Griffins Anatomy

Chapter Eight

~Four years ago~

"It hurts... Lexa please," Costia sobbed 

Lexa bit her lip as tears fell freely down her face. She was torn on what to do. Costia had told her numerous times that she was going to do a natural birth to stay sober. Lexa didn't anticipate her needing surgery and then her wife being in this much pain. What started as a normal night for the couple ended with Lexa carrying Costia into the emergency room. 

The brunette had moved closer to her wife in the bed as they slept that night but she felt something wet against the front of her sleep shorts. She felt around and noticed the sheets were soaked. With squinting eyes she turned on the bedside lamp and held up her wet hand. It was coated in the unmistakable dark red color of blood. She abruptly pulled the comforter back and gasped at the large puddle of blood. 

"Cos, wake up! somethings wrong," Lexa said as she quickly got out of the bed 

Costia's eyes fluttered open and she looked at her panicking wife confused. Lexa washed off her hands and quickly grabbed a duffle bag. She threw whatever clothes she could find into it. She changed at a record speed and then helped Costia out of the bloodied nightgown.

"Lex," Costia said with unease as she put a hand on her stomach

Lexa was digging a oversized t shirt out of their dresser. She turned around when she heard a broken sob break from her wife's lips. 

"Cos, it's going to be okay. I'll get us to the hospital and... and we'll figure it out," Lexa said as she put the t shirt over her wife's head and then helped her into a clean pair underwear. She attached a pad to the inside of the underwear to help absorb some of the blood before putting on a loose pair of cotton shorts. 

"I can't feel her Lexa," Costia said as her bottom lip trembled 

Lexa was fearful of what that meant. It was far too early. Costia was only 23 weeks along in her pregnancy (5 months). She picked Costia up and carried her and the duffle bag down the stairs and into her car. She had never driven so recklessly before but she needed to get her wife to the hospital. She realized once they got there that she didn't put shoes on either of them. Luckily this was the hospital they worked out which meant she had her work shoes in her locker. She carried Costia into the emergency room and barked out orders to the nurses. 

Their colleagues came to the scene and spoke quickly to Lexa about her wife's condition before they wheeled the pregnant woman to the O.R. There was a complication and their baby needed to come out now. 

"In the event we have to pick, who do you want to save?" The surgeon asked

"W...what? I... I can't. Please save them both," Lexa hiccuped out as tears fell down her face

Costia was all she had. They had been together for as long as she could remember. The surgeon gave  sympathetic look. She gave a nod to her team and they started to work frantically on Costia. Lexa sat on a stool near her wife's face as they worked. She shouldn't have been allowed in the O.R but it seemed nobody had the heart to separate them. After twenty excruciatingly long minutes, the small newborn was pulled free. Lexa's breath hitched as she watched the doctors clip the chord and then move her into an incubator. Lexa swallowed the lump in her throat not hearing the cries of their daughter. 

"Please don't do this to me," Lexa whispered as she looked up at the ceiling

She wasn't a religious person but in that moment, she was pleading to whoever would listen. She had wanted a family for so long. She wasn't sure if she could survive the loss of a child. 

Eventually, the loud wail of the newborn came. The baby was wheeled immediately up to the NICU. Lexa wanted to be with her but she didn't want to leave Costia. The surgeons continued to work on their patient until they managed to get the bleeding under control. From there, it was a waiting game.