Page 55 of Starfallen
Her words are a sword plunging into my chest and twisting the tissue into shreds of bone and blood. Because I’ve been a stupid, jealous fool, consumed with what I’d heard instead of what she’d been feeling, she hesitated over asking for help.
For a moment, I have no words. I can only stare at her pallid face and curse myself for my pride, my arrogance. At the hem of her shirt, where it rests against the tops of her thighs, a bright bloom of blood spreads slowly.
She stiffens in my arms and moans.
My heart races and my skin breaks into a cold sweat. In the back of my head, a warning alarm sounds, blaring her blood pressure has had a ten percent drop in the past thirty seconds.
I turn a circle as I hold her in my arms as if I can find help, unable to think clearly for a fraction of a second.
KJ howls with fright or dismay, then runs into the hallway.
What do I do? I can’t lose her...or my son.
She needs immediate medical attention. Grandma picked this habitat because of its proximity to the hospital, so without wasting another moment, I port us directly to the coordinates of the medical building’s entrance.
When I appear, the technician on duty gasps at my sudden arrival, but then regains her composure when her eyes land on Tilly’s unconscious form.
“Please. You have to help me,” I yell, barely able to constrain the beating panic pulsing through my blood.
She slams a hand on a holoscreen at the counter. Four carriers rush from a door at her back, along with a doctor dressed in red scrubs.
“What’s the emergency...” His gaze drops to Tilly’s face, then moves lower to her stomach and the blood turning the baby blue T-shirt purple. “Follow me at once.”
I waste no time running down the hall in his wake.
Tilly’s outstretched arm flops up and down with each jolting step. She’s still alive because of the bracelet, but her stats continue to plummet.
A metallic, bitter taste floods my mouth.
Fear. Desperation. Helplessness.
I don’t know if I believe in God, but if you’re there, please please please don’t take her from me.
****
DIMLY, I HEAR RAISEDvoices in the hall outside the door, but I stay in the chair next to the bed and don’t bother glancing away from Tilly’s colorless face. I’ve not let go of her hand over the past hour.
Whoosh.
The door opens.
“I came as soon as I heard.” The scent of sweetened lemon invades my nose , telling me it’s Grandma’s arms wrapping around my shoulders. “How is she, son?”
Reluctantly, I cut my stare to Granny. Still dressed in her court attire of a black coat with our family crest emblazoned on the chest, the blazing red star representing life, she scours my face with furrowed lines on her brow.
I lower my focus to the scarlet-red star outlined in silver embroidery, the top and bottom tips longer than the rest of the spikes.Our family sigil means nothing if Tilly and Kaden don’t make it because there will be no more Averon line.
“The doctor said...” I take a deep breath and pull away to grab Tilly’s cold fingers again, sliding my touch to the bracelet, willing the bots to keep her alive. “They said the placenta began separating from the uterine wall. Probably due to the shift in gravity from leaving the habitat when she went topside into the dome. That and possibly a combination of stress.”
My heart clenches.Stress.That one word feels like a death sentence. I tried so hard to keep her safe, out of the hands of those who wanted to kill her, and instead put her and my son into worse danger.
Me.
Granny pats my shoulder, then steps to Tilly’s bedside. “Girl, if you can hear me, you keep fighting. You’ve always been a survivor, so don’t disappoint me now. I forbid it.” She places a tender kiss on Tilly’s cheek. When Granny turns to me, a lone tear snakes down her weathered cheek.
“I...I...I did this to her,” I choke out, fighting against the burning ball of pain in my throat. “I should’ve been home more. I should’ve never brought her here. She was right.” I can no longer hold back the pain and tears clawing and shoving their way out of my mouth.
Hanging my head, I press my fists against my eyes.
