Ghost of You

Six

The couple had been given the all clear to stop injections and now at eight weeks, Stevie was feeling the full effects of her pregnancy. She was nauseous, tired and she was overall much more sensitive than she was. Though it was rare, she could easily go from angry to crying and back again so quickly it made Lindsey's head spin.

Lindsey had to go to work and he kissed his wife goodbye as he did Monday through Friday. He pat her belly, though she was not showing yet.

"Take care of mama while I'm gone, little one."

"Don't put so much responsibility on the baby, Linds. You know how much of a handful I can be." She looked up at him seductively and he had to adjust himself in his trousers.

"Don't I know it." he said with a wink. "I'm going to be thinking about you all day as it is. You're trying to torture me."

"I just wanted you to have motivation to hurry home to me."

"Baby, you could be wearing a bin bag and I'd still have the motivation to come home and ravage you!" He gave her a passionate kiss as he pulled away and jogged to his car, already late from them making love when they woke up

Stevie stood and looked at herself in the mirror, smoothing her clothes over her stomach "I can't wait to be able to start seeing you!" She rubbed it with her fingers, suddenly remembering the mirror in the attic, deciding she wanted another look she carefully made her way up the stairs, and even more carefully made her way into the attic once more.

She pulled herself up into the room and looked around. Things had been moved and she wasn't sure how that was possible. Had Lindsey been up here too? Couldn't be. Since the second they found out about their little bundle, he rarely left her side.

She looked around. The dress she had wanted to try on was now hung up in the wardrobe with a few others, doors wide open. A couple pairs of old boots were sitting by the mirror and the hat was now on an old chair she didn't remember seeing before. The compact lay open.

She looked over the clothes and picked out her beloved dress. She shut the old curtains, covering the small window before taking her clothes off to put this dress on. She knew it wouldn't fit but she was so drawn, she knew she needed to do it, it was a compulsion. Miraculously, the dress fit like a dream. Looking down at the boots, she realized they were her size. She pulled those on as well, moving the hat so she could sit on the old chair. She felt strange, almost sick and she knew coming up here was a bad idea. She was nowhere near a bathroom. She stood up, taking deep breaths as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She remembered last time that she didn't quite look like herself but here she was, long curly platinum hair and curvy body draped in Victorian lace. Suddenly behind her, she saw a woman. She looked so much like her that she rubbed her eyes, thinking she was seeing things.

The woman smiled, but before Stevie could react she had vanished, suddenly she heard a child giggle, spinning round the room, trying to find its source, it was scaring her, her hand flying quickly to her stomach to protect them

Quickly taking the dress off she raced to the steps, tripping over a box in the process, luckily landing on her knees, looking at the box she opened it, finding a glorious old photo album, she guessed dated back to pre World War One. She caught a small glimpse of a woman and a man who looked remarkably like her husband and herself, frightening her all the more. She pulled the last of her clothes on and descended the stairs, climbing up onto the small step ladder to latch the door. She caught her breath, the uneasy feeling coming back even stronger than before. She rushed to the bathroom where she was immediately sick several times. Clutching her stomach, she groaned, tears falling down her cheeks. What was up there, she wondered. Would Lindsey even believe her if she told him what she had seen and heard? After being sick several more times, Stevie decided to go for a nap, snuggling down with one of Lindsey's sweaters to make her feel safer, she soon dropped off into a slumber