Until Autumn - Sheridan Anne Page 0,73

“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