For what felt like hours Missy just stood there, hand clutched to her swollen stomach, staring...as the room grew darker and darker...

Her head was spinning...

Her mouth was dry...

And her whole body was shaking uncontrollably...

She had no idea what to do... how on earth could she?

This entire thing had hit her hard and fast.

No way in the world had she seen this coming. She knew that Zach had been a little off with her...but this....

Finally, the realisation of what had just happened flooded over her.

Missy suddenly gave a hard sob, swaying on the spot. Luckily she caught herself before she could topple over, and came to sit quickly on the couch.

They had decided to have a baby together. They were going to be happy. Their own little family...

But now all of that was gone.

He didn't want her...

Or the baby...

Tears spilled over her already wet cheeks, running down her slender neck.

Her sobs began to come thick and fast...

She didn't even notice a figure suddenly appear at the open front door....

"Hey..." came a voice behind her, causing her to look up quickly, thinking it was Zach having changed his mind, telling her this was all just a silly mistake.

But it wasn't Zach...

Instead, stood there, was her neighbour Wade...

Today he had on a dark jacket and jeans, and a t-shirt with a photo of Betty White on it.

But on his face was a frown.

Only then did Missy realise just how dark the room was. It must be at least 8 o-clock... Had she really got home two hours ago?

"Everything ok?" said Wade, his voice full of concern.

His eyes lingered on Missy's upset form.

"The baby ok?" he continued as Missy let out an uncontrollable sob.

She clutched a hand to her mouth, embarrassed, her green eyes unable to meet with his...

She couldn't speak...unable to confess to anyone what had just happened to her.

Wade walked over to her, his brows still knotted together.

"Do you need me to call someone for you?" he asked, his voice low and serious. "The hospital? Zach?"

At her boyfriends' name Missy gazed up, her face full of worry...

She opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words came out. She was shaking terribly, her lips quivering as tears rolled down her cheeks.

She couldn't do this...how on earth was she meant to carry on now...on her own?

Instantly, Wade came to crouch before her, staring straight into her tear-stained face, taking in every single feature.

"Hey," he said, his fingers lightly touching her knee. "Tell me what's up. I might not know anything about beautiful pregnant women," he said with an encouraging smile. "But I've sure made enough girls cry in the past, to know when there's something really wrong."

Missy took in a difficult breath.

"He's gone," she uttered in a quiet voice. "He left me..."

Wade gave a frown.

"Who?... Zach?" he asked, titling his long face slightly, trying to read her.

Missy could only nod, giving another sob, she placed her trembling hands to her face.

"I can't do this..." she said, pouring her heart out to a man she barely knew.

Placing a hand to her belly, she gave a sudden cry, so fearful of how she was going to ever manage all this alone...

Right now her heart was broken...

Wade's gaze travelled over her face, his jaw set.

He looked angry...his brow furrowed deeply, as Missy's sobs carried through the room loudly.

"Listen," he said, in a firm voice, his hand reaching out and gently sweeping away a sticky strand of hair from her face. "If he left you...then he's an asshole...alright? Fucking Christ...you're going to be ok without him. I fucking know that for sure....and if I ever see that absolute cock-sucker again...."

Wade trailed off, as Missy stared up at him, through mascara smudged eyes.

She barely even knew him and yet the warmth that came off him at this very moment.... it was as if he was a shining light in this darkness that was enveloping her right now...

Maybe she would be ok?

Could she really do this? All on her own?

Perhaps...

And if some random guy she barely knew had faith in her...

She cocked her head at him, blinking heavily, before wiping at her face with the sleeve of her long work blouse.

"You're going to ruin that shirt of yours, y'know?" said Wade watching her carefully.

Suddenly reaching over her, he tugged a Kleenex from a box on her coffee table and handed it to her, giving her a small smile, his entire face softening.

Missy took the hanky from him and murmured a soft thank you, dabbing it under her eyes.

"I'll tell you what..." muttered her tall neighbour. "I was just on my way out to that games arcade on the corner of fifth to up my skee-ball game....you wanna join me?.....They do a mean fucking slushee...and I'll even try and win you a deformed stuffed-animal on the claw machine, if it'll make you feel better?"

Missy gave the smallest of laughs, before she could stop herself, causing Wade's rugged face to break into a warm smile.

"I-I can't..." she said softly, after a long moment, her eyes drifting down to the floor momentarily. "....I'm just too tired...a-and I could just do with some time on my own right now..."

She gave an inward sigh, giving a gulp, before glancing back up at him.

She was exhausted.

Perhaps she could just have a warm bath and slip into bed and this entire thing would look better in the morning.

She was survivor and she needed to remember that.

"Thank you though..." she said giving a sniff, and forcing a smile, which Wade quickly reciprocated.

He got to his feet as Missy did the same, placing hand to the small of her back as she did so and heaving her rounded form up.

"Well if you change your mind," he said playfully, giving a solemn nod. "You know where I'll be.... trying as hard as I fucking can to get a high score on Donkey-Kong...and getting a sugar-high from too much blue slushee."

Missy gave a laugh, staring down at her feet, flushing red, embarrassed that she had cried in front of a man she had only ever said a few, sharp words to.

But with barely a flicker of judgement on his part and one last light grin, Wade left her apartment, pulling door gently shut behind him.

Missy gave a long sigh and ambled into her bathroom... Wade Wilson's voice words still ringing in her ears...

Maybe she would be ok without Zach after all...

He really was an utter asshole...

She gave her bump a rub, staring down...

Yeah...

....they would both be ok....

Missy stayed in the bath until the water became cold...

She stared up at the ceiling, watching as the water made patterns against the wall.

She was all alone. Just her and her bump...

It was gone ten by the time Missy finally pulled herself from the tub and wrapped a warm towel around herself.

Her expression was vacant...worried...

She had no one to look out for her. No one but herself, that was. And that was something she just had to deal with.

But right now, Missy's shoulders were slumped dejectedly, as she ambled into the living room, wanting to make herself a hot a milky drink before bed.

If she wasn't six months pregnant she would have downed a bottle of strong liquor or at least a bottle of wine, right at this moment.

Missy gave an exhausted sigh, holding her swollen tummy through the towel as she passed the hallway.

But as she did so, she heard a gentle shuffling just outside her front door.

Was it Zach? Come back to tell her this had all been some kind of sick joke?

That he wasn't leaving after all? That he had changed his mind?

Missy, as quick as she could on tired legs, moved over to the door, tugging it swiftly open.

But there was no one there...

She stood there for a long moment, staring out into the empty corridor.

She was an idiot.

An idiot for ever having trusted Zach...for believing he was even good enough to be a father...

Missy let out another long, defeated sigh and was about to close the door when she noticed something at her feet...

She gave a small frown, placing hand to her back and crouching down with great difficulty ...

Her lips parted suddenly as she picked up the object, that must have been left there mere moments ago...

It was a tacky, pink stuffed-animal with a hard button nose and plastic-y fur.

And beside it, on the floor was a small business card...from Pete's Games Arcade.

Missy turned the small card over in her hands to see a hastily written note, written in sharpie on the other side.

'To cheer you up. W'

Missy stared long and hard at the card before suddenly gazing up at Wade's front door, breathing hard.

Gathering up the toy and the note in her hands, she pulled herself to her feet.

And taking one last look across the hallway, Missy couldn't help but let out the tiniest of relived smiles before closing the front door with a snap, and leaning back against it...

Perhaps she wasn't as alone in the world, as she first had thought...