To Have, To Hold, and To Leave: A Bryce Hall FanFiction «completed»

47

-Bryce's POV-

"What? What's going on?" I asked as a nurse herded me out of the room. 
"Sir. Sir," she said, trying to get my attention as I strained to see over her and into Kate's room. "We're going to do everything that we can. Don't worry. We'll get your baby all cleaned up, and then, we'll let you hold her, okay?" 
I tried to look over her again, but another nurse within the room shut the blinds. "Okay. Okay. I'm going to go to the waiting room. Can you please keep me updated?" 
"Of course, sir. I'll be right back with your little girl. Congratulations. She's beautiful."

I went over to the waiting room, sinking into a chair. I would never be able to look my children in the eyes if one of the last things that I had to their mother was calling her a sociopath. That was not one of my proudest moments, that's for sure. 
I dialed Josh's phone number. I didn't want my mom to worry, so I couldn't call her, but I really needed someone to tell me that everything was okay. "Hey, man."
"Hey, Bryce. How's everything going over there?" he answered. 
The fear overcame me. "I don't know, Josh. She, uh, well, the baby is fine, but they rushed me out of the room almost immediately. I'm really scared. I can't lose her again. I just can't."
"Hey, man, it's all going to be okay. Please stay calm. Please keep us updated, okay?" he asked. 
I sniffled. "Yeah. Yeah, of course."

I hung up as a nurse approached me. "Mr. Hall?" 
"Yes?" I replied, standing up. 
"Your baby is ready for you. Would you like to hold her?" 
"Yes, of course," I answered, following her to the nursery. "God, she's beautiful. She looks just like Kate. Speaking of Kate, do you have any updates?" 
She shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir, but I don't. I truly wish that I had any news for you, but unfortunately, the doctors are working tirelessly to figure this out for you and your wife."
I nodded as though I understood, but truthfully, I was kind of mad. I wanted to know. No, I needed to know.

The nurse picked Everleigh up, putting her in my arms. "Congratulations, again, Mr. Hall. I'm gonna go see if I can get an update on your wife for you, and someone will be by with the birth record for you to fill out."
She led me over to a small room, and I sat in the rocking chair that was positioned in the middle of it. "Hello, Everleigh. You look just like your mommy. So beautiful."
She fussed slightly, and I rocked her. Secretly, even though I would never voice this to Kate, I was grateful that she had gotten pregnant. I had more than missed when our other kids were this little. 
I tried to stay calm, falling in love with the little girl in my arms. She was one of four examples in this world that showed just how much I loved my wife. 

"Let me tell you, Evie, Daddy really messed up. I ruined everything with Mommy. Daddy should have never, ever answered the phone when Auntie Addison called, but Daddy was stubborn and stupid. I'm gonna teach you one day not to accept any shit from anyone. I'm gonna teach all four of you little monsters to learn from my mistakes."
She cooed. "Oh, you think that Daddy is silly, huh? God, I love you so much already. Your brothers and sister are gonna love you so much, too."

A third nurse knocked on the doorframe softly. "Mr. Hall?" 
"Yes?" I replied, never looking up from Everleigh's beautiful face. 
"I have some news about your wife."
My ears perked up at this sentence. "Yes? What is it? What happened?" 
"I would like to take you to see one of her doctors so that they can explain things a little bit better for you," she said. 

I stood up, following her through the hospital's hallways. "Can you just tell me if she's okay?" 
"Sir, I assure you that the doctor will explain everything to you. It will all make sense. I promise."
Once again, that wasn't what I wanted to hear, but I needed to let the doctors do their jobs.
A doctor that I kind of recognized was waiting in the hallway for us. "Hello, Mr. Hall. I'm Dr. Thomas Handry. It's wonderful to meet you, although it's unfortunate that it's under the circumstances," he introduced himself. 
"It's nice to meet you as well. I was told that you have an update about my wife?" 
"Absolutely. We diagnosed that your wife had some internal bleeding, but we were unsure what caused it or where it was coming from," he began to explain. "I went through your wife's chart, trying to see if there was anything in her medical history that might explain what was going on. I noticed that your wife's first two deliveries were C-sections. That being said, my immediate thought was uterine wall rupture. We got her into the OR, and we managed to get everything under control. There may be some future surgeries because this isn't likely to be a permanent fix, but we would like to address that situation when we get to it."

"If I wasn't holding a baby right now, I would hug you tighter than I've ever hugged anyone in my life. Thank you so much, Dr. Handry. You have saved my entire world," I thanked him. "Did you hear that, Evie? Mommy is okay."
"I can take you to her now, sir. If you'll just follow me, she's right this way," he said. 

I thanked him as we stopped in front of her room. "There is a bassinet waiting in the room for your baby. Congratulations."
We entered the room as Kate regained consciousness. "Hey, Kate. Hey, baby. How are you?" 
"I'm- what happened? I don't understand," she answered. 
"The scar from your previous C-section ruptured during your delivery. The doctors got everything gixed up for you. We're gonna be able to spend the rest of our lives together just like we always planned."