Not Gone but Forgotten

Chapter 1: Your First Goodbye

He slowly walked her into the emergency room, her body numb with labor pains. She groaned and moaned as the contractions continued, like someone was squeezing her lower body with all their strength. The nurse rushed to the relatively young couple. "Hey, Mrs. Williams, right this way." The nurse snapped a wheel chair open for her to sit in. "Dominic!" She cried as the contractions pressed on. "I'm right here Arielle, I'm right here baby." Her emerald green eyes clung to his face staring into his rich dark brown eyes, her spiraled blackish-brown hair, swayed all over the place. She griped his hand as she eased down into the chair. "She winced as the pain seem to increase. The nurse showed them to the room. It was a plain white washed room, she looked around confused, and then to Dominic. "I'll explain everything afterwards." The nurse and Dominic helped her into the bed, "Dr. Rowe will be in in one moment." The couple sat in silence. She stared out the window to a jet black sky with a hidden glow, she looked around and stopped her eyes on an analog clock on the wall that read 4:02. The doctor walked in, her hair a blazing with black curls, and a bright smile sat graciously upon her face, "Hello, Dominic and Arielle, it's that time already." Arielle smiled rubbing her swollen belly "Yeah, Rekia, it's that time." The girls giggled just like in high school taking about baby names, how beautiful the baby shower was, and the new clothes they just picked out. "Well, your at 9 cm, give us 10 minutes to bring everything in and you two fine folks will be meeting, your new baby." The doctor walked out.

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"So explain to me why we are in this room? And not a delivery room?" Arielle's eyes blazed with a curiosity concealing a prevalent anger." Dominic lowed his head in his hands, rubbing his short cut jet black hair. Tears clouded his vision. "Baby, I'm incredibly sorry." The utter breaking of his voice let Arielle know than he was truly sorry, and afraid. "Baby, Veronica, and I have been lying to you, and I know I swore to you a year ago that I wouldn't lie but baby I have so much that I just haven't told you and I wish I could, but I can't I have to protect you and our baby." He kneeled down beside the bed, sobbing. He felt a hand grazing his hair, and he looked up to she a stunning woman radiant with beauty, brains, and strength. "Baby, it's ok, I've known you all my life, I know whatever is happening that you will protect me." He smiled grateful for a woman so full of compassion and understanding. He wiped his eyes on his navy blue polo sweater. Dr.Rowe walked in with a band of nurses behind her. She looked at Dominic, then to Arielle. "So, you understand what is about to happen? Arielle proudly sat up "Nope, not a clue, but I trust my best friends and husband with my life." Dr. Rowe chucked "You haven't aged a day."

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It had been a long painful 4 hours, it seemed as if time was frozen as she had been pushing out the new life her husband had placed inside of her to protect and nurture, and now it was over. A faint wail intensified as Arielle opened her eyes to see, a small creature screaming, and crying. Tears filled her eyes in disbelief, she looked at Dominic and water cascaded down her round cheeks. Dr.Rowe handed the baby to a nurse. The couple couldn't remove their eyes from the frightened child. As euphoria seem to rain down on the couple, they held each other's hand in a tight grip. The nurse turned and handed the Dr. a small bundle wrapped in a white blanket, she smiled at the couple. "Are you ready to meet your daughter." They faces lit up as if Christmas had just come. Arielle covered her mouth to stifle her cries of joy.

She reached out and pulled the small child into her chest. Her skin a perfect balance of her mother and father's skin tones, a beautiful sugary brown, her hair a small patch of kinks and coils. She waited for the baby to reveal its eyes. She almost cried staring at the special shade of green shimmering like stars pulled from the sky. she was a heaven-forged mix of Dominic and Arielle. Arielle smiled through tears and looked at Dr.Rowe tear up, they had been friends for a long time and she had never seen Arielle this happy. "Did you ever choose between the names?" The couple looked at each other than at their new born daughter. "We were actually talking about a name to pick before I went into labor.We liked Natalia.

Dr. Rowe smiled. "Your mother would be so happy." Arielle nodded at her.

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"No! You can't take her away from me!" She gripped the baby as her husband reached for her. "Baby please I don't want to but I have to protect you and Natalia." She stared at her daughter, touching her skin, fixing the hat on her small, hair covered head. She began to cry. It had been a long 9 months with her, and a long 4 hours, and now the first glimpses of her daughter would be the last ones she would ever have. She looked at her husband, with a mixture of emotions, only half she could name. She sobbed wishing she could keep her daughter and her husband, or just memories of them, but she couldn't even have that. "You, protect her! Protect our baby, cause I won't be there to do it. Every fall you pick her up, every heart break you try to heal... And if she asks where her mother is, tell her, I'll be there soon. She kissed him on the lips as a passionate symbol of their unity. "I love you Dominic, so much." He walked towards the door, wiping his face, "I love you more."

He walked out the door with the baby, their baby... She laid down on the hospital bed, her senses numbed as the staff buzzed like bees in a hive. Working at a breakneck pace, but to Arielle they were barely moving at all. Dr. Rowe was speaking to her, but no sound touched her ears, the world took an unusually shade of gray, and God could have walked in the room and Arielle wouldn't have even noticed. Her heart was fighting to stay in one whole piece, as the drug, began to take affect. Her emerald eyes once a studding radiance, turn clouded as if her mind was in some distant world, comforting itself, and fighting to stay sane. They fluttered close, unsure of what to expect when they were open again, she imagined that this was death. It wrapped around her like a blanket, it was almost mother like, but instead of a warm bosom to lay her problems, and worries it was a cold icy pillar of misery and heart break.