Lost in madness

Chapter 27

The hospital corridors seemed endless as Andrew and I rushed through them, our footsteps echoing off the sterile walls. My heart was pounding,

We burst into the waiting room, immediately spotting Sade. She was pacing back and forth, her face etched with concern. When she saw us, her shoulders sagged with visible relief.

"Thank god you're here," Sade said, rushing over to us. "I've been going out of my mind with worry."

Andrew stepped forward, his brow furrowed. "What happened? Is Sally okay?"

Before Sade could answer, a doctor in blue scrubs approached us. "Are you here for Sally Williams?" he asked, his voice calm and professional.

We all nodded, and I felt Andrew tense beside me.

"I'm Dr. Patel," the doctor introduced himself. "I'm afraid I have some difficult news. Ms. Williams suffered a miscarriage. She came in with severe bleeding and abdominal pain."

I heard Andrew's sharp intake of breath. "Miscarriage?" he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. "I... I didn't even know she was pregnant."

Dr. Patel nodded sympathetically. "She was in the early stages, about eight weeks along. Unfortunately, she's lost a significant amount of blood. We're working to stabilize her, but she's going to need a transfusion."

The world seemed to tilt on its axis. Sally was pregnant? The magnitude of the news hit me anew, leaving me feeling hollow and sick.

Sade spoke up, her voice trembling. "Can we see her?"

"Not just yet," Dr. Patel replied. "We're still running some tests. What we need right now is blood donors. Do any of you know your blood type?"

I swallowed hard, finding my voice. "I'm O negative," I said. "Universal donor. And... and Sally and I are cousins. We have the same blood type."

Dr. Patel's eyes lit up. "That's excellent. Would you be willing to donate?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. It felt like the least I could do, given everything.

"Thank you," the doctor said. "If you'll follow me, we'll get you set up in one of our donation rooms and run a quick health screening."

I turned to Andrew, who looked shell-shocked. "I'll be back soon," I murmured, squeezing his hand.

He nodded distractedly, still processing the news about Sally's pregnancy. As I followed Dr. Patel down the sterile hallway, I couldn't help but wonder if this would be the thing that finally shattered our fragile happiness.

The donation room was small and cold, with posters about blood types and the donation process lining the walls. A nurse came in to take my vitals and draw some blood for testing.

"Just relax," she said kindly as she tied the tourniquet around my arm. "This will only take a moment."

I nodded, closing my eyes as the needle slipped into my vein. My mind was racing, filled with images of Sally alone and scared, losing a baby she never got to know. A baby that could have been Andrew's.

Time seemed to crawl as I waited for the nurse to return. When the door finally opened, I was surprised to see Dr. Patel enter instead, his expression unreadable.

"Ms. Peters," he began, closing the door behind him. "There's been a complication."

My heart leapt into my throat. "What kind of complication?" I asked, my voice sounding small and far away.

Dr. Patel pulled up a chair, sitting down across from me. "Your initial blood tests showed elevated levels of hCG – that's human chorionic gonadotropin. It's a hormone produced during pregnancy."