Give Into Me

Chapter Fifteen

"I can't believe you actually bought a ring." Michael laughed as they left the shop for the second time that day.

"Why is that so surprising?" Ashton laughed. "She's the love of my life and I'm going to marry her."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Michael rolled his eyes playfully and walked to the truck. Ashton pulled his phone out of his pocket as it vibrated.

"Hey, Luke, what's crackin'?" Ashton asked, walking to the truck.

"Ashton, this isn't a time for jokes." Luke sighed. 

"What do you mean?" Ashton furrowed his eyebrows. 

"It's Harley. W-We were on our way to the cows out on Rogers' land, a-and.."

"Luke, what happened? Is Harley okay?" Ashton demanded. 

"Sh-she's in the hospital. Ashton, it's not looking good. For either of them." Luke sighed. "They won't tell me anything, since I'm not family or the father of the baby." 

"Okay, we're already in town. We're on our way now." Ashton said, hanging up. "Mike, we're going to the hospital." Ashton got in the truck.

"What's going on?" Michael asked, getting into the truck.

"Harley's in the hospital." Ashton said, speeding down the street toward the hospital. He had just barely turned the truck off before he was out the door, running into the hospital. He ran to the front desk, almost not able to stop himself in time before hitting the desk. "Harley Quinn Davidson, she was admitted here after an accident. I'm the father of her baby." Ashton spoke quickly.

"I'm sorry, sir. You'll have to wait, just like everyone else." The receptionist said, not looking at him. Luke jogged over to Ashton. 

"Hey, she's up in the labor and delivery department. The doctor's are waiting for you." Luke said, grabbing his hand. Ashton nodded and followed Luke up to the labor and delivery floor. 

"You must be the father." Dr. Brighton said as he walked over to Ashton.

"Yes, that's me." Ashton nodded. "Are they gonna be okay?"

"Well, we need your permission to go through with a C-Section." Dr. Brighton explained. "Harley is currently in a comatose state, she doesn't appear to be ready to wake up any time soon." 

"I-I.." Ashton felt the room spinning around him. "Is that safe? Will the baby be okay?"

"It's hard to say exactly, but we will do everything we can for Harley and the baby." 

"C-Can I see her?" Ashton asked, holding onto Luke for balance.

"No, I'm sorry." Dr. Brighton sighed. "It's not safe for visitors at this point." Ashton's heart stopped momentarily.

"Oh, God, I'm gonna lose both of them.." He ran his fingers through his hair and sat down in a chair, bending over and placing his head between his knees. "This can't be happening. She's only 6 months pregnant." 

"Sir, I'll take it from here." Michael sighed. "What exactly do you need to do?"

"We'd need to do a C-Section to get the baby out before Harley's body can do any damage to her. Since she's in a coma, parts of her body are shutting down. If the right part shuts down, the baby will no longer be able to survive in the womb." 

"Okay, and how likely is it for the baby to survive if she were to be born right now?" Michael asked. 

"It's hard to say for sure, but we can guarantee about a 62% survival chance." 

"That's more than half, I'd say go through with the C-Section. I'll talk to Ashton and get him calmed down enough to get you an answer." 

"Thank you, Michael." Dr. Brighton nodded.  Michael sighed and walked over to Ashton. 

"Hey, the doctor's need your permission for this, Ash. Dr. Brighton said that the baby has a good chance of surviving if she's born now." Michael said, gently rubbing Ashton's back. 

"I just.." Ashton shook his head. "I just don't want to lose them.." 

"Hey, you won't lose them. These doctors are doing everything they can, and they're skilled enough to save both of them. You just need to give them the permission to do it." Michael sighed softly.

"Okay." Ashton nodded, finally sitting up. "I'll give permission."