3.

Adrian Roux drives trucks for a living and he does this mostly at night. A lack of nighttime traffic where there would be daytime hot-spots saves time and there is usually someone around at any scheduled location to receive delivery on whatever job he is on. Also, on the plus side, working jobs quicker at night gives him more time to spend at home as for Adrian has come to a point in his life where his wife is expecting their second child.

Fourteen-year-old first born, Dave, is usually at home with mum when dad is working and Dave has access to phones should any kind of problem arise. Adrian has been on edge a lot while out and about all during the period of the second pregnancy. The same can be said too when he is home during this time for this pregnancy is taking so much out of his wife. It is nothing like what brought about the birth of their son.

It may indeed be over fourteen years since Dave was born though Adrian's wife is still young as is Adrian too so age really shouldn't play a part in why this pregnancy is so much more difficult than the first though yeah, Dave is home with mum on one such night when Adrian is working at a time too when the birth of a second child, a sibling, is only a matter of a week or so away or should be only a week or so away.

Up in the cab section of his sixteen-wheeler, Adrian has a good mix of late eighties and early nineties rock music playing away on a sound system he specifically got for when he is out on the road. He sings along to keep his spirits up and to keep his mind off of home until such a time comes during his shift to make his way back to base though no amount of singing is going to completely accomplish taking his mind away from home.

The singing doesn't last long as a call comes through. His cell phone is connected to the sound system so as soon as any call comes through, the music stops and answering any call puts that call through the sound system of Adrian's truck cab. From the system display unit he can see the call is coming from home so indeed Adrian does not delay with answering.

'Dave ... is everything alright?'

'Yeah dad, no problems ...'

'Is mum okay?'

'She is sleeping now, as of a few minutes ago ... just letting you know it is late, coming up to one so I am going to pack it in for the night, long day tomorrow ... exams ... you know?'

'Perfect dude ...' Adrian slaps his neck, 'damn.'

'Everything alright dad?'

'Yeah, a bug or something got up in here with me. Anyway, I'll be home before you are up in the morning, if I don't see ya first then just let me know before you leave for school, alright?'

'Sure thing, love ya, night dad.'

'Night son ... love ya too'. Call ends and Adrian slaps his neck once again. 'Where the hell are these things coming from?'

Soon there is another bug flying around the cab, then two bugs, three, they are multiplying by the second and Adrian has no idea where they are coming from. His windows are shut tight, but his cab is indeed filling up by the second. Before he realizes that he needs to do something about it, his cab has become swarmed. He hadn't been speeding or anything of the likes; still the speed he travels at is fast enough that it'll take more than a moment or two to stop the vehicle completely especially with the weight of what is being hauled.

Adrian doesn't have a moment or two to stop the truck as the cab has filled up all too quickly, jammed up with insects. He screams though screaming cannot accomplish anything. Control of the truck is lost and before long it is on its side sliding along an open road. Adrian does not make it home on this night; he does not make it home at all, at least not alive.

Forty-eight hours after the death of Adrian Roux, his wife Elise goes into what is thought of as an early labour, and a very difficult labour at that. A further twelve hours pass, and a baby girl is born as a shadow watches on. There are complications and mum does not survive. Dave and his newborn sister are taken in by aunts and uncles and are moved around between such over the upcoming weeks, moved around over the upcoming years in fact.

Things have been disturbing, they are disturbing, going from expecting to become a big brother for the first time to becoming an orphan with an infant sister just like that, leaving a fourteen-year-old boy to experience a daze like not other. However, Dave has himself a small moment of solace for it is he who gets to name his only sibling. Ruby, yeah ... Dave thought Ruby sounded good, a jewel to come out a time of disaster.

On that day of June 14th, 2000, David Roux had patiently waited in a waiting room like hallway while his mother's life was coming to an end. A nurse behind a reception like counter further down the hallway looked up towards him every once in a while, keeping check that he was still there and doing relatively alright. This particular area of the hospital is fairly quiet and what the reception desk nurse does not see is the presence of an unknown man sitting not so far away from David.

David of course has lost his dad and he sat in silence as his mother struggled with that birth of a sibling.

'It will be alright son ... you are stronger than you know' this rather odd-looking stranger says.

This bearded stranger with long brown hair appears friendly enough despite the fact that he seems to be wearing brown and white robes and matching sandals. David does not respond to him and when a doctor approaches to give David the bad news, David turns to see where that stranger is and sees that he is no longer nearby.

David knows before he is told. Doctor leads by telling him he has a new sister. That in itself confirms it for the boy. His head drops and his tears uncontrollably flow. As time moves on David does not remember much about the hours from after which bad news had been delivered to him.