, "Why me? What did I do to deserve this? It isn't fair!"

Hysterically, she yells, her face towards the sky. Black tears stream down her flushed face. The garage door opens loudly, but Skyler ignores it. Shortly after the garage door closes, the back door opens and Clyde steps out into the humid summer day. Upon seeing his wife's distress, he rushes to her side. Without saying a word, he pulls her into a tight hug.

"He's gone," she sobs into his freshly pressed black suit, "Jackson is gone."

"What are you talking about, sweetheart?" Clyde asks his hysterical wife, unsure of what she is saying to him.

"Jackson's heart stopped beating today," Skyler pulls away from him and looks at Clyde through her puffy, tear-soaked eyes, "Our son died today."

The realization dawns on Clyde and he stands there with his arms around his wife, shock radiating through his body. His first son is dead. Gone. He will never see the light of day or feel the magic of the night. He will never hear the lovely sound of the piano music playing through the house.

"What do we do, Sky?" he asks Skyler with a shaky voice.

"I-I still have to have a natural birth..." Skyler's voice cracks, "But he'll be born dead. That's what they told me."

Suddenly, the sky lets loose its contents. Giant raindrops splatter down Skyler's already tear-soaked face. Clyde puts his arm around Skyler and they rush into the house. As the storm moves over the house, an idea comes to Clyde. An idea that never fails to cheer his beautiful wife up.

"I have an idea," he says quietly.

When Skyler doesn't give him a response, he questions, "Would you like to hear it?"

Skyler nods her head briskly and Clyde grins half-heartedly, trying to be strong for her.

"Let's watch a movie," he suggests, already forming a plan, "You pick a movie out. I'll be right back."

Pulling away from Skyler, his idea blossoms. He rushes to the pantry and grabs the ingredients to Skyler's favorite movie treat- GreyPop. GreyPop isn't really grey. In fact, the only reason Skyler and Clyde call it that is because it's special to them. GreyPop contains buttered popcorn, peanut m&m's, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and almonds. Though it may sound disgusting, the Greys love it. As quickly as possible, Clyde pops two bags of buttered popcorn in the microwave and throws the other three ingredients into a giant bowl.

"Clyde!" Skyler's voice calls to her husband, "I've got a movie, so you better hurry it up in there!"

"Coming, honey," Clyde's efforts quicken.

Clyde pulls the popcorn out of the microwave, tosses it all in the giant bowl, and mixes the ingredients together. Before rushing back to the couch, he quickly fills two huge cups with Coke. When he finally slides onto the couch beside Skyler, she looks at him, suddenly not quite so upset.

"YOU made GreyPop?" disbelief filters over her face as she pops a kernel of popcorn in her mouth.

"Of course!" Clyde responds, mock-offense in his voice.

Skyler giggles for the first time since she found out about Jackson.

"I love you, you know that?" Skyler stares at Clyde with stars in her eyes.

Clyde grins and plants a kiss on her forehead, "I love you more."

Laughing, Skyler protests, "No, I love you more."

Clyde puts his hand on her stomach, "I love you most."

Sighing contently, Skyler lays her head on Clyde's broad chest to watch the movie. Clyde slides his left arm behind her back and places the bowl of GreyPop on Skyler's lap. He slips his fingers through hers. Even if it was just for one magical moment, the two rediscover their true love. At the end of the day, they will always have each other, and that's what's important.

Hey yall! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this! Let me know what you think!

-Em