“I know,” I tell her. “You’re at a safe point in your pregnancy to deliver this baby now, and if we do this tonight, she’s going to have a far greater chance of survival. You did the right thing coming here tonight. I don’t know what might have happened if you had waited.”
Her eyes go wide. “Is it really that bad?”
“Yes,” I tell her, always choosing to be brutally honest than to sugarcoat bad news. “The stress today has brought on wasn’t good for her. We need to get you prepped for an emergency cesarean. You’re going to meet your daughter tonight.”
Another tear rolls down Ashleigh’s cheek as the fear pulses through her eyes. Autumn squeezes her hand. “You’re going to be alright,” she tells her. “You both are. You have the best doctor in the state and I’m going to be standing right by your side the whole time.”
“You will?” she questions, glancing up at Autumn.
“I promise.”
The two share a small smile, and as Ashleigh glances back at me with a new determination, she nods. “Okay,” she murmurs. “Let’s do this.”
Relief settles through me and I don’t waste a single second. I look up at Autumn. “Alright, go and call ahead. Make sure the room is ready for us with a team and an anesthetist ready to go. Tell them we’ll be there in the next two minutes.”
“Got it,” she says, hurrying to the door.
I quickly clean her up after the ultrasound and go through the few things she needs to know about her cesarean before grabbing her a gown and showing her to the bathroom. I stand outside the door as she dresses, wanting her to feel safe and protected, and as she comes out, I help her back to her bed.
Within the space of two minutes, I’m pushing Ashleigh through the door where Autumn instantly falls into her side. I break off into a separate room to scrub in, and within moments, the anesthetist is explaining exactly what he needs to do.
When I walk back into the OR I find Ashleigh sitting up, clutching Autumn’s hand. “Do you have any questions?” I ask as the anesthetist feels around her spine and prepares for her spinal block.
Ashleigh glances up with wide, panicked eyes. “Yeah, how long is this whole thing supposed to take?”
“Usually about forty minutes,” I tell her. “However, every case is always different, so let’s aim for as quickly as physically possible.”
Ashleigh nods, and within seconds, she’s laying back on her bed with her exposed stomach, putting her life into my hands. Autumn stands by her bedside, calmly explaining the process and making sure that Ashleigh has someone to lean on, sticking to her promise of being right by her side the whole time.
A few minutes pass, and then finally, the spinal block is doing its thing and I can focus on saving this baby girl’s life and hopefully getting them both the help they need to keep clear of Ashleigh’s abusive husband.
CHAPTER 22
THORNE
My scalpel slices through the delicate skin of Ashleigh’s lower abdomen, and I flick my gaze up over the partition to check on her. She’s clutching Autumn’s hand as though it’s her only lifeline, but seeing as though she’s not screaming in pain, I’d dare say the spinal block is doing exactly what it needs to be doing.
I work quickly, desperate to get this baby girl out as my intern watches closely over my shoulder, hovering far too closely and getting on my nerves. There are times when I don’t mind his insistent hovering, and then there are times like this where I need space to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Autumn’s voice is the only sound heard throughout the OR, apart from the rapid beating of both the baby and Ashleigh’s hearts on the monitors. The rapid thump, thump, thump, keeps me moving while Autumn’s explanations of the process to Ashleigh keeps me calm.
I get through the top layer of skin and move onto the connective tissue, making precise and practiced incisions when a howling alarm tears through the room. My scalpel pauses mid-air as every eye in the room snaps up, every one of them looking at me for guidance.
My heart races as I look across and take in Autumn’s panicked stare. I can’t expect her to know the sounds of our different alarms, but judging from the chilling look in her eye, she has a pretty good idea what it is.
Ashleigh glances around, her eyes wide and frightened. “What … what is that?” she questions, the fear beginning to cripple her.
“Okay,” I announce to the room, holding the scalpel up as I do everything I can to keep calm and not make anything worse. “The hospital is going into lockdown. If you are not necessary in this room right now, then you need to leave and follow hospital policy. There are many patients on this ward, each who need you more now than ever. Go.”
Without another word, every single one of my support staff drops what they are doing and quickly walks out the door. “Suzi,” I call before she disappears.
She stops and looks back at me with wide eyes. “What do you need?”
“Find out what’s going on and report back as soon as you can.”
“Yes, Dr. Mayson,” she says, nodding her head before quickly ducking out of the room.
I let out a heavy sigh, and as I look back at Ashleigh, my whole future flashes before my eyes. “What are you doing?” I demand, focusing my glare on Autumn as she remains right by Ashleigh’s side. “You need to leave. We’re in lockdown.”
She shakes her head, holding her ground. While I usually love her stubborn nature, right now, it’s going to tear me apart. “No, I’m not leaving you here by yourself. Are you insane?”
“Autumn,” I warn, contemplating the risk of flying across the room and grabbing her by the waist just to throw her out of here. She might not be safe out in the hallway, but considering the fact that Ashleigh just stumbled through the doors of my hospital while in the middle of running from her abusive husband, I’d dare say that’s the reason for our lockdown.
“No. You can’t do this by yourself. Ashleigh needs someone by her side and so do you. You may be an incredible doctor, but you’re not superman. There are too many things to do and only one of you. So, I’m staying whether you like it or not and we’re going to get this done.”
I clench my jaw. I didn’t realize that I could ever be so angry with the woman I was in love with, but apparently, it’s more than possible. I’m just seconds away from physically hauling her ass out of here when Ashleigh’s hand whips around and grabs Autumn’s arm, almost clawing at it as she tries to gain her attention. “What’s going on?” she demands, the fear in her eyes like nothing I’ve ever seen before. “It’s him, isn’t it? He’s coming for me. He’s going to kill me.”
“No, Ashleigh,” I say, desperately trying to keep her calm. “There’s no way of knowing that. I told you that you were safe with me, and I meant that. I will not let any harm come to you.”
Autumn clings onto her hand and squeezes it tight. “There are many reasons for a hospital to go into lockdown. It could be anything. Don’t be scared. What’s important right now is delivering your baby as safely as possible.”