Love Conquers All

Chapter 53

Frances Sholto-Douglas as Tori.
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"Liz have you seen AJ's shoes I could have sworn they were by the door?" Kathy asked me while looking under the couch for her five year old's shoe.

"He had them in his hand last time I saw it," I whispered.

"He's with Angelo and he doesn't have them," she said looking around the room.

"Just put another pair of shoes on him, it'll show up eventually. Now come on," I told her.

We were on our way to Florida to see Caleb's new house. He went there for a change of pace and told us he really liked it there so he bought a small house and moved. Now that he's settled he wants us to go visit him.

I walked out just as Kathy ran upstairs to get another pair of shoes. As I approached the car Eric came out to take the sleeping child in my arms.

"How's my little prince?" he asked kissing my lips.

"Sleeping as usual," I smiled.

After I told him I was pregnant we had a baby shower to celebrate and officially confirm I was expecting, but at seven months pregnant I went into labor. I was in labor for thirty six hours, finally I pushed her out. As I held her Eric and I decided to name her Rebecca Nicole, I held her for a bit longer before Eric got impatient and took her and held her, examining her every feature. And for the second time since being with him I saw him cry, but it wouldn't be the last.

Because she was a preemie her lungs had to be monitored and was put in an incubator. Later that night as I was recovering from the birth the doctors came in and told us that she her lungs had collapsed and had passed.

"Mr. and Mrs. Madison I am terribly sorry to have to tell you this," he said before leaving the room.

My hopes and dreams had come true in that three pound six ounce baby. And in an instant they were ripped from me. My chest grew tight at the news and I can't breathe.

Eric has just stormed out but not before punching a hole in the wall.

"Eric! ERIC! Come..." I can't seem to breathe in enough air to call out for him.

The monitor next to me starts to beep rapidly and I saw nurses and doctors came in and surrounded me. They were yelling orders to each other but I couldn't understand anything. I couldn't hear anything and everything was all a blur.

"Baby!" I snapped my head to the right of me.

I stared at him confused "We're going to stop," he said to me.

"Oh... Ok," I said and looked out my window.

Five minutes later we pulled into a Dunkin' Donuts and everyone got out to stretch their legs and use the bathroom. I sat at one of the tables thinking about the Rebecca's death.

After Eric left the room he got arrested for reckless driving and driving while intoxicated. I on the other hand was in the hospital being sedated to calm my panic attack, and to get me to breathe regularly again. I was kept sedated for three days after we got the news because every time I wasn't I began to hyperventilate again. Eric didn't stay in jail for long because he has Slim bail him out right away. And he was able to 'fix' things with the judge to not be given a jail sentence or anything that would smudge his family name. He also didn't come back to see me. I now know it's because he was on a three day binge drinking and using to cope with the news. On the fourth day I was able to deal with everything without a sedative.

He came back to the hospital to pick me up after a week and the time spent at home with him were supposed to be a time where we would grieve together and overcome this horrible tragedy together, but instead we grieved alone and fought endlessly. We said horrible things to each other during this time. He threw my disorder in my face, blamed me for Rebecca's death, and told me I was nothing to him anymore. Likewise I threw anything I could in his face as well. I had nothing really to throw at him except the hurting he brought me when I was so young so that's what I did, I used the guilt that, that memory brought him to bring him pain. I told him I shouldn't have married him because I knew he would fail me eventually. And one night that he was saying so many horrible things to me and once again throwing Rebecca's death in my face I told him I didn't love him and that I never did, and when I couldn't take the psychological abuse anymore I left. I packed up everything I could and fled.