Chapter 137
Elara’s POV – Earlier That Morning
Elara sat in the examination room at Dr. Sarah’s office, her hands gripping the edge of the table so hard her knuckles had turned white. Mimi stood beside her, one hand resting protectively on Elara’s shoulder.
On the ultrasound screen, two small shapes floated in the darkness. Her babies. Her twins.
But something was wrong with one of them.
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Dr. Sarah had been moving the ultrasound wand around Elara’s stomach for what felt like forever, clicking buttons, taking measurements, making small humming sounds that did nothing to ease Elara’s growing panic.
“Talk to me,” Elara said, her voice shaking. “Please. What’s happening?”
Dr. Sarah set down the wand and turned to face them both. Her expression was serious, the kind of serious that made Elara’s stomach drop even before she started speaking.
“Elara, I’m seeing some concerning developments with Baby B. The twin on the left side.” She pointed to the screen. “Do you see how this baby appears slightly smaller than the other one?”
Elara nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
“The heartbeat is also weaker than I’d like to see. Not dangerously low yet, but definitely weaker than Baby A. And the growth measurements are behind where they should be for this stage of your pregnancy.”
“What does that mean?” Mimi asked when Elara couldn’t find her voice.
“It could be several things. The most likely scenario based on what I’m seeing is something called twin-to- twin transfusion syndrome, or TTTS. It happens in identical twins who share a placenta. Essentially, one twin ends up receiving more blood flow than the other through shared blood vessels.”
Dr. Sarah pulled up a diagram on her computer screen. “Baby A becomes the recipient twin, getting more nutrients and blood. Baby B becomes the donor twin, not getting enough. If left untreated, it can become very serious very quickly.”
Elara felt tears starting to fall. “Can you fix it? Can you do something?”
“Right now, we monitor very closely. I want to see you twice a week for ultrasounds to track how both babies are developing. We’ll watch Baby B’s heart rate, growth, and amniotic fluid levels. If things get worse, we have treatment options including laser surgery to seal off the shared blood vessels, but we’re not at that point yet.”
“And if we don’t do anything?”
Dr. Sarah’s expression softened. “Let’s not go there right now. We caught this early, which gives us the best chance of managing it successfully. Many pregnancies with TTTS result in healthy babies when monitored properly.”
“But not all of them,” Elara whispered.
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Chapter 137
“No. Not all of them. I won’t lie to you about that. But I’ve seen far worse cases than what you’re presenting with right now.”
Mimi squeezed Elara’s shoulder. “What else can we do? Besides the monitoring?”
“Strict bed rest, starting today. No stress, no physical exertion, no heavy lifting. I want Elara horizontal as much as possible. Proper nutrition is critical. Lots of water. And I mean it about the stress. High stress levels can restrict blood flow even further.”
Elara almost laughed. No stress. Her marriage was falling apart, her husband’s ex-girlfriend was living in their guest house, and now one of her babies might not survive. How was she supposed to avoid stress?
“I need to tell Marcus,” Elara said. “He needs to know about this.”
Dr. Sarah nodded. “Absolutely. Both parents should be involved in care decisions going forward. I’d like to see him at your next appointment so we can discuss everything together.”
After Dr. Sarah left to arrange the follow-up appointments and print out care instructions, Elara just sat there on the examination table staring at nothing.
“You okay?” Mimi asked quietly.
“No. I’m really not okay.”
“Do you want me to call Marcus for you?”
“No, I’ll do it.” Elara pulled out her phone with shaking hands and dialed Marcus’s number.
It rang once, twice, three times. Then it went to voicemail.
She tried again. Same result.
“He’s probably in that big investor meeting he mentioned,” Mimi said. “Try texting him.”
Elara typed out a message with trembling fingers.
Elara: I’m at the doctor. Something’s wrong with one of the twins. Can you call me when you get this?
She stared at the message for a long moment before hitting send. The three dots appeared immediately showing the message had been delivered, but no response came.
“He’ll call as soon as he sees it,” Mimi said. “Come on, let’s get you home so you can start this bed rest thing.
They checked out at the front desk and made their way to Mimi’s car. Every step felt surreal, like Elara was walking through a dream. Or a nightmare.
One of her babies wasn’t getting enough blood. Wasn’t growing properly. Might not survive.
And Marcus didn’t know because he was in a meeting about quarterly earnings and profit margins, things that suddenly seemed completely meaningless.
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The drive back to the penthouse was quiet. Mimi tried to make conversation a few times but gave up when Elara couldn’t focus enough to respond.
When they pulled into the garage, Elara made herself get out of the car. Made herself walk to the elevator. Made herself press the button for the penthouse floor.
“I’m coming up with you,” Mimi said. “Getting you settled.”
“You don’t have to…..”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to.”
They rode the elevator in silence. When the doors opened, Elara stepped out and immediately felt dizzy. The world tilted sideways and she grabbed the wall for support.
“Whoa, I got you.” Mimi was there instantly, her arm around Elara’s waist. “Just breathe. Slow breaths.”
Elara tried. In and out. In and out. But the dizziness wouldn’t go away.
And then she felt it. Warmth between her legs. Wetness.
She looked down and saw blood. Bright red blood soaking through her leggings.
“Mimi,” Elara said, her voice breaking. “I’m bleeding.”
Mimi’s eyes went wide. “Okay. Okay, we need to get you to the hospital right now.”
“I need to lie down…..”
“No. No lying down. We’re going to the emergency room. Now.” Mimi was already pulling out her phone, already dialing 911. “Yes, I need an ambulance at the Thorne Building, penthouse level. Pregnant woman, about twenty weeks, experiencing vaginal bleeding-”
Elara’s legs gave out. She sank to the floor of the hallway, her back against the wall, feeling more blood seeping out.
This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not like this.
“Stay with me,” Mimi was saying, kneeling beside her. “Elara, stay with me, okay? Help is coming. The ambulance is coming.”
“The babies,” Elara whispered. “Mimi, the babies…”
“Are going to be fine. You’re going to be fine. Just breathe.”
But Elara couldn’t breathe properly anymore. Could only watch as more blood appeared, staining her clothes, pooling on the expensive marble floor.
Somewhere in the distance, she heard sirens. Voices. Footsteps running toward them.
“We’re going to lift you onto the stretcher,” someone was saying. A paramedic. “Try to stay calm, okay?”
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Chapter 137
Calm. Right. Her baby was dying and she was supposed to stay calm.
They lifted her. Strapped her in. Started moving fast toward the elevator.
“Mimi,” Elara called out. “Don’t leave me.”
“I’m right here, babe. Right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
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The elevator ride down felt endless. Then they were in the garage, loading her into the ambulance. Mimi climbed in beside her, still holding her hand.
“Does your husband know?” one of the paramedics asked.
“I tried calling. He didn’t answer.”
“We’ll keep trying. What’s his number?”
Elara recited it, her voice mechanical. They put an oxygen mask over her face. Started an IV in her arm. Checked her blood pressure.
All of it felt distant, like it was happening to someone else.
The ambulance started moving, sirens wailing.
And all Elara could think was: Please don’t let me lose them. Please don’t let me lose my babies.
She felt the ambulance take a sharp turn and then they were pulling up to the emergency room entrance.
The doors flew open and suddenly there were more people, more voices, more hands lifting her onto a gurney and rushing her inside.
“Twenty-two week twin pregnancy, active vaginal bleeding, possible placental abruption….”
The medical terms washed over her. Elara closed her eyes and felt tears streaming down her face.
This was really happening. She was being rushed to the emergency room, bleeding, possibly losing one or both of her babies.
And Marcus still didn’t know.
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