For Honor or Glory

Operation

Chapter 69 

Sephiroth gently laid Alex down on the table in the center of the room. It looked like an operating table, which wasn't surprising. Thankfully he was able to find blankets in the second cabinet he opened. He had two of them out and over her within a minute.

Once she was covered, he took one of her hands and rechecked her pulse. He did not release it once he was assured her heart was still beating. Instead, he gently squeezed her fingers as he whispered, "Please wake up. I cannot stand the idea that you might not."

He barely heard the sound of banging cabinets from the other room. He wasn't paying attention to anything except for the shallow rise and fall of Alex's chest. At least until Lorne raced in with a tray filled with sterile equipment. She barely spared a glance at him before she said, "As soon as the elder gets here, I will need you to leave. Until then, I need your help."

Sephiroth immediately set Alex's hand back under the covers as he said, "What do I need to do?"

Lorne gave him a grateful nod as she pointed to Alex. "Situate her so that she is lying on her back with her arms out on the extensions. If she doesn't stay that way, then make sure you strap her down. I'll clean up and then examine her."

Sephiroth was uncomfortable with the idea of strapping Alex to the table. He hated it himself and knew she would likely react poorly if she awoke in that state. That didn't keep him from turning her gently, so she was face up, and her arms were out. Thankfully, she stayed that way.

By the time he was done, Lorne already had the blanket lifted and pushed back so she could try and confirm where the blood had come from. Before she lifted Alex's skirt, she gave Sephiroth a stern look. "I won't ask you to leave since I may need you, but you should go stand over there for now."

Sephiroth immediately went to stand on the far side of the room and watched as Lorne started to examine Alex. It was only a few minutes later that she whispered, "Oh goodness. I was afraid of that. And she's already unconscious."

Sephiroth didn't get to ask what was going on as Lorne looked up and said, "Quickly, we are going to have to perform surgery, and I will need you—"

She was cut off when the elder entered on Angeal's heels. They both looked grim as they saw Alex. There was no hesitation when Lorne said, "Elder, I'm glad you're here. I cannot confirm a fetal heart rate, and I believe the hemorrhaging is due to a miscarriage. We will need to perform surgery."

Bugenhagen immediately went to clean up. Angeal was already at Alex's side, and his face was pale as he looked down at her. Lorne's voice was soft as she called out to him. "Angeal, I'm going to need you and Sephiroth to leave. I promise we will do all we can to help here, but you'll only be in the way."

Angeal's brow furrowed, but he didn't argue. After a few moments, he nodded and turned to leave with Sephiroth on his heels. He only paused long enough to say, "I know you will do everything in your power. Please make sure I don't lose her." The young woman gave him a firm nod before he turned to go.

Once they were in the outer room, Angeal started pacing. Sephiroth watched him for a few moments and wished he knew what to say to ease the man's mind. Unfortunately, even if he did know what to say, he wasn't sure he would have been able to. He wasn't sure he had a right to speak with either sibling anymore. If he had not been so uncertain, things might not have gotten this bad.

Several minutes passed in silence as both men tried not to let the worry get to them. Sephiroth was so involved in his thoughts that he hadn't even realized Angeal had come over until the man put a hand on his arm.

Angeal's voice was low when he said, "You can't blame yourself. I know why you didn't check on her earlier. Even if you had, she could have been in danger still. None of us expected this to happen."