Page 68 of Billionaire Temptations

“I’m making the incision, Emma,” Dr. Richardson said.

“Just look at me,” Max softly spoke. “She’s going to be fine. You have to believe that.”

He was trying so hard to stay strong for me, but I could tell he was about to break. He held my hand and, for a moment, buried his face in my shoulder.

“Get her to the NICU stat,” Dr. Richardson yelled at the nurses as he handed them Sarah. “She’s about two pounds, Emma, and we have to get her to the NICU.”

“Can’t I see her?” I cried.

“I’m sorry, but not yet. We have to get her the proper medical care immediately.”

My mind couldn’t wrap itself around the fact that my baby was born two months early. What did I do wrong? Could I have prevented this? Random questions flooded my mind as I turned away from Max because I couldn’t bear looking at how distraught he was. He didn’t say a word, and he didn’t have to. I didn’t want him to.

Dr. Richardson finished stitching me up, walked over, and placed his hand on mine.

“Your little girl is in the best hands and is getting the best care. With today’s medical advances, babies born this early have way better survival rates than they did ten years ago. Plus, she’s a girl, and girls are strong.” He winked. “You’ve been through an ordeal today, and you need to rest, not only for your baby but for your body to start healing. It’s important, Emma, that you get as much rest as possible. You have to be strong for your daughter.”

I nodded my head as tears continued to fall from my eyes. He walked out of the room, and the nurses wheeled me back to mine. After getting me settled, a different nurse walked in.

“Hi, Emma. My name is Lila, and I’m going to be taking care of you for the rest of my shift. I’m going to give you a little something to help you relax.” She pushed a needle into my IV line. “I promise to keep you both updated on your daughter.”

Before I knew it, my eyes had closed, and I was fast asleep.

Chapter Twenty-Six

My eyes opened,and Max wasn’t in the room. Nobody was in the room but me. I was in pain. The numbing medication must have worn off, and I was feeling it big time. As I lay there, flat on my back, looking up at the ceiling, the fear for my daughter’s life overwhelmed me, and the tears started up again. A few moments later, Max walked in and came to my bedside.

“Hey,” he said as he ran his thumb across my forehead.

“Hey.” I swallowed hard.

“I called Kara, and she’s going to tell Molly and Aubrey. They’ll be here later. They wanted to come now, and I told them that you needed to rest first. They also said they would call your mom.”

“Have you seen her?” I asked.

He looked down and softly nodded.

“And?” I spoke sharply.

“She’s doing as well as can be expected and beautiful. I talked to the specialist, and he’ll be in to talk to you soon.”

“What did he say?”

Just then, a man who appeared to be in his forties with sandy brown long hair and green eyes stepped into the room.

“Hi, Emma. I’m Dr. Cooper, and I’ll be taking care of Sarah. I know what you’re going through right now, both emotionally and physically, but I want you to know that the outlook for Sarah is good. Her heart is perfect, and she looks as good as can be expected for a twenty-eight-week-old preemie. I don’t see any abnormalities at all. The only problem is her breathing is a little unstable, and we have her hooked up to a ventilator to help her. This is common in babies born this early, and I don’t want you to be alarmed. I have a special team of nurses that are the best in the field, and they’re going to take care of her around the clock.”

“When can I see her?”

“As soon as you’re able to get out of bed. Probably tomorrow. I know it’s hard, but try to focus on healing yourself because I won’t lie to you. This is going to be one of the toughest and most exhausting journeys you will ever face, and you need to be at your best and one hundred percent. Sarah is fighting, and she’s going to need you to help her.” He gave a small smile. “I’m going to go back and check on her, and I’ll talk to you both soon. Until then, rest up.”

After Dr. Cooper left, Lila, the nurse, walked in. “Did you have a nice nap?” She smiled. “I see you’ve met Dr. Cooper. He’s one of the top neonatal doctors in the country. We are so fortunate to have him working here. Your daughter is in the best hands. Do you need some more pain medication?”

“Yes, please.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.”

“Can I get you anything, Emma?” Max kindly asked.

---