We Met At The Eye Doctor

I'm finishing up developing the pictures from Hawaii in my home dark room when I realize what day it is tomorrow. November twelfth and they say thirteen is an unlucky number. I take down the photos from the drying line and put them on the counter outside the dark room. I walk into my bedroom and lie on my bed as I cry myself to sleep.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Not today." I mumble into my pillow.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Fuck why won't they go away." I murmur as I make my way to the door passing by the clock which reads 10AM. I open the door to see Mandy standing there with two coffees in her hand.
"Mandy, today's not a good day." I mumble.
"I know." She says quietly, "I came to check up on you." she hands me one of the coffees.
"I'll be fine, I just want to be alone."
"Alright." She says nodding, "Should I take away the raiser blades and knives before I leave?"
"No, it's okay." I say shaking my head as I close the door behind her.

As I turn to go back to bed I hear voices from the hallway.
"I don't think you should go in there." Mandy says.
"Don't be ridiculous, why wouldn't she want to see me?" Mike's distinct voice rings out.
"It's complicated, just not today." Mandy insists.
"What's going on?!" Mike demands. I open the door slowly.
"Mandy it's okay." I say quietly.
"Cassie are you okay?" Mike asks truly worried.
"Yeah, I guess." I mutter as I let him into the apartment. I don't say anything I just walk back into my room and lie on the bed, placing the coffee on my night stand. Mike lies down next to me.
"So what's going on?" he whispers in my ear.
"It's November twelfth." I mumble.
"Okay," Mike says slowly as he wraps his arm around me, "Why's this day so..."
"It's the day I lost my baby." I say as I feel tears building up in my eyes.
"Oh." Mike says as he just holds me in silence for a while. "Do you want to talk about it?" I stay silent for a while.
"Corey didn't was unhappy about the baby from day one."
"Corey was the father?" I nod.
"He stuck with me for a month before he went berserks; he started ranting on how he couldn't be a father. He kept implying he wanted me to get an abortion."
"So is that what happened, you got an abortion?"
"No, I told him to leave. I told him I was going to Mandy's and when I got back I wanted him and his stuff out." I say as tears roll down my face, "On the highway to Mandy's I went head on into another car." Mike's grip around me grew tighter. "I woke up in the hospital two days later and the nurse told me I lost my baby girl." At this time tears are rushing down my face. I could tell Mike didn't know how to react so I turned around so I'd be facing him and wrapped my arm around him.

"I'm so sorry, I can't imagine losing Stella." He says finally. I wipe the tears out of my eyes, Mike is making this day so much easier for me.
"Talking about Stella, I have the pictures from Hawaii." I say pointing at the table in the corner, "I haven't had a chance to look at them." Mike gets up and brings the photos to the bed.
"These are really good." He says as he flips through some of the scenery pictures, "When'd you take this one?" he asks holding up the one of him and Stella.
"When I came to meet you and Stella at the beach, it was a Kodak moment." I say cheesily.
"Are these the one's Stella took?" Mike asks as I nod.
"They're pretty good. Especially the one of us."
"Yeah." Mike says as he goes to the next picture.
"Wait, what are those pictures from?" I ask taking a closer look at a picture taken from a distance.
"When you went swimming with Stella I couldn't help but take a few pictures." Mike says quietly.
"Oh okay." I say as I place the picture on my nightstand and go back to being enveloped in Mike arms. "I love you Mike." I say truthfully and whole heartedly for the first time ever.
"I love you too Cassie, I never want to let you go." He whispers as his he holds me closer.