I held up my hand to show my now-empty ring finger. “No husband. Definitely no kids.”
“Too busy becoming a doctor?”
“Something like that.” I flipped open her chart. “Here for an induction?”
She groaned as she tried to shift. “Yeah, this baby was due two weeks ago.” Her face lit up as her husband and a toddler walked into the room. “Do you remember Merci?”
Amir nodded. “Good to see you.” He pointed to the little girl with beaded braids who used a plastic stethoscope to examine her new teddy bear. “That’s Aaliyah.” He leaned over to kiss Naomi in a slow, gentle way that felt far too intimate for me to witness.
My stomach tightened, a hollow ache blooming in my chest. I wondered if I’d ever have that with someone. Love. Family. Kids. “It looks like you have Dr. Chen. She’s great. I’ll try to check back in later.”
“I’d love it if you could be here,” Naomi said with a soft smile. “How cool would it be if you got to deliver my baby?”
“No promises. I’m just an intern. I go where they tell me.”
After my shift, I changed into my jeans and a T-shirt, then stopped by to check on Naomi. She grimaced at me as a wave of contractions rolled through her, sweat plastering her hair to her brow.
“Still here?” I asked, flipping through her chart out of habit.
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, this baby is as stubborn as her daddy.”
“Where’s Amir?”
“Aaliyah started throwing up. He’s taking her to my mom’s place, but there was an accident on the highway, so it’s taking longer than he thought.” She glared at her stomach. “Not that this baby is going to make an appearance anytime soon.”
“I’ll keep you company,” I offered.
We chatted for a while as I periodically checked on her progress. She winced with each wave of contractions, and I tried distracting her with stories from college.
Naomi leaned back and gulped for air, her expression twisting with sharp pain.
“Something’s wrong,” she cried out.
“Let me check. Maybe it’s time to push.” I pulled up the sheet to see blood pooling beneath her. I glanced at Naomi with concern. Her ashen face grimaced in pain.
The rhythmic monitor began beeping at a furious pace. “I need some help here,” I shouted down the hall in alarm.
“What’s wrong?” Naomi rasped, grabbing my hand.
Dr. Chen strode in, already pulling on a pair of gloves.
“You’re in good hands. Just stay calm,” I assured.
Naomi gripped my hand, fear shining bright in her eyes. Her grip weakened, and her eyelids fluttered before she went silent. Her chest barely moved.
“She’s hemorrhaging,” Dr. Chen said with a sense of urgency as she quickly examined Naomi.
“Uterine rupture?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure. I need to get her in the OR now. Get changed, and you can join me.”
I glanced down at my street clothes, my shoes soaked with the hot, slick blood staining the tiles.
“Tell the OR we’re on our way,” Dr. Chen shouted to a nurse as she rolled Naomi out of the room. “And page NICU.”
I moved on autopilot, sprinting to the locker room to change intoa fresh set of scrubs. I collided with Amir in the hallway as I rushed to the OR.
“Where’s my wife?” he asked in a panic.
