Chapter 392
Tristan
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“Don’t say that.‘ I pressed my lips to her forehead, my own tears starting to fall ‘Don’t say that. They’re fine. They have to be fine?
They had to be. I couldn’t lose them. I couldn’t lose any of them. Not after finally finding happiness again. Not after the Moon Goddess had given me this second chance.
Please. Please let them be okay.
The hospital appeared ahead, and Orion didn’t bother with parking properly–he pulled right up to the emergency entrance and threw the car
into park.
“Go,” he said, already unbuckling. I’ll park and meet you inside with Lily
I carried Athena through the automatic doors, and the nurses at the reception desk took one look at us, at my tear–stained face, at Athena’s pale, sweating features, and jumped into action.
“Pregnant?” one of them asked, already grabbing a wheelchair.
“Thirty–three weeks,” I said, my voice hoarse. “Twins. She’s in pain. Something’s wrong.”
I lowered Athena into the wheelchair carefully, but my hands didn’t want to let go. What if I needed to hold her? What if she needed me?
“Sir, we need to take her back now,” the nurse said gently but firmly. “Are you the father?”
“I’m her husband,” I said. “I’m not leaving her.”
The nurse, whose name tag read ‘Jennifer‘, nodded. “Then come with me. Quickly.”
We moved fast through the corridors, Jennifer calling out orders to other staff members we passed. Another nurse appeared with a tablet, firing questions at me that I answered on autopilot.
“When did the pain start?”
“Maybe ten minutes ago. I don’t know. It felt like seconds.”
“Any bleeding?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see any.”
“Previous complications?”
“No. Everything’s been perfect. All her appointments, everything was fine.
We burst through doors into what looked like a triage area. More nurses appeared, helping transfer Athena from the wheelchair to a hospital bed. Someone was taking her blood pressure. Someone else was attaching monitors to her belly.
“Athena Hayes, thirty–three weeks pregnant with twins, Jennifer was saying to a doctor who’d appeared. “Sudden onset of abdominal pain,
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Chapter 392
appears to be in significant distress.”
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The doctor, a middle–aged woman with kind eyes and steady hands, immediately began examining Athena. I stood at the head of the bed, holding Athena’s hand, feeling utterly useless.
“Rate your pain, Athena. One to ten.”
“Eight,” Athena gasped. “Maybe nine. It comes in waves.”
The doctor pressed gently on Athena’s abdomen, and Athena cried out. I felt that cry through our bond like it was my own pain, and I had to grip the bed rail to stay standing.
“I need an ultrasound in here now, the doctor called out. “And someone page Dr. Chen. Tell her Athena Hayes is here and we need her
immediately.”
Dr. Chen was Athena’s OB, the one who’d been seeing her throughout the pregnancy. She’d know what to do. She had to know what to do.
A nurse wheeled in an ultrasound machine, and the doctor squirted gel on Athena’s belly. The cold made Athena flinch, and I tightened my grip
on her hand.
“I’m going to check on the babies,” the doctor said, her voice calm and professional. “Try to stay still for me, Athena.”
The probe moved across Athena’s stomach, and I stared at the screen like it held all the answers in the world. I couldn’t make sense of what I was seeing–just grey and black shapes that blurred together.
But the doctor could. I watched her face, looking for any sign of what she was seeing. Her expression was focused, intent, but I couldn’t read it. Was that good? Bad?
“There,‘ she murmured, adjusting something. “Both heartbeats present and strong.”
I felt my knees go weak with relief. They were alive. Both of them. Their hearts were beating.
“But?” I asked, because I could hear it in her voice. There was a but coming
The doctor looked up at me, then at Athena. “There are signs of placental abruption. It’s early, but it’s there. That’s what’s causing the pain.”
“What does that mean?” Athena asked, her voice small and frightened in a way I’d never heard before, “What’s happening to my babies?”
“It means the placenta is starting to separate from the uterine wall,‘ the doctor explained gently. “It’s not severe yet, but it’s serious. We need to monitor you very closely. If it progresses, we may need to deliver the babies early.”
“But they’re not ready,” Athena sobbed. “It’s too early. They need three more weeks at least. They need…”
“Athena, listen to me. The doctor moved closer, her voice firm but kind. Thirty–three weeks is early, yes. But twins are different. And we have an excellent NICU here. If we need to deliver them, we will do everything possible to keep them safe.”
Another wave of pain hit Athena, and she squeezed my hand so hard I heard bones crack. I didn’t care. She could break every bone in my hand if it helped.
The door burst open and Dr. Chen rushed in, still in her street clothes but with a doctor’s coat thrown over them.
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Chapter 392
I came as soon as I got the call,‘ she said, moving immediately to Athena side. “Talk to me. What do we have?”
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The other doctor briefed her quickly, medical terms flying between them that I only half understood. Placental abruption. Monitoring. Possible preterm labor. NICU. Emergency C–section.
Each word was another weight on my chest, making it harder to breathe.
“Athena,” Dr. Chen said, taking over. “I know you’re scared. But I need you to stay calm for me, okay? Stress isn’t good for the babies right now.”
‘I’m trying,” Athena gasped. “But it hurts. It hurts so much.”
“I know, honey. We’re going to give you something for the pain in just a moment. But first I need to do an exam, see where we’re at.”
I wanted to ask what that meant, what they were looking for, but I couldn’t form words. All I could do was hold Athena’s hand and pray to the Moon Goddess that this wasn’t happening. That when I woke up, this would all be a nightmare.
But Athena’s hand in mine was too real. Her pain through our bond was too real. The fear in her eyes was too real.
This was happening.
And all I could do was stand here and watch.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
