Page 126 of Ruthless Lullaby

As Betty makes her way to the kitchen, I rise from the couch and my gaze lands on a disturbing blood stain. How the hell did that get there? Was it under me all along? It must have been. How did I not notice it?

Hold on a second, Mindy.

A bloodstain under you?

My expression quickly shifts from surprised to concerned as a realization dawns on me. Panic sets in as I understand that this could mean something terrible. And a few seconds later, my body proves that I’m not wrong. The room starts spinning and I suddenly feel lightheaded. "Shit," I mutter under my breath as I collapse back onto the couch.

The soft fabric under me feels abrasive against my skin, every nerve ending hypersensitive. The metallic scent of blood fills my nostrils and my stomach churns. I can taste the bitter tang of fear in my mouth and my heart pounds so hard I can practically feel it in my eardrums.

"Ta-dam!" I hear Betty's voice as she walks in, balancing a large tray in her hands. As soon as she sees me, she stops in her tracks and stares at me. "What's the matter, Mindy?" She asks, her forehead creased with worry. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I take a shaky breath, struggling to articulate the terrifying feeling taking place inside my body. "I… I'm sorry, Bets," I manage to choke out. "I started bleeding and I stained the couch."

Betty sets the salad bowl on the table and rushes to my side. "Screw the couch, girl, what’s wrong?" She hands me a glass of water. "Here. Have a drink."

Even as I take a sip of water, I feel the blood draining from my face and my skin turning clammy and cold. The room is spinning around me as I try to hold on to the last shreds of my composure. I try to take another sip, but I can’t even keep my hands steady enough to do so. The cool surface of the glass begins to slip through my fingers, feeling impossibly heavy.

My baby.

Betty's eyes widen in horror as she processes the sight before her. "Oh my God, Mindy," she gasps, her hand gripping mine with a bone-crushing force. The pressure of her grip is the only thing that feels real. "You're in your third month and... we need to call nine-one-one right now."

The panic in Betty’s voice sends a surge of dread through me. She’s right. This is bad. Very bad. Everything's becoming a blur as I struggle to stay conscious, desperately clinging onto my bestie’s hand for support.

All I can do is nod as another wave of cramping pain seizes my abdomen. It feels like my insides are being twisted and torn in a searing agony that steals the breath from my lungs. I can feel my own blood soaking through my underwear, a warm, sickening sensation spreading across my inner thighs. The coppery smell grows stronger, making me gag.

No!

I can't lose this baby.

I want to scream, but I don’t have the strength. My voice is trapped in my throat and my mouth is as dry as sandpaper. Tears begin to stream down my cheeks, hot and bitter, as I curl up, clutching at my stomach as if that could somehow save the tiny life that's slipping away from me. The fabric of my dress clings to my skin, wet and sticky.

Please don’t.

Please don’t make me lose this precious miracle.

The thought pierces through my heart like a blade, shattering my soul into countless irreparable pieces.

Please, my baby, stay with me.

I love you more than anything.

As another wave of agony crashes over me and I gasp for air, the world around me starts blurring into a distant haze. The edges of my vision darken, and Betty’s voice around me becomes muffled, as if I'm underwater.

“Yes, she’s bleeding. Over two months pregnant.” I can hear her from a distance, speaking into the phone. “Yes, very urgent. Please come right away!”

Her voice continues to echo around me for several minutes. I can hear it in my ears even as I’m lifted onto a stretcher. The cold metal beneath me seeps through my clothes, a sharp contrast to the warmth of my blood. I can feel Betty holding my hand as I'm placed into the back of an ambulance. But it’s all a blur. Her touch seems distant, like it's happening to someone else.

Then, a door is shut closed behind me and I hear snippets of fragmented sentences: "losing blood… get her stabilized… could be a critical case." It all feels distant and numb to me. The sharp smell of antiseptic mixes with the metallic scent of blood, making my head spin even more.

My remaining consciousness is slipping away like a fading dream. Betty's face, etched with fear and concern, seems miles away now. The memory of her voice is nothing more than an echo in the void I am falling into. A void where time and space blend into one and my dreams of motherhood and a happy family both shatter into tiny pieces. The only thing left is loneliness, an eternal, all-consuming loneliness.

The beeping of medical equipment fades into a single, continuous tone.

And then, darkness sets in.

Chapter Forty-Eight

Mindy

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