Page 51 of It Must Be Fate

Six sits forward and screams, making the kind of noise I’m never going to forget. The pain and agony that echo freely in her screams tear at my insides.

She slumps back down against the bed, spent. Her beautiful red hair is plastered to her face. Sweat covers her forehead and trails down her pale cheeks.

“I’m trying, Nix, I’m trying…” she moans, her face fracturing.

“You’re doing a great job, baby,” I reassure her, stroking her face, her hair, her shoulders, anything to give her a bit of relief. “You’re doing so good. We’re almost there. It’ll be over soon.”

Seeing her struggling, in such obvious pain after almost eighteen hours of labor is excruciating.

If I could turn back the time and not get her pregnant, I would.

Nothing is worth putting her through this.

What should be the happiest day of our lives has quickly devolved into a nightmare. The baby is refusing to be born and Six’s small body can’t seem to push. It’s tearing her from the inside out and all I can do is stand by and watch uselessly, as purposeless as an elephant in a minefield.

“Is her blood pressure okay?” I ask the doctor. “Is it stable? What about her heart rate?”

Eight weeks before her due date, Six was diagnosed with a complication of pregnancy called preeclampsia. It’s a condition in which her blood pressure spirals randomly out of control.

It needs to be monitored carefully. I know it can lead to very severe consequences if not treated properly and I’m not about to let any of those happen to my wife.

“Phoenix,” she answers kindly but firmly. “Sixtine is in good hands. I need to focus on getting your baby out right now. Relax and let me do my job.”

I turn back towards my wife. She looks so small in her hospital bed, her eyes so open and innocent.

We’re never doing this again.

I’m not putting her through another round of this torture.

One baby is enough.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” I say, kissing her forehead. “I’m sorry you’re in pain. But can you push for me now? Please?”

“I c-can’t,” she says, her face screwing up and tears coming down her cheeks.

Internally, I vow that I’ll never do anything to make her cry ever again.

I palm her hand in mine and grab her elbow, sitting her up once more. “Yes, you can, baby. You’ve got this. You’re the strongest woman I know.” Her eyes find mine and lock in. “Come on, push.”

She screams, ripping me to shreds once more. Why I ever thought this was a good idea is beyond me.

Her entire body contracts as she gives it her all and pushes once more.

From behind me, I hear the doctor whisper something to the nurses. One of them runs out. And then the doctor lifts her head and looks at Six.

“Okay, Sixtine. The baby is breech. Unfortunately, that means we’re done here. We’re going to take you in for a c-section, okay?”

“Wait, what?” I ask, my voice rising an octave.

“Phoenix,” the doctor warns, grabbing my elbow and pulling me to the side. It’s only because she’s a doctor and we need her that I don’t turn violent at her having taken me from my wife’s bedside. “I understand this isn’t an easy time for you. It’s confusing and it’s scary because you don’t understand what’s happening, but imagine what it must be like forher. I know you want to lose your cool, but you need to be strong for her. You need to put on a brave face so she knows it’s going to be okay. Can you do that?”

My head’s a mess and my heart rate isn’t any better, but I work to pull myself together.

For her. Always for her.

“Of course,” I say, throwing a glance back at Six who’s resting against her pillows, her eyes closed. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”

The doctor squeezes my upper arm. “Good man. We’re going to get everything ready and we’ll roll her up in a few minutes.”

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