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The bedroom was dim, the TV murmuring low in the background, casting soft flickers of light across the walls. They weren’t really watching—just letting the noise fill the quiet. Lucy sat propped against the headboard, pillows tucked behind her back, one hand absently stroking over the curve of her belly. Tim lay stretched out on his stomach beside her, head pillowed against her stomach, his weight grounding her as her fingers drifted slowly through his hair.
She’d been carrying the thought for weeks, burying it each time it rose, but now—feeling the steady flutter of life beneath his cheek—she knew she couldn’t keep it unspoken any longer.
“Tim,” she began softly.
He stirred at once, lifting his head just enough to glance at her, instantly alert. His hand immediately found hers, gripping it firmly like an anchor. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” Her hand slipped down, resting over his temple before pressing his palm more firmly against her belly.
Lucy hesitated, drawing a deep breath. “There’s something I need to say. And I don’t want you to interrupt until I’m done.”
Tim frowned but nodded, waiting.
She drew a steady breath. “If something happens when I give birth… if you have to make a choice—” Her throat tightened, but she forced the words out. “It’s okay to choose the baby.”
The silence shattered. The words hung in the air, cold and sharp.
“What?” Tim jerked upright, pulling his hand back like it burned him. His voice was cracked, disbelieving.
Lucy held his gaze, steady. “I mean it. If it comes down to—”
“Stop.” He was on his feet before she could finish, pacing across the room with his hands in his hair. “What the hell, Lucy? Why would you even say that? Where is this coming from?”
“Tim—”
“No. No, you don’t get to just… drop that on me like it’s a rational option.” His voice was harsh, ragged with emotion. “Don’t you dare talk like you’re disposable. Like I could just—what? Sign a piece of paper and let you go?” His voice cracked, raw.
He stopped pacing, chest rising and falling hard, staring at her like she had shaken the ground out from under him. “I’ve lost you twice before, Lucy. I’m not losing you again.”
Lucy’s gaze softened as she watched him unravel.
He took two steps toward her, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe he even had to say it aloud. “I’d rather grow old with you and ten damn dogs than stand there and pretend any of this—” his hand gestured wildly, then pressed to his chest “—means anything without you. Do you get that?” The words came out rough, ripped from a place of pure fear.
Lucy stayed calm, waiting until his breathing steadied. She knew him—his anger wasn’t about her, it was about fear. About love.
When the silence finally settled, she nodded once. “Okay.”
Tim blinked, caught off guard by her composure.
“But,” she continued, her hand stroking over her belly, “I need you to hear me too. If that impossible moment comes… I’m okay if you choose the baby.”
His jaw worked, the muscles in his face tight, a hundred protests sitting behind his lips. “Lucy…”
He finally sank back down on the edge of bed beside her, bracing his elbows on his knees, head dropping into his hands. For a long moment he said nothing, the weight of her words crushing him. Finally, he reached for her hand again, gripping it so tightly she could feel the tremor in him.
His voice was hoarse. “You’re asking me to do the one thing I could never live with.”
“I’m not asking for a promise,” she whispered. “I’m asking you to understand where I stand.”
“You make it sound so damn simple,” he spat out.
“It’s not simple,” Lucy admitted gently. “It’s impossible. But I don’t want you carrying guilt if… if you have to let me go.”
“You don’t get it,” he shook his head, eyes shining, his voice thick with emotion. “I can’t imagine this life without you. Not for a second.” His voice broke on the last word.
Lucy leaned her forehead against his shoulder, eyes closed. “I know.”
He pulled her into his arms, holding her as if she might vanish if he let go. She felt the resistance in every line of his body—the refusal to even consider her words—but beneath it was the steady thrum of his heart, fierce and unrelenting. He wasn’t ready to choose, not tonight. Maybe not ever. But Lucy knew one truth as certain as the life stirring inside her: Tim would fight through hell and back before surrendering either her or their child.