Page 28 of Guarded

A nurse entered the room. “Hi there,” she said, giving Briar a big smile.

“Hi. I need to use the bedpan again.”

“And that’s my cue to leave,” Trinity said, getting to her feet and taking her e-reader with her. “Good luck. Aim well.”

Briar shook her head as her friend left. The nurse got the bedpan and positioned herself near Briar’s hip. “Okay, lift up,” she instructed.

Briar’s face heated. “Can I have a little privacy for this?”

“Of course, once I make sure you’re all lined up.” She shifted the cold pan under Briar’s rear, then stepped back and pulled the curtain around the side of the bed. “All right. Shoot.”

Briar snorted. “You’re as bad as my friend.” It was hard not to feel a little self-conscious with someone standing two feet away listening in while she did her business, but she managed. “Can I get a washcloth to clean up with? Please,” she added. Turned out her “aim” with bedpans was pretty much a total fail compared to with a rifle.

“Sure.” The water ran in the sink, then the nurse pulled the curtain back and handed the cloth to her.

Briar pushed aside the squirming discomfort at what was coming. The worst part wasafterusing the bedpan, because the nurses had to check the contents to make sure there was no bleeding. There was no dignity right now, and wouldn’t be for the foreseeable future.

Briar obediently lifted her hips so the nurse could slide the pan out from under her, and one look at her face when the woman looked into the pan made Briar’s heart stutter. “What’s wrong?” She craned her neck, trying to see for herself.

Blood. Bright red blood. As much as there had been that morning. Maybe more.

A wave of ice rushed through her body.

“I’m going to get the doctor on call,” the nurse said, and rushed out, leaving Briar there with her heart in her throat as she stared at the blood.

No. No, come on, stop…

She swallowed, willed her pulse to slow while she waited, her hand on her belly. She could feel something warm spilling from inside her. A slow trickle. “Come on, damn you.Stop,” she hissed at her body.

Her mind raced, fear threatening to take over. The baby wasn’t moving right now. Hadn’t been active over the past couple of hours.

Trinity came back in. “Everything okay? The nurse looked like she was in a hurry.”

“I’m bleeding again,” she said, fighting to stay calm.

Face full of concern, Trinity came to stand at the side of the bed, looking at the mattress. “I’ll get you a towel to clean up with.”

Just as she turned back with it, Briar felt a warm gush between her legs. “Oh, shit,” she breathed. Trinity froze, her gaze locked on the sheet turning red beneath Briar.

“Don’t move. I’ll get someone,” Trinity said, and rushed out.

Briar pressed the towel between her legs, tried to elevate her hips. Her heartbeat thudded in her ears.No, no, no.Not again.

The towel was already half-soaked by the time anyone came back in. There was no suppressing the fear now. She was bleeding way heavier than she had last night.

Four nurses came in, an unfamiliar female doctor right behind them. One of the nurses put the Doppler on Briar’s belly while another strapped her up to some kind of monitor.

The doctor moved into position next to the bed, watching the monitor as the feed began. “Alert the blood bank,” she said to no one in particular, listening to the Doppler. A nurse hurried out of the room.

The nurse moved the device over Briar’s belly, trying to locate the heartbeat. A quiet whooshing sound made Briar close her eyes in relief. The heartbeat was still there. But when she opened her eyes the doctor looked grim.

“Has baby been moving much lately?” she asked Briar.

“No.” She looked at the monitor, fought back the cold wave of panic that threatened to swamp her. Was it her imagination, or did the heartbeat seem weaker? Sluggish almost?

The doctor issued orders to the nurses, who moved with fast efficiency to do her bidding. Briar didn’t understand most of what they were saying, but she caught the gist and it confirmed what she feared most.

This was really bad.

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