Page 101 of Devil's Dilemma

There is, but I try and reassure her. “Something’s up with their fuckin’ machine,” I tell her, not believing it for a second.

The technician’s back, with someone else with her. A man in a white coat. He too examines Mel. Her face is strained, and she looks so pale. I will myself to smile at her. “He’s probably sleeping,” I tell her. But even I know hearts don’t sleep. They keep beating.

They do another ultrasound, this time with a probe that’s inserted into her vagina, but their faces don’t change. No smiles of relief, no words to tell her everything’s going to be fine.

Finally, they clean the gel off her stomach, the doctor stands by looking so fucking serious.

“Just tell me doctor,” she cries out, my gut twisting at the anguish in her voice.

“I’m very sorry Ms Martins.”

“No,” Mel gasps. “No. No. No.”

“Mel,” I grasp her hand tighter, but I can’t find anything to say.I’m sorryis totally inadequate.

“No!” She’s almost screaming now. “There’s a mistake. There has to be.”

I pull my distraught woman to me, holding her tight in my arms. Looking up at the doctor over her shoulder I ask, already knowing there’s nothing he can say that I want to hear, “What do we do now?”

“I’ll give your wife a sedative.”

“No,” Mel wails. “It might hurt the baby.”

But nothing can hurt him now.

It can hurt her, though. When I’m old and grey I know I’ll never forget that night. Never forget when Mel at last comes to terms with the fact her baby has died inside her. What we hadn’t realised immediately, was the fact it had to come out, and how. She wasn’t even given the luxury of having time to come to get used to it.

Because Mel was experiencing heavy bleeding, they decided they needed to do an immediate dilatation and curettage. Mel screamed when she realised they were going to take her baby from her. I talked to her, trying to calm her. They gave us space until she was numb with grief, accepting all hope was gone.

Then they took her away.

Fuck, there’s no more baby. No more expecting that in just over four months we’d visit the hospital looking forward to bringing a healthy baby home with us.

I thought I knew how a broken heart felt from what Mel had already been through. I hadn’t had a clue. To see her wheeled away to deal with a baby that wouldn’t take a first breath was devastating.

By then the waiting room was filled with Devils, strangely quiet and hushed, reverent in their silence.

I go and update Red.

“Skull’s a dead man walking,” Red growls, but quietly considering there are medical staff around.

As far as I can tell, almost all the Vegas club are here. It's a sign Devils pile in to give support, even when there’s nothing anyone can say or do to make the situation better. Nods and chin lifts offered with scowls from all around confirm no one has any doubt that Mel losing the baby has been down to Skull suddenly reappearing in her life.

When was the damage done? When she’d first found out?I shake my head to rid myself of those thoughts. They don’t matter. They can’t bring back her—our—baby.How is she going to get through this?

What can I do?

“We’ll bury the baby in our plot,” Red suddenly says. “Know it’s not much, but both you and Mel might like to know he’s among brothers.”

I hadn’t thought about what would happen to his tiny body. I know I don’t want him disposed like waste. He might not have taken breath, but to me he was already living, and much more so to Mel. To bury him properly… I think that would be something to help start the grieving process. I tell Red so and thank him sincerely.

“Pyro…” Suddenly Red’s hand is pressing into my shoulder. “We’re here for you. For you both.”

I raise my chin to him. Mel’s lost our baby and she’s my focus now. Red’s acknowledging that this is also a loss for me.

Hushed conversations are interrupted as suddenly an older couple appear. They barge in, then come to an abrupt halt. The woman’s voice stopping in mid flow, “Where’s my daught—”

Red steps forward. “Mr and Mrs Martins?”

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