Through the Storms

Objective: Write a scene or story using no more than three words of dialogue each time dialogue is used.

Through the Storms

Susan was hopefully confident for for her sister Marie during this pregnancy. Marie's previous four had ended in miscarriages, but she had passed the twenty-fourth week this time with no complications. Baby Cara was healthy. Everything was good. The doctors confirmed it on each of Marie's visits. Therefore, Brian's phone call a few minutes before 7 P.M. jolted Susan into a desperate sea of numbing confusion.

"Susan?" Her husband shook off his rain coat as he entered the dark house. "You all right?"

"Did you hear?" Susan turned toward the window and stared at the pelting rain. Lightening zigzagged across the sky and lit up the room.

"Brian's mother called." Mike moved in behind Susan putting his hands on her shaking shoulders. Their dog Roscoe whimpered and scratched at the door, but his owners were oblivious to his cries.

"What'd she say?" Susan dabbed her eyes with a wet handkerchief.

"Cara was still-born." The phone began to ring but neither moved to answer it.

"But, why?" pleaded Susan hoping Mike had an answer for her. The phone stopped ringing.

"Don't know." Mike hugged his wife and thought of his best friend and brother-in-law Brian who had just been dealt another miserable upper-cut from life.

Susan began sobbing and fell into Mike's arms. "Funeral's tomorrow afternoon." They stood there for a long while as Mike cushioned her heaving sobs. They held each other and gently rocked in unison with the ticking of their grandfather clock.

"It's so unbelievable," Susan mumbled into Mike's chest. Quiet lightening continued to perform in the sky as the rain began to slacken.

"I know," said Mike.

Susan left Mike's arms and walked across to the coffee table. "Another dead baby." She picked up her cigarettes, tapped one out, and put it into her mouth. Mike was beside her with lighter drawn and with a brief flick of fire lit her cigarette. Susan slouched down onto the couch, and inhaled deeply. "They should adopt."

"Not our call." Mike ran his right hand up over his forehead, over his head, and down his neck attempting to ease the tension. He knew that the reason Susan didn't want to start their own family was due to Marie and Brian's hideous foray into parenthood.

"You're right." Susan took one last drag on her cigarette and stubbed it out in the crystal ash tray on the side table.

"Go get dressed," Mike pulled his wife up and helped her toward the stairs ."Marie needs you." He gave her a hug. "You'll have to help her through this terrible storm of loss once again."

"You'll drive me?" sniffled his wife.

"Of course."

She brushed Mike with a kiss. "I love you." She hurried up the stairs.

"Love you back," he said as he considered how much he wanted a family himself.

Words: 467