Summary: Drake comes home and discovers MC (Riley) has devastating news for him.
As soon as Drake opened the front door, he knew something was wrong. He could feel it. There was something in the air, something that wasn’t right.
“Riley?” he called. “Are you here?”
“Kitchen.”
Her voice sounded weak, defeated. Drake hurried into the kitchen and was shocked to see her sitting on the floor, wearing sweatpants and one of his shirts with an open whiskey bottle beside her.
“Are you drunk?” Drake asked, the scene not making sense in his head. How could she be drinking?
“I lost the baby,” Riley said dully, not making eye contact with him. “Again.”
The news rolled over Drake like a wave and he reached out for the counter to steady himself. He sat down on the floor beside her and moved the whiskey bottle out from between them and set it aside. He wanted a drink; he really wanted a drink. But there would be more than enough time for that later. Right now, his wife needed him.
Drake put an arm around Riley and she lay down, resting her head on his lap. She started to cry, her body shaking with the force of sobs that sounded like they might make her splinter and crack into a thousand pieces on the kitchen floor. Drake stroked her hair, feeling his own unbidden tears fall from his eyes.
“I don’t think I can do this again,” she sobbed. “I can’t …”
“Shh,” Drake whispered soothingly. “It’s okay. We’ll be okay.”
“But you want kids,” Riley said as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. “What if I can’t give you that?”
“I want you,” Drake said, tilting her face towards him so that she was looking at him. “That’s what I want.”
Riley dissolved into fresh tears and Drake pulled her to him, wrapping her in his arms as he held her close. She clung to him like a drowning woman to a life preserver.
“I feel like I’m letting you down,” she said, her voice muffled in his chest.
“As long as I have you, I have everything,” Drake insisted.
“Are you sure?” Riley asked, pulling back to look at him.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything than I am of how much I love you,” he said. “Do you believe me?” Riley nodded. “Come on, let’s get you into bed.”
Drake stood up and helped Riley to her feet before he put an arm around her and led her to their bedroom. He pulled back the covers and helped her into bed, tucking her in.
“Do you need anything?” he asked gently as he knelt by the bed, brushing the hair back from her face.
“Will you stay with me for a little while?” she asked in a shaking voice.
Drake lay down beside her on top of the covers wrapping his arm around her and tucking her back against his chest. Eventually, Riley’s breathing slowed as she fell into a fitful sleep, with Drake following close behind, his wife safe in his arms.
