We weren’t perfect, but we were working on being the best versions of ourselves.
And that’s when she showed me the positive pregnancy test. That moment woke something up in me, and I felt something shift in my chest.
After 12 years of running into fires and chaos, I thought maybe — for once — I was running toward peace.
But nothing went the way it was supposed to.
Lauren went into labor early. I left the station still in my uniform, barely registering the sirens or streetlights.
By the time I reached the hospital, she was already in recovery.
I asked to see the baby, but no one would look me in the eye. Then a doctor took me aside and smiled gently.
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