The sun never sets

2- learning to cope

3 months earlier
It had only been a horrendous 5 hours after Thea's tragic death and Joe was still trying to piece together the events that had lead him to this situation. Did he do something wrong? Was this the universe trying to punish him for something he had done in his past? Surely not.... He loved Thea with all of his heart but now she was gone he had no one apart from his little baby daughter, barely even a day old, Ava.
Without really thinking Joe picked his phone up from the side and rang Thea's younger sister Ebony. Surprisingly she picked up almost immediately.
"Joe? What's up?" Ebony asked still sounding slightly tired as she had just had a baby herself not long before Thea's incident.
"Erm...it's Thea...." and this that Joe had to explain the single most detesting news to his sister in law. This was the worst thing he had ever had to explain. One conversation that will most certainly stay with him for he rest of his lonely life.
"What about your baby?" Ebony asked after hearing about her sisters shock passing. Tears were now cascading down her face like a river.
" they preformed an emergency C-section and were able to save our baby. She's as fine as she would be given the situation" at that point Joes heart had broken into a million pieces but somehow been fixed all over again once he had laid eyes upon his gorgeous daughter who lay soundly sleeping in the incubator.

"Where are you? I'm coming up now!" Ebony informed as she began collecting her things from the side and yelling for her boyfriend David. Once he was there Ebony broke into tears causing David to take over her phone call.
"Joe where are you mate? Ebony told me everything..." David asked while still trying to comfort his torn girlfriend who was now sobbing into his chest at the news of his passing.

Joe took a few moments to gather the strength back to even speak after checking on Ava who was, as she had been before, still sleeping soundly. "I'm in the special care baby unit with Ava." He explained while never leaving his beautiful daughters gaze unattended.

"Alright mate we'll be there soon I promise. We shouldn't be long. I'll have to drop Daisy off with my parents first then we'll be straight up" David quickly cancels the call before gathering Daisy's belongings and throwing them in the car and with that they quickly made their way up to the hospital.

Some time later
"Joe..." Ebony asked while walking into the room pulling him into an instant hug which he obliged to and quickly returned while sobbing into her shoulder.
"I can't believe she's gone...." he sniffed pulling away from the hug to then hug David who was just as sympathetic towards him.
" I'm so sorry Joe....." David began knowing that Ebony wouldn't have the strength to speak after the news she had just heard moments ago.
"How is she?" He asked gesturing towards the small baby laying down in the incubator still scattered with tubes helping her breath.
Joe sighed in defeat as he sat beside his beautiful daughter. Admiring her beauty through the tubes. She hasn't even been that far away from being due but considering the trauma she had faced she still had a long way to go before recovery.
"She's...alive" joe sighed in defeat as his eyes spring leaks and began to force him to let out his emotions into one huge wave of tears which, purely by accident, woke the sleeping baby causing nurses to pile in to check on her.
" Ava seems to be fighting the tubes which means her gag reflexes have begun to kick in. Don't be alarmed by the sound of that. It's not as scary as it sounds. We've removed the tubes from her face as we believe she is breathing on her own now but the next 24 hours are critical to her recovery. We'll be back in a couple hours to check on her state. Your daughter will surly make a speedy recovery. " The nurse intervened as she speedily calmed the baby down.
"Can I hold her yet? I haven't held my daughter..." Joe trailed off as he began to remember that he never got the day he had looked forward to. He had the day all planned out in his head but that was ripped from his grasp in one swift pull just a mere 7 hours ago.
" of course. I'll send in another nurse to help you." And with that the nurse exited the room to collect another nurse to assist Joe in holding his daughter.
" do you what ya to wait outside?" David asked still comforting his girlfriend who was, understandably, still shook up from the days events in which she had lost her sister and just met her niece in one whole day.
"No...I know this sounds stupid but I really don't want to be alone. I can't stop thinking of Thea and when I'm alone it just makes it worse." Joe explained while looking out for the nurse who was now walking in.

Within a few seconds the nurse had finally assisted joe and he was now holding his stunning daughter Ava.
Ava lay with her eyes half shut staring through two slits up at her dad.
"Hi baby....I'm your daddy....you're probably wondering where..." joe trailed off slightly as tears trickled down his face before staring at ebony and David who just looked at him with sympathetic looks on their faces.
"Where your mummy is....well the truth.... the truth is mummy couldn't make it to see you...but she's proud of you and is looking down upon you right now. I know it...." Joes heart broke as the calm baby fully opened her eyes staring into his orbs like she was listening to every single word he was saying.
His daughters first words that she had ever heard were about her mothers tragic death...
End of part 2
Hi guys sorry for the slow update but here you go!