Letters To You: Being Left Behind

Epilouge

Anthony tore the letter in two, then in four, then eight, then let it fall in the trash.

He stare at the pieces of paper for a few moments, mixed in with the rotting food and waste. That's where it belonged.

"Anthony?" A voice called.

He turned around at the sound of his name to see his mother, step-father, and half siblings. They were sitting in the waiting area near Riley's room.

Anthony jogged forwards, scooped his little sister into his arms and ruffled his brother's hair.

"Are you two excited to be an aunt and an uncle?" He asked the twins.

Danica hopped down from Anthony's arms- she was getting too big to carry, anyway -and grinned. "Yeah! Can I bring him to school to see my friends?"

"It's gonna be a girl, Dani!" Mitchell protested, crossing his arms. "And I'm gonna bring her to school to see my friends."

Anthony laughed and scratched the back of his neck. "Well either way, the baby will be too small for that for a while."

"How small?" Danica asked, all her attention on her older brother.

"How small do you think, sweetheart?" Anthony's step-dad questioned, crouching in front of his daughter. He always loved to ask the twins questions and get their minds working. Anthony figured it came with being a teacher.

"Ooh, ooh!" Mitchell squealed. He held his arms out wide. "This big!"

Anthony's mom laughed. "Now honey, I don't think poor Riley could have a baby that big! She's a short girl."

Mitchell knit his eyebrows, and seemed to go into deep thought about the general size of babies.

Anthony squeezed his mom's hand. "I'm so happy you're all here, but I've got to get back to Riley now."

She smiled at her son and squeezed his hand back. "I love you, Anthony."

His step-dad gave him a quick hug. "You're going to be an outstanding father, you know that?"

Anthony smiled at his parents. "I hope so. Thanks guys, I love you."

With that, he raced back to the delivery room, where his beautiful wife was screaming a list of colourful curse words at her sister. Ben, Anthony's best friend since childhood, was leaning next to the window, chuckling.

"Finally!" Marie exclaimed at the sight of Anthony. She turned to Riley. "Riles, I love you more than life itself, but I can not take another second of being in here." She got to her feet and came up to Anthony. Ben followed her and slid his hand into hers. They met at Anthony and Riley's wedding, where they were best man and maid of honour, and started dating not too long after.

"Is your brother here? I need to talk to someone who's team girl," Marie told him.

Anthony pointed over his shoulder. "Just outside."

"Thanks," Marie said, leaving the room.

Ben put his hand on Anthony's shoulder and squeezed. "Good luck man," he smiled, then headed after Marie.

Anthony went and sat at Riley's side. She instantly took his hand in hers and squeezed tight. Her wedding ring was cool against his skin and in contrast to her sweat.

"Another contraction in five, four, three, two-"

"AHHH!" Riley screamed, cutting off the doctor. Anthony felt his hand throbbing.

"You're alright, babe," Anthony promised his wife in a low voice. "You can do this."

After a few quick breaths, she looked over at him and smiled a little. Riley's skin was pale and blotchy under the curtain of her auburn hair. She had big brown eyes that were sparkling despite her obvious exhaustion. Anthony wondered if the baby would look like her, or have his brown hair and blue eyes. It wouldn't be long now.

Analyzing Riley's face, Anthony realized something. He knit his eyebrows at her. "You're trying really hard not to scream at me right now, aren't you?"

Riley let out a shaky breath, laughing a little. "It's actually taking all of my energy."

Smiling, he rubbed her hand. "You're adorable."

Riley nodded. "I try."

"Okay Mrs. Browne," the doctor announced, sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed as nurses rushed around him, "you're at ten centimetres now. Time to try pushing."

Anthony's own eagerness surprised him. He couldn't believe he and the woman he loved more than anything were about to be parents.

"AHH! God Anthony!" Riley screamed, sweat pouring down her face in beads. Her hand gripped her husband's so tight, he wondered if she had bruised the bone. "What have you done to me?!"

Anthony kissed her forehead. "Keep pushing. Breathe in and out. The baby will be here soon," he promised.

"I hate you," Riley cried, gritting her teeth as the doctor encouraged her to keep going.

The doctor announced that he could see the baby's head, and Anthony looked over in awe as his child was born. "Shoulders, arms, keep pushing," the doctor was saying as Riley's back arched, "chest, torso, hips, thighs, one more push!"

Riley gasped and sank back into the bed, breathing heavily.

"Congratulations," the doctor told them, holding up the crying baby so they could see. "It's a girl."

Anthony was astonished to see how beautiful she was. As beautiful as her mother. In that moment he knew that he belonged to that little angel.

"Oh," Riley cooed, reaching out, "look at her."

Anthony smiled at his wife. "Thank you, so much." He kissed her all over her face. "You made me a daddy."

Riley pressed her forehead to his. "And you made me a mommy."

All cleaned up, the nurses handed Riley and Anthony their baby girl. She had stopped crying, and was now making little hiccup sounds as she looked up at her parents.

"Hi there, sweetheart," Anthony whispered.

Riley gently stroked her head and the baby yawned. "She's so perfect."

"Sleepy, too," Anthony murmured. "Just like you when you were pregnant with her."

"Babe?"

"Hmm?"

Riley tore her eyes from their daughter to look at Anthony. "I just had an idea for her name."

"What is it?"

"Aurora," Riley whispered, the syllables making her lips curl.

Anthony laughed and stared at the baby. "Sleeping Beauty," he remembered. "I think that fits."

As her parents cooed over her, Aurora managed to smile.

Later while Riley was asleep, Anthony sat next to the bed, rocking Aurora in his arms.

"You have no idea how much I love you, baby girl," he whispered to his daughter. "From here on out, you and your mommy, and our whole family are the reasons I live. I will give you everything you need and every last part of me will always be yours." Anthony closed his eyes and kissed her forehead. "Aurora, you'll have me forever, I promise."

The End.