David's POV

The first glimmer of sunlight snuck in through the open blinds, waking me up to a new day that already foretold a progression of agonizing misery. I turned and groaned, immediately tormented by the alluring fragrance that clung to the sheets and pillows.

Her scent.

Her.

Dawn.

My wife.

I pulled one of the pillows over my face and breathed in her scent.

She'd visited my dreams again last night, wearing nothing but her savory scent, looking no less than a priestess of beauty as she lay there underneath me, sweating, mouth parted to release heavy breaths, nipples hard and erect, hair splayed across the pillows, damp, wet, shaking as I loved her body the only way I knew how to.

I pushed the pillow away and heaved out an exhausted breath as I sat up on the bed and examined my grey shorts that was strained with the fullness of my cock.

Heartbreak and blue balls were not a good combination. It missed her. We both did, and I couldn't help but wonder if she missed us too.

Was she groveling as hard as I was, or had she moved on?

I cringed at the thought and slipped out of bed. In the arid bathroom, I spent thirty minutes cleaning up and jerking off with the imagines of Dawn on her knees, taking me into her mouth, gagging, sloppy sucking me until my cock expelled every drop from my straining body unto her mouth, face, between her breasts.

A tight knot of desire unfolded in my gut as I stroked myself, releasing my arousal and watching it twinkle down the drain.

Doing so might have relieved me but I felt terrible. I raised my face to the hot scorching water and leaned my forehead against the tiles. I was a mess. My wife was mad at me and probably never going to forgive me and all I could do was jerk off like a fourteen years old porn addict.

Angered at my motion, I got out of the shower, found my air jordans, black sweat pants, a matching shirt, iPod, and I went for a quick walk.

“Jocelyn Flores” blared in my ears as I stepped into the sidewalk. It was sunny outside. As always. Day by Day the world moved on but it seemed that I was the only one stuck in place.

Eventually, my walking turned into jogging and as my memories, the good and painful ones, came flickering randomly like illustrations through my mind, I began to run.

It played like a memo in my head; the images of her smile, her blue star eyes, that sheepish look on her face the day we'd become one on the altar. As if the screen on which my memories played changed, I could suddenly see pictures of her tears begin to flash. The pictures of the times I'd hurt her with my words, times I'd made her cry. And then it disappeared, replaced with the images of Stacey.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins. I forced my legs and went faster, darting past people, buildings, and trees.

I could see everything; our past; the love we shared, times spent camping out in the woods in the middle of the night. The parties, her dancing all over me, drunk, happy, in love.

I shook my head and ran faster as my mind haunted me with frantic thoughts. The more they appeared, the more I pushed my body beyond its limits, going out of breath and strength.

I ruined it. I ruined both my relationships. Because of my fucking ego and greed I was going to be left with nothing. My sneakers pounded against the concert floor as I sprinted, pushing forward even if my lungs were on the verge of blowing up.

I wanted to beat the pain so bad but in the end, I couldn't. It overwhelmed me, so much so that my lungs strained, my breath came in short gasps, my body started cramping uncontrollably and the corners of my became a blur.

Defeated, I stopped, leaning down to catch my breath.

***

It took about an hour to pull myself together before driving to the hospital.

The moment I walked into the room, Alex ran towards me and flung himself at me. "Dad! You're here!"

I dropped the box of chocolate and flowers on the table and lifted him.

He was happy, excited, already clothed, and ready to leave. I wished I could share the joyousness he probably felt. I wished at this moment that I didn't have to pretend to be happy. I wanted to be genuinely cheerful that my son was finally going to see the light of day but a broken heart is a full-time job. You don't get to choose when to turn it on and off.

"Hey, Kiddo." I pinched his nose and wiggled it from side to side. "I missed you."

"Welcome back David," Stella spoke, walking towards us.

"I'm sorry for the distance, Stella. Tanner passed your message quite clearly."

"I'm glad he did." She smiled.

I set Alexander down on his feet and crouched down to his level to readjust his red head-warmer. "Is my little champ ready to home?"

He nodded, brimming with so much excitement. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

I laughed, getting up on my feet. If this little boy who constantly fought for his life could be happy then I had no choice but to suck it up. I was a father now after all, and I needed to get my head out of the gutters for his sake

Doctor Anthony walked in at that moment. "Mr. Argent." He smiled, surprised. "It's so nice to see you again." He stretched his hand for a shake that I accepted. "The release papers will be signed at the nurse's desk. Although Alexander is getting discharged, you'll still need to follow precautions to keep him healthy and prevent infection because even though his blood counts are coming back up to the normal range, his immune system is still very immature."

He handed me a pamphlet that I breezed through as he continued to talk.

"It usually takes three to twelve months for an immune system to recover from a transplant. His recovery will be gradual and It will take time for him to get his strength back. Dates for his scheduled appointment as well as things he should avoid are all listed there. Please do not miss any appointment, we will keep a close eye on him and check his blood cell counts to see how well his immune system is working from time to time."

"Understood, thank you, Doctor Anthony."

"The pleasure is all mine." He turned his attention to Alex and bent down to pat his head. "Congratulations Alexander. Today, your journey officially comes to an end."

***

The traffic was light on the way back home. Alex had his hand splayed on the glass window and his nose pressed against it the whole ride. He was excited, I couldn't blame him, the city itself was captivating with hundreds of immaculate buildings shooting upward like fireworks.

The house had helpers and cleaners going out and about when we arrived. I rode into the driveway and parked. "We're here."

"Look aunty Stella, it's a huuuuge house!" Alex exclaimed, pointing. "Dad, do you really live here? Is aunty Dawn in there?"

His words paralyzed me for a moment. I turned, exchanging glances with Stella who looked as stunned as I was.

Alex turned away from the window to look at me. "She never came to see me at the hospital? Why, daddy?"

A fresh wave of sorrow shoot through my heart. "That's because she isn't around at the moment."

He tilted his head. "Why?"

I bit my tongue. If there was anything he inherited from me, it was his inquisitiveness. "Sometimes things don't always work out between adults and they stop seeing each other temporarily but you don't have to worry, she'll be home soon."

His righteous smile returned. "I can't wait to meet her. I'll call her new mummy and I'll call you daddy and I'll call aunty Stella, my second mummy."

Stella laughed. "Alright, that's enough."  She got down from the car and Alex hurried down with her, bolting towards the entrance door.

"Oh my god! Alex!" She shrieked, immediately chasing after him.

I cracked a smile and stepped out of the car. I retrieved Alexander's luggage and walked toward the house. One of my old helpers, Peggy approached me with a huge smile on her face as I stepped into the living space.

"Welcome back, Mr. Argent."

I responded to her greeting with a smile and handed the luggage over to her. "Please have this sanitized and taken into my son's room."

She nodded but didn't leave.

"Is there a problem, Peggy?"

Her grin widened. "Congratulations, Mr. Agent."

My brows furrowed. "For what?"

"The big news."

I groaned and rubble the middle of my eyes with my thumb and forefinger. "You're going to have to be a little more specific, Peggy."

Her small face blushed red as she reached into the pocket of her gown and pulled out a crumpled-up piece of white paper. "One of the cleaners found this in your wife's room while cleaning." She stretched out her hand to give it to me.

"What's this?" I cautiously retrieved the paper and glanced through it. The first word highlighted on it made my heart beat stutter.

It was a pregnancy test examination report taken by Dawn.

When did she take this?

Why?

A nerve ticked in my spine. I held the paper firm and read through the numbers and letters that revealed, in the end, a sickening truth that made my already dark world, darker.