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“What does that mean?” Violet asked, clutching at my hand. She was shivering so hard that she was making me shake, but I didn’t know if it was from cold or fear.
“It means you’re going to need a C-section,” the paramedic said, trying to keep his voice calm as he gave her a tight smile. Grabbing his phone, he put it to his ear and, not two seconds later, started relaying how far we were from the hospital and giving whoever was on the other end instructions.
I didn’t understand anything he said because it was in medical terms and codes, but I could tell that whatever was going on wasn’t good. I clutched at Violet, terrified as she continued to bleed and suffer pains on the short ride to the hospital.
The driver came to a jarring stop in the ambulance bay of the emergency room, and the back doors opened immediately from the outside. A guy and three women in surgical scrubs reached in and pulled Violet away from me on her gurney.
“Are you Dad?” the guy asked as I jumped out behind them. When they started running, each of them pushing the gurney, I kept up with them.
“Yes,” I answered without hesitation.
“Good. Once we get upstairs, I need you to follow Mandy. She’s going to get you some scrubs. Change into them and wait where she tells you. Once we have your wife set up, someone will show you in so you can be with her.”
Everything was moving so fast, I didn’t have time to ask what was happening. Suddenly, we were on an elevator, and not ten seconds later, the doors opened again. The guy and two of the women took off running again, while the one I assumed was Mandy grabbed me by the elbow and steered me down a different hall.
“Your wife is having an emergency C-section,” she explained before I could even ask. “Rodney called ahead and told us she has a possible placental abruption. We can’t take the chance that he’s wrong. Every second counts when there is a complication like this.”
I froze at how serious her face looked. “What…” I inhaled deeply and quickly blew it out, trying to calm my pounding heart. “What kind of complications?”
She paused outside a door and grimaced. “Abruption puts both mother and baby in danger.” She grasped my arm a little tighter. “I understand how hard it will be for you, but both your wife’s and child’s lives are in danger right now. Your wife seems to have already lost a lot of blood, and the baby could possibly be deprived of oxygen. We won’t know until the doctor has the baby out. Please…prepare yourself, sir.”
With those words echoing in my head, I quickly changed into the scrubs she gave me, along with a mask to put over my nose and mouth, a surgical cap, and booties that went over my shoes. I didn’t realize how wet I was until I changed into the dry scrubs.
Mandy showed me where to wait, but I couldn’t stand still. I didn’t have my phon
e so I couldn’t call her mom or Shaw. I didn’t know if Jenner was at the hospital yet or not, or if he even knew what was going on. For a second, I wondered how pissed my coach was going to be that I didn’t show up for practice, but he could suck my dick. I had more important shit to worry about than to care if he benched me or not.
Standing outside the operating room where Mandy told me Violet was being prepped for her C-section, I closed my eyes. “I fucked up, Remington. She was going to leave me. And now, she and Love Bug are in danger. I’m so sorry, man. So damn sorry. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know…” I swallowed the knot of tears trying to block my throat. “What do I do? Show me what I need to do to make this right.”
The door to the OR opened, and Mandy stuck her head out of the room. “Come on in, Dad.”
She led me to the table where Violet was lying down. A tent was up, separating her top half from her bottom, and the guy was already asking for surgical instruments that made me shudder in fear. There were more people in scrubs moving around in the room as well, but I only had eyes for Violet.
“Talk to her, Dad. Keep her mind off what’s going on,” Mandy instructed. “She can’t feel anything, but the pressure can be both scary and uncomfortable.”
Nodding, I took the chair she provided and sat down at Violet’s head. One of her arms was hooked to an IV, but I clasped her fingers, needing to touch her.
Tears poured from her eyes as she looked up at me helplessly. “I’m so scared,” she whispered, shivering. “And cold.”
I leaned forward and touched my lips to her brow. “I’ll get you warm as soon as I can, baby,” I promised, trying to blink back my own tears so she wouldn’t be as scared. “As soon as Love Bug is here, I’ll wrap you up in the warmest blanket I can find and hold you. Okay?”
“Stay with her,” she told me, her voice turning frantic. “Whatever happens, promise me you’ll stay with the baby.”
“Whatever you want,” I readily agreed.
Her chin trembled. “We don’t even have a name for her.”
“Of course we do,” I assured her with a smile even as my first tear fell. “You’ve been so worried about finding the right name, you didn’t even realize we had the perfect one all along.”
“No,” she whispered. “I don’t have a clue what to call her.”
I kissed her forehead again. “Yes, you do. You’re just too stubborn to see what I’m talking about.” Her fingers were ice-cold, and I started rubbing them, trying to comfort her and myself.
“Fine, then you name her,” she huffed, then started crying again. “I’m so tired, Luca.” She gasped as if she were in pain, and the doctor called out that it was only going to be another minute before the baby was delivered.
My entire body was shaking with my fear, and I kept touching my lips to her brow. “I know, baby. But you can sleep soon, I promise. As soon as Love Bug is here, you can take a long nap.”
Suddenly, the room filled with an angry cry, and Violet’s gaze caught mine. “She’s here,” she murmured, a smile lifting at her lips.
