Page 101 of Fade (Fighting Fate)

I laughed, mostly from relief than anything else, and clutched her tighter.

“Amber,” Dr. Anderson said in greeting. “Good to see you.”

Amber straightened and gave her a crisp nod. It was all business. As Dr. Anderson went about her business, Amber held my hand and made it her mission to remind me how strong I was. I wasn’t sure I agreed with her, but I knew I needed to try. For the baby.

“Okay, Amy,” Dr. Anderson said, coming to stand beside me. “You’re currently eight centimeters dilated. The discomfort you’ve been feeling are contractions. Normally, this wouldn’t be enough to birth, but considering your baby is still so small, it will be.”

I knew it was futile, but I still needed to ask. “Is there no way to stop it?”

The look she gave me was pure defeat. “It’s just too risky. As you know, your little one is breech. The longer she stays like that, the more distressed she can become. We need to get her out as fast as we can in the gentlest way possible. I’m hopeful

the four steroid shots you’ve been given were enough to give her a good fighting chance.”

Amber squeezed my hand. I nodded. This was it. I was about to become a mother.

“Okay, Amy. When I say it’s time, I need you to push, okay?”

Shit. “Okay.”

Dr. Anderson watched the monitor for a while before glancing back at me. “Now, Amy. Push.”

Taking a deep breath, I squeezed Amber’s hand and pushed.

Staff surrounded me. Dr. Anderson nodded. “Good girl. That’s perfect. We’re nearly there.” Intently watching the machine, she paused with her hand on my thigh. “Okay, here we go . . . ”

Amber clenched my hand harder.

“And push.”

Although I could feel something happening down there, I had no idea what. All I knew was that the room suddenly exploded with activity. Medical staff were everywhere. Then came the sound of the tiniest little cry I’d ever heard.

Before she was whisked from the room, I managed to catch a glimpse of the tiniest little arms and legs flailing in the air.

Dr. Anderson sighed. “It’s a girl . . . ”

Chapter 54

Daniel

Deployed time: 25 weeks

MIA: 15 weeks

Amy, I don’t know what day it is exactly, but from what I can get off the other prisoners, I’m sure it’s now somewhere around the time I should be coming home to you. I can’t even begin to tell you what this is doing to me. I’m broken.

Daniel.

My breath labored and my hands shook. Pain ripped through my gut as my stomach tightened, yet again. Heaving, my body arched, hands clenching in the dirt, knuckles scraping against the rock.

Wesley, my new cellmate, groaned from the other side of the cell. He was no better than I was. We’d both been this way for two days now. It felt like a slow, torturous death.

Collapsing onto the dirt, I rolled to the side and curled up into a fetal position. I’d never felt so sick in all my life. Everything hurt. I honestly thought I could be dying. It wouldn’t surprise me. I probably had food poisoning.

Then the coughing started, reminding me it could be so much fucking worse. It tore at my insides, ripped every muscle, with each sharp contraction that hit. Wesley followed, his body sliding farther down the wall until he resembled me on the floor.

Noises came and went. I heard sounds of locks being clicked, doors being opened and closed, and sharp commands in an Arabic tongue. But I couldn’t move.

Something splashed on the floor beside me, followed by something nudging me hard in the back. I thought it was a foot. The voice grew louder. I groaned, and the voice went away.

---