[[OLD]] A Handful of Daffodils (Forgotten Series, #7)

Chapter Eighty-Two

"As far as I can tell she had preclampsia and it caused a placental abruption." The doctor's voice was even as she looked over the monitors that Menza was hooked up too. "Bleeding wouldn't stop so we are going to have to explain to her I had to give her a partial hysterectomy."

I looked at where Menza lay in the infirmary cot, her skin paler than normal, hooked to all sorts of wires as she slept. "No more children?" My heart was in my throat as I turned to look at Amber.

"None. But considering they're both alive after we lost them? I would say that's a good trade off." Her words brought me so much relief that I felt like I could cry. No more. There would never be a situation like that again. I glanced over at the preemie cot where our daughter was resting with low flow oxygen and a touch more warmth. "Baby looks good too." Amber walked over and checked the monitors hooked to her little body. "Her vitals are all great. The steroid shots worked perfectly, her lung function is wonderful. We technically don't need the preemie cot but it's good to have her in there, just to boost her up a bit more."

At the words I got to my feet, clearing my throat as I walked over on legs that wobbled. "How big is she?" I looked into the cot where her tiny little body was wrapped up in a tiny diaper and she had a purple knitted cap on with a tiny little knitted green octopus she was holding onto in one of her tiny hands. She looked so small, so utterly tiny and delicate. I sniffled slightly, blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay as I smiled down at her.

She was perfect.

"Five pounds, one ounce, and eighteen inches long. She's big for her gestational age but that only helped us in this situation, especially for her being as early as she is." She patted my shoulder and I looked at the doctor, feeling so fucking grateful.

"Thanks. For saving them." The lump in my throat was so big it was hard to swallow. "I don't know... I don't know what I would have done if... if they hadn't made it." My breath stuttered in my chest as images of all that blood slammed into me. So much blood, all over everything. Monitors screaming and the two doctors frantically trying to save them both. Menza's heartbeat stopping, her chest going still. Begging her to stay, to just breathe. Baby coming out looking grey and silent, lifeless. So much fucking blood, death, everything had gone wrong. So very wrong.

"It's okay, Brochan. They're both good. We will contact the Hunters and make sure they send some healers, or a healer at least, to make sure they are both perfectly alright healthy.  Just to put our minds at ease." Her tone was reassuring and I reached out and pressed my hand to the top of the little medical cot that housed my tiny daughter. "What happened tonight... with your background... was extra traumatizing. Seeing what you did tonight was horrible. Very very horrible." Her voice lowered and I looked at her, my eyes watering. "I'm here, if you ever want to talk about it. You aren't alone, okay? We are here for you, for all of you." Her blue eyes were warm and compassionate and I nodded, sniffling as I hastily wiped at my eyes.

"Just thank you. Regardless of everything... they're alive." That was all that mattered to me, Menza was hooked up to all sorts of machines but she was alive. Her blood levels were a little low but they were building them up. She was asleep, more than likely to sleep off the drugs but it didn't matter. Her heart rate was stable and her oxygen levels were fine. She was okay. She was with me, she was breathing. It was okay, better than okay.

"Do you want to hold her?" Amber asked it as she opened up the side of the preemie cot. I nodded, unable to do anything but as she careful unhooked the wires from the small pads on baby's chest, taking out the tiny oxygen line and lifting her tiny little body off the cot on her blanket. She carefully shifted that little weight and held her out for me.

I took her carefully, watching as she scrunched her face up and fussed for a moment before she settled. "Hey, baby girl." I held her close, looking down at her tiny swath dark hair peeking our from underneath her purple hat and her delicate face and those itty bitty hands and feet. I grinned as I looked down at her, my chest warm as relief nearly made me burst into sobs. "She's perfect, right?" I looked at Amber, my voice shaking and she nodded.