Choices the third of four in the Shattered Series, (Shattered, Forgiven, Choices, and The After,with)

Chapter 57

Adam leaned over and kissed her lips softly, "those names are perfect, you up to visiting Kane?"

She nodded, "Yes, can we hold him?"

Dr.Weatherspoon smiled, "Yes, he's doing well. He's adorable"

Kim watched Kane sleep from the window that looked in on the NICU, Adam standing behind her his hands on her waist, "He's tiny, though he's bigger than Wyatt, huh?"her voice was soft.

Wyatt had barely weighed two and half pounds and was only fifteen inches long, Kane was nearly four pounds and seventeen inches long fairly large considering his gestational age.

"Yea, doc said he's almost four pounds" his hand moving to her shoulder, "let's go inside"

Kim sat in the rocking chair, the nurse placing Kane against her bare chest explaining that the babies thrived when having skin to skin contact with their parents, "He's a sweet baby, Kim"

"Thank you for taking care of him while we said our goodbyes to Wyatt" Kim smiled, while her heart remained heavy for her son, she was finally feeling some joy, "Adam he's perfect, isn't he?"

"He is, just like his mom"Adam crouched down beside her, watching his son study Kim's face, "he's observant"

She smiled, "he's going to know about Wyatt, that he has his own guardian angel"

"He will and so will Anthony and Harper, everyone will know about him" Adam kissed Kane's head.

"Do you want to hold him?"

"Please" Adam said unbuttoning the top buttons on his shirt and carefully holding Kane to his chest, a soft sob escaping his lips, "I love you Kane"

THREE WEEKS LATER

Adam waited outside the office, his heart ached he never thought he would receive a phone call telling him his son's ashes were ready to be picked up. It was all so wrong, he smiled softly when the employee handed him the incredibly light box containing his infant son's remains.

"We're sorry for your loss, Mr.Ruzek"

"Thanks" he was tired of hearing those words from everyone who he encountered, it wasn't a 'loss' he felt as if his son was the victim of an ugly violent crime, that his life was stolen from him. You lose your car keys, a cell phone, a phone number you don't lose your children. No, he was stolen from them, from his wife and from his older children. A crime without justice, they could only hope to find the good in each day, to rise above their grief.

It was painful telling Anthony and Harper about Wyatt's death, Harper had no reaction other than asking to go play with the new kitchen set Derek and Annie had bought her. Anthony was confused, his little face scrunching up as he tried to make sense of it all, he struggled with how the baby could die when he was still in her stomach. He shocked them both when he burst into tears, he told them he wanted to see his brother that he didn't believe them.

Kim struggled to hold it together, finally comforting  Anthony and promising to take him to visit Kane as soon as the doctors would allow it. Kane was still in the NICU a nasty infection had hit him and for a few days it had been touch and go. Thankfully, antibiotics finally kicked the infection from his little body.

Adam carefully carried the box, he was afraid to let it out of his sight. He sat it on the passenger seat, pulling the seatbelt across it in an attempt to keep it safe. He went to start the truck only to have a wave of tears hit him, his head on the steering wheel as he cried for all his son was robbed of.

ONE YEAR LATER

"Woah, Anth! Slow down" Adam yelled as he chased after the six year old, "let me catch up"