Page 100 of Fade (Fighting Fate)

I was stronger than I used to think. That much I knew. But just how much more was I going to be able to take? How much was too much, and if I broke, who was going to catch me when I fell?

The flashlight appeared again, this time followed by a doctor I’d seen around but hadn’t met yet. Flicking on the bed light, he gave me a warm smile.

“Hi, Amy. I’m Dr. Donovan. I’m just going to have a look to see if we can work out what’s going on with your little one.”

I didn’t know why, but I suddenly felt very small and fragile. Nodding my consent, I leaned back on the bed. “Okay.”

While he busied himself with gloves and whatever else he needed, Maisie stripped my underwear off in readiness.

I tried to relax and disappear inside my head while I was prodded and poked, tuning out as much as I could. But I couldn’t escape the authoritative tone of his voice when he said, “She’s seven centimeters dilated. We need to get her over to the labor ward.”

My pulse jumped into a sprint, and my blood ran cold. Labor ward? I was in labor?

The pressure between my legs disappeared, and I heard the sound of the doctor’s gloves snapping off.

Maisie groaned, mumbling something under her breath that sounded like, I knew I should’ve gotten a doctor to look at her sooner . . .

My head was spinning. I wasn’t prepared for this. Why the hell wasn’t I prepared for this? I’d been in the hospital for almost six weeks! I’d been so focused on just making the twenty-eight-week mark, I hadn’t wanted to consider any other possibility.

My bed started to move, my chart tossed onto the space beside my feet. “Can it be stopped?” I asked, searching the doctor’s face for answers. “Can the labor be stopped?”

We were out in the corridors now, and we were moving fast. It scared me. Not the movement, but the urgency.

“Unfortunately, not when you’re dilated like you are,” Dr. Donovan said. “The baby is coming and because he’s so small, he will most likely come quick.”

“Do you have anyone you’d like us to call to come be with you?” Maisie asked, sounding a little breathless as she moved.

My mind raced. Daniel was the only one I wanted with me right now. I was terrified beyond belief. “My friend, Amber. Can you call her, please?”

We reached the end of the corridor, Maisie now sounding like she was seriously struggling to breathe. The doctor gave her a sideways glance.

“Asthma,” she said, reaching into her pocket for her inhaler.

The bed stopped, and we were suddenly surrounded by a team of medical staff. I heard Maisie wish me well just as the bed started moving again.

A tiny dark-haired nurse placed her hand on my wrist as we moved. “Hi, Amy. Dr. Anderson should be here any minute. Until then, we’re just going to get you comfortable and see how baby is doing. Okay?”

I nodded, my mouth too dry to work.

They wheeled me into a room with walls painted a soft mint green. I guessed it was supposed to feel calming, but I was too far gone to feel any calmness at all. I was a nervous wreck.

In record time, I was hooked up to a machine that monitored my vitals, as well as the baby’s. Trays and monitors were set up with instruments I couldn’t even begin to try to describe, and beyond the door, there was a whole other team of staff working around a tiny crib, tubes and monitors going everywhere.

The door opened, and Dr. Anderson rushed in, her gaze immediately finding mine amidst the chaos. Despite her rush, her body language was calm and reassuring. She gave me a kind look and squeezed my hand. “How are you doing, Amy?”

I swallowed. “Scared.”

She nodded her understanding. “I’m going to do everything I can to give baby the best chance at life, okay?”

My lip quivered. “Okay,” I whispered.

“I’m just going to put your feet in the stirrups while I see what’s going on.” Moving to the end of the bed, she lifted my feet, one at a time. “How’s the pain?”

“Like the last few nights, but worse. Mostly in my lower back.”

She nodded and reached for an instrument off the tray, only to pause when the door opened again.

My strength crumbled a little more when I saw Amber’s face peering in. She straightened and closed the door behind her, striding toward the bed with narrowed eyes. “Why’s Peanut in such a freaking rush?” she asked, before lowering herself to wrap her arms around me.

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