Page 40 of Hook, Line, Infinity, Part 3

“Querido Dios, por favor ayuda a mi hija.” Rein’s grandmother weeps. Daniella wraps her arms around her mother.

“Doctor please, I’m begging you don’t let anything happen to them. Behind that door is my whole world.” I plead and he nods giving my shoulder a comforting squeeze.

“We’ll do everything we can, I promise you.”

“Can we see her?” Daniella requests and Doctor Khan sighs and nods. “She’s unconscious but just for a minute, one person only.”

Daniella turns to look at her grandmother and when she nods, they turn to look at me. “Go, they need you right now, let your love give her the strength she needs to keep fighting,” her grandmother cries taking hold of my hands. I nod swallowing the knot in my throat and kiss her hands before I follow the doctor out of the waiting room.

“I’m going to go scrub up for the c-section, but Rose here will provide you with a sterile gown and take you to see her.” Dr Kahn smiles and gives me a pat on the shoulder.

“Thank you, Doctor.” With a nod he walks toward the automatic glass door. I stare at the words ‘Authorised Personnel Only’ and swallow thickly.

“Come with me.” The nurse gestures for me to follow her through to the same door. I tell myself that I must stay strong, I can’t fall apart because Rein needs me, but the moment I’m standing at the door to the theatre my hands and legs start to shake uncontrollably. I feel a warm hand on my shoulder, and I look at the young nurse smiling up at me. “Don’t worry, your wife and baby are in safe hands, Doctor Khan is one of the best physicians at this hospital,” she states confidently.

My wife. Those two words cause my heart to clench tight in my chest.

I heave a breath and nod, “I truly hope so, because I can’t imagine a life without her, I don’t want to.”

Nurse Rose smiles and helps me tie the gown. She hands me a hairnet and mask as we walk to the door, “Well, then she’s got one more reason to stay alive.” I peer into the operating room when the door opens, and I see Rein laying on the operating table, oxygen mask over her face, surrounded by machines. My absolute worst nightmare has come to life before my very eyes. “I’ll give you a minute.”

The nurse leaves the room and I move to stand beside her, careful not to touch any wires. I take her hand in mine and peer down into her angelic face. My vision blurs and as hard as I try, I can no longer hold back the tears that have been suffocating me. I press her hand to my lips and weep. “Snowflake, don’t you even think about leaving me here to go on without you, you hear?” I glance over at the monitors, one showing the rhythm of her heart and the other of the baby. “I’ve had a taste of a life without you, and I don’t want it Rein, I told you I would follow you to the end of this earth and I meant it.” The door opens and I kiss her hand once last time and squeeze it. “I need you to save me this time, Snowflake.” I whisper in her ear. “Please come back to me, baby.”

The machines start to beep and the nurses hurry over to her. “The baby is in distress.”

“Mr Saxton, we need you to leave now.” Doctor Khan says pulling on his gloves.

“Can’t I just stay with her, please?” I request pleadingly and he shakes his head.

“I’m afraid not, please wait outside.” I look over at Rein, then nod stepping away from her, I can’t tear my eyes away from her until I’m forced out of the room by Rose.

“You can stay and watch from out here if you wish? No father should miss the birth of their child.” I rip the mask off my face, and she helps me take the gown off. I stand at the window looking into the operating room and watch them cut open the woman I love.

It felt like the longest thirty minutes of my life. I gnaw anxiously at my fingernails while they attempt to pull the baby out of her. My breath hitches in my throat and I don’t breathe nor make a single movement until I hear the baby let out a shrill cry. A flood of relief washes over me and I start sobbing uncontrollably. “Oh, thank God.” If that isn’t the world’s most beautiful sound. I close my eyes and press my forehead to the glass soaking up the sound of his cries.

While I’m relieved our son is okay, I couldn’t even revel in the joy of becoming a father because I’m now fretting over Rein. I stare in horror at the amount of blood that she’s lost. I’ve never seen anyone react so swiftly yet remain so calm while the doctor attempts to control the bleeding.

I lost about a decade off my life waiting fretfully to get the ‘all clear’ for Rein. Which we did thankfully, the doctor told us it was touch and go for a while where they struggled to control the haemorrhaging, but she kept fighting through.

Of course she did, my Snowflake is nothing if not wilful.

She’s a goddamn warrior.

***

“Have you discussed a name for him yet?” Daniella asks holding her great nephew and rocking him side to side.

I sigh tiredly and rub my eyes, “Nothing we could agree on.”

Daniella sighs and looks over at Rein forlornly, “It’s been twenty-four hours, when is she going to wake up.”

I lean forward, placing my forearms on my knees and glance over at her also. “Doctor said she suffered quite an ordeal, her blood pressure is still quite high, and her iron levels are dangerously low, so her body needs a couple of days to recuperate especially after losing so much blood.” Daniella smiles and brushes her finger along the baby’s cheek. “Hey Dani, can you tell me where your sister is buried?” Dani looks at me questioningly. “There’s something really important I’d like to ask her.” I clarify and her brows furrow with interest.

“I’ll take you, chico. I’m due a visit anyway.” She offers with a knowing wink.

Later that evening I finally get some time alone with Rein and our son. If it’s not the nurses coming in and out every two seconds checking her blood pressure and charts, it’s Rein’s family fussing over the baby.

I’m holding my son against my chest, my nose buried in his fluffy light brown hair. I can’t believe how much I love him. It’s truly magnificent how one tiny human can change your whole world in a matter of seconds.

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