Until Autumn - Sheridan Anne Page 0,72
I squeeze the cool lubricant onto Ashleigh’s stomach, she comes to with a broken gasp. “What … what …”
“You’re safe, Ashleigh,” I tell her as Autumn moves into her side. “You’re in my examination room and I’m just about to check on the well-being of your baby. How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve just been run over by a truck,” she murmurs, refusing to meet my eyes as her head sinks back to the examination table. “Is my baby alright?”
“Still trying to figure that one out,” I say. “Can you tell me what happened?”
I press the ultrasound wand onto Ashleigh’s bruised stomach and push it around, trying to get a good read on the baby. She stares at the screen, and as the baby moves around within her, she seems to relax. “I was making my way back to the shelter with a few groceries when his truck pulled up beside me and he jumped out. I tried to run, but compared to him … there was no use. He had me by my hair in seconds and dragged me back to his truck. There was no one around to help, and when I screamed, he just hit me harder saying it was punishment for running in the first place and that I deserved to die for leaving him.” Tears stain her cheek as she meets my eyes with desperation. “You have to help me. He’s going to kill me. He’s going to take my baby away from me and then kill me. I just … I don’t know what to do. It’s never going to stop. He’s never going to leave me alone.”
Autumn leans into her, running her hand over Ashleigh’s hair and desperately trying to soothe her. “It’s okay,” she whispers. “You’re safe here. We’ll get you the help you need.”
She shakes her head. “No,” she cries. “You don’t understand. He’s coming for me. He stopped at the gas station, and when he went in to pay, I ran. He knew I would have come to the closest hospital. He’s going to find me.”
Autumn glances up and catches my eye and the helplessness swirling within her gaze nearly tears me apart. I look back down at Ashleigh and gently squeeze her hand. “I swear,” I tell her, making sure that she truly hears me. “No matter what, I will not let any harm come to you, especially not while you’re here in my care. Do you hear me? You’re going to be alright.”
The tears continue to streak down her face as she watches me, trying to figure out if she should put her faith in me or risk running again. “Okay,” she finally says. “Please, just tell me that my baby is alright. She’s all I have left.”
I drop my gaze back down to the monitor and start tracking the baby’s heart rate. My lips pull into a tight line, and I glance at Autumn, knowing that she can see exactly what I’m seeing. “What is it?” Ashleigh asks, looking between us both.
My hand comes down on Ashleigh’s shin and I give her the most encouraging smile I can come up with. “I’m sorry, Ashleigh. I know you’re having a really hard day, but it’s not over yet. Your baby is going into distress. Her heart rate is far too high and we need to get her out as soon as we possibly can.”
“What? No,” she panics. “It’s too soon. I’m only eight months.”
“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.