Critically Conquered

Miscarriage: Noun. The expulsion of a fetus before it is viable, especially between the third and seventh months of pregnancy.

Alone: Adjective. Separate, apart, or isolated from others.

Death: Noun: The act of dying; the end of life; the total and permanent cessation of all the vital functions of an organism.

--

The rain pounded down on the thin roof. The flashing lightening lit up the dark hallway. The floors were ice cold. Veronica sat in front of the door that hadn't been opened in four months. Her skin was pale and her body was fragile. She was numb from any pain.

She slowly stood up and made her way to the empty leaving room. It was no longer the bright and happy room she had once come to love; there were holes in the walls where his fist had once been.

The silence was almost agonizing. She'd rather listen to his yelling and ranting than dare stand the silence.

She wrapped a blanket around herself and stared blankly out the window. She waited patiently for his return.

No matter what her family said, she believed that he was going to come home. He loved her, and he loved their child. He would come back home even if it was the last thing he did.

Her friends had long given up on her. They were tired of their advice going to waste. They couldn't handle her moping around. Their visits became less and less until eventually they didn't show up at all.

She stared down at the boney finger with the meaningless ring on it. She couldn't bring herself to take it off.

Memories flooded her mind as she watched the rain fall.

***

The sun was setting over the trees as a thirteen year old Ronnie leaned up against a fourteen year old Aidan.

"Veronica, do you wanna know something?" The little boy spoke.

"What?"

"You're my girl. You know that, right? We're going to be together forever. I'm never letting you go." Aidan put his arm around Ronnie and kissed her forehead.

"Good because I wasn't going to let you go either."

***

Aidan's heart rate increased as he rode down the familiar street to Veronica's house. He hadn't seen her all summer because his parents sent him to live with his grandparents in Tennessee to help on his grandpa's farm. He pulled in her driveway and shut the car off.

The curtains in Ronnie's room moved, and within a few seconds, the door swung open, and she charged toward him. She jumped in his arms, and they both ended up in the grass.

"I'm never leaving you again. It was torture not getting to see that beautiful face every day," Aidan said with a bit of twang in his voice.

"Next time, I'm coming with you," Ronnie said, kissing his tan cheek.

***

Veronica glanced down the aisles as she passed them. She suddenly got the feeling as if someone was following her. She turned around to see a blurred figure rush into an aisle. Paranoid, she began walking faster.

Two hands abruptly covered her eyes, stopping her in her tracks.

"Are you scared?" An unfamiliar voice whispered in her ear, causing her lip to quiver.

"No." Ronnie gripped the cart in her hands.

"Liar." The person released her and began laughing.

She swung around to see her boyfriend bent over, laughing hysterically.

"That was so not funny! I honestly thought I was about to die," Veronica spoke, her eyes filling up with tears.

"Oh, honey. Please don't cry. It was a joke. I swear I won't do it again." Aidan wrapped his girl in his arms and gently rocked her back and forth in the middle of the store.

***

"Ronnie, guess what?" Aidan questioned, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms loosely around her pregnant belly.

"What?"

"I love you more than anything else in the world. I would rather die than be without you."

"I love you, too -- more than you will ever know." She slowly turned around and connected their lips.

***

Veronica collapsed on the floor and cried out in pain.

What had happened? He loved her. He even said he did. Why did he leave?

Her mind wandered back to the night everything changed.

***

Veronica was walking to the kitchen when something went horribly wrong. Her back arched as pain shot through her abdomen. She let out a blood-curdling scream as she fell to the floor. Aidan ran into the room and stared at Ronnie in horror. He saw the pool of blood and rushed her out to the car.

He paced back in forth in the waiting room. It seemed like forever before the doctor was finally able to come out there and tell him anything.

The doctor's sorrowful look told him that something was wrong.

"The baby is gone. We couldn't save her. Veronica, on the other hand, is fine. You can come back and visit if you wish." The doctor patted him on the shoulder before turning away.

He felt nauseas as he walked back to where Ronnie was.

Her eyes were swollen and fat tears rolled down her face. Aidan broke down as he saw the sight before him.

"What did I do wrong? Why did this happen? Why?" Her voice was hoarse and it hurt to talk, much less breathe.

He didn't know what to do so he just stood there. He watched her and didn't make any move to comfort her.

When she was finally released, they didn't speak. They couldn't even look at each other.

They made their way up to their apartment and walked in to be faced with the pool of blood. Veronica got some towels and began cleaning up the mess.

Bumping came from the bedroom before Aidan revealed himself and a suitcase.

"Where are you going? What are you doing?" She picked herself off of the ground and tried to take a step forward.

"I can't do this."

"Do what? What can you not do? We just lost a baby and you're leaving?"

"I don't want to have to be reminded everyday of what happened tonight."

"So you're just gonna leave? You're not even going to think about me?" Veronica couldn't grip what was happening.

Aidan was quiet.

"Are you going to say anything?"

"What do you want me to say? I can't stay here! I will go crazy if I stay here."

"What about me? I thought you loved me? You said you loved me. Are you just going to leave me because I had a miscarriage? It wasn't my fault, Aidan!"

"I never said it was your fault. Feelings change, you know! I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be unhappy just to make you happy."

"How can you go from being happy to unhappy with me? You were fine, I was fine, we were fine a day a go!"

"Crap, Veronica! I don't love you anymore. Why can't you get that through your head? I wanna leave! I don't wanna stay here."

"You don't love me anymore?" Veronica backed up a little, finally coming to terms with everything that was going on.

Aidan's head fell. "It's what I said isn't it?"

"When did you stop?"

"Veronica, why does that matter?"

"It just does. When?" She slowly made her way closer to him.

"Weeks ago..."

The only sound that was made was the sound of Veronica's hand going against Aidan's face.

"You lied! You've been lying to me all this time!" Veronica screamed.

Aidan sat there, his anger rising inside of him. Never in a million years did he think that Veronica would slap him.

"I hate you. I hate you so much right now! When were you going to tell me? After the baby was born? Were you just going to leave?"

Aidan's fist collided with the wall causing a hole.

"Shut up! Just shut up! I'm tired of listening to you talk! I'm so sick of looking at and listening to you!" His fist began flaring.

Veronica flinched and fell to the ground.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She mumbled.

"Doing what?"

"Leaving me. I need you, Aidan. I need you more than anything right now. I love you. You said you would never leave me. You said I was your girl and you'd love me forever. I just wish I knew what I did wrong."

She began to sob. Never had she been so weak and helpless.

"I'm sorry, but I got to do what I got to do." He picked up his suit case and walked to the door. He turned to see her in a ball as she continued to cry.

His lip quivered at the sight. He had never seen her so hurt. Part of him wanted to turn around and make everything better. He still loved her to death, and it was going to kill him to stay away. He'd still check on her, though -- just without her knowing it.

A tear fell from his eye as he turned away. He walked out the door and shut it.

However, before he took his first step to leaving, he mumbled four words: "I'll love you forever."

***

Veronica crawled into the kitchen. Her legs were too weak to carry the little weight she had. She grabbed a bottle of liquor and her bottle of antidepressants. She sobbed as she made her way back to the hallway. She placed her hand on the knob and proceeded to turn it.

It wasn't long until she came face to face with the baby's nursery. The nursery she hadn't been in in almost four months. She grabbed a teddy bear and fell to the floor. She shoved all the pills in her mouth and drank the vodka straight. She held the bear tight as she cried herself into a permanent sleep.

Aidan wasn't prepared to get that call. He never thought that she would kill herself. And to think it was his entire fault, he couldn't bear the pain. He could have prevented this. He should have stayed with her. They could have made it through the rough time together. They could have had another child. They could have gotten married. She's the only girl he had ever loved -- the only girl he will ever love. He can't function knowing that she isn't alive.

He sat at the tiny table in his apartment with a piece of paper and a pen. What he wrote would be his last thoughts.

"Veronica was the love of my life. She was my girl. She has been my girl since I met her when we were kids. She was so beautiful. The thing I will regret the most is leaving her. I take full responsibility for her taking her life. It kills me to know that her precious heart is no longer beating because of me. Her death is the reason for mine. I can't live in a place where I know that the person that was keeping me alive all this time is no longer alive herself. I wish I could have told her one last time how much I love her. I loved her more than she will ever know. I'm sorry for causing everyone so much pain. My last request is to be buried beside her and our child. -- Aidan"

With that, Aidan took a bottle of vodka and a bottle of antidepressants and proceeded with taking his life. His family found his cold, dead body that night along with the note.

His and Veronica's family had a joint funeral and obeyed his wishes by burying them both with their miscarried child.

Love is what makes this world go round; without it, we'd be lifeless creatures walking around.