Chapter 162 CHAPTER 162

Chapter 162 CHAPTER 162
CHAPTER 162
THIRD PERSON'S POV

The darkness was thick, hard to breathe, and pulling her down into a place where time didn't exist. Elysia floated in that space, her mind emptying her body light.

She didn't know how long she had been there, minutes, hours, days. All she knew was the space, the silence, the loss of everything that mattered.

Then slowly the darkness started to go away. Light came through her eyes, soft and warm. Sounds came in from away the beeping of machines, the talking of people, the quiet moving of clothes.

She tried to open her eyes. They felt heavy like they were filled with lead.

She heard her mothers voice, shaking. "She's waking up. I think she's waking up."

Another voice, familiar and kind. Sarah. "Elysia? Can you hear me?"

She tried to open her eyes, the light hurting at first then slowly getting clearer. Her mothers face came into view, tired and worried, her eyes red and shiny. Sarah was next to her, her hand on Elysia's arm, her look full of relief.

"Elysia, thank God!" Elizabeth said, her voice full of feeling. "You're awake. You're awake."

Elysia blinked, trying to understand where she was. She was in a hospital room, the walls white the machines making sounds. A nurse was next to her bed adjusting the line in her arm.

"What... What happened?" Elysia’s voice was almost not a sound.

"You fainted, dear!" The nurse said, her voice gentle. "You've been out for a hours. Your body needed the rest."

Elysia’s thoughts were still unclear, the memories slowly coming back. The message. The call from William. The hospital. The doctor's words. Kieran. Kieran was in a coma. Kieran might never wake up.

Her eyes filled with tears, her chest tight. "Kieran. Where is he? Is he—"

"He's stable!" Sarah said fast, her voice calming. "William and your father are with him now. They're looking after him."

Elysia tried to sit up. The nurse gently pushed her back down. "Easy, Ms. Castello. You need to rest. You've been through a lot."

"No, I need to see him. I need to be with him."

"And you will be." Elizabeth said, her hand touching Elysia's hair. "But first you need to take care of yourself. You need to be strong."

Elysia shook her head, her voice full of desperation. "I don't care about myself. I need to be with him. I need—"

The nurse made a sound, her voice kind but firm. "Ms. Castello, there's something you need to know. When we checked you after you fainted, we did some tests."

She stopped, her face growing softer. "You're pregnant, Ms. Castello. A month along. The baby is healthy."

The words hung in the air, light and impossible. Elysia looked at the nurse, her head struggling to understand what she had just heard.

Pregnant.

She was pregnant. She and Kieran were going to have another baby.

Her hand went to her stomach, her fingers shaking against the hospital clothes. Under her palm she felt nothing, no movement, no sign of life.

She knew it was there. A tiny spark of life, a piece of her and Kieran growing inside her.

"A baby?" She whispered, her voice not there. "I'm having a baby."

Elizabeth’s tears fell and her voice choked with feeling. "Yes, sweetheart. You're going to have another baby. Hope is going to be a big sister."

Sarah held Elysia's arm, her eyes full of tears. "It's a miracle, Elysia. A little miracle."

Elysia's thoughts moved quickly, a rush of feelings coming through her, joy, fear, hope, sadness. She was carrying Kieran's child. She had been given a gift, a piece of him to hold onto even as he lay in a coma his future was not clear.

The weight of it was heavy. How could she do this alone? How could she raise another child without him? How could she face the future without his strength, his love, his presence?

The nurse's voice came through her moving thoughts. "Ms. Castello, I know this is hard. You need to take care of yourself now. For the baby. You need to eat, rest and let your body heal."

Elysia nodded, her hand on her stomach. "I know. I'll be strong. I have to be strong."

The door made a sound and Hopes small face appeared, her eyes wide and unsure. She had been waiting outside, her patience stretched.

The moment she saw her mother awake she ran to the bed, her voice a mix of happiness and worry.

"Mama! You're awake! I was so scared!"

Elysia reached for her daughter pulling her close. "I'm sweetheart. I'm okay."

Hope pulled back her eyes looking at her mothers face. "Is Papa going to be okay?"

Elysia's heart hurt, she didn't know how to answer that. She couldn't promise something she wasn't sure of. She couldn't let Hope see her fear.

"Papa is strong." She said, her voice steady. "Hes fighting. We're going to be there for him. We're going to be strong for him."

Hope nodded, her face serious. "I'm going to be a strong Mama. I'm going to be a big sister."

Elysia looked confused. "What do you mean, sweetheart?"

Hope's face lit up with a smile. "Grandma told me! You're having a baby, Mama! I'm going to be a sister!"

Elysia looked at Elizabeth, who nodded, her eyes of tears. "I told her, sweetheart. I thought she should know. She was so worried about you and Kieran. I thought it might help."

Elysia turned back to Hope, her heart "Yes, sweetheart. You're going to be a sister. There's a baby growing in Mama's tummy."

Hope's eyes got bigger with wonder. "A real baby? Like Samuel?"

"Just like Samuel. But smaller and you're going to be the big sister in the whole world."

Hope smiled, her earlier worry gone. "I'm going to teach them everything! Like how to talk and how to play with Sophie and how to be brave!"

Elysia laughed, a sound that surprised her. It was a moment of happiness in the middle of the mess, a reminder that life was still moving and that there was still hope.

She put her hand on her stomach again feeling the sign of life inside her. A new life. A new start. A piece of Kieran to hold on to.

"I promise you, little one." She whispered, her voice not there. "I'm going to be strong. I'm going to fight for your father. I'm going to bring you into a world filled with love."

The nurse finished her work, her voice gentle. "Try to rest, Ms. Castello. The baby needs you to be strong."

Elysia nodded, her hand, on her stomach. She looked at her mother, at Sarah at Hope. They were her support, her reason to keep going.

"I'm not going to give up." She said, her voice sure. "I'm going to fight for Kieran. I'm going to fight for this baby. Together we're going to make it through this.”