Page 34 of Fierce Hearts

"Twenty-eight-year-old female, thirty-two weeks pregnant, involved in a car accident," the paramedic reported. "BP 90/60, pulse 120, baby's heartbeat was detectable but faint at the scene."

My stomach clenched as I moved to the patient's side. "Hi, I'm Sofia, I'm going to be your nurse. Can you tell me your name?"

"Rose," she whispered, her hands clutching her swollen belly. "Please, my baby?—"

"We're going to take care of both of you," I promised, attaching monitors while Dr. Patel examined her. The fetal monitor picked up the baby's heartbeat—faster than normal, but strong.

Rose. The name struck deep within me. Was that the nickname Marco used for his daughter, Rosette?

What was she like? Did she look more like him, or like Cara?

"I need an ultrasound, now," Dr. Patel ordered, and I rushed to retrieve the portable machine, switching off all thoughts unrelated to work.

As we worked to stabilize Rose, I found myself far too aware of her pregnant belly, of the life inside her that we were fighting to save. An innocent child, one who didn't ask to be a part of this accident.

"Placental abruption," Dr. Patel confirmed after the ultrasound. "Call OB and tell them we're coming up for an emergency C-section."

I helped transfer Rose to a gurney, squeezing her hand as tears streamed down her face. "My husband," she gasped. "He doesn't know?—"

"We'll find him," I assured her. "Focus on staying calm for your baby."

After we sent Rose upstairs, I leaned against the wall, the room suddenly spinning. I'd eaten, so it wasn't a lack of food. It had to be the stress of everything. The image of Rose's pregnant belly, the terror in her eyes, the desperation to protect her child—it all hit too close to home in a way. To protect an innocent life.

I glanced around, another thought niggling at the back of my mind.

When had my period last come? I'd been so stressed with everything happening, I hadn't even noticed it was late. How late? I counted back in my head and felt my stomach drop. Almost a week overdue. Nothing too extreme, but enough for me to worry.

No. It couldn't be. We'd used protection that night with Grayson. Hadn't we? The details were fuzzy—we'd both been drinking, caught up in the moment. But surely we'd been careful.

But the morning in the shower…

"Fuck," I muttered, scolding myself. I'd forgotten to take the morning after pill. Hearing about Marco had shattered the entire day for me, and it had slipped my mind. I’d not even thought of it again until now.

"Sofia? You okay?" Dr. Patel's voice broke through the uneasiness settling over me.

I straightened, forcing a smile. "Fine. Just a little light-headed."

"Take five if you need it. You look pale."

I nodded and escaped to the break room, collapsing into a chair. It was just stress. My period was always irregular when I was stressed. This wasn't the first time it had been late. That was all it was, it had to be.

But the seed of doubt had been planted, and I couldn't shake it. Throughout my shift, between patients and charting, my mind kept circling back to the possibility. A pregnancy was not something I could handle right now, and it was a surefire way to turn this shit-show into a shitfest.

By the time my lunch break came, I couldn't stand the uncertainty anymore.

I knew it was too soon for a urine test to be certain, so I gathered supplies and slipped into an empty room, drawing some blood and then running it down to the labs.

Joanne greeted me there, and was more than happy to put it through as a rush test after she questioned who it was for and I'd told her it was a personal favor. She owed me for the time I'd helped save her ass with a mix-up that could've gotten her into a lot of trouble.

Three hours had passed, with only a few hours to go before I finished, when Joanne texted. I was already seated and charting, thankfully, otherwise I would've sunk to the floor at the result.

Pregnant. I was pregnant with Grayson's child.

The irony wasn't lost on me. After years of careful planning, of building a life away from my family's violence, of swearing I'd never bring a child into that world—here I was. Pregnant at the worst possible moment, with a man connected to a a family my own would wage war against if given the chance, while my uncle was trying to marry me off to another to cement an alliance.

A hysterical laugh bubbled up in my throat, but I swallowed it down. I couldn't lose it. Not here. Not now. I was still on shift, and there were people around me.

I stared at the message, processing it, the weight of it all crushing down on me.

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