Protect Me: Oakville Series:Book Three (31 page)

As we walk in the bar, I notice it’s covered in pink baby shower decorations. Streamers, balloons, table centerpieces, and a huge
“It’s a Girl”
banner fills the room. I laugh because it seriously looks like a couple gallons of Pepto Bismol exploded all over everything in the bar. Now I know what they’re all talking about when they say I go overboard. Tears fill my eyes, because this is exactly how I would have decorated it. I’ve taught them all well. A large cake decorated like building blocks sits front and center on a table.

I glance around at all our friends scattered throughout the bar, but one redhead in particular catches my eye. It can’t be. She wasn’t supposed to be here until tomorrow. Paul leans downs and whispers, “Surprise, doll face.” I love this man so much. Giving him a beaming smile, I waddle off to get ahold of Tanya.

She looks up just before I get to her. As soon as she sees me, a smile crosses her face and tears fill her eyes. I never noticed this before, but we could pass for sisters. How did I not see that? All thoughts leave my head when she crashes into me. As she hugs the life out of me, I try to catch my breath enough to speak. The only thing I can manage, however, is laughter. I really missed this woman something fierce.

Paul steps next to us, and says, “Maybe you should let her go, Tanya. She’s either gonna pass out from lack of oxygen or pee her pants from laughing so hard. Neither scenario is very desirable.” Paul chuckles and moves out of the way so as not to get smacked by either one of us.

I pull back from Tanya so I can get a good look at her. “I can’t believe you’re actually here. I missed you so much,” I squeal with excitement.

“I’m so glad you called. I’m sorry to hear about what Ray did, but happy that we can now stay in touch,” Tanya says with a wide smile.

I talk with Tanya for a few more minutes before making my rounds to say hi to the rest of our friends. Before long, Amber is ushering me to a chair that sits next to a large table filled with beautifully wrapped gifts. At first, I feel a little self-conscious up here in front of everyone. If you counted every gift I’ve ever gotten over my lifetime, it wouldn’t come close to the stack on this table.

“Here, open this one first,” Amber demands, shoving a box wrapped in sparkly pink paper in my lap.
Please tell me I’m not this pushy when I throw parties
. Sadly, I most likely am and it’s rubbed off on Amber.

“You’ve created a little mini you. Another party planning demon,” Angel yells from the crowd. Everyone, including me, howls out in laughter. My face heats, probably turning beet red from embarrassment. I think I may need to tone myself down a bit in the future when it comes to planning parties.

For the next hour, I open gift after gift. This is going to be one spoiled little girl. I hold up a hilarious onsie I just opened up from Angel. I’m not sure whether my daughter will ever wear it, though. It’s white with a large barcode in the center. The writing on top says, “Made in,” and below the barcode, “vachina”. As I look over at a proud Angel to tell him thanks, suddenly everything in front of me is a blur. A sharp stabbing pain spreads across my abdomen, causing me to whimper. Immediately, Paul and everyone else is out of their seats and by my side. Panic sets in when I feel like I’m sitting in a puddle of water. Did my water just break? If so, it’s too early. I still have ten weeks to go. Something is wrong, I can feel it. My terrified eyes meet Paul’s, which look just as scared.

“Something’s wrong, Paul. I think we better go to the hospital,” I say as calmly as I can. If my shaky voice doesn’t give away just how frightened I am, then my quaking body and racing heart will. He reaches his hand out to help me off the chair. As I stand up, I see all the blood drain from Paul’s face. He’s as white as a ghost. Amber is beside me and gasps loudly, causing me to look in the direction she is. Slowly, I glance at the chair below me. When I see that it’s covered in blood, my hand instantly goes to cradle my belly. Silently, I begin to pray,
God, please. Please, don’t take my baby. Keep her safe.

I glance around the room at all of the horrified faces, none of them knowing what to do. Another stabbing pain releases, causing me to bend forward, and I feel a gush of blood coming from between my legs. The last thing I see is my husband’s pained expression and then everything goes black.

T
HE ONLY
sound I can hear is my racing heart and Holly’s frightened voice saying, “Something’s wrong, Paul. I think we better go to the hospital.” Watching her collapse into a heap in my arms is too much to bear. There’s commotion around me, but my only focus is my wife. Everything else is just background noise. I’m so scared of what will happen to her and our baby. I’m afraid if I wish too hard for one to be okay, the other will have to suffer. I want them both to be just fine.

She is pale, lifeless, and covered in blood by the time the ambulance arrives. It feels like an eternity in this ambulance. I never thought we’d make it here. I’ve heard bits and pieces of the discussion between the paramedics on the ride over. Enough to terrify me even more. Hemorrhaging, deprivation of oxygen to the baby, emergency C-section. I’m too scared to ask questions I may not want the answers to.

Running alongside the gurney as we enter the emergency room, everything is a blur. I’m holding Holly’s hand and begging for her to be okay. We get to a set of double doors and the paramedic turns to me with a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, sir, but you can’t come in. Go to the waiting area and someone will come speak with you soon,” she says and lightly touches my shoulder, trying to give me some comfort. I know she means well, but it doesn’t do any good. At this point, the only thing that will bring me comfort is hearing my wife and daughter will be just fine, that this all looks so much worse than it is, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I have a really bad feeling in my gut. Something is wrong. Terribly wrong.

A hand touches my shoulder and I turn to see a crying Becky and Amber behind me. “I’ll go find out what’s going on. Why don’t you follow Amber to the waiting room? I’ll come in as soon as I know what it is,” she says between her tears. The worry and concern I see in her face scares me even more. She’s a nurse. She knows this isn’t good. I nod to them. That’s is all I can do. I fear if I open my mouth to talk, I’ll completely break down.

Amber leads me to the waiting room where everyone is already seated. All eyes are on me the second I walk into the room. All of them looking at me with worry. A million questions, I’m sure, swirling around in their heads. Thankfully, no one makes a move to talk to me right now. I’m hanging onto my sanity by such a thin thread as it is. I take a seat between Amber and Kyle, my eyes never leaving the door as I wait to find out what is going on with my girls.

I have no idea how much time has passed. My eyes are dry and hurting from staring at the door, trying to will the doctors to come out with some good news. As if on cue, the doors begin to open and in walks Becky with Dr. Monty in tow. I try to scan their faces for any hint of whether or not Holly and the baby are okay, but they give away nothing. When they get in front of me, I stand, as does everyone in the waiting room.

Dr. Monty gives me a sad smile and shakes my hand. I just know whatever he’s about to say isn’t good. “Just give it to me straight, Doc,” I say, even though I’m not sure whether I can take it. He takes a deep breath and scans the room.

“Holly has a Placental Abruption. It’s when the placenta peels away from the inner wall of the uterus, causing a very serious complication,” he states loud enough for everyone to hear. “It’s depriving the baby of oxygen and nutrients, as well as causing Holly to hemorrhage. The only way to stop it is to perform an emergency C-section.” Immediately, I fall back into the chair. My head is spinning from the fact that both my girls are in danger. After a minute, my mouth is finally able to form the words I need.

“She’s only thirty weeks along. Can our baby survive if she’s delivered this early?” I question, terrified of the answer.

“She should be fine. She’ll need some help breathing for a while. Barring any other complications, there’s a ninety percent survival rate for babies born at this stage. They are both in more danger if we don’t get the baby out.” He looks at me, waiting for a response. I nod my head, because there is obviously no choice.

“Can I be with her when you do it?” I ask. She needs me. I can’t allow her to go through this alone.

“Of course you can. Come with me,” he answers, putting an arm around my shoulders and leading me through the same doors he just came into. We walk down a long hallway and enter another set of doors. “The nurse will get you set up and bring you into the OR when you’re ready,” he tells me before walking into the adjoining room where I’m guessing he’ll be scrubbing in for the surgery.

The nurse hands me a pair of scrubs along with a mask, booties, and a hair cap. “You can put them on in the bathroom right there. I’ll get you some gloves when you come out, because you’ll need to scrub up,” she says, pointing to the door marked restroom. I nod as I take the blue scrubs from her and go into the bathroom. I can feel the tears threatening to fall, but I will them away. My girls need me to be strong for them right now. I have no time to break down.

After I get all my gear on, I meet the nurse back in the hallway. When she turns around, I’m surprised to see its Becky all suited up. She gives me a small smile. “One of the perks of working here. I thought you could use a friend in there with you,” she says.

“Thank you,” is all I can say. Anything more and I’ll lose it. We go into the room with the sinks and Becky guides me through scrubbing my hands and arms. Another nurse places the gloves on my hands. Becky then guides me to the operating room. The second I see Holly laying on a table in the center of the room, my chest begins to ache. She’s motionless and pale. Machines are beeping all around me. Taking a deep breath, I will my feet to move toward my wife. Becky never takes her hand off me, as if she knows my legs feel like they’re going to give out at any moment.

Becky motions to the stool situated next to the table by Holly’s head. “Sit here. You can hold her hand and talk to her. She’s awake but groggy. She’s lost so much blood.” She points to the sheet hiding her belly from view. “That will keep you from seeing anything that’s going on,” she explains. I’m so glad she’s here with me. When this is all over, I’ll have to make sure I tell her. Right now, Holly needs my full attention.

I take Holly’s hand in mine and kiss her cheek softly. “I’m right here with you, doll face. Everything’s going to be okay, I promise,” I whisper in her ear. Her eyes flutter open and she turns her head to look at me.

“Paul? Is our baby okay?” she asks with a groggy voice.

“She’ll be fine. I’ll be right here to make sure of it,” I assure her and she closes her eyes again, but I see her lips tip up into a small smile. I’m so glad I’ve been able to put her at ease a little. I continue to hold her hand and soothe her, telling her everything will be fine. “Becky is here with us. Should we tell her what name we’ve chosen?” I ask her, trying to keep her mind on happy thoughts. Another smile crosses her lips as she gently nods her head.

“Hope,” Holly croaks.

“That’s beautiful and very fitting,” Becky beams.

Looking over at Holly, I see a tear slip from her eye, causing my heart to shatter. I know she’s scared and I have no idea how to make it all go away for her. So, I do the only thing I can, I reach over and kiss her tear away. I’m startled when I hear a faint whimper. I look up at Becky, questioning with my eyes if that noise was what I think it was. Her face confirms it was. She has tears streaming down her smiling face. Seconds later, a loud cry rings out. That’s my girl.