Chapter 4 - Under Sterile Lights
The emergency bay doors parted with a pressurized hiss. I was swept into a blinding white corridor surrounded by scrub-clad medical staff.
"Elena Vance, thirty-four weeks, high-risk pregnancy," Dr. Patricia Chen, my obstetrician, appeared at my bedside. Her usually warm face was pale with controlled fury. "Diaz radioed ahead. What happened to your face?"
"Evelyn shoved me into the mirror frame," I said, my voice raw. "Then she took scissors to my support band. Mark watched and told me I was ruining their sleep."
Dr. Chen’s jaw clenched so hard I heard her teeth grind. "Let's check the baby."
The portable ultrasound screen flickered to life. Dr. Chen’s demeanor turned razor-sharp. "There's a minor concealed abruption behind the placenta. The blunt force and blood pressure spike have compromised the uterine wall. Elena, we cannot wait until morning. We need to perform an emergency cesarean right now."
Panic flared in my chest. "Is she going to survive?"
"She is a fighter, but she needs to come out immediately," Dr. Chen replied, squeezing my hand tightly. "I won't let them near you, Elena. Hospital security has already red-flagged Mark and Evelyn. They are barred from this floor permanently."
A hospital social worker leaned over the bed rail, holding a clipboard. "Elena, the police retrieved your phone from the master bedroom safe along with Evelyn’s tablet. The detective wants you to know that the smart speaker's local storage cached the entire interaction, including Evelyn admitting she knew you were in labor before cutting your band. You are protected."
"Don't let them take her," I begged, weeping as the nurses prepped my spine for the epidural. "Even if I don't make it... don't let Mark touch my baby."
"You are going to make it," Dr. Chen promised fiercely, her eyes locking onto mine over her surgical mask. "And you will raise her far away from those monsters. Now breathe with me."
May you like
The cold antiseptic wash spread across my belly, followed by the heavy, numb sensation creeping from my hips downward. The overhead surgical lamps blazed like miniature suns, burning away the dark bedroom, the shattered mirror, and the cowardice of the man I had once loved.
***
