Page 32 of Love Unexpected

“Sir, you can’t park here!” A nurse shouts as she rushes towards me, snapping gloves on. “This is for emergency vehicles only.” She attempts to lecture me, but I brush past her when I see the driver jump out of the truck and run to the back of the ambulance, throwing both doors open in a rush.

“What happened?” I shout, desperation filling me.

But the paramedics ignore me. They pull out the stretcher, shouting out numbers and vitals to the nurse. I barely catch a glimpse of Emma between all the people. She’s laying flat on her back now, her body limp, and her face as white as a sheet. The last paramedic steps out after them, clutching the baby to his chest. I chase after them, running inside the ER and not bothering to move my car. They can tow it for all I care.

The room is a crazy storm of people. The nurses are shouting medical jargon as they transfer her to the bed. Their movements are rushed and not at all gentle. I want to scream at them to be careful with her fragile body.

“Sir, what’s her blood type?” The nurse demands without looking up from Emma.

“Um,” I stammer. “I have no idea.”

“We need you to go wait in the waiting room! There’s not enough space in here,” she snaps.

But I refuse to move from my spot. Panic freezes me and my feet are cemented to the floor, I’m unable to move even if I wanted to.

“Someone get him out of here!” the nurse screams.

Next thing I know, I’m being pushed to a private waiting room by a security guard. I’m left alone in the sterile room for over two hours before the doctor finally comes in to update me.

“Mr. Sterling?” he asks, pulling off his scrub cap to reveal a smooth, bald head.

I stand immediately, not bothering to correct him on my last name. “That’s me. How is she? What even happened to her? She was fine when the ambulance showed up! She was fine!” I can’t stop the panic.

“Let’s sit down,” he suggests, leading us to a pair of chairs by the windows, his hand clasped on my shoulder. “Emma lost a lot of blood during birth,” he begins, his tone serious. “She struggled with high blood pressure during her pregnancy which caused her to hemorrhage at birth. Due to the blood loss, herblood pressure dropped dangerously low and her body went into shock.”

“Oh my God.” My breath catches in my throat and I bury my head in my hands, my elbows resting on my knees. I can’t stand to see the look on his face. Is he about to tell me what I think he is?

“We’ve given her a blood transfusion and managed to stabilize her blood pressure,” he continues. “But, she hasn’t woken up yet. Now, this isn’t uncommon in a situation like this. I have high hopes she will wake up, probably within a few days.” My heart begins to beat again. She’s alive. She’s stable.

“ She’s in the ICU on the second floor. You should be able to come see her in about an hour.” He rests his palm on my back, his touch not at all comforting in this moment.

“And the baby?” I ask, the sound of my voice is rough and laced with despair.

“The baby is in the nursery on the third floor. I hear she is doing great,” he reassures me, squeezing my shoulder before standing up. “You did everything right, Mr. Sterling. There’s nothing you could have done to prevent this. Feel free to go up to the nursery whenever you’re ready.”

“Thanks doc,” I say absentmindedly, staring at the floor.

Chapter 29

Noah

I walk numbly down the hall of the third floor, my steps echoing. When I reach the front desk, a nurse in pink scrubs smiles up at me. She’s too cheerful for me, the complete opposite of my dark mood.

“Good afternoon, who are you here to see?” She asks, her voice upbeat.

“Umm,” I stammer, I’m at a loss for words. “I don’t know. She doesn’t have a name. Emma didn’t have the chance to name her yet.” My chest tightens.

“Oh! You must be the father of sweet baby Sterling.” I don’t bother to correct her either, I don’t have it in me. I just nod instead. “I’ll need your ID so I can make a copy of it, and I need you to fill out a few forms while I grab your hospital bracelet.” She hands me a clipboard and walks off.

I stare down at the consent forms. I’m sure Emma would be okay with me signing these. I quickly scribble my signature on the pages and set them down on the desk just as the nurse returns.

I hold out my wrist while she fastens a bracelet around me. “This one will get you in and out of the nursery so you can see your baby as you please.” She fastens a second one next to it. “This one matches your baby’s bracelet. A nurse will verify the numbers match every time you come see the baby to ensure you have the correct child.” I don’t say anything, I think I’m also going into shock. Everything was fine just a few hours ago. How did we end up here?

“We are praying so hard for your wife,” she offers me a pitiful smile. “Follow me, I’ll show you to the nursery.” Again, I don’t say anything, they may not let me see the baby if I admit I’m not her husband.

The nurse turns past the desk and leads the way down a different hall. I follow her on autopilot until we reach a large glass window. I turn to see five tiny babies lined up in front of the glass. I immediately spot Emma’s baby and my heart races. She’s bundled up in a soft pink blanket, sucking on a pacifier with her eyes closed.

“Come inside and you can hold her.” The nurse holds the door open for me, not waiting for a response.

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