Catfish - Michael Clifford

Chapter Twenty Three

A/N: Warning, graphic content, trigger warning.

1 week later:

The day of the scan was finally here. Michael had stayed over and they were heading over at about 2pm for the scan. Ivy was more than excited. She couldn't wait to see the baby again, their baby. She could tell Michael was excited to, he was practically dancing around the flat the whole morning.

Michael recieved a text alerting him that the driver was outside.

They exited the flat and got into the car.

"So how big is the baby now?" Ivy asked Michael.

"The size of a lime." He told her, showing her the app.

"Wow, that's actually quite big. Compared to a lentil anyway."

She leant on his shoulder, and they spent to rest of the journey in a comfortable silence.

Ivy noticed a nurse outside the front doors as they got out of the car. The driver had told them that they would be escorted through the back way and straight into one of the ultrasound rooms. It had all been sorted by the manager to minimise the chances of them seeing it was Michael. He already had his hoodie and sunglasses on.

Once in the room he removed them both and shimmied the chair forward so that he could hold Ivy's hand. The sonographer introduced herself as Charlotte and then asked them a few questions whilst she inputted the data onto the computer in front of her. The woman was chatty and seemed to be rambling but Ivy was too excited to care. Charlotte finally placed the warm gel onto Ivy's belly and rubbed it in with the wand. She was still chatting away to them as she moved it acros rubbing the gel in. She slowed her movements down and began looking at the screen.

She had gone quiet whilst moving the wand all over Ivy's belly.

"Um, I'm just going to get someone else." She told them quietly, switching the monitor off and leaving the room.

A few minutes later she returned with a lady that had a darker version of her uniform on. She ran the wand over Ivy's belly and looked over at Charlotte, then shook her head ever so slightly.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Michael demanded.

"I'm so sorry. There's no heartbeat." The woman explained.

Ivy laid completely still. This had to be a mistake.

Michael stormed out of the room.

He leant his arms against the wall, breathing heavily before twisting and slumping down to the floor with his head in his hands. He had no control over the tears streaming down his face. How could this be possible? They'd done everything right. He punched the floor beside him, causing his knuckles to bleed.

Ivy came out of the room and sat beside him on the floor. She wasn't crying. She didn't look like she had any emotion. She just quietly told him to come back into the room so they could leave that way.

He got up and followed her back into the room, to find both woman standing next to the bed still, Charlotte changing the blue paper towel on the bed.

"You need to go into the main hospital, they will check you over, and keep you under observations for a little while. They need to help you, um, flush your system." The other lady explained to them as delicately as she could.

Michael let out a bigger sob, as Ivy just stood there blankly.

"You're going to want to put your hoodie and sunglasses back on Mr Clifford." Charlotte told him.

He nodded at her and did as she suggested.

Michael tried to wipe the tears away but they were still falling thick and fast.

They made their way out of the back doors and were led by Charlotte to the back doors of the ward they needed to be on. She buzzed them in using her security ID and handed the notes over to the woman behind the front desk there.

The nurse introduced herself and Melanie, and led them to a bed in a side room.

"The doctor will be here soon to assess you. I'm so sorry this has happened. I know nothing I say will make you feel better but I'm here for whatever you need. The doctor will bring you a tablet once she's finished assessing you and you'll have to wait here until the doctor gives you a second assessment and says you can go." Melanie explained. "You'll need to change into this gown."

Before long the doctor had come through and given her the tablet she needed to take. She explained that Ivy would probably experience some cramping and loss of blood. When the blood loss had slowed she was allowed to leave. Michael had stopped crying but was holding on to Ivy's hand as hard as he could. She still hadn't reacted to anything. She was just blank.

It didn't take long for the tablet to take effect. Ivy had complained of cramps for about half an hour before she ran into the bathroom in the side room. Michael stayed on the seat next to the bed. He checked his phone, which had numerous missed calls and texts that he'd ignored then turned it off. Minutes after he heard smashing in the bathroom. The first thing he saw was blood. All over Ivy's bottom half. Next he saw the mirror was smashed and the bin was scattered across the floor.

"Ivy, what did you do?" He cried, running up to her, and attempting to wrap his arms around her.

"What didn't I do? This is all my fault. I must've had done something wrong. Everything happens for a reason you said. I guess I must've fucked up pretty bad for this to have a reason." She screamed.

She shoved him back and he managed to not fall over, he accidentally grabbed the emergency cord in the scrabble to stay upright.

He tried to reset it, but before he could figure it out, a nurse came running in.

"Is everything okay?" She said before walking into to the bathroom, and stopping in her tracks.

Ivy had slumped to the floor with her head in her hands and was sobbing loudly.

"Miss Pearce, you've lost more blood than you're supposed to. I'm going to get the doctor okay?"

She simply nodded in reply.

The nurse came back with the doctor and he examined her.

"You'll need to stay in overnight, you're at risk of losing too much blood and in that case you'll need a blood transfusion." The doctor explained.

He placed her notes back in the folder at the end of the bed.

"Can you go and get me some things from home please?" She asked Michael quietly.

"Yeah."

"Can you get Nova to bring it though please?"

"Uh yeah sure." He told her, a little offended that she didn't want him around.

After he'd rang the driver and asked him to pick him up outside he started to get ready to leave.

"I just, I need her. I love you, but I need my best friend right now." She explained, seeing the hurt in his eyes.

He leant down and gave her a hug, holding on for as long as he could before letting go and putting his hoodie and sunglasses back on and headed out the ward and out of the door they had come through.

A/N: This was so difficult to write, I was in tears writing it. I think it needed it. I didn't want it to be one of those cliché pregnancy fics. Don't hate me okay? ♥