Page 64 of Choose Me

Warm, fresh air rushed down my throat as my lungs fought against the burning sensation that engulfed them. And just like that, everything snapped back into focus as air rushed into my lungs. Coughing up water, I gasped for air and clutched my chest, pressing my hand against my heart. James held me against him, his arms wrapped tightly around me.

"I'm sorry," I cried, my emotions spilling over in an overwhelming rush. I sobbed in his arms, and he held me close, rocking me, whispering into my hair.

"It's okay, baby. It's okay." His voice was soothing. With two hands on either side of my cheeks, he brought his mouth down on mine, kissing me tenderly.

I kissed him back, trying to ignore the pain in my chest and my back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and let him lift me to my feet.

"I've got you." James held onto me, stroking my hair. "I've got you."

I looked at Everett, smiling, when my eyes met his, reaching out to grab his hand. "It's okay, Ava. We're all alive. It's okay." Everett repeated, squeezing my hand in his.

Agents swarmed the riverbank, their flashlights piercing the night, illuminating Margaret's lifeless body in stark contrast to the sandy shore.

"Is she dead?"

"Yes," Brock said.

"Thank God," A sigh of exhausted relief escaped me.

"Let's get you to the hospital to get you and the baby checked out," James whispered, kissing my temple.

I took a couple of steps when pulsing pain ripped through my abdomen. I doubled over in agony and cried out. Blood seeped between my legs and soaked into the sand. Tears streamed down my face as I screamed in terror. "Something's wrong with the baby, James."

He gently lifted me into his arms and carried me toward the ambulance's flashing lights. Spots flooded my vision, and my head lolled back as the pain continued to wrack my body. James ran alongside the stretcher as the paramedics wheeled me into the ambulance, never letting go of my hand.

"We're here, Ava. Everything will be okay," he whispered, his face etched with worry.

James's voice was a distant sound in my ear, but I could feel the warmth of his breath on my skin as he spoke calmly to me, trying to keep me conscious. The ambulance ride was a blur of lights, voices, and indescribable pain. I lost track of time and space, my only focus on the agony in my body and the fear for my baby. The sterile white walls of the hospital flew by as I was wheeled into an operating room.

“They're going to take great care of you and the baby," he whispered, kissing my forehead.

I nodded weakly before he disappeared, and a team of doctors and nurses surrounded me.

"You're placenta has ruptured, Ava. We have to get the baby out now." One of the doctors told me as they prepped me for an emergency c-section.

"Wait," I protested groggily. "It's too early."

Fear and pain consumed me as they cut me open, but I tried to focus on the sound of my baby's heartbeat. The doctor's voice broke through my haze of pain, "We're almost there. Just a few more seconds."

It was then that I heard the most beautiful sound I had ever heard in my life. My baby's cries filled the room, and my vision blurred, my mind numb. I could barely hear, and my skin felt numb.

"Ava, stay awake. You're hemorrhaging. We need to stop the bleeding, but I want you to stay awake." The doctor instructed me.

My exhaustion dragged me down into a deep, dark abyss. My arms and legs were numb, and I asked, "Did I have a girl or a boy?"

"A girl." A nurse answered.

I slipped away, succumbing to the darkness.

35

THIRTY-FIVE

JAMES

I paced the hallway outside the operating room, waiting for news of Ava and the baby. Everett walked with me, neither one of us speaking.

"She's going to be okay, right?" I asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

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