Page 53 of Twisted Empire

15

Elias

Tatum gruntedand doubled over as a scream tore through her. I gripped her arm to keep her steady as she clutched at her stomach, and then I looped an arm under her and picked her up. She squirmed and moaned in my arms, her eyes heavily-lidded.

“Oh god… am I losing the baby?” she choked out before closing her eyes and letting out another loud, wrenching moan.

“I don’t know,” I said in a low voice as I hurried out of the library and toward the medical wing. I didn’t know what else to say. I’d never been in this situation before. I’d never felt so fucking powerless and out of control.

I first noticed the spots of blood when she stooped to pick up the broken glass. Just a few little patches on the crotch of her jeans, but still enough to concern me. Then she was jackknifed by a severe cramp and more blood began to seep out, snaking down the inside of the right leg of her jeans, a dark red zigzag emblazoned against the light fabric.

“Please stop it,” Tatum bit out in my arms, her teeth clenched. “We only… we only just decided…”

She cut herself off with another wrenching cry and squeezed her eyes shut, the pain overwhelming her to the point where she couldn’t speak. I knew what she was about to say before that. She was going to point out how horribly fucking twisted this was. We’d finally addressed the tiny elephant in the room—the baby—and realized how much we both wanted it with each other, and now we were losing it in sticky crimson rivulets. It was the darkest irony either of us had ever known.

“Maybe this is normal,” Tatum whispered a moment later, her eyes fluttering open as I dashed down a long blue hall. “My mom… a few years ago she told me she had some spotting when she was pregnant with me. Maybe that’s what this is.”

This was a hell of a lot more than spotting. I didn’t tell her that. Instead I smiled faintly and nodded, gave her a few more minutes of hope. “Yeah. It’s probably that. You’re gonna be fine, baby girl.”

I reached the medical wing and set Tatum down on the first bed I came across. Then I put my hand on her forehead. “I’m gonna call the doctor,” I said. “But I’ll stay right here in the room, okay?”

She nodded. Naked pain flickered in her eyes. I wished I could transfer every ounce of suffering to myself so she never had to feel anything so terrible again.

I dialed Paulson’s number and stepped away from the bed so I could speak to him without Tatum hearing all my concerns and stressing herself out even more. He answered on the first ring. “Elias, are you on your way? I just got here.”

“Change of plans,” I said hurriedly. “I’m gonna have to give you an address so you can drive out here yourself. I think Tatum’s having a miscarriage.”

“What’s happening?”

“She started bleeding. It’s soaking through her pants. I don’t know what the fuck to do.”

“Okay. Try to stay calm, and send me the directions so I can come and help.”

“Gimme a second. Texting it to you now.” I put the phone on loudspeaker for a second as my fingers flew over the keyboard. “Done. Let me know when you get to those coordinates. I’ll have to come up and let you in.”

I heard the sound of an engine starting in the background. “I’m on my way. For now, where are the two of you?” Paulson’s voice was fainter now. Reedier. He must’ve put me on loudspeaker as he drove.

“I took Tatum to the medical center.”

“Good. She’s lying down, I presume?”

“Yes. What else can I do? There’s so much fucking blood. I’ve gotta stop it somehow.”

Dr. Paulson was silent for a few seconds. “Elias, if this is really a miscarriage, then I’m sorry, but there’s nothing you can do.”

My eyes widened. “It can’t be stopped?”

“No, not once it’s started. All that can be done is aftercare to prevent infection and monitoring to make sure the blood loss isn’t too heavy. It’s mostly just a matter of waiting for all the tissue to pass, barring any complications.”

“Fuck!” I glanced over at Tatum. She was writhing on the bed, blood soaking through the white sheets below her.

“It might be something else, though,” Paulson said in a soothing tone. “I’m driving as fast as I can. You should give her some painkillers to ease the cramps.”

“Okay. Which ones?” I asked as I stepped over to a huge cabinet filled with packets and bottles of different medications.

He guided me through the process of finding the right pills and dosage for Tatum’s situation. I filled up a glass of water and gave them to her, stroking her hair as she swallowed them. “This should help a bit,” I said softly as she winced in pain again.

“Thank you.” Her voice was a broken whisper.

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