off the table

seventy three

I woke up feeling an excruciating pain in my stomach. It was really painful that I curled into a ball. There was a wetness on the bed. Did my water break when I was asleep? Am I in labor? No, I couldn't be, it's way too early. I switched on the lights and was immediately horrified by what I saw. There was a huge pool of blood underneath me. I began to panic as the pain worsened. I started to feel dizzy. I would definitely pass out soon.

"B-baby," I shook Dalton awake.

"Mhm?"

"I-I'm bleeding, and i-it hurts so much."

His eyes shot open and he sat up. He seemed equally horrified when he saw how much blood was on the sheets as more continued gushing out. Tears were streaming down my face, both from the pain and fear.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," he muttered. He quickly grabbed his phone and called 911.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"M-my wife is 28 weeks pregnant, she's bleeding and is in so much pain."

"Is she conscious?"

"Y-yeah, but it seems like she's starting to lose her consciousness."

"For how long has she been bleeding out?"

"I-I don't know, we were both awakened and the sheets were already stained with so much b-blood."

My vision was starting to blur out and my hearing was muffled. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. My head was spinning around and my eyelids felt heavier.

"D-Dalton, I'm scared, I don't wanna die," I cried.

"Baby, look at me, I'm not gonna let you die, okay?" he gently held my hand.

"I-I love you so much, please t-tell the k-kids how much I l-love them too," I slurred, just in case I couldn't make it. Right after that, I felt myself slip away into darkness.

Dalton's pov

"I-I love you so much, please t-tell the k-kids how much I l-love them too," she slurred. Right after that, her eyes gave up.

"Baby?" I gently shook her. No response.

"Baby, please wake up!" I started to cry.

"Sir, I need you to stay with me on the phone," the dispatcher said. "O-okay."

"I need you to check if she's breathing and if she has a pulse."

I placed my fingers on her wrist to check her pulse. She still has it even though it's pretty weak. I then came closer to her to see if she's breathing. She's still breathing, but her breaths were fast.

"S-she has a pretty weak pulse, and her breathing is faster than usual."

"Alright Sir, I'm gonna need you to turn her over to her side to make it easier for her to breathe."

I did as the dispatcher instructed. I monitored her pulse and made sure she's still breathing.

"H-how long until the ambulance gets here?"

"They're around two minutes away."

I held Ariana's hand as tears streamed down my face. She's still bleeding out, and I had absolutely not idea whether or not she's gonna make it. Our unborn daughter's life is also at risk. There's no way I'm losing the two girls I love the most. Soon, sirens were heard outside. The ambulance must've arrived.

"I-I think they're here," I told the dispatcher.

"Alright Sir, please stay on the phone with me until they're in the same room as you."

"O-okay."

I could here footsteps coming upstairs and the door swung open.

"Paramedics!"

"T-they're here."

"Alright, you can hang up now."

"T-thank you for helping me out."

"You're welcome Sir."

The paramedics placed Ariana on a stretcher and brought her downstairs and into the ambulance.

"Sir, would you like to come in the ambulance?" a paramedic asked and I nodded. I told the security that the twins were still inside and that they should make sure they're okay while we're gone. I then got inside the ambulance and the driver began driving to the hospital. I gathered the courage to look over at Ariana, who's now hooked into wires monitoring her vitals. She's still actively bleeding as the paramedics tried to control it.

"She's 28 weeks along, am I right?" a paramedic asked and I nodded.

"Any complications the past week?"

"I took her to her OB/GYN yesterday after she complained of cramps. Turns out she had a mild case of placental abruption. She was prescribed a week of total bed rest and was given a shot of steroid. She's supposed to have another dose in a couple of hours."

"She stopped breathing!" A paramedic yelled. They began performing CPR on her and my heart shattered. Tears streamed down my face. There's no way I'm losing her, she's everything to me. If God forbid she couldn't make it, I wouldn't be able to look at the kids without thinking about her. My heart would ache every time. The kids would also have to grow up without a mother.

The paramedics finally managed to get her to start breathing again. Soon, we pulled up at the hospital. Ariana was immediately taken to a bay in the emergency room, while I had to stay in the waiting area.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of her, she's in good hands," a nurse assured. I buried my face onto my palms, letting out a sob. I was hoping that it's all a nightmare I would wake up from, but it wasn't.

"Take her to OR 2, STAT!" I heard someone yell from the bay Ariana was in. She was immediately wheeled down the hall, leaving trails of blood on the floor, while I could only watch, not being able to explain how horrifying it was. A nurse then led me to another waiting room, where people usually wait for updates when their loved ones are in surgery. I looked over at a couple down the hallway, about to have their baby. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous of them. There's a pretty big chance that Ariana and our daughter wouldn't make it.

Two hours passed, and the sun had rise. It's around seven in the morning now, and I still had no updates on Ariana. I was still a crying mess.

"Hey, are you okay?" I felt a little tap on my shoulder. I turned my head and saw a little girl sitting next to me. She looked around four or five. I shrugged, not wanting to tell her a thing. It's too much for such a young kid to handle.

"What's wrong? You can tell me," she said with her sweet little voice.

"M-my wife is currently having a surgery, and s-she might d-die," my voice cracked at the last part.

"She's gonna be okay," she smiled, trying to cheer me up, "My brother had surgery too last month, and he's a lot better now."

"Here, you need this," she embraced me into a hug, "I hope it helps you feel better."

"T-thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Julie, what are you doing here?" A woman in her early 30s came rushing into the room, "How many times have I told you stay with me and to not bother strangers?"

"Sorry Mommy, this man is crying because his wife is having a surgery. I'm just trying to make him feel better."

"I'm sorry Sir, was my daughter bothering you?"

"N-no, she's the sweetest," I tried to force a smile.

"What's wrong with your wife, if I may know?" the woman asked.

"S-she's pregnant and was diagnosed with some complications yesterday. She woke me up at around four or five this morning. She was b-bleeding so m-much. I called 911 and she was taken here. She's currently having an e-emergency surgery."

"I'm really sorry to hear that. I wish all the best for your wife and the baby."

"T-thank you."