The Brightest Stars ✨

Chapter 35

I actually hate cliffhangers. Hence the quick update. Leave me y'all's thoughts xo

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Things started to get a bit surreal on the second day of the ordeal when Gabe's mother, who he had been expecting to be fair, turned up to the hospital with his father and an entourage of security in tow. Gabe didn't have enough social battery to even feel a little bit outraged. He was maxed out.

As long as he stayed out of his way and didn't make any unhelpful comments he didn't care what his old man did. All his energy and focus was on seeing Natalia through this.

As soon as they had made it to the hospital, Natalia had undergone CT scans to make sure she hadn't suffered from a seizure that afternoon. The guilt he harbored was overwhelming, he shouldn't have left her alone despite how combative she had been. What was a couple of crisp barbs out of her mouth when he had known that he was right? But he hadn't wanted to upset her any further and now she was paying for his cowardice.

When she had gotten the all clear that there were no lesions or blood clots in her brain, the doctors had focused on lowering her blood pressure via medication and infusions. She was still in the danger zone with her being watched in the intensive care unit. She was on heavy doses of medication to keep her sleepy and docile, as she was still prone to seizures and at worst a coma.

Their baby was fine according to the doctors but  delivery was the only cure for eclampsia or high blood pressure during pregnancy. The medical staff weren't crossing that bridge until they had exhausted all other means. They waited on baited breath to see how her blood pressure fared.

At just under 7 months their baby was at risk if delivered this early, every day that they could keep him or her safely inside Natalia's belly counted. If Natalia didn't respond to treatment they would be forced to inject steroid treatment to speed up the maturation of the baby's lungs in preparation for a Cesarean section.

Making the choice to delay the delivery was killing him, but he knew that Natalia would want their baby to have every fighting chance to survive the outside world.

She was hardly lucid but when she woke up, Gabe had to repeatedly reiterate where she was and that their baby was fine. Those were always her first questions, with no concern for herself before she drifted off back to sleep. It choked him up everytime.

Three long laborious days at the hospital later, Ty had arrived with the overnight bag Gabe had packed weeks ago. He had packed bags for both of them when she crossed 6 months of her pregnancy.

Natalia had laughed at the level of detail that went into his planning but now he wished that he hadn't been right. He didn't think they were going to be at hospital for this long and that he'd need more than the few things Ella had already brought.

Outside the room, Ty's big frame stood aside to reveal a sheepish looking Lima, she stared at the pale and gray face of her friend; connected to all the beeping monitors through the glass window and burst into shaking sobs.

Gabe folded her into his arms, at a loss on how to comfort her. He had no words of reassurance left. The reality of the situation was stark in their faces.

"I'm so sorry, I was so caught up in my own bullshit. I should have been there for her, I could have..."

"There's nothing either one of us could have done. I was measuring her blood pressure every chance she'd let me put a cuff around her arm. Sometimes these things just happen and there's no explanation. I think that's the hardest part," he said. Logically his brain and mouth were able to process those words and utter them, but he hardly believed them himself.