Page 72 of Burned

Chapter Twenty-Four

Rhys was a nervous wreck by the time he made it to the hospital. He dialed Carys’s cell to find out where she was. He found his daughter on the maternity ward in the waiting room. She was distraught and teary-eyed Carys. She stood up when she spotted him and ran to his arms. He held her close as she cried. “its okay baby, I’m here.”

“Daddy, I’m so scared. There was so much blood. Sadie was hysterical. They took her into this room to examine her and the next thing I know they’re wheeling her away to the delivery room. I think she’s going to have the baby. She’s not that far along. Dad, what if the baby doesn’t make it?”

He hugged her tight and kissed her on the top of her head. “It’s going to be okay. Look, you don’t need to deal with this. I’m going to call your Nana and Uncle Colin to come get you.”

“No! I don’t want to leave. I’ll stay right here.”

“Sweetie, I don’t think this is something you should have to deal with.”

“I’ll be fine, Daddy. I promise. I’ll call Nana and Uncle Colin and you go find Sadie. I’ll wait here okay?”

Rhys hesitated but he really did want to find Sadie to see what was going on. “Thank you, honey.” He gave her another kiss on the head before heading to the nurse’s station.

After verifying who he was, he was directed to the delivery room. He whispered a silent prayer as he made his way in that direction. When he arrived at his destination, he tapped on the door gently. After a few moments, someone poked their head out the door. “Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for Sadie Flowers. I’m the baby’s father.”

“Okay. I’ll check and see if she wants you in here. I don’t mean to offend but since the two of you aren’t married its protocol that we get the mother’s consent for you be in the room with her.”

“Of course.” He nodded feeling a whole new anxiety. What if Sadie didn’t want her there? He waited tensely for the nurse to return.

She finally returned and allowed him inside to his relief. This wasn’t the type of delivery room he was used to seeing on television. It was like a large hospital room with one bed in the center. Sadie lay there looking despondent. She was connected to an IV. Next to Sadie’s bed was another nurse.

He cautiously approached her bedside. “Sadie?

She turned her head to look at him. Her red-rimmed eyes were puffy. Snot dripped down her nose but she didn’t seem to care. “Hello, Rhys.”

“How are you feeling?”

“I think I just pushed out a dead baby. How do you think I’m supposed to feel?”

His heart broke into a million pieces. Was the baby dead? He realized he needed to be strong for Sadie. He took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth in a brief kiss. “It’s okay baby. We’ll get through this.”

Sadie burst into tears. “But I love her so much!”

“I know you do.” He struggled to hold back his own tears. “I love her too.”

“I-I didn’t get to hold her,” she continued to sob.

Rhys’s heart continued to fall apart with each tear that slid down Sadie’s face. He held on to her hand for dear life as if she were a life jacket in the middle of a stormy ocean. He blinked hard to keep his own tears at bay but to no avail. They fell hard.

He and Sadie cried together holding on to each other, praying for some miracle.

A hand fell on his shoulder. Rhys jumped, startled out his grief. “Dr. Wong will talk to you shortly. He’s the physician from our Neonatal Unit who’s been working on your daughter.”

“Is she alive?” Sadie asked tentatively as if she were scared to hear the answer.

The nurse nodded. “The doctor will give you further details but until then you two take it easy. Can I get either one of you something to drink? Some water or juice?”

“Nothing for me thank you,” Rhys replied before turning to Sadie. “Have you had anything to eat today, sweetheart?”

She shook her head. “But I’m not hungry.”

“At the very least let me get you some juice. You’ve lost a lot of blood and you could use the calories to give you energy,” the nurse insisted.

Sadie nodded and lay back against her pillow looking pale and weak. Rhys eyed the bag of blood warily noticing for the first time that Sadie was receiving a blood transfusion. She must have lost a significant amount which probably meant she could have died. He shuddered at the thought. Losing the baby would be tough to deal with but losing Sadie would be one hundred times worse. He didn’t want to picture his life without her.

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