They tried treatments. They traveled to specialists across the country. They even began adoption paperwork more than once, but every attempt somehow fell apart.
After five years of trying, Claire stopped talking about children altogether.
Two years later, she moved out.
There had been no screaming argument.
Just silence.
Some emptiness slowly erodes everything.
Andrew pushed the memory away and returned to the present.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Emily.”
“And the baby?”
The girl looked down at the tiny face in her arms.
“He doesn’t have a name yet.”
Andrew swallowed hard.
A few minutes later the ambulance arrived. The paramedics examined the woman briefly and confirmed what Andrew already knew.
She had been dead for more than a day.
Police officers took notes while social services were contacted.
Emily never loosened her grip on the baby.
When a social worker tried to gently take the child for examination, the girl reacted instantly, clutching him tighter.
“He’s mine!”
The strength in her voice was almost wild.
Andrew felt something tighten in his chest.
“Let me talk to her,” he said quietly.
He stepped closer again.