Connie walked out of the bathroom and rejoined Jacob, who was sat on the edge of the bed waiting for her.
She fiddled with the pregnancy test in her hands, which was face down, the result still waiting to be looked at.
"Ready?" Connie asked him quietly.
Jacob nodded and crossed his fingers. "I have a good feeling about this time."
Connie held the test between them so they could both see the result, then slowly turned it over.
Negative.
Connie closed her eyes and nodded. She wasn't surprised, she had expected it to be negative, again.
Jacob immediately placed his arm around Connie, pulling her close, so she could rest her head on his shoulder. He sighed and gently rubbed his hand up and down her arm.
He had really hoped it would be positive this time.
"It's not going to happen is it? Maybe it just wasn't meant to be." Connie said quietly.
Jacob shook his head. "We can try again Connie."
Connie lifted her head and pulled away from his hold. "Jacob, we have been trying for so many months now. We both have the medical knowledge, we both know that my chance of getting pregnant is low because of my age."
Jacob exhaled deeply. He didn't want to believe that this was it, that they couldn't have a child together.
"It's going to happen soon Connie, I'm sure. Let's not give up hope just yet."
Connie just replaced her head against his arm.
They had been together for a year now and were very settled together. They were both ready to start a family, something they had discussed many months ago.
Connie couldn't think of anything better, than a child with Jacob. And Jacob especially, was very excited about the thought of being a father, having no children of his own already.
Connie hated that she couldn't give Jacob something that would make him happy, he so desperately wanted this, but every attempt seemed to be failing and she was beginning to think that perhaps they should accept that it just wasn't going to happen for them.
---
Two months passed, during which they still continued to try for a child, neither wanting to give up hope completely.
Connie waited in the bathroom, she stood in front of the sink and stared at her reflection in the mirror. The pregnancy test she had just taken was sat on the edge of the sink, while she waited the necessary time before reading the result.
She looked at it and took a deep breath. "Please be positive." She whispered to herself.
She picked it up slowly and closed her eyes. She counted to three, then took a look at the result.
Her jaw dropped. It was positive.
She shook her head. She couldn't believe it, so many failed attempts, but now here she was, she was pregnant.
A sigh of relief left her body and a smile formed on her lips.
She was so happy, and she knew that Jacob would be delighted by the news.
Connie made her way downstairs and picked up her mobile from the kitchen table.
She checked the time. Only an hour until Jacob would be back from his shift.
But she couldn't wait that long to tell him, so she tapped his name to call him.
She was disappointed when he didn't pick up, as the ringing tone eventually cut to his voicemail.
He was obviously busy at work, the good news was going to have to wait.
Connie checked her watch and smiled. Jacob would be home any minute now. She was so excited to tell him that she was pregnant.
Half an hour passed. Jacob still wasn't home.
Connie tried his mobile, which just rang and rang until the voicemail sounded.
An hour passed.
Connie tried his mobile, then tried it again, and again. Still no answer.
Connie was worried.
An hour and a half passed.
Still no Jacob home. Still no answer to her calls.
Connie jumped when her phone rang and a wave of relief fled her body.
But when she answered her phone, it wasn't Jacob on the other end.
It was a police officer, telling her that Jacob had been involved in a car accident, telling her that she needed to come and identify his body.
His dead body.
Connie's fingers released their grip and her phone fell to the floor.
---
Connie was at the hospital, sat beside Jacob, ready to say her final goodbye.
Her fingers were tightly wrapped around his.
She still couldn't find the words to speak after half an hour of sitting here, just watching his lifeless body, willing to see it move.
But it was never going to move again. Jacob was gone, he was dead.
Connie blinked back her tears and took a deep breath.
"I have some good news, Jay." She whispered. "You didn't come home, so I couldn't tell you. I'm pregnant. That's right, I'm really pregnant this time."
She looked away and wiped the tears which refused to stop falling from her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.
She looked back at Jacob and smiled.
"We're going to have a lovely little family Jacob, just like we imagined.
In nine months' time, our little baby is going to be brought into this world. You're going to hold them and smile, because you're going to become a proud father. It's going to be the best day of your life."
Connie dropped her head and let the tears drop onto her knees. She rubbed her hand gently over her lower abdomen, where a little life was just beginning to form, her and Jacob's new little bundle of life.
"Please don't leave me, I can't be on my own, I need you. How could you leave your child without a father Jay? You can't let them grow up without a dad to hold them when they're scared, to teach them how to ride a bike.
I can't do this on my own." She whispered, having to stop when the tears began to choke her.
A moment passed, she remained in the chair, her tears not subsiding at all.
Connie stood up and held Jacob's hand in both of hers.
"I'm not saying goodbye Jacob, because I know I will see you soon. I know you're not leaving us, you wouldn't leave us. You're going to make sure you're back in time for our baby to be born aren't you? You're going to be such a good dad, I can't wait for us to be a family."
Connie slowly released each of her fingers from his, one by one.
She took one last look at his face.
"I love you." She could barely form the words, they left her mouth as a slight whisper.
She slowly walked away, letting her fingers linger on his until she had taken a step too far to reach.
I actually can't believe I just wrote such a heartbreaking story😭 It must be the negative energy surrounding exams which is now beginning to transfer to my writing 😂
