This Woman's Work

Chapter One

Sonic stood outside the room, all he could hear outside were screams of pain, "Pray God you can cope" he thought as he paced to and fro across the room. "Please be ok" he prayed. His lover Sally Acorn was giving birth to his child, their first child, that they had longed for.

With him stood his friends, all the freedom fighters and everyone else were waiting with him, with him, stood a pretty pink hedgehog, Amy Rose, "it'll be ok Sonic" she whispered "she'll be ok" Sonic looked at her briefly then continued to pace up and down the room.

"I know you a little life in you yet, I know you have a lot of strength left" Sonic whispered as he listened to the screams and cries coming from the delivery room, after about five minutes, the screaming finally stopped. Sonic stopped pacing and looked up at the door. "What's happened?" he thought, all the freedom fighters also looked up and held their breath.

Just then a nurse came out of the room with a sad look on her face, "Mr Hedgehog" she said solemnly, Sonic looked up at her "what is it?" he asked in a dreading voice, the nurse lead him to one side, the rest of the freedom fighters waited with baited breath.

"I'm sorry" whispered the nurse "I'm so sorry" Sonic looked up at her with tears in his eyes, he began to shake his head "no!" he whispered, "I'm sorry" the nurse whispered. Sonic felt his knees buckle beneath him "I'm so sorry" whispered the nurse.

"What's happened?" said Bunnie, her stomach lurching, Antonie put his arm around her, Rotor and Tails hugged each other, Knuckles and Julie-Su held each other dreading what was about to be said.

The nurse looked up at them with sadness "I'm going to have to ask you to wait here" she said, "I need to speak to Mr Hedgehog" Bunnie nodded trying to hold in her terror and worry for her friend. Antonie held her close.

The nurse then led Sonic into the delivery room, Sonic was wiping his tears with his white glove, he walked in slowly, and he saw the lifeless body of his lover, Sally, her beautiful blue eyes were closed, her long auburn hair framed her beautiful face and her hands were folded on her chest.

Sonic walked over to her side, he collapsed onto her body and started sobbing, "Sally" he whispered "Sal, my beautiful Sal" his tears ran down his cheeks and stung his eyes. He looked at her face, the beautiful ground squirrel was so still and so cold, but still so beautiful. Sonic clutched her cold hands and tears fell from his eyes like streaming rivers as he looked at her pale face. He was heartbroken.

Just then the nurse walked up to him holding something in a white bundle, "I'm so sorry Mr Hedgehog" she said, her eyes were filling with tears, Sonic looked up at her, his sight was blurry from the tears. "I'm afraid your daughter's not breathing properly, there's nothing more we can do, do you want to hold her?" Sonic nodded slowly as he tried to hold back tears.

The nurse placed the child into his arms, Sonic looked into the bundle and more tears rolled down his cheeks, there in the bundle was a beautiful baby hedgehog girl, with tiny brown quills and auburn hair mixed within them and soft brown and chestnut fur. "Alyssa" whispered Sonic kissing the child on the forehead "please don't go, daddy needs you" the baby let out a few gasps and opened her eyes, she looked up at her father, then her eyes closed and she stopped breathing, at the same time, the line on the machine went flat and made a long beeping sound.

Sonic felt tears well in his eyes and his emotions strangled him at the throat, "no" he whispered "NO!" he said loudly "NO please!" he hugged his child tightly and sobbed onto her tiny, fragile body "Please" he whispered "don't leave me! please! don't go where I cannot follow" . The nurse and the doctor tried to hold back their own tears as they watched the heartbroken blue hedgehog weeping for the loss of his wife and child.