Page 80 of Fierce Hearts

Gray helped me out of my pants, the blood on my underwear and pants making my stomach knot and churn. It looked like too much, too much to not be a problem.

Lisa wheeled in the portable ultrasound machine while Tanya drew blood samples from my arm.

"This will be cold and might be unpleasant," Dr. Kenner warned, squirting gel onto the ultrasound wand.

I nodded, biting my lip as another cramp seized me. Gray's thumb brushed away a tear I hadn't realized had fallen.

The room fell silent as Dr. Kenner inserted the wand, her eyes fixed on the screen. I couldn't bring myself to look, focusing instead on Gray's face, on the worry etched into every line.

"There," Dr. Kenner finally said. "I can see the gestational sac in the uterus, so it's not ectopic."

Relief swept through me as I closed my eyes for a moment. It was where it was supposed to be.

"Bleeding can be normal in early pregnancy, and cramping, but this is a bit more blood than expected. Let me just…”

Dr. Kenner moved the wand around and sighed.

“Just what I thought. Looks like a subchorionic hematoma.”

I nodded slowly, having heard the condition before. But what had caused it? I’d not done anything strenuous, Grayson and I hadn’t even had sex recently. We were always too drained and tired to do anything.

But it came with an increased risk of miscarriage, along with other complications.

We’re going to need to discuss a few things to help get past this. The cramping and bleeding will hopefully resolve on their own, but we'd like to monitor you overnight, Sofia, make sure there's nothing else going on. Is that okay?" Dr. Kenner offered me a reassuring smile when I opened my eyes.

"Yes."

"So the baby's okay?" Gray confirmed, the hope in his voice almost painful to hear.

"For now, yes.” She nodded. "But Sofia needs bed rest for at least two weeks. No stress, no exertion, no work. The first trimester is critical, and with this complication, we need to be extremely cautious."

No stress. I almost laughed at the impossibility of it. My uncle had threatened my life, tried to force me into marriage, and was now likely plotting against the Donati family because of me. Stress was the air I breathed right now.

But looking at Gray's face, at the naked relief and affection I saw there, I made a decision. I would fight for this—for our baby, for our chance at a family. Whatever it took.

"I understand," I told Dr. Kenner. "I'll do whatever I need to."

"We'll get you moved to a room, there will be a couch there and some chairs for your companions," she added as she glanced between Meredith and Gray.

"Thank you," I murmured.

"Seeing you coming in here as a patient is not something I enjoy. But at least we can make sure you get the best care." She smiled before beckoning for Lisa. Tanya had disappeared, likely to get my bloods pushed through, and then to return to her station. "Let's move her upstairs. I’ll be up shortly to talk about what to be mindful of and what this all means, okay? I’ve just got another emergency to attend to.”

“I understand.”

I was moved to an overnight room, Lisa making small talk with Meredith and Gray as we made our way there.

"I'll come check on you soon, call if you need anything at all," Lisa said once she'd gotten me settled.

Dr. Kenner joined us shortly after, and explained what was going on and the risks associated. From the ultrasound, she didn’t believe it to be too big in size, therefore it carried less risk. Even as she spoke, my cramping had died down, and I took comfort in that.

We were to avoid sex, and aim for bedrest, which sounded next to impossible, but I’d do the best I could.

She’d do a follow-up ultrasound in the morning to see how it was looking before discharging me.

After she left, Gray pulled his chair closer to my bed, taking my hand in both of his. "You scared the hell out of me."

"I scared myself," I admitted. "But everything's okay, mostly. We're okay."

---