He rushed over to kneel by her side. “What’s wrong?’
“Cramps,” she gasped, her brow beaded with perspiration. She gritted her teeth and clutched his hand with a strength that rivaled a weight lifter. “I think…I’m going into labor.”
“Labor?” he all but shouted. “You’re nowhere near due yet.”
“Tell that to the baby,” she half-laughed half-groaned, then she was clutching his shoulders with both hands, shivering with the pain that shot through her body.
“We’re going to the hospital,” he said and lifted her into his arms.
“I’m not dressed,” she gasped. “My bag. It’s not packed.”
“Forget all that, Erin. We have to go now.” His heart pounded so hard it hurt. What the hell was going on? Erin hadn’t even hit her seventh month yet. How could she be having contractions? He placed her in the back seat where she could have more room to stretch out then he jumped into the Jaguar and speed off to the same hospital he’d visited just hours before.
As soon as they rushed into the emergency room Erin was wheeled off to a private room where the doctor on duty did an assessment. That was when they realized that Erin had been spotting.
“What does it mean?” she asked, her eyes wide as she clung to Dare’s hand. “Am I going to lose my baby?”
The doctor patted her hand. “We’ll run some tests then we’ll see what’s going on.” He waved his hand to a waiting orderly. “Ultrasound department,” he said and the man came forward at once to take Erin away in her wheelchair.
Dare was right behind him. “I’m coming, too,” he said. There was no way he was going to allow them to take Erin out of his sight. But there was something weighing on his mind, something he just could not shake. As he followed the men he cleared his throat. “Doctor,” he said, “if she…exerted herself, could that cause her to lose the baby?”
“These things can happen,” the doctor said with a nod. “But what kind of exertion are you speaking of?”
“Exertion of the…sexual kind.” Dare could not believe he was feeling embarrassed to speak to the doctor about something as normal as sex between two married people.
"That shouldn’t be a problem as long as you’re careful,” the doctor replied. “Now if she had other kinds of exertion that’s a whole different matter. Did she do anything out of the ordinary? Lift anything heavy, perhaps?”
Dare’s heart gave a jolt. How could he have forgotten? “Yes,” he said as a feeling of guilt washed over him. “Me.”
“You?” The doctor looked at him as if he’d gone mad.
“I was knocked unconscious during the hurricane,” Dare told him. “She rolled me onto a bedcover and dragged me out of a bedroom and down a hallway.”
“Down a…” The look the doctor gave him was one of incredulity. “She didn’t.”
“I’m sorry to say, she did.” Dare’s voice was quiet, his thoughts far away. This was his fault. If anything happened to Erin or the baby he would never forgive himself. “And she didn’t complain of any pains at the time?”
“No, nothing.” Dare shook his head. “We even made love after that.”
The doctor let his breath out with a huff and Dare didn’t know if it was out of disbelief or disgust. He wouldn’t blame him for judging. He was disgusted with himself. What kind of husband was he to put his pregnant wife through all of that?
“She’s a strong woman, Mr. DeSouza,” the doctor said. “I can see it in her. And we will do all that we can for her and the baby.”
All that we can. He hadn’t said they’d be fine. He’d given no assurances. That was not what Dare wanted to hear.
When they got to the ultrasound room they wheeled Erin in and Dare went to follow but the doctor put up his hand. “I’m sorry but it's very cramped in here. The technologist needs the limited space to work and I need to be there to see what’s going on. Could you wait over there, please?” He pointed to a row of chairs along a nearby wall.
Dare felt like throttling him. It must have shown on his face because the doctor backed away then quickly pushed the door shut. Dare slapped the wall with his open palm. He would have preferred to put his fists through the wall, he was so frustrated. He needed to be there for Erin. He needed to hold her hand, give her his strength, be her support. Suppose she called out for him? And he needed to see what was going on with his baby.
He walked over to the row of chairs but could not sit. Instead, he paced up and down and then stopped in front of the closed door then paced up and down some more. He looked at his watch. He couldn’t believe only three minutes had passed. He checked the time on his cell phone, not believing, but yes it was correct. Damn. How long would he have to wait? This waiting was driving him crazy.
He stepped away from the door and paced some more. He was on his sixth trip to the door when it popped open. Erin was back but this time on a stretcher and her eyes were full of tears. Dare went to her and as soon as she saw him the tears began to flow freely.
“The baby is in distress. He can’t survive inside me. They have to take him.” She began to sob and as she stretched out her hand to him Dare felt powerless. All he could do was take her in his arms and hold her while she cried. A tap on his shoulder jerked him out of his pain. He turned to see the doctor at his side.
“Please. We need to get to the operating room right away. Emergency C-section.”
Then before he could do more than plant a kiss on Erin’s forehead they were wheeling her away, leaving him standing alone in the middle of the corridor.
Then followed the worst two hours of Dare’s life. Other patients were wheeled in to the ultrasound room, other family members came until the chairs lining the walls were filled and still he paced, not caring if he looked like mad man, not giving a damn what they thought of him. He could not rest until he knew his family was safe.