Monroe sat down on the examination table as Darcy stood beside her. “Thank you for coming with me.”

“Of course.” He answered. “You know I don’t like missing any of these appointments.”

She nodded in acknowledgement. Darcy had been very present throughout her pregnancy. “I’m just here for some lab results, then we can go have breakfast.”

He smiled easily. “Sounds good to me.”

After a few moments Dr. Jefferson walked through the door holding a clipboard. “Hello Mrs. Hart.”

“Hello Dr. Jefferson. I’m here for the results of some labs I took a few days ago.” Monroe said pleasantly.

Dr. Jefferson looked at her chart, her expression falling as she read the results. “Oh dear…”

Monroe broke into a sweat; her heart began racing. “Is something wrong?” She asked with a nervous smile.

Dr. Jefferson gripped the clipboard tightly as she spoke, trying to keep a steady tone. “I’m afraid your tests show you have developed pre-eclampsia.”

Darcy’s hands instinctively reached out to Monroe, holding her by the shoulders. Monroe’s brows were furrowed as she spoke. “What does that mean?”

“Well, your kidney function isn’t great right now. I recommend you be admitted to the hospital so we can monitor and treat you. This condition can be life-threatening to both you and the fetuses.” Dr. Jefferson said cautiously.

Monroe’s expression was puzzled. “But…I don’t feel sick.”

Dr. Jefferson adjusted her glasses as she continued speaking. “Pre-eclampsia often doesn’t manifest with any symptoms. Just fatigue and high blood pressure. And well, your blood pressure is pretty high right now.”

Tears began to form behind Monroe’s eyes as she searched for a reason. “What caused this? Is it because I started taking my psych meds again?”

Dr. Jefferson shook her head awkwardly. “There’s no way to know what caused this.”

Monroe brought her hand to her mouth, stifling a sob. Darcy held her close as he spoke with determination. “What are the recommended treatments?”

Dr. Jefferson spoke slowly, so they could process her words. “Well, we need to run more tests since these tests are a few days old. Her kidney function could be even worse now. Generally, depending on the severity of the pre-eclampsia, we recommend early delivery.”

Monroe’s grip tightened around her belly protectively. “What?! No! I’ve only been pregnant for 31 weeks!”

“That’s actually a positive thing. The fetuses at thirty-one to thirty-four weeks have a great chance of survival. It’s about 95%.”  Dr. Jefferson tried to console.

Monroe’s eyes hardened. “But it’s not 100%.”

The doctor eyed her cautiously, she knew what Monroe was thinking but she had to be made aware of how dire the situation actually was. “Mrs. Hart, you have to understand, continuing your pregnancy can result in your death and there would be no guarantee that your babies would survive.”

Darcy felt the earth move beneath him. His heart raced, as his grip on Monroe tightened. She could die? No. No!

Monroe looked away, her expression serious. “L—Let’s just start with admitting me to the hospital and running more tests. Maybe I’m doing better.”

After the appointment, Monroe and Darcy made their way over to Liverpool Mercy Hospital. She had been admitted immediately; they put her in a room quickly and drew her blood. Darcy just watched numbly as Monroe was poked and prodded.

He was quiet beside her, unable to speak. Monroe watched him with concern. “Darcy…are you okay? You’ve been quiet this whole time.”

Darcy tried to keep his tone even. Inside he was crumbling. “I…I’m just waiting for the results.”

Monroe reached her hand out to his, gripping him softly. “It’s going to be okay.”

Darcy could not keep the panic out of his voice as he spoke. “Mon, Dr. Jefferson said you could die!”

Monroe grimaced. She knew Darcy was not taking this well. “I’m okay, Darcy. I feel fine! The babies—"

Darcy interrupted her, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. “The babies will be fine, Mon! You on the other hand will not be fine if you continue this pregnancy! I—I can’t lose you.”

Monroe felt tears threatening to overflow. “You’re not going to lose me.”

Darcy took her hand into his, gripping it tightly as he begged. “Please Mon, if it comes to it. Please deliver the babies. They’ll be fine! Please!”

She didn’t know how to respond to his pleas. She watched his face; it was pained and emotional. “Darcy…”

Darcy continued squeezing her hands, he could not lose her. Not now. Not ever.

Dr. Jefferson walked through the door as she quietly announced her presence. “Am I interrupting?”

Monroe took her hands back from Darcy and turned to look at Dr. Jefferson. “No, please come in.”

The doctor didn’t waste any time; she had to tell Monroe they were out of options. “I’m afraid your results weren’t good. I recommend we induce you tomorrow morning. I don’t think your kidneys will be able to handle much more.”

Monroe felt all hope drain from her body. But she couldn’t let this defeat her. She was strong enough to wait a few more weeks. She felt strong enough. She would wait a few more weeks and then deliver her babies and then they could be a happy family. She felt her determination growing within her but then she turned to look at Darcy; his face said it all. If you die, I will never recover. Please don’t leave me.

“Mon…” Darcy managed to say through a choked tone.

Monroe conceded. She couldn’t do that to Darcy. She knew that if the situation was reversed, she would also not want Darcy to wait it out. “I—I’ll do it. I’ll deliver the babies.”

Darcy’s tears overflowed, he let out a shaky breath as he spoke. “Thank you.”

***

               Darcy stood outside Monroe’s hospital room. He dialed Val’s number as he waited for her to answer. “Val? I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

Valerie stiffened at the sound of Darcy’s voice, he seemed distressed. “What’s wrong, DeeDee?”

Darcy pushed his glasses back onto his face as he spoke, his brows pinching together with concern. “We’re in the hospital. Monroe has pre-eclampsia and she’s going to deliver tomorrow morning.”

Valerie gasped in surprise. “Oh my god! What hospital are you in?”

Darcy ran a hand through his chestnut hair as he answered. “We’re in Liverpool Mercy Hospital, room 203.”

“I’m on my way!” She said in a hurry as she hung up.

Darcy returned to the room and sat next to Monroe. She was sleeping soundly in her bed. He watched her breathe, finding comfort in the way her chest rose up with every breath. After thirty minutes Val arrived, peeking her head through the door as she spoke. “DeeDee?”

Darcy gestured at Valerie with his hands, bringing a hand to his mouth signaling her to lower her voice. He whispered at Val as he stood up to meet her at the door. “Shhh, she’s sleeping. Let’s talk in the hall.” He guided her outside the room, stopping just outside the hall.

Valerie brought her hand to Darcy’s arm, squeezing it lightly. “How are you holding up? How’s Monroe?”

Darcy’s expression hardened a bit. He was very visibly distressed, Val noted. “She started feeling really fatigued, her kidney function is not good. I’m scared Val.”

“Oh DeeDee, I’m so sorry you’re going through this.” She lamented.

Darcy felt himself lose his composure once more. The looming threat of Monroe’s death was making him panic in ways he never had before. “It took me fifty-one years to find her. I can’t lose her now. Not when we’ve barely started our life together. Living without her was hard, but now that I know her, I can’t go back to living without her. I just can’t”

Valerie understood. She had grown to love Monroe so much as her sister. The thought of losing her was unimaginable. She remembered the person Darcy used to be before Monroe. A cold shiver shot through her body as she did. He was miserable, he never smiled, he always looked like he was one bad day away from ending it all. She knew Darcy could never go back to that. She tried to reassure him; Monroe would be okay. She had to be. “She’s going to be okay, DeeDee. They’re inducing her tomorrow.”

He shook his head. The induction couldn’t come soon enough. “I had to convince her. I’m afraid she’ll change her mind at the last minute. I just need it to be tomorrow already.”

“I’m sure she’ll make the right decision.” Val tried to tell him, but she wasn’t sure she had quelled any of his anxieties.

After a few moments, Monroe’s melodic voice broke the silence. She was up and about, right next to the door of her room. “Val!”

Darcy and Val rushed to her; she shouldn’t be up and walking. “Monroe, what are you doing up?” Val questioned.

Monroe looked at them sheepishly. “Oh, I was just looking for Darcy.”

Darcy squeezed her hand gently. “Do you need something, love?”

Monroe smiled at him easily. “Can you get me some ice, please?”

“Of course, I’ll be right back.” He said as he walked away in search of ice.

Monroe turned to Valerie and signaled her to follow her. “Let’s go back to the room.”

Monroe sat down on the bed and laid back on her pillow, letting out a pained breath as she did. Val watched her with worry. “So how are you feeling?”

Monroe averted her eyes. She hated admitting she was actually starting to feel sick. “I started feeling very tired, so I’ve just been sleeping. I don’t want to deliver the babies before they’re ready, but if I don’t do it now…I’ll die. I can’t do that to Darcy.” She paused for a second, her thoughts racing. “I just know that this is my fault. I took my meds and that’s probably what triggered this.”

“No Mon, it’s not your fault. You heard Dr. Jefferson, there’s no way of knowing what caused this.” Darcy said to her firmly. He would not have her blaming herself for this. He walked across the room and handed her the cup of ice chips.

Val eyed her with sympathy. “Oh dear, don’t blame yourself.”

Monroe’s hands shot to the sides of her face, holding herself as her tears overflowed. “But…but…”

“But nothing, it’s not your fault.” Darcy scolded.

Monroe wiped the tears from her eyes as she took some ice chips into her mouth. “It feels like it is. I—I’m going to go back to sleep. I’m very tired.”

Valerie reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Okay dearie, I’ll come back tomorrow after the procedure.” Valerie said her goodbyes to Darcy and Monroe and left. Leaving Darcy and Monroe alone.

Monroe turned to her side and drifted off. Her brows creased unpleasantly as she slept. Darcy knew she was not having a peaceful sleep. How could she be? This was not how this was supposed to go. They were not supposed to be going through this. They had already gone through enough. When would the rain stop falling? It felt like it would go on forever.