For Everything, There Is a Time!

Zayn knocked the door of the bedroom, and waited. "Darla, I'm not leaving, so just come out already." Harry and Parker stood at the other side of the door and waited with him. "Would you two give us a moment?" he asked them, and the pair left headed out of the apartment, leaving just Zayn and Darla. He wondered if that would encourage her to come out, so he spoke up. "Look, Harry and Parks have left, so could you come out? We have to talk about it! I may not be the best at it, but I can try. I don't want my best friend to feel like she can't talk to me. Come on, please come out." he said, leaning his forehead against the door and sighed. "Darling, come on-" Zayn was interrupted by the door being pulled open in front of him, almost falling into the small girl standing on the other side.
"It was seven weeks ago and this is the first time you come to me." she said. She looked like she'd been crying, like she was having trouble with the fact that he was busy and didn't have the time to set aside five minutes to call her. Which really, Zayn knew he should have done, he just couldn't. There was something that stopped him every time he picked up that phone and dialed her number. He didn't know what it was, but it sure as hell was strong enough to stop him from pressing the call button. "Seven weeks, I have been trying to think it over. Four weeks that I have been going out of my mind, scared that my missed period was going to mean the end of my life. And three weeks I have known that it will be." Darla said to him, looking up at him as tears evading her eyes once more and dribbled down her cheeks, as she spoke. "So, tell me, Zayn, are you ready to talk now? Do you want to have a conversation about that night? How you didn't use protection and now I'm pregnant, and I am so scared that I don't know what to do!" she shouted at him. "This is all your fault! And I don't even get a sorry text message from you to say that you've been thiinking about me, about what we did. Not even a Facebook message to ask me how I am." She was clearly angry and she was clearly scared, and Zayn, well, he didn't know what to do. He stared at her, the same two words going through his mind, 'I'm pregnant'.
"Did you just say you're pregnant?" he asked her, his bad boy demeanor completely dissipating. Darla's tear-filled eyes opened widely as she looked up at him and nodded her head, her lips quivering, like she was cold, and she let out a sob, covering her face with her hands. He didn't know what to do, he just stared and blinked a little, putting his hands out, unsure of how to comfort her, but tried to, putting his hands on her shoulders. Darla pushed him away, but he was much stronger than her, and as she started punching his chest, shouting, telling him to stop and leave her alone, he grabbed her wrists and pulled her in to hug her. If he didn't do something, he was going to fall to his knees and scream out in utter anguish! He was far too young to be a father, he was far too busy to be a father, and he most certainly didn't know how to be a father! Darla pushed her face into his chest as she cried her eyes out, and Zayn put his hands on her back and held her closely, placing his chin on her head before giving up the urge to cry himself, and he buried his face into her hair.
The news of Zayn and Darla having a baby traveled fast between their small group of friends. Zayn had to tell his best friends about it, if not for support but for advice. Either way, Zayn was looking to the boys for help with this, for help to get his head around the news himself. "She's pregnant...?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow, acting as though it was the strangest thing he had veer heard in his life.
"Yes, she's pregnant. Six weeks, she says." Zayn confirmed and looked around at all of the boys expressions. Liam looked a little shocked, but was first to say that he'd be a great dad, obviously followed by all of the other boys telling him the same. Louis was a little stand off-ish, still offering support, but acted as though he didn't understand how he should react. Niall just hung his head, shaking it; out of all four, he would have both of the young parents-to-be looking to him for support and advice, and he didn't know if he could do it. Harry, on the other hand, once it was confirmed, looked nothing but happy and over the moon.
"Dude, that's amazing! No, really it is!" All of the boys, including Zayn, looked at him oddly. "I found an empty pregnancy test box in the bathroom, and you have no idea how scared I was that it...was...Parker's." Harry said and started to trail off as he listened to himself. "Um, well, I guess you do, actually." He bit his lip and smiled at him. "Congrats, though. It's still a good thing." he nodded.
"Look, while we have this down time, I'm going to be spending it with her, if she'll allow me." Zayn informed the boys, playing with a little bit of his hair. "Um, so, guys, the next time I see you all will probably when we get back together for going away again." he nodded and the others understood him, nodding their heads. "She wants to head back to her parents place and have them around throughout the pregnancy, which I guess is a good thing." he informed them. "I'd better get heading, the train leaves in about two hours and I still need to pick Darling up." The boys all got to their feet and hugged him as he headed down to the taxi outside the building.

Three months down the line, Darla sat in the examination room with the ultrasound running the transducer across her stomach, the image of her little twenty two week old fetus on the screen of the ultrasound machine. "There is your baby, Ms Day." the ultrasound technician told Darla as she looked at the small screen. "Wait a second, and I'll just get your files." she said, pressing a button and the picture on screen froze. Darla looked at it and smiled, small tears starting to form as she gazed at the pure perfection growing inside of her. She could already see its little head and features taking form. She had really wanted Zayn to be there, to see this magical moment, but he had to travel through to London for a meeting with the boys and he couldn't make it. However, he'd been to the one four weeks previous and he went with her to be dated. It was great to hear the heart beat, it had brought the big and manly Bradford Bad Boy to tears. When the technician came back, she sat down and checked over the files, before turning back to the machine. She was taking all of the measurements, the femur length and the circumference of the baby's head. "Your little one is progressing right on track, Ms Day." she said and looked over at her. "Would you like to know the gender?" she asked and Darla tore her eyes away from the screen and up to the ultrasound. She had said to Zayn that she wanted to wait, but he was desperate to know the sex. Slowly, she bit at her lip and sighed.
"Yes, please." she nodded, with the biggest smile on her face. "Oh wait, no, I can't. I promised my boyfriend I'd wait for him to find out." she shook her head and looked down. "Actually, this is the last scan and I can't wait any longer. Tell me the sex." she told the ultrasound technician and clasped her hand over her mouth as she watched the ultrasound point to the screen.
"Do you see that right there?" she asked and Darla nodded her head, pushing herself up on her elbows. "Well, that is your little boy's willy." she outright said and Darla dropped her hands and stared. My little boy, she thought, a smile on her face that couldn't be taken away for anything in the world. "I'll just give you a little time to clean off the gel and get your scan pictures for you. Congratulations, Ms Day, it's a boy." she said and left her on the bed with her stomach on show. Darla wiped off the saline gel and looked at the frozen image of her little boy. She and Zayn had been talking about names for the baby and had narrowed it down to two names; Sophia for a little girl, and Felix for a little boy. It looked like it was going to be Felix. She pulled her maternity dress down over her bump and sat with her legs hanging over the edge of the bed as the ultrasound came back in with a small folder and the pictures.
Darla started to head back to her parents home, and sat on the bus, her phone in one hand and the ultrasound picture in the other. She had called Zayn, but he hadn't answered his phone. She was focused on the pictures when her mobile buzzed and she quickly answered it. "Hello?"
"Hey, Dolly, it's me, Parker. The boys and I are on our way to your parents place, we just got off the train." Parker's chipper voice sounded over the phone.
"Oh, Roo, I'm on my way home from my scan. I have new pictures." Darla said and laughed lightly. "Hey, um, could you put Zayn on the phone, please?" she asked and a split second later, Darla could hear a scuffle and what sounded like Zayn complaining about something and then, Parker telling him off for grabbing.
"Take the phone nicely." she said to him, her voice coming out in a soft growl. Well, she may have appeared to be a little pussy cat most days, but she definitely had the attitude of a tigress when need be. "Here he is." Parker's soft accent came over the phone.
"Hey, baby, we're on our way to your parents, as Parker said, we should be there in ten minutes." he confirmed and she laughed at him. "So, how is our little bundle of joy doing?"
"Doing well, all of the measurements are what they should be." Darla told him and bit her lip. "I also found out the sex of the baby, if you want to know."
"She found out the sex of the baby!" Zayn shouted, sounding as excited as she had been when she was about to be told. "Oh, wait, don't tell me if it's Sophia or Felix until we meet up." he instructed and sighed a little. "We'll see you two soon, alright? The second you get in, you sit down, am I clear?" he said and sounded so much like she had the night they had conceived.
"Alright, babe, I'll see you soon. I love you." she said and her phone cut out right before he had the chance to say it back. Frowning, Darla looked at her phone to see the low battery sign and sighed. Shit, she thought and pocketed her phone, shaking her head. She stood to get off of the bus, feeling a slight tugging in her lower stomach and dropped the pictures. She cursed again, bending over to pick up the pictures as the bus jerked to a stop and she stumbled forward, the edge of the seat in front of her connecting with her abdomen pretty hard. She felt the tugging again, as someone grabbed her from behind.
"Are you alright, love?" the person asked, helping her. "Here you go." he said and smiled at her, kindly.
"Thank you." she said, taking the pictures and rubbed her stomach. She headed off the bus quickly and walked fast to get back to her parents house only a few minutes from the bus stop.
The second she stepped foot in the house, she sat down as Zayn told her to, and rubbed her stomach, starting to feel a little sick. Not even five minutes after she got in, the group of people on their way to see her burst through the door. "Darla!" Zayn shouted, and she laughed, calling back.
"I'm in the living room." she shouted and was met by five of the six. "I guess Niall headed for the kitchen."
"He didn't eat on the train, bless his heart." Parker said, standing beside Harry with a smile on her face. "You're absolutely glowing, Darling." she told her and Darla had to admit, she had missed the off accent her roommate had. Zayn was already beside Darla, hugging her tightly, his arm around her shoulders and his hand on her stomach.
"Hello, it's Daddy, here! I missed you, tiny!" he said, speaking to her bump and Darla swatted his shoulder.
"Stop calling him that! He's going to come out and already have a grudge against you." Darla said and laughed, only for Zayn to look up at her. He mouthed, 'him?' and Darla just hard what she said. She nodded her head. "Yes, him. It's a boy." she smiled. "It's Felix." she told the room and the boys all whooped and Parker squealed, jumping up and down on the spot.
"Oh my god, Felix." Zayn said and looked at Darla, tears in his eyes. "Felix." he said and sighed. Darla laughed and hugged Zayn, managing to get one kiss in before the whole of the other started to come over and hug her.
For the rest of the night, everyone sat around laughing and talking about the baby. Harry and Parker were laughing about how when Parker's sister-in-law had been when she had her first. "I'm telling you, she was a nightmare! I couldn't handle her! But it was all worth it when Matthew came along. He's a little bundle of joy, just like Felix is going to be." she said and laughed. "Y'know, Felix is a brand of cat food, you two do know that, right? Your son is forever going to be haunted by that." she informed them, and nodded her head, deadly serious.
"Shut up, it is our baby boy's name, and nowhere near as bad as you calling your nephew Momo." Zayn stated and Parker screwed up her face and shook her head.
"That's a cute nickname, alright! I love it! And so does he." she said. "Just don't let Lynette hear you guys calling him that, because she doesn't like it." she looked into her mug of coffee and Harry pulled her closer to him, kissing her head.
"You are just too much, Parker Brennan." Harry stated, and got to his feet. "Alright, well, I'm getting tired, so we're going to head to the hotel. Parker, if you would join me." he asked, acting like a gentleman and dipped forward, offering his hand for her to take. Parker put her mug on the table in front of her and laughed, taking his hand and he pulled her to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist. "We'll see you guys tomorrow." he told them all, carrying her to the door. Parker laughed, squealing as his hands tickled her sides. "See ya!" Harry shouted from the door.
"Remember to use protection!" Zayn shouted back and Darla hit his arm as Liam and Niall laughed their heads off before stating they should head to the hotel themselves. "See you guys later." he said, waving to them and turned to Darla, who was yawning instead of laughing. "And that is our cue to also hit the hay. Your parents don't mind me staying, do they?" he asked and Darla shook her head, her eyes drooping shut. She's not going to make it to the room on her own, he thought and scooped her up, making her giggle and put her arms around his neck. "Let's go." he whispered into her ear, carrying up to the bed.
They had fallen asleep, and Darla felt herself falling into a deep sleep. But she wasn't out long before she felt that sharp tugging in her lower stomach again, only this time it was worse and more painful, which surprised her. She sat up and moved the blankets. Might as well head to the bathroom now, she thought, starting for the bathroom, only for Zayn to wake up and say something that she couldn't hear. She looked back over at him, and then at the bed to see a circle of what looked like blood on the sheets. Rather frightened, Zayn jumped out of the bed and headed over towards Darla who was clutching at her stomach. She didn't know what to do, not paying attention to Zayn as he had already grabbed his phone and was getting dress.

It wasn't until at the hospital that Darla noticed she was still bleeding. She was rushed into an examination room, where the doctor checked her over and a decision was made before anyone could ask what was happening. Darla was rushed into theater, the surgeon did everything he could, but by the time he had cut her open to try and save the baby, there was nothing he could do. Darla was taken to a room where she could relax, and the doctor headed to find Zayn, who was sitting in the waiting area with the boys and Parker, who had come up close behind him and Darla. "I'm sorry." the doctor said to him, looking down. "It would seem that Darla had a placental abruption." he told Zayn, who was standing in front of the doctor, unsure of what he was saying.
"What does that mean?" he asked and the doctor proceeded to explain that a placental abruption is when the placenta starts to come away from the center of the uterine wall. Zayn didn't understand, shaking his head. "That doesn't explain it. How does that happen? Where's Darla? And how is the baby? How is Felix?" he demanded. "I want to see them." he said, starting for the door.
"Darla is recuperating, but there was nothing I could do for...Felix, the baby, I assume." And Zayn's world just crashed down around him, smashed to the floor at his feet. "I'm sorry, we lost the baby."
"I want to see Darla, now." he demanded, but he was stopped before he could to the door again. "I need to see her!" he shouted, only for the doctor to ask him to calm down. "Don't ask me to be calm! My baby is dead, you just told me that my baby is dead!" he screamed at the doctor, Liam at his back, his hand on his shoulder.
"Zayn, come on, sit down." he said to his friend, trying to calm his friend down. But really, he could understand that he was upset, giving the news and being told he wasn't allowed in to see Darla. Niall and Louis were shocked, and they didn't really quite know what to say or do. And Parker was in tears, while Harry was trying console his girlfriend. This was a huge and shocking piece of news and no one knew quite how to treat it. When Liam had managed to stop Zayn, the poor boy basically broke down on the spot. Liam put his arms around his friend's shoulders, hugging him, rubbing his back. It was horrible to see him like that. Parker glanced up and rushed over to hug Zayn, to offer as much compassion as she could. Zayn had to bend down to hug her back, because of the considerable height difference. She shushed him, having to stop herself from crying to help her friend.
"It's okay." she said, softly and compassionately.
"Mr Malik, if you'd follow me, you can come see Darla, but she is asleep, because of the anesthesia and the ordeal has taken a lot out of her." the doctor warned, and Zayn stood up straight, taking a deep breath, nodding his head. "Come with me."
Stepping into that room, seeing Darla looking so fragile and pale, almost made Zayn break down again. But he sat beside her, taking her hand and kissed it. "Hey, Darly." he said, sniffling a little. That was all he said for a few minutes, he just stayed there with her. When he felt he could speak without his voice breaking, he told her what had happened, whilst she was asleep. It was easier that way, he didn't have to see her cry if she was asleep. "Darla, something horrible has happened." he said, his eyes filling with tears again. "And I don't know how I'm going to tell you when you're awake, but it's so much easier saying it right now. There was a complication, something happened to the placenta or something, the doctor called it placental abruption. I still don't know what it means." Zayn shook his head, wiping his face. "They took you into surgery to try and fix it, but there was nothing they could do. They did everything they could, I swear, but it didn't work." Tears were streaming down his cheeks. "The baby, Felix, he didn't make it. I'm sorry. I am so sorry." He squeezed Darla's hand, looking over at her monitor, his eyes blurred and burning by the tears.

Bad things happen to good people, it's just how these things work, unfortunately. For everything, there is a time and a season. And sadly for Darla and Zayn, it wasn't the time, nor the season for them to have a child together.