Page 135 of The Rogue and His Flower

I frown, snapshots flooding my memory. I remember Dalton carrying me into my bedroom, calling out for help, then ringing an ambulance as soon as Tessa rushed into the room. I vaguely remember throwing up in the ambulance, and blood. So much blood. I remember lying on a stretcher, lights blurring above me as Dalton barked out orders. Then nothing, just this feeling of floating…

“How long have I been out?

“A few hours,” he explains, wincing. “Daisy?—”

“A few hours? What do you mean, a few hours?”

He leans over, pressing a tender kiss to my knuckles, eyes flickering with concern. “You had an emergency operation,” he whispers.

“What kind of operation? What the hell is going on?”

“The surgeon will be here in a few minutes to explain everything fully. Drix is just getting us both a cup of coffee. He came the moment I called. He’s been here this whole time too…” His voice trails off as he stares at me, dark circles ringing hiseyes. “Fuck, Daisy, I thought I was going to lose you. There was so much blood.”

“Drix is here too? Why was I bleeding so much? My periods have never been this bad before. Why did I need an operation? Is there something wrong with me?” I ask, question after question tripping off my tongue as I try to grasp what’s happened.

Dalton blows out a breath. “I think we should wait for the surgeon to explain. I?—”

“Dalton, tell me now. Tell me!” I demand, my voice becoming frantic and desperate, rising to a panicked pitch. Dalton's hesitation only seems to fuel my fear as his eyes hold a mixture of sorrow and empathy.

“You had a large ovarian cyst that ruptured on your right ovary,” he says, his voice trembling with emotion.

My heart drops into the pit of my stomach as the words sink in. “A...a cyst? Is it cancer?” I choke out, my mind automatically thinking the worst as tears fill my eyes and fall down my cheeks. The thought of facing such a devastating disease is almost unbearable.

“No, you don't have cancer,” Dalton quickly reassures me, but his tone does little to ease my terror.

“Then what? What is it?” I cry, tears escaping faster now, but as Dalton reaches up to wipe them away, his expression shifts to one of concern.

“Daisy...” His voice trails off, and I know something is terribly wrong.

Gripping his hand tightly, I can feel my heart pounding painfully against my rib cage as I wait for him to reveal the full truth. “Dalton, please tell me everything. Don’t keep anything from me,” I plead, searching his eyes.

He takes a deep breath, his gaze locking with mine. “The cyst ruptured and caused damage to your right ovary, they had to remove it, Daisy. I’m so sorry.”

“They removed my ovary?” I whisper.

He nods. “They performed laparoscopic surgery so your recovery will be quicker," he adds, as if that makes this horrible, heartbreaking news any better.

My voice quivers with emotion as I ask, "Why did I have a cyst? I don't understand." More tears well in my eyes at the realisation of what he's telling me, of what this could mean for our future.

"It was an endometriosis cyst, Daisy," he explains gently, my heart sinking as he continues. "They also discovered some lesions around your left fallopian tube, and they removed them, but I’m afraid they’ve caused some damage to your fallopian tube."

“Lesions?”

“From endometriosis,” he says.

Panic sets in as I realise the potential impact this could have on my chances of conceiving a child. "This can't be happening," I cry, tears streaming down my face at the thought.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispers.

“What does that mean exactly?” I ask, trying to wrap my head around everything.

“Daisy there’s more…” his voice trails off as he looks at me, pain in his eyes.

“What? What else could possibly be wrong?”

“They tested your blood and found high levels of the hCG hormone.”

“What’s hCG hormone?”

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