She's Gone?

They were all silent. No one knew what to say. They just waited and waited. There was a flurry of activity in the operating room, and no one waiting had the slightest idea.

Dean had left her side for a total of twenty hours in the last two and a half weeks since she had been at the hospital. Most of those hours were so he could go and see Lola. As much as he didn't want to leave her side, he needed to better himself for her and his daughter. When he wasn't there, Alex tried to be, but he's been working so much lately.

Dean sat down hard on the floor. He was leaning up against the wall. His head had begun to pound. His mom must have caught his ear when she slapped him. It was starting to ache.

Natalie approached him. "Hey." She sat down next to him. "Did you notice how much time we've spent sitting on hospital floors?" She leaned up against him. She's going to be okay. They are both going to be OK. Marines don't fear death. Death fears Marines.

"Did you read that off a t-shirt somewhere?"

"No. At least, I don't think so. Maybe I have. But either way, it's true."

She leaned over onto his shoulder and took his hand.

He was tired, nervous, and angry at himself. The flood of emotions was draining.

"I'm going to lose her, Bug, again. I didn't want to miss everything. I hate that Alex was there for everything. If I would have known, I would have been there. You know that, right? Tell me you know that, Bug."

"I do, Bean. You would have moved mountains to be with her."

"What will I tell my daughter when she gets older and ask about things that happened when Mommy was pregnant with her? I don't want her to grow up thinking I didn't want to be there or, worse, that Alex is her dad. What if Allie doesn't even want me in her life?"

"First of all, big brother, that won't happen. Allie will never cut you out of this child's life. And if, for some fucked up reason, she tries, you and I both know that you have the ways and the means to make sure that never happens. Mom and Dad have some high-paid lawyers who will ensure that."

"You know me, I would never put her through that."

"There's my brother. The one who looks out for everyone but himself."

"She's my world, Natalie, they are both. It is incredible how much I love that little girl. I've known about her for what? Three weeks? I've seen grainy images and heard a heartbeat. I didn't even need to be here for the last 34 weeks. It took me three weeks to find out. Again, because I had to do something for work, God damn it, Bug! I've spent every night with her, sleeping next to her, hand on her belly, feeling my baby girl move. It hurts my heart to think that Alex was the first one to feel her move and kick. He slept beside my Buttercup for months with his arm around her and his hand on my daughter."

"Would you rather have her been alone?"

"No."

"What would you rather she didn't have anyone to help her?"

"No."

"Make her have to do everything by herself and fall asleep alone every night?"

"Okay, Bug. I get it."

"Look, you may not be besties with Alex, but he's a good guy. Terrible pool player but a good guy. I have gotten to know him. He cares about her, too. Both of them. He would die for them, Bean, just to keep them safe. That's why he was there in the first place. We all knew he wanted more with her, but he did respect the boundaries. And think about it: it's been 3 weeks, and you love this baby with all you are. Alex has known her for what? 18 or 20 weeks. Think of how much he loves her."

Dean couldn't take the stress of the situation and started to cry.

He closed his eyes, and he fell into a heavy sleep.

When the doctor walked into the waiting room, everyone turned. Those who were seated stood up. "Hello, everybody. I need to speak with Alex."

Dean looked confused. "Alex, why do you need to talk to Alex?"

"I'm the baby's father. I'm the husband."

"And you are?"

"Dean. I'm Dean."

He looked at Alex and Dean. "You two should come with me."

They both left the room following the doctor. "Look. I need to figure out what's going on here. Allie told us the father's name was Alex, but she didn't mention a husband."

"He is most definitely not her husband," Alex said.

"I'm not here to do any record checks. I'm here to tell you what is going on."

He sighed and rubbed his head. "The baby is small—exceedingly small—like a little doll, but she is perfect. She is breathing on her own."

"And Allie?" Alex asked.

"YEAH, How's Allie?" Dean asked.

"After the delivery, she had some complications. Her placenta hadn't completely separated from the uterine wall. Your wife--"

"It's not his wife," Alex reiterated.

"OK, Miss Kingston experienced a severe hemorrhage. She had lost over half her blood volume. We tried to give her more. Having the baby put a strain on her body to the point that there was just nothing we could do. We tried."

"You tried? What do you mean tried?" Dean asked.

Dean stepped forward. Alex put his hand on his chest and pushed him back.

"Down, boy."

"Gentleman, I'm sorry. We tried to do everything we could, but she lost blood too fast."

"I don't understand. You can just give her blood. So give her blood," Alex said. "I can give you my blood. Give her mine."

"If you want, I can tell the others. I'm sorry to both of you."

"She's dead. You know you need just to come out and say she's dead. That's how to make a notification properly."

Dean was speaking, but he was in denial that the person he was talking about couldn't possibly be his Buttercup.

Alex could barely stand upright. "Mi Cara Mia. His tears fell to the floor."

"I want to see my daughter," Alex said.

"SHE'S NOT YOUR DAUGHTER!" Dean yelled.