Tristan
Dr. Chen worked quickly, her hands steady despite the urgency of the situation. I watched her face like a hawk, trying to read every facker of expression, every subtle change in her features that might tell me what was happening to my wife and children.
“Talk to me, Athena,” Dr. Chen said as she examined her. “Was there any bleeding? Fluid leaking?
“I don’t think so,” Athena said, her voice shaking. Just pain. So much pain
“The abruption is small right now,” Dr. Chen said, straightening up. “But we can’t take chances with twins at thirty–three weeks. I’m admitting
you. You’re not leaving this hospital until those babies are born.”
My stomach dropped. “What does that mean? How long?”
Could be days. Could be hours.” Dr. Chen turned to me, her expression serious. I’m not going to lie to you both. This is serious. If the abruption progresses, we’ll need to do an emergency C–section. Those babies need to stay inside as long as safely possible, but not at the risk
of Athena or their lives.”
Athena made a sound–half sob, half gasp–and I felt her fear spike through our bond. I leaned down, pressing my forehead to hers.
“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered, even though I didn’t know if it was true. “You’re strong. The babies are strong. We’re going to get through
this.”
“I’m scared, she admitted, tears streaming down her face. “Tristan, I’m so scared.”
“I know, baby. Me too.” My own voice broke. “But I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
“We’re moving you to Labor and Delivery,” Dr. Chen said, already signaling to the nurses. “I want continuous monitoring on both babies. IV fluids, and let’s get her something for the pain that won’t affect the babies
Everything moved fast after that. Nurses appeared with a bed, transferring Athena carefully. Someone handed me paperwork to sign. Another nurse was asking about allergies and medical history. I answered everything mechanically, my attention split between the questions and
Athena’s pale face.
We moved through the hospital corridors, Athena’s bed surrounded by staff. I kept pace beside her, my hand never leaving hers. Through our bond, I could feel her pain–it had subsided slightly but was still there, a constant ache punctuated by sharper spikes that made her gasp.
The Labor and Delivery room was private and surprisingly large. They transferred Athena to the bed, immediately hooking her up to what seemed like a dozen different monitors. Two separate fetal monitors were placed on her belly, and suddenly the room filled with sound.
Heartbeats. Two of them. Fast and strong.
I felt something in my chest loosen slightly. They were alive. I could hear them. Our babies.
“These are your babies‘ heartbeats,” a nurse explained, adjusting the monitors. “We’ll be listening to them constantly now. Any changes and we’ll know immediately.”
Dr. Chen studied the monitors, her expression focused. “Good strong heartbeats. That’s what we want to see. And Athena, your contractions…”
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Chapter 393
Contractions? I interrupted. She’s having contractions?”
4.完75%藥
“Small ones,” Dr. Chen confirmed, pointing to one of the screens that showed a graph I couldn’t decipher. “See these spikes? Those are contractions. They’re not strong enough to be active labor yet, but they’re here. We’re going to give her medication to try to stop them/
“But if the babies need to come out…” Athena started.
“If the abruption progresses, yes, we’ll deliver them,” Dr. Chen said firmly. But right now, the best place for your babies is inside you. Every hour they stay in there is crucial for their development. So we’re going to do everything we can to keep them there safely.”
A nurse appeared with an IV bag. “This is magnesium sulfate,” she explained as she hung it. “It’ll help stop the contractions. You might feel warm, a little flushed. That’s normal.”
“Will it hurt the babies?” Athena asked immediately.
“No. It’s safe for them. Used all the time in cases like this.”
Another nurse came in with pain medication, adding it to Athena’s IV. Within minutes, I felt through our bond as the sharp edges of her pain began to dull. Her body relaxed slightly against the pillows, though her hand still gripped mine tight.
“Better?” I asked softly.
“A little,” she admitted. “Still hurts. But not as bad.”
Dr. Chen pulled up a chair beside the bed. “Okay. Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re staying here on bed rest. Complete bed rest–that means bedpan, no getting up for anything. We monitor the babies constantly. If everything stabilizes, we might be able to keep them in there longer. But Athena, I need you to understand–if things get worse, we deliver. Immediately. No discussion.”
“I understand,” Athena whispered.
“The NICU team is on standby,” Dr. Chen continued. “If we deliver at thirty three weeks, the babies will need to stay in the NICU for a while. Probably several weeks. But our NICU is one of the best. They’ll be in good hands.”
Several weeks. My babies in the hospital for weeks. I tried to wrap my mind around it and couldn’t.
“Can I stay?” I asked. “With her?”
“Yes. There’s a pull–out chair that becomes a bed. You can be here as much as you want.” Dr. Chen stood. “I’ll be back to check on you in a couple hours. But the nurses will be in and out constantly, monitoring everything. Any changes, any pain, any bleeding, anything at all, you tell them immediately. Understood?”
“Understood,” Athena and I said together.
After Dr. Chen left, the room felt too quiet despite the steady beeping of monitors and the double heartbeat of our babies. I pulled the chair as close to the bed as I could and sat down, bringing Athena’s hand to my lips.
“I’m sorry,‘ she said suddenly.
I looked up, confused. “For what?”
‘For this. For…”
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Chapter 393
“Don’t. I cut her off firmly: ‘Don’t you dare apologize. This isn’t your faul Athena. None of this is your fault.”
“But I should have known something was wrong. Should have felt it earlier should have…”
Stop. I moved onto the bed beside her, careful of all the wires and monitors, and pulled her against my chest. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You’ve been perfect this entire pregnancy. This just… it just happens sometimes. Dr. Chen said so.
She turned her face into my neck, and I felt her tears wet against my skin I’m so scared, Tristan. What if something happens to them? What if
they’re not okay?‘
“They will be,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “Did you hear those heartbeats? Strong and steady. That’s our babies, fighting to stay safe. They’re warriors, just like their mother.”
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09:06 Mon, Feb 9 G G G
The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate
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.
