A Love Worth Fighting For

Epilogue

Be aware.... There is a POV change. It starts out in Clay's and switches to Claire's

5 Years Later (Clays POV)

"Daddy!" Lucas screamed, running down the hallway.

"Daddy!" CJ ran after him.

"Boys, what have mom and I said about running in the house?" I asked when the boys reached him in the kitchen.

"But daddy," CJ started.

"It's a 'mergency," Lucas finished.

"An emergency? For what?"

"Mommy!" the boys said together.

That's all it took for me to take off running. I knew I was just fussing at the boys but Claire was pregnant with our third child. She started having some issues a couple weeks prior that caused some concern. She was once again placed on bed rest and wasn't to move unless going to the bathroom and even had to have assistance taking a shower.

"What's going on?" I asked when I reached the room.

Claire didn't speak but I noticed the bedsheets were covered in blood. The hospital bags were already packed so I pulled them out as I called Diane and then Brent. Diane told me that she would call an ambulance and Brent was already on his way to the house. He called his sister and her and her husband would be there to get the boys soon.

Within ten minutes, Brent was there and then the paramedics. The boys were screaming because they didn't understand what was going on. Brent took them to the kitchen to try and distract them until Haylee and David got there. I knew I would be riding in the ambulance with Claire and Diane and Bill were already on their way and would meet us.

The paramedics kept asking Claire questions but I could tell that she was getting frustrated and confused. I stepped in and tried to help as much as I could. Common questions like how far along she was, why she was bed ridden, her age, number of pregnancies. I could answer things like that.

    "Okay honey," the female paramedic got Claire's attention. "Can you at least tell me your full name?"

    "Claire Elizabeth Redden," she squeezed out and then a scream ripped through her.

    "We got to roll!" the male paramedic said and was prepping the stretcher. "Her blood pressure just keeps rising. We need to transport now," he stressed.

Together, the two paramedics transferred Claire over to the stretcher and was moving her downstairs pretty fast. Brent still had the boys preoccupied in the other room so I just went ahead and left with them. I couldn't focus on anything except not falling on my face.

We made it to the hospital in record time and as soon as we got there, there was a team from labor and delivery waiting for her. We were rushing through the doors when I heard Diane yell my name and then was running with us. They allowed both her mother and I back with her. Everything was happening so fast, I didn't realize that I was crying.

"Mr. Redden, I'm sorry but we're going to have to ask you to step out. Your wife and baby are in distress. Mrs. Redden isn't getting enough oxygen and she's already keep breathing on us once. We have to do an emergency cesarean in order to save them both," the doctor said.

I just stared at him.

    "I'm... I'm not leaving my wife," I said.

    "Mr. Redden, it's in the best interest of your wife and baby for this to happen. We need you to step outside as we get ready to take her into the operating room."