The pain was laced across my temple like lightning bolts were striking my skull. My mouth was filled with a terrible taste, and my tongue was dry and heavy. My muscles ached, and my bones were heavy. I did not have the strength to open my eyes or move my body. My mind was cloudy from all of the pain, making it difficult to form any coherent thoughts. I was stuck in a haze of agony and exhaustion.

A few seconds passed before I recognized the feeling of someone running their fingers through my hair. The touch was calming and became the only thing I could focus on in this barely conscious state. What had happened to me? Who was touching me? My eyelids were too heavy to open, trapping me in a horrible darkness. A soft moan came from my lips because it was the only sound I could make.

"Maisie." I heard Miles's voice, but it seemed so far away.

The fingers stopped running through my hair, and a hand cupped the side of my face. A rough, calloused thumb brushed across my cheek. I tried to lift my hand to touch the person, but my arm was too heavy to allow me to move. I tried to gather all of my strength in my hand, but I was unable even to curl my fingers in and out.

What was happening? Was I dying? Was Miles here and watching this happen to me? Why was he letting this happen? I wanted to scream, but I could not even make the pathetic noise anymore.

Against my will, I fell back into unconsciousness.

–

When I woke again, the pain in my muscles had lessened but I was still achey. The throb remained in my temple, but it was much more manageable now. I was finally able to move, and I groaned as I rolled onto my side. I curled into a ball and clutched the soft knit blanket to my chest. My thumb brushed across the skin of my collarbone. Where were my clothes? I rarely slept naked next to Miles.

There was movement next to me, but my eyes were closed. The floor creaked before the mattress dipped. Fingers grazed along the bare skin of my arm, from my shoulder down to my elbow.

"Maisie," Miles said. "You're awake."

How long had I been unconscious? Had Miles stayed next to me the entire time? Did he know what happened to me?

I was able to open my eyes, but my vision was blurry. After blinking a few times, my sight cleared enough so I could see I was laying on our bed. Something about the room was different, but it took me a few moments to decipher the change.

Briar's crib was no longer in the room.

The memories of her finding her lifeless body this morning flooded my mind. Fragments of this morning came back to me, including how Miles pinned me to the bed while Joseph covered my face with a rag. They were the ones who did this to me. They could not handle me crying over my baby.

"Briar." My voice was dry and hoarse. "Briar."

I could not form any more words. Why was the crib gone? Had they gotten rid of all of her things? Had they buried her body? Why would they not let me say goodbye?

"Briar." Warm tears rolled down my cheeks as my voice cracked. I closed my eyes, unable to stare at the empty space. "Briar."

Miles let out a deep breath before he reached forward and touched my hair. I raised my hand to swat his arm away, but my movements were too slow. Miles snatched my wrist before I could hit him, and he pinned my arm to the bed in front of me. His weight shifted on the mattress, and I opened my eyes to see he was now crouched next to the bed. He kept my wrist in his grip. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to look at him anymore.

"We buried her," Miles said.

His words were like a sharp stab to the heart. They had already put her in the ground. They did not give me an opportunity to say goodbye to my daughter. Miles's touch caused my skin to crawl like a thousand insects were burrowing into my flesh. I jerked my arm to escape his hold, but he refused to let go.

"Briar." All I could say was her name. I was unable to form any other words. "Briar."

"Maisie," Miles said. "Don't be upset."

There was no emotion in his voice. Did he not care that his daughter was dead?

"Briar," I said again, but I was able to raise my voice a little.

"You're exhausted," he said. "You need more rest."

"Briar." My voice was even louder. "Briar."

"Stop it, Maisie. You need to sleep."

My eyes burned as more tears rolled down my cheeks. His grip tightened as I tried to pull away. I wanted to run out of this room and escape him, but I did not have the strength to get off the bed. Staring at the empty spot where Briar used to sleep caused a crushing tightness in my chest, and I struggled to breathe. I wanted to roll over, but Miles kept me in place.

"Briar." I wanted to scream for him to let me go, but only our daughter's name left my lips. "Briar."

I groaned as I tried to roll onto my back, but Miles tightened his grip. I squeezed my eyes shut because it was the only way I could stop from staring at the empty space, but my tears did not stop. My breath was shaky as I tried to stop sobbing, but it was useless. I doubted I would ever be able to stop crying.

"Maisie, you need to sleep," Miles said. "You're exhausted."

"Briar," I sobbed.

Miles leaned forward so that his forehead was pressed against mine. I did not open my eyes but could feel his warm breath fan across my face. He finally let go of my wrist, and he ran his fingers through my hair.

"I am protecting you," he said. "This is helping you."

He kissed my wet cheek before pulling away. I listened as the floor creaked while he left the room. I rolled onto my other side and curled into a ball. Burying my face in my hands, I continued to cry. The blanket had slipped and was exposing my back and arms. The cold air caused goosebumps to spread across my skin.

The hinges on the bedroom door were loud when it was pushed open wider. Miles was not alone because I heard another set of footsteps.

"We will not give her as much this time," Joseph said. "It's just a little extra to put her back to sleep."

I curled my body into a smaller ball, forcing my hands tighter to my face. How long would they keep me unconscious? Did Joseph feel any guilt? He knew that Briar was struggling to breathe, and he refused to get her help.

My muscles were weak, but I locked my elbows to keep my hands pressed tight against my face. They walked closer to the bed, and I could not control my crying. Why were they doing this to me? My daughter died, and I was not allowed to be upset.

A hand grabbed my arm. I shook my head, but I did not move my hands. My sobs grew louder. I was gasping for breath because the crushing pain in my chest grew worse. I tried to fight against the arm holding onto my arm, but I forced onto my back.

"Maisie, move your hands," Joseph said.

I shook my head. I wanted to scream at him and tell him he was the reason my baby died, but I only could only sob one word.

"Briar."

Another set of hands grabbed my arms and ripped my hands away from my face. Miles was leaning over me. He chewed on his bottom lip as he watched me struggle against his hold. I tried to scream, but the sound was weak and straggled. Miles closed his eyes and looked away before Joseph forced the rag over my mouth.

I slipped into another forced slumber.

–

I was forced out of my unconsciousness when I felt my body being moved. Arms were wrapped around my body as I was being propped up. My eyes barely fluttered open, but I could see that the room was dark. A dim light came from the oil lamp on the nightstand. Had I slept through the entire day? Had I been unconscious for days? How long would they keep doing this to me?

An arm was wrapped around my waist and pulled me into their chest. It had to be Miles because the body was too large to be Joseph. He grabbed the top of the blanket and adjusted it to better cover my bare chest. Where were my clothes?

"I brought you food," Miles said.

"No," I groaned.

Luckily, I was able to say something that was not Briar's name. I did not have the strength to scream and cry, so I closed my eyes and rolled my head back against Miles's chest.

"You need to eat," Miles said. "You have barely eaten in days."

I gave my head a slight shake. The movement caused sharp strips of pain to spread across my skull. I gritted my teeth as I groaned.

"It's not an option," Miles said. "You cannot die."

My body shift as Miles moved to reach for something on the bedside table. I opened my eyes enough to see he had a bowl and spoon. My empty stomach ached. He was right. I had barely eaten since I noticed the change in Briar's breathing. The anxiety stopped me from keeping down the small amounts of food I had managed to swallow.

"I need you to be healthy," he said.

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. The spoon touched my lips, and I opened my mouth. The bland taste of a vegetable stew filled my mouth. My throat was dry, so the broth felt heavenly when I swallowed. I kept my eyes closed as Miles continued to feed me spoonfuls of the lukewarm soup. Once he was finished, he placed a glass to my lips and tilted it to give me water. The throbbing in my temple dulled.

Miles wrapped his arms tight around my waist and pulled me against his chest. He sighed before kissing the top of my head, My eyes were heavy, and I could feel myself drifting back into unconsciousness.

"I love you," Miles said.

I did not have the strength to answer. Miles tightened his hold into a crushing grip, like he was afraid I would disappear. His lips were soft when he kissed the side of my neck.

"We are still a family." His words were the last thing I remembered before falling back to sleep. "We will have more babies. We may have a son next time."