Until the End of Time

28

It's broaching six in the morning when he hears a sobbing come from the bed. "No, no she's not moving. I told her I'd protect her and she's gone."

"Steph," Lindsey said.

"She's not moving and I was bleeding and...I lost her...I failed her." Stevie cries.

"Steph she's not in your stomach anymore. That's why you can't feel her moving...But I can feel her moving." He says picking the baby up. He had just finished changing a particularly nasty first diaper. 

"What?" She asks, trying to sit up but as soon as she does she drops back, pain searing from her ribs and her stomach. 

"Stop, don't move, you're hurt and you have stitches." He walks the baby over, uses the remote to sit the bed up, and places the baby into her arms.

"But how...I don't remember giving birth." She starts.

"Steph, they had to do a c-section, The placenta tore away from the uterine wall. They were able to save it though so you didn't end up having to have a Hysterectomy. They thought it was going to happen there for a moment. But I guess you're pretty scarred now so if you somehow miraculously get pregnant again you're going to have a very hard time."  Lindsey explains.

"But I didn't want a C-Section." She cries cuddling her baby to her chest. 

"But Angel, look at her. She's alive and healthy. If they hadn't of taken her by C-Section she wouldn't be." Lindsey tells her.

"But she's early." Stevie sniffles staring at the sleeping baby.

"37 weeks is considered early but her lungs are developed and all of her tests came back okay so that means that she's healthy. I got her checked out and everything. Now we need a name for her." Lindsey gently sits on the bed next to Stevie

"Lexa. Lexa Grace." Stevie says after a moment.

"I think it's perfect." He kisses her head.

"How's Karen and Rick?" She asks.

"Um...Rick didn't make it. Karen's okay. I haven't seen her yet though but the officer I talked to said she was fine just a broken collar bone and she had to get her left arm reset. Whatever that means. You though have some bruised ribs and a gash on your forehead. As soon as we tell them you're awake they're going to take you back for head scans to make sure that nothing happened in your brain." He lightly traces the bandaid causing her to wince.

"That's fine...I have a slight headache but it's not bad. Rick  didn't make it?" She asks.

"No, I don't know much about him. They didn't tell me anything but I guess if he hadn't of swerved the way he did none of you would've made it...and I can't lose you." He gently wraps his arms around her and lays his head against hers.

"Were you with me when she was born. I wanted you with me when she came."

"I was. I was right there. They had just started when I got here, I was holding your hand. I had my head pressed against yours.  I even cut her cord...I now understand completely why you're strapped to not only IV fluids but two bags of blood." She looks up to the pole and lifts her right hand seeing one IV in her hand and the other in the crook of her arm.

"Is this even allowed? I've never seen two IVs in the same arm?" She cocks an eyebrow. 

"I don't know Angel. But I'm not one to question medical terms." Lindsey explains kissing the top of her head. 

"How bad was it?" She wrinkles her nose.

"Your organs were in a bedpan." He tells her.

"Oh, wonderful." She rolls her eyes.