Her Body Carried Everything

What happens when you finally see what she's been holding.

Five pregnancies. Seventeen years of early mornings and late-night feedings. A body that gave everything and was never quite thanked for it.

Beckett here. This one's mine to write.

I didn't understand for a long time why Maren would flinch when I reached for her. Not because she didn't want me - but because her body had been touched all day by small hands that needed things, and by the time I showed up, she had nothing left.

The shift happened when I stopped reaching for what I wanted and started reaching for what she needed. A hand on her back that didn't lead anywhere. A kiss on her forehead that was just a kiss. Touch that said I see you before it said I want you.

Her body carried everything. The least I could do was hold it without asking for anything in return.

That's when she started reaching for me again.

- Beckett