[ WP ] `` For Sale : Baby shoes , never worn '' by Ernest Hemingway . Write a backstory for this that is happy , not depressing .

Tania stopped stirring the pot of spaghetti sauce. Her light, airy chatter had cut out as well, leaving silence where there should have been a resolution to her anecdote. One of her hands was frozen around the wooden spoon and the other was curled possessively around the base of her swollen belly. Her eyes were fixed on nothing, wide and glassy. Charlie bolted out of his seat. 
 
 `` What is it? Is something wrong with the baby?'' He reached his hands to help her but paused, not knowing if this was really his place. 
 
 She gasped then, her face constricting in pain. `` Yes, yes everything is wrong.'' Her voice was strained. 
 
 Charlie swallowed thickly. `` You do n't think it's uh,'' he licked his lips and whispered,'' a miscarriage.'' What were the signs of miscarriage? What could he do? 
 
 Tania jerked her head toward him, eyes narrowed. Her voice was hard when she spoke. `` No, Charlie.'' 
 
 He opened his mouth as if to ask something but quickly thought better of it. 
 
 `` I just realized that I'm probably going to have to do this alone.'' Her tone softened and her shoulders slumped. Defeated. 
 
 Theodore was still overseas. Charlie did n't know much about deployment but he'd assumed that things were wrapping up over there, that his sister would be reunited with her husband long before their baby was born. 
 
 `` They do n't know where he is, Charlie. I got the call yesterday.'' She slowly sank to the floor, head in hands. `` Theo is missing in action.'' 
 
 Charlie thought that maybe a miscarriage would've been easier to deal with at this point. He felt like an idiot searching for the right words. He kneeled next to his sister on the cool tile and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. 
 
 `` What am I supposed to do? I have n't painted the nursery, I have n't gotten a crib, I do n't even have clothes for the baby. What if its little toes get cold? I ca n't be a single parent, Charlie.'' Her breathing was coming in ragged, panicked gasps. 
 
 Charlier pulled her closer. He would make this better. 
 
 ——————————————————————————————————————— 
 
 The next few months Charlie doted on his sister. He organized her baby shower, he got her cravings in the middle of the night, and he kept in contact with the army about Theodore's situation as best as he could. The army did n't exactly have keeping Charlie in the loop as a top priority. 
 
 When the contractions started Charlie put the overnight bag he had packed for Tania's labor into the car. The two of them piled in and he made sure his voice did n't betray how much he was freaking out on the inside. Her groans got louder with every contraction. 
 
 The labor seemed to last forever. Their mom and dad were there, he was there, Theo's family was there, but still, Theo was gone. Charlie knew Tania was focused on his absence. He had an idea to take her mind off of it. Something she had said that day of the breakdown had stuck with him. 
 
 At a slow point in the seemingly-endless labor, Charlie took the car and went to that one super upscale baby store. He picked out two of the tiniest shoes he'd ever seen. They were babydoll pink, perfect for the niece that was on her way. There was no way to reassure Tania about her husband, but at least she'd know that as long as Charlie was around, her little girl would n't have cold toes. 
 
 He strode back into the hospital feeling confident about his gift. Maybe it'd give Tania the extra confidence boost to get through the remainder of the labor. He walked into the delivery room, shoes behind his back and a grin plastered on his face. He stopped in his tracks when he got in the room. 
 
 There was Theodore. He was still in his uniform. He'd probably literally just gotten off a plane. He was by Tania's side, squeezing her hand and brushing the sweaty strands of hair out of her eyes. Charlie quietly left the room, feeling more at ease than he had in months. They did n't need these shoes anymore. 
 
 
 

