Eight and a half weeks.
That's how long Gage would be away for basic training, but they tried to keep in touch as much as possible. It was difficult being freshly engaged and not being able to be with your fiancé/fiancée to share the experience... That new love sensation. Natasha and Gage's love was very new.
Although all their life it had been no secret that they were meant to be together they had never dove into the unmarked territory to find if they could be anything more than the best of friends. Now that they had all they wanted was to be together constantly, but that just wasn't the case with Gage's career in the air force. She looked forward to his graduation day parade so they could all go down to Lackland.
It was extremely difficult for Gage. He wanted to be with his fiancée, but he wanted to be able to give her a good future, and the Air Force could do that. He would be paid and if he wanted to get a college education, he could do that with financial help. He didn't want to struggle and the Air Force was what he loved so why not?
The first three weeks hadn't been that bad with him being away. They were still difficult, but Natasha had found herself keeping as busy as possible. She wasn't going to take the college route since it just didn't seem to be for her so she was working at her mother's salon. It was the best in the area and Natasha's specialty was hair and makeup. Whenever her mother had clients that were in any field of media that came into the area, her mother sent Natasha to do their hair and makeup. It was a great paying job and it was her passion.
It was going on the fourth week and for some strange reason, Natasha didn't feel well. Natasha's lower back had been aching constantly, but she brushed that aside due to the fact that she had been working out to keep her mind off of her boyfriend who wasn't home with her. When she woke up one Thursday morning, she felt unusually nauseous. After laying flat on the cold bathroom floor for a good half an hour it seemed to pass. Well pass enough for her to proceed with her day.
"Why the hell am I feeling like this?" Natasha asked herself as she splashed some cool water on her face.
"I haven't eaten anything that I shouldn't..." She thought to herself calmly, having been allergic to just about everything food wise, she knew what to stay away from. She reached over for a hand towel to dry her hands and face.
Tossing it aside, Natasha plopped back down on her queen-sized bed, staring around her partially boxed up room. It had great memories. All of those nights that Gage would sneak through her window up until the last visit in which he did so. The most defining in her life. Natasha had always been afraid of losing her virginity, thinking it would be terribly painful, but surprisingly it hadn't been. All of the foreplay had her well ready and lubricated so that when he broke through her hymen it was only a momentary pain and a little discomfort. Snapping back, she thought of what the future held for her. They were getting ready to move her into her own place. A grown woman of eighteen needed her own place especially if she would be sharing it with her future husband. Reaching for her dark blue LG phone, she placed it to her ear, waiting kind of patiently for her mother to answer once she dialed in the number.
"Mom..." Her voice was weary as she waited for her mother's voice to ring through on the other side.
"Hey sweetie! How are you?" In the background, Natasha could hear the sounds of the blow-dryers at her mother's salon. "Are you coming in today? You don't sound too hot." Damn her mom was good. Just by hearing her voice she could tell that her daughter wasn't feeling good.
"I'm alright, Ma... Just not feeling too good. That's actually why I'm calling... Would it be too much trouble for me to call out? I would have done so last night if I thought I couldn't make it." Her voice was sincere. She hated being one of those half-ass employees who called in at last second leaving their boss with none if any time to find a replacement.
"Sure. You take all the time you need. I'm going to call your father and see if he can check on you on his break today. We're swamped here... Just make sure your father gets back to work on time. You know how he is. "
Her mother laughed, her voice full of love for the man she had met so many years ago and settled down with.
"Okay... Thanks mom. I love you."
"I love you too, Natasha." Her mother hung up the phone and Natasha rolled over, falling back to sleep.
It was later that day around twelve fifteen when her father would arrive home. Natasha hadn't answered when he called at the bottom of the stairs so he darted upstairs to see if his daughter was alright.
"Nat?"
His voice was on the edge of calm as he approached his seemingly sleeping daughter. She didn't respond so he gently turned her to face him so he could see her face better. That's when Vladimir saw the blood on his daughter's sheets where her genitals were.
"Oh god..."
His face paled as it dawned on him that something was severely wrong. His stomach jerked as he dug in his pockets for his cell phone, dialing 911.
"God please... No..." He tried to shake his daughter awake, but she unresponsive.
"Nat! Damnit wake up!" He screamed as the dispatcher finally answered.
As any father would, he tried his best to remain calm, it would do his daughter no good to freak out. Rushing to give the squeaky voiced dispatcher information, he stayed on the phone, because it calmed him to be in touch with somebody and know that help was on its way.
The paramedics rushed into their home all the while Vladimir Stone was in tears, fearing that his daughter would be dying. It was traumatizing to watch the paramedics do their job, getting his daughter onto a stretcher, and into the ambulance. He already knew that he had just lost a grandchild, that was unmistaken, but his daughter had lost a substantial amount of blood. This couldn't be happening. He kept reciting that in his mind.
"This can't be happening."
Once he managed to pull himself together, Vlad drove to his wife's work place. "Abigail." His voice was grim as he looked at his wife, pulling her out of her salon. She signaled to one of her workers to take up where she left off with a client.
His voice broke as he looked at his wife, tears streaming down his aged face. "We need to go to the hospital... It's Natasha..." As soon as those words left his mouth, his wife's knees buckled beneath her, and she collapsed. He caught her, holding her close.
"It'll be okay, Abby... She'll be alright..." He didn't dare tell his wife of how he found her or what he saw just yet, she couldn't handle it.
The ride to the hospital felt like forever. It was any parent's worst nightmare to not know if their daughter had or hadn't made it. It was sheer torture.
