All My Heart: A Very Warped Summer Sequel (Austin Carlile x OC)

Sleep

Sleep – Citizen

“You spent so many days alone, so I'll kill myself to make things fair. See I just hated being tired 'cause I can't seem to sleep anymore. You and all your friends were all right about me all along. Do you sleep anymore? ...I'm getting sick and tired of the smile I fake every day. I would love to speak my mind but I can't think straight. I would love to feel alive again, but I'm not used to change...and if you want to feel better, I'll stay out of your way. I would love to feel alive again, but I guess that can wait.”

Danielle sat on the edge of the lumpy mattress, feeling her whole body breaking out into a cold sweat. She couldn't stop biting her inner lip and picking at her cuticles. This couldn't be happening again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, slowly letting it out. She heard her hospital curtain being pushed open and her head immediately snapped in the nurse's direction.

She stared at Danielle, a sorrowful look on her face. “I'm sorry, Danielle.”

Her heart dropped to her stomach. She wiped both of her hands down her face, staring at the curtain, trying hard to think about what to say to Austin. She swallowed hard and turned back to the nurse, her voice shaking when she spoke.

“So, now what?”

“Well, it seems that the tissue has passed by itself, unlike your first miscarriage as you said, right?” Danielle nodded. “So, there's nothing to be done on our part. You're just going to bleed for another week or two. Make sure you wear pads—no tampons.”

“So no surgery this time?”

“No surgery.”

“Is there any specific reason this happened to me twice?”

“Well, it is a pretty rare occurrence for someone your age. But, there's many other factors to consider. First of all, during your first miscarriage, were you smoking, drinking, taking any drugs at the time?”

“No, not at all.”

“Was your partner at all?”

Danielle shifted uncomfortably. She hated bringing up Trace. Trying her best to hide the fear and pain she felt, she nodded. “Yeah, he was into cocaine during my first pregnancy. But the day he found out I was pregnant he...he kind of forced me to have a miscarriage.”

The nurse stared at Danielle, the wheels inside of her head slowly turning, connecting dots on what Danielle was saying. Then, she shifted her body weight, putting the clipboard down on the table. “Is that what happened this time, too?”

“No, no!” Danielle let out a nervous laugh. “I'm with someone else now.”

“Oh.” The nurse looked relieved. “Well, what about him?”

“He doesn't do any drugs.”

“And you don't take any medication? Neither one of you have any sexually transmitted infections? No history of chronic diseases?”

Danielle shook her head, afraid she may never have an answer to why she had two miscarriages in a row or if she could ever have children.

“Any kind of genetic defect in either one of you?”

Danielle was about to shake her head no when she suddenly remembered. “Yeah, actually, my boyfriend, he has Marfans Syndrome. Would that have anything to do with it?”

The nurse did a half shrug. “It's a possibility. A history of genetic defects in the family can contribute to a miscarriage.

“So, does that mean I'm very unlikely to have kids with him if I tried again?”