No Turning Back (Breaking the Rules #4) - A.M. Madden Page 0,91

I was back in my chair, gripping my head in frustration. Her face was unreadable, her eyes lacking the liveliness they usually held. Panic clawed its way from my heart to my throat. The taste of bile made me fear a bout of vomiting right then and there.

“The babies are fine and being cared for in the nursery,” she directed toward Ricky.

“And Riana?” I barked.

“She’s in good hands. This hospital is one of the best for critical and perinatal obstetrics care.” Her fucking admission meant nothing. The woman I loved was beyond my reach and shouldn’t be in the position to need the best care.

“Why does she need critical care?”

“She suffered from placenta accreta, which means it attached itself to the uterine wall. The stress of her contractions led to it detaching and causing a tear.” I heard a strangled mewl echo through the room, and when Ricky clamped a hand on my shoulder, I realized it was mine.

“Could this have been detected on her last sonogram?” Ricky asked what I’d been thinking. How did no one find this?

“No, probably not.” Dr. White met my confused gaze. “Most of the time the baby is obstructing the view of the placenta, in this case both babies. Unless there are symptoms, there would be no need to perform any invasive tests. These things happen, and the good news is we were able to deliver the babies quickly and therefore tend to Riana sooner than later.”

“Where is she now?” I asked, desperately needing to see her.

“She’s in recovery,” Dr. White responded with a sad smile. “Once she’s transferred to the maternity critical care unit, you could see her.”

Dr. White gave us a few minutes to digest what she’d said, or to ask any other questions.

I had a ton.

Why Ree? Why us?

Why couldn’t we have the same results that hundreds of thousands of other people experienced every fucking day without heartbreak?

But I couldn’t get any of those words out of my mouth. Deep down, I felt voicing those questions out loud would tempt fate. I had to believe she would be just fine.

“How long will she be in critical care?” Ricky asked.

“If all goes well, she’ll be moved once she’s stable.”

“If?” was his follow-up question.

“During surgery, Riana continued to lose a tremendous amount of blood. A transfusion was needed, and we then administered the drug Epinephrine to increase heart rate and help pump the new blood faster.”

“But you were able to stop the bleeding?” I blurted out, losing my patience. It felt like all the unknowns had begun crawling over my skin like insects. “She should be fine now after the transfusion and Epinephrine, right?”

“Yes, we were able to stop the hemorrhage and repair the tear… but she lost a lot of blood.” A visual of Riana, pale and lifeless, fighting for her life, slammed into my mind. Traumatized by it, I jumped when a hand rubbed my back in a show of support, and only then realized Rebecca was standing beside me.

I wasn’t sure if it was the look on my face that prompted Dr. White to add, “She’s been through a lot, and we’re taking good care of her.” I clung to that faith like a life preserver.

“Will she be able to have more children?” Rebecca innocently asked, and bile rose again to the back of my throat. All I cared about was her pulling through.

“We don’t know the damage to her uterus yet. But her ovaries are fine, she’s young, and we should be able to extract viable eggs if Riana would choose to have more children. There are many options for her to consider down the road.”

Fuck… she didn’t deserve this, any of it.

“I know it’s difficult, but have a seat. A nurse will be in once you can see them.”

Ignoring her directive, I resumed pacing back and forth when Cooper stepped into the room. His eyes went right to Ricky’s before landing on mine.

“Where is she?” I snapped, as though this was all his fault. Fuck that… it was all his fault.

“Recovery.” He returned his focus to Ricky, and I could tell he was trying to keep his euphoria in check for my sake. “They’re beautiful,” he whispered. “Perfect and beautiful.”

The two men engaged in a somewhat somber hug. I watched detached as Rebecca and Marco followed suit, quietly embracing them in a low-key way. Once they all pulled apart, Cooper dug into his pocket and lifted his palm toward me, with Riana’s engagement ring in the center of