My Best Mistake {m.c}

12

I'm the worst I know. But here's the next chapter.

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M I C H A E L

Our driver pulled up to the front of the hospital and the boys and I got out and raced inside. I immediately saw the front desk and practically sprinted over to it.

"Sir, is everything okay?" One of the front desk nurses asked me.

"Um, I'm here for- to see- uh" I panicked, not being able to get the words out.

"Michael, calm down it's okay." Luke said from behind me.

I nodded and spoke again. "Could you tell me where Ripley Jenkins is currently?"

The nurse nodded and scrolled through her computer. "Are you Michael Clifford?" She asked.

"That's me."

"Good. Ripley's Doctor was hoping you would be here. He said he had a few things to discuss with you." The nurse explained, then motioned for the four of us to follow her. "And who are your friends?" She asked, referring to my band mates.

"This is Luke, Ashton, and Calum. They're just friends of mine." I answered, my voice still shaking a bit.

"Here for support." Ashton chimed in.

"Okay that's nice of you, but if you don't have any relation to Michael or Ripley we're going to have to ask you to wait in the waiting room right over there." She explained. Each of the boys patted me on the back, wishing me luck, before the nurse lead me down a corridor to Ripley's room.

"Ripley! How are you? I'm so sorry I couldn't get here sooner!" I exclaimed as I walked into the room, seeing Ripley laying down on a bed and her mother right beside her.

"I'm doing okay. Thank you for coming Michael. I know you had plans today." She said, sounding like she was in pain.

"Don't worry about that at all Ripley. I would never miss the birth of my child."

A few minutes later, a doctor walked into the room. "It looks like we'll give it a few more minutes before we move you to the delivery room." He said, before noticing me. "Are you the baby's father?" He asked, reaching out his hand to shake mine.

"Yes, I'm Michael." I said, shaking back.

"Nice to meet you Michael, I'm Doctor Livingston." He introduced himself. "I've actually been waiting for you to get here, there's a few things I need to go over with you. Would I be able to speak with you outside?"

I nodded, getting a bit nervous. Dr. Livingston lead me out into the hallway, where he wrote a few things on his chart.

"Now Michael, I'm not really sure how to tell you this..." The doctor trailed off, leaving me a few seconds to start panicking. "Your baby is a few weeks premature. Which isn't healthy at all. Now, we did a scan of the baby when Ripley first got here, and it looks like her lungs are not fully developed."

The doctor paused, letting it sink in. "Wait, you said 'her lungs', it's a girl?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry I thought you already knew. Yes, you're having a daughter." He said.

"That's amazing." I smiled, thinking of having a little princess running around, taking her to dance classes and buying her cute dresses. But then I remembered what the doctor was trying to tell me. "So what does this mean about her lungs?"

"It means that there isn't enough fluid going to her lungs to provide her with air. We're not sure if she's going to be able to breathe, even with help from us." He explained with a pained look in his eye. "It's highly likely that-" He started, but I interrupted.