GARION The loss is unfathomable. From the moment I learned of her existence, my life’s expectations all shifted. What I had foreseen for myself altered. What I had seen for us, had been altered. MANDA The loss is unfathomable. Clothes I’ll never see her wear are stacked away in boxes in the closet. I’ll never know what color her eyes would have been. There are so many things about her that I’ll never know. GARION I come home to find you wrapped in a blanket on the couch. Your eyes are closed as I kiss your forehead. I know you’re not asleep. I hope you know that I don’t love you any less. That you’re not less than. MANDA Do you know I’m never truly asleep on the couch when you kiss me? I want to meet your gaze, but I’m afraid I’ll cry when I see the heartbreak etched on your face. I can’t come to bed until I know you’re sound asleep. Your body rises and falls under the blankets as I crawl in. Amongst the shadows, I see there’s something on my nightstand. GARION Before crawling into bed tonight, I set a book on your nightstand. I dog-eared one chapter in particular. It’s not meant to forget about her. She’ll always be apart of our family, but I can’t live like this. Stuck. Day in and day out. I’m drowning in grief. MANDA My morning coffee tastes stale as I finish reading the chapter you dog-eared. The chapter is about moving on, and learning how to say goodbye. I can’t say goodbye to her, and I can’t fathom you telling me to hurry along in my grieving. You’re in the shower, and I make a point to throw away the book in our bedroom’s wastebasket. Where I know you’ll see it. GARION A coffee stain on the pages tells me you did read the chapter before throwing the book into the wastebasket. I wish you knew I’m not trying to push you away. I’m not trying to forget our daughter. MANDA Outside, the warm breeze helps to dry my tears. Spring has come early and buds are getting ready to bloom. Except… One bloom has come early. A rose. It’s my rose. My sweet, fragile, beautiful rose. GARION It was the flower I gave to Manda on our first date. It was the flower of our love. It was destined to be your name. MANDA The house is quiet when I return inside. I don’t know where you went, or when you’ll be coming back. You left without saying anything. You left the book in the wastebasket – except for the dog-eared chapter that’s been ripped out. The crumbled pages sit on your nightstand, complete with the coffee stains. I gather the pages and the cardboard boxes from the closet and head into the living room. GARION The house is quiet when I return. My breath catches in my throat when I see her clothes laid out on the coffee table. You turn to face me, your eyes bloodshot. You gesture to the space on the couch beside you, and I sit. Your head rests against my shoulder, your gaze fixed on the clothes. MANDA I want you to see this. To see her clothes spread out across the table. We sit like this, my head against your shoulder. Silent. I watch as you reach for the floral blanket, bringing it to your chest. GARION I remember the day we bought this blanket. It’s small, but I unfold it and place it across our lap. Your shoulders begin to shake and it brings a small smile across my face. MANDA You’re smiling at me as tears roll down my cheeks. But you’re smiling. Crying too. I return your small smile, my lips quivering. GARION You hate crying. I know you do. I know you cry when I’m not around. I know you’re trying to be strong for me. For yourself. But I’ve never seen you more beautiful than here falling apart in my arms. MANDA Your shoes are still on when you fall back against the couch, pressing me on top of you. There will be scuff marks on the fabric. But right now, I don’t care. Your heartbeat accelerates. It reminds me of hers, and the way it sounded on the ultrasound. Pressing my face against your chest, you plant a kiss on my hair. GARION I can’t remember the last time we laid like this. It’s the most connected I’ve felt to you in months. I know they say communication is the key to a marriage. And while that may be true, it’s in this silence that I hear you. I hear you loud and clear. MANDA Millions of thoughts are running inside my mind. I want to apologize. I want to scream. I want to cry until my eyes turn dry. I want to tell you I’ve felt every kiss you’ve placed on my forehead these last few months. Leaning up, I open my mouth to speak. GARION I put my finger to your lips. I know you want to apologize. I do too. For all the ways I wasn’t there in the ways you needed. Tilting your head, I place a kiss on your lips. I want you to know one thing: I hear you, Manda.