Saving Forever - Part 5 (Saving Forever #5) (13 page)

A scuffle of material followed by the sound of a man’s voice crying out in pain resonated by Charity. She kept her eyes tightly shut, terrified to open them. Flashes of her father’s party the night she was shot seemed like déjà vu.

She was confused. The pain in her stomach felt the same but different. It didn’t make sense.

A flush of air blew over Charity’s face as someone stumbled or fell to the ground. She felt rather than watched him struggle against other men who must have tackled him.

“Code Grey”
called the boring administrative voice over the hospital’s paging system. “
Paging Doctor Armstrong to the ER. Code Grey.”

The fog of confusion cleared. She hadn’t been shot, she lay on the ground because someone had hit her on the cheek and pushed her like a rag doll.
What’s the guy’s name again?
Pitch.
Pitch Wiggins
. If he had a sore coccyx, now wait till she finished kicking his ass.

The dull voice came through the hospital’s paging system again, “
Code Silver. Paging
Doctor
Armstrong to the ER. Code Silver. Paging
Doctor
Armstrong to the ER immediately.”

They were paging security. Inwardly Charity groaned. That was the second time the hospital needed to call security that involved her. She needed to stay out of the ER.

The pain and tension in her abdomen subsided. Her face still hurt like hell, but she could manage it. At least the paranoid man hadn’t punched her in the eye. Charity cautiously opened her eyes. Dr. David, the resident doctor she worked with, was in the process of dragging Mr. Wiggins away. Two other medical staff held his arms and one of them had just injected him with a needle.
Probably more IM ketamine.

How had this all happened? One minute she had been helping the paramedic and then… She had followed protocol, right? The newbie paramedic had said the patient was agitated, but there was no note of violence, right? She tried to figure what she had done wrong.

“Paging Doctor Bennet to the ER. Paging Doctor Bennet to the ER.”

There was probably another patient in critical condition in the ER who needed Elijah. The last thing Charity wanted was for him to see her lying on the floor. She gripped the metal of the bed by her and forced herself to sit up. Her cheek throbbed and something warm ran down it.
So help me if I’m crying
. Charity wiped her face and stared down in surprise at the red liquid in her hand.
Blood?

“Are you alright? The baby?” Julie dropped down with a basket filled with a first aid kit and touched Charity’s cheek
.

“I’m okay. Just a little shook up.”

“What the heck happened?”

Charity tried to smile, but it hurt her face. “I guess that patient didn’t want me to treat him.”

Julie frowned. “You’re going to need a couple of butterfly stitches.”

Charity winced.

“Sorry.” Julie gently pressed a piece of gauze against Charity’s cheek.

Charity lifted a shaky hand to hold it.

“You sure you’re okay?” Julie gave her a quick physical assessment and checked her eyes to make sure they weren’t dilated.

“Nothing’s broken.” Charity shook her head. “Bruised, slightly battered and a little embarrassed.”

“You don’t have to be embarrassed. This wasn’t your fault.” Julie handed her an ice pack.

Charity felt her cheeks burn, but not from pain. Using her eyes, she beckoned Julie closer. She whispered, “I think I might’ve peed my pants.”

“What?” Julie straightened. “Oh! Okay!” She patted Charity’s knee. “Let’s get you cleaned up then.” She brought her head close to Charity’s. “I’ll help you up and then get you into the first cubicle. I’ll go grab you clean scrubs.”

“Thanks.” Charity stared at her left hand shaking over her belly. “Thank goodness nothing happened to the baby.”

“You’re very lucky.”

“I know. I’m like a freakin’ cat with nine lives. My luck’s gonna run out one of these days.” She gave a half smile.

Julie crouched and offered Charity her arm. “Let’s get that cheek taken care of.” She spread her feet shoulder width apart. “Easy now as you get up. Just in case you feel a bit dizzy.”

Charity let Julie help her. Chaos still ensued around the Emergency room as more motor vehicle accidents were brought in. Charity gripped Julie’s arm and pushed up with her legs. Her lower abdomen muscles cramped and a low, dull ache stretched across her back.

She stiffened when a warm fluid leaked down her leg. She pressed her thighs tight together. “Oh shit!”

Julie froze. “What?”

“I didn’t pee myself.” She forced herself to remain calm. “It’s amniotic fluid.” She swallowed hard. “We need to page Dr. Govender.”

Julie’s mouth dropped open. Her eyes suddenly darted behind Charity.

“What the hell’s going on here?”

Charity closed her eyes and chewed on her lower lip. Slowly she turned around to face Elijah. “My water just broke.”

Elijah stared at her in disbelief. “That’s impossible. You’re only thirty-two weeks.”

Charity took a step toward him and more warm fluid leaked down her leg. “I think we need to see Doctor Govender.” Something wasn’t right. This shouldn’t be happening. Her heart raced and her skin grew clammy and sweaty at the same time. She was scared. Her voice came out barely above a whisper, “Now.”

Elijah reacted instantly. He looked at Julie. “Page Doctor Govender. Tell him it’s an emergency and let him know who it is. She’s in preterm labor.” He turned to Charity. “Are you able to walk? Or do you need a wheelchair?”

“I can walk.” She had no intention of sitting in one of those. Her abdomen tightened. She rested her hand on the wall for support and concentrated on keeping her breath even.
Crap!
She wished it would just stop. Or she could rewind time and not do what she did.

Elijah touched her cheek. “Contraction? Or something else?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s a contraction. It’s just tightness, not painful. Hopefully, it’s just Braxton Hicks.” More fluid escaped. She knew it wasn’t Braxton Hicks, but couldn’t admit it out loud. “Maybe I should use that wheelchair.” She figured rotating her pelvis in a seated position might block where the break in her amniotic sac was, and either stop, or slow the flow of amniotic fluid.

Elijah touched her cheek. “I can’t leave you alone for ten minutes.” He smiled and kissed her forehead. “You’re going to be fine.”

Julie grabbed a wheelchair and set it beside Charity. “You are the strongest person I know. Get this sorted and tell that little babe she needs to wait a few more weeks before she’s allowed out.” She hugged Charity.

“Thanks.”

“Wait!” Julie dropped down beside her when Charity sat in the wheelchair. “Let me quickly put those butterfly stitches on your cheek. It’s not bleeding. Give me a sec.” She bent over and grabbed the small Band-Aids out of a suture kit. She wiped and cleaned the area and had the little butterfly pieces on Charity’s cheek in less than a minute. “You are good to go!” She stood and hugged Elijah. “Keep me updated. I’ll let Simon know.”

Elijah returned the hug and then pushed Charity to the elevator. He checked his phone. “Dr. Govender is waiting for us. He wants you in for an ultrasound so he’s going to examine you there.”

The ER still ran on a high level of madness, trying to keep up with the car accident victims. As the elevator door slid closed, Charity saw Simon and her father come out of the stairwell to help.
All hands on deck
.

It was only Elijah and Charity in the elevator. The silence as they traveled up felt unbearable. “You okay?” Charity asked him. She looked over her shoulder to get a glimpse of him.

He stood staring up at the red elevator numbers. “I'm all right.” He glanced down at her, his eyebrows raised in confusion.

“I saw you sitting on a patient’s chest. Did he make it?”

Elijah’s lips pressed together. He hated losing anyone. “Unfortunately, no.” He forced air through his nose. “Come on! Why’s this elevator so freakin’ slow?”

Charity’s hands rested on her basketball tummy. She mentally talked to the baby, trying to sooth her.
You’re going to be fine, Jamie. You’ve got your dad a little worried, and your mom too. You just stay snug as a bug. We’ll make sure you're safe.

The elevator slid to the floor and before the doors slid open Elijah was pushing the wheelchair. Charity shifted her legs so they wouldn’t crash into the metal. She needn’t have worried, Elijah planned his movement perfectly and slid through the opening door without touching it. He rushed her toward the ultrasound department.

Dr. Govender stood waiting. He frowned when he noticed Charity in the wheelchair. “What happened?”

“Some idiot punched her and then shoved her into a hospital bed.”

Charity stared at Elijah in surprise. “It’s okay, Elijah. I’m fine.” She stood cautiously, afraid more amniotic fluid would leak as she got up. “A patient was brought in sedated. He was rather large. The sedation must have worn off sooner and he woke up confused. When I went to check on him, he didn’t know what was going on. He pretended to still be under sedation and then thought I was going to hurt him.”

“Don’t defend him!” Elijah nearly yelled.

Dr. Govender motioned with his hands for Elijah to calm down. “Dr. Bennet. I can’t assess the situation if you are agitated. It’s not going to help Charity or your baby.”

Elijah folded his arms across his chest, opened his mouth and then closed it. He nodded.

Dr. Govender turned his attention back to Charity. “Why are you in a wheelchair? Are you hurt? Did he punch your stomach?”

Charity shook her head. “I’m pretty sure my water broke. I figured sitting in the chair might prevent more fluid from leaking.”

“So you weren’t punched or kicked or anything traumatic to your stomach?”

“When he shoved me, I banged into the wall or a hospital bed or something. But it hit my back.” As she spoke, Dr. Govender led her into the examination room. She removed her lab coat and slipped a hospital gown over her shirt and then dropped her pants. She didn’t care, she just wanted the baby to be okay.

Elijah helped her onto the table and Dr. Govender ran a swab test. Elijah and Charity tensely waited to see if the color of the cue tip when he lifted it up.

“Preterm PROM,” Dr. Govender confirmed. “If your water breaks before the thirty-seventh week of pregnancy, it’s known as preterm PROM – premature rupture of membranes.”

“Shit!” Elijah muttered. He reached for Charity’s hand.

Charity knew what Dr. Govender had said but in her shock, didn’t fully understand them. “The baby’s going to be okay, right? Can you just put me on bed rest and monitor the baby? Keep her in there another month?” She didn’t care if she had to lie motionless or in traction for a month. Anything to keep her baby safe.

“Let’s do an ultrasound.” Dr. Govender was already hooking her up to check the baby’s heartbeat. “If your water breaks too early, it’s sometimes possible to extend the pregnancy a short time after the membranes rupture, but generally there is no turning back. Most women who have preterm PROM deliver within one week of their water breaking.”  He squeezed the warmed gel onto Charity’s stomach and pressed the ultrasound against her skin.

Charity’s belly tightened into a fist. She checked her watch.

“This isn’t your first contraction?” Dr. Govender lifted the ultrasound and waited for it to pass.

“I’ve had a few. They’re about ten minutes apart.”

“Then we’ve come to the point of no return. We will try to slow the contractions, but this little baby isn’t going to wait. Let’s get you admitted.” He called one of the medical staff in and instructed them to get Charity to the maternity ward.

Elijah stood beside Charity, holding her hand. Both of them were too scared to speak.

Dr. Govender turned back to them and resumed his ultrasound. “We are going to try and slow your labor and monitor the baby. If heart rate decelerations start occurring, she is going to need to come out. I know you were planning on having a vaginal birth, but you need to mentally prepare yourself for a C-section. We’re going to administer two shots of betamethasone. It’s a steroid that will promote fetal lung maturity. We’ll give you that right away and try and hold off the C-section as long as possible… hopefully forty-eight hours.”

A nurse came in. “We have a room available.”

“Bring Doctor Thompson-Bennet up. I’ll be there in a moment.” Dr. Govender patted Charity’s shoulder. “You are going to be fine. You’re in the best hospital to have this baby.”

“With the best doctor,” Charity added with a smile. Worried and scared she knew there was no turning back the clock. They were going to do anything and everything to make sure Jamie would be okay.

When Dr. Govender left, Elijah pulled out his phone. “I need to cancel surgeries and see if I can get someone to cover my shifts.”

“Why don’t you do that outside?” the nurse suggested. “Then I can help Charity change and bring her upstairs.”

Elijah double-checked with Charity. “You alright on your own? Do you want me to stay?”

“Go outside. I’ll be out there in a moment.” She gingerly sat up, grimacing when more amniotic fluid escaped.
Why did it have to feel so gross?
Charity forced a smile and reached for Elijah’s arm. “Can you let my dad know? And your mom? She might want to change her flight.”

He nodded. “Will do.” He hugged her gently and whispered in her ear. “You’re going to be fine. I love you.”

“I love you.” She didn’t care about herself, but she was terrified for their baby. She couldn’t tell him and that scared her too.