Sensitieve subject

Laila and Noah had finished their extensive lunch and got ready to hit the road again after tipping the staff generously. As they were in the car, resuming their drive, Noah found the courage to ask a question that would touch on a sensitive subject for both of them.

As his eyes were focused on the road and with a serious tone Noah asked, "Did you and Jake have any children together? In the other timeline I mean." Laila's expression immediately showed hurt, awkwardness and sadness. Something that didn't escape Noah's attention. Despite the emotions passing on Laila's face rapidly, he could still see glimpses of them from the corner of his eye and he could definitely sense the change in the air. He had dismissed it as Laila finding this a difficult question to answer as it took her back to a time she wanted to forget but he didn't realize to just how bad a place he had brought her mentally.

Laila was at a loss for words as she didn't quite know how to answer that question. Even though it was a yes or no question, to her the answer was both yes and no. She did have a child with Jake but they had lost that child before it could even enter the world. So, considering what Noah had intended to find out by asking her this question, the child they had lost might not be considered as them having children but Laila did not want to dismiss his existence in any way. So, just saying no to that question was not an option for her.

In the end Laila ended op nodding yes and halfway through changing it in her shaking her head no. As she shook her head, she said, "No, I guess not. I was pregnant at some point, I was almost as far along as I am now, but we lost the baby during a car accident. After that I think it became too painful to think about having other children and our focus shifted to other things. Even when we felt ready again, life just got in the way. Then the cheating happened and I came here. The rest is history." She tried to hide her pain behind a smile but it was clear that her expression did not match how she felt inside.

Noah had almost immediately let go of the gearshift when he heard the words 'lost the baby' and grabbed Laila's hand. He squeezed it tight as he let her finish her words. Once she was finished, he said, "I'm sorry you had to go through that and I am sorry for asking. I did not expect something like that to have happened to you. I might not care for Jake very much but I don't wish for that to happen to even my worst enemy. I hope this pregnancy didn't bring back any bad memories."

Laila shook her head again. This time with a smile on her face. "It's okay. You couldn't have known that and as my husband you do have a right to know. I sprung a lot of information on you and basically told you that the wife you knew had been replaced by a stranger. It is logical for you to have questions about the life I have lived before I started living with you. As for the pregnancy bringing back bad memories, it did. There was no way for it not to, especially considering all the similarities, but it is okay now. In a way I feel that that baby I have lost, came back to me in this life." Then she told him about the similarities she had found between the baby she had lost and the one she was carrying right now. Noah was surprised to say the least to hear all of this and he too felt that this was the universe allowing her to reunite with the baby she had lost. A chance to do it all again and this time hopefully with a happy ending.

After they talked about the babies some more, Noah said, "Well, even though this was a pretty heavy subject for you, I am glad you told me all of this. I think the more we get to know about each other's lives in the time we have spent apart, the closer we will get and the sooner we can get back to how things were in terms of being a married couple. Now that we are on the road again, I suddenly remembered that I never gave you the full reason for why I don't like you driving while you are pregnant. The reason for that is because the fatigue can come back at any moment. I am afraid that a sudden episode will hit you while you are driving or because you are straining yourself and cause you to get into an accident or something. So, if I can help it, I would rather keep you away from the steering wheel and safe next to me."

Laila smiled faintly as she let out a soft, barely audible exhaled laugh and accepted that Noah would always be a worrywart when it came to her. Hearing Noah talk like this also made her wonder how he would be with the baby once it was born. The images in her mind were certainly most entertaining, making her already look forward to that daily show in her upcoming everyday life!