The doors swing open, and a man in scrubs steps out. “Bouvier family?”
“I’m Emberlynne Bouvier’s husband,” I say, walking toward him. I take his hand, my heart pounding. “How is she?”
“I’m Doctor Jonathon Lewis and I performed your wife’s surgery to repair her leg,” he begins and I brace myself, waiting for him to finish. Nothing could’ve prepared me for what he says next.
“Your wife suffered a concussion and a slight tear in her femoral artery. I was able to repair it but she lost a significant amount of blood. When she arrived, she had already lost the fetus, and our resident OB handled that part of the procedure.”
I blink. “Fetus?”
“Yes, sir. Your wife was pregnant.”
The words hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. The air feels too heavy, the bright lights suddenly blinding. Before I can react, Nightmare and Mystique are at my side, holding me as my legs give out. They guide me to a chair, and I collapse into it, tears streaming down my face.
Doctor Lewis’s voice is understanding. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way, Mr. Bouvier. Your wife will make a full recovery, but we’ve placed her in an induced coma to help her body rest during the healing process. Once she’s settled in the ICU, a nurse will come and take you to her.” Nightmare thanks the doctor for the update but I can barely think, barely breathe as I absorb his words.
We were going to have a baby and now we’re not. Is that what he’s telling me? Mystique somberly tells me about Ember taking a pregnancy test and wanting to surprise me but Fury… her words trail off because I know the rest of the story and how it ends. He will suffer for what he’s done and will regret the day he crossed paths with me. The phone buzzes in my pocket and I see it’s Dementor.
“Yeah?” I answer, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Mav, it’s about Piper,” he says, with a sense of urgency in his voice. “I found her, man. She’s hurt pretty bad, but I got her to the emergency vet.” My stomach, once again, twists in knots. Ember would be crushed if we lost her. After everything’s that happened, I’m not sure I can take any more bad news today.
“What happened?” I ask, getting up from the chair, pacing back and forth.
“I don’t know exactly. Looks like she was cut up and left bleeding out. I was doing a perimeter check before we left and found her on the side of the house. The vet is working on her now, but he didn’t look hopeful.”
“Stay with her and make sure they do everything they can. Call me as soon as they give you an update.”
“You got it, Mav. I’ll keep you posted and just fyi, Becks said to call if you need anything else. He’s heading back north.”
Before we hang up, he asks about Ember and I tell him what the doctor told me. It wasn’t easy getting the words out but I managed before I released the call. I make a mental note to call Teller and thank him for sending Becks our way to help out. I’m just about to ask the nurse at the desk how much longer it will be before I see my wife when Elijah exits the elevator. His face is pale and strained with worry as he spots me.
“How is she, Mav?” The usually composed man, looks disheveled, lines etched in his face making him appear much older than he is.
Taking a deep breath, I steady myself before giving him the news.
“She’s out of surgery. The doc said she’s stable, but they had to put her in an induced coma to let her body heal. She lost a lot of blood.” Elijah’s face falls, fists clenching by his side. “There’s one more thing,” I add, not wanting to keep anything from him. It’s hard for me to say the words, but I manage. “Ember was pregnant, but we lost the baby.”
For a moment, he doesn’t say anything, just stares at me absorbing the weight of what I’ve just said. With a shaky breath, he walks toward the waiting room, sinking into the nearest chair. He runs his hands over his face, struggling with what I just told him.
“Mav, I..” Elijah’s voice cracks, and he stops. I know he’s feeling the same gut-wrenching pain, the same helplessness that tears you apart from the inside out.
“She’s a fighter and she’ll pull through this. The doc is confident that she’ll make a full recovery.”
Elijah nods, though his eyes are shining with unshed tears. “She has to,” he mutters, more to himself than to me. “She has to make it.”
Resting my hand on his shoulder, I bow my head in a silent prayer, not just for my wife, but Elijah too. He already lost his wife to violence and I know it would destroy him if he lost his daughter as well. We’re both holding on by a thread, barely keeping it together, but right now, that’s all we can do.
“Mr. Bouvier,” the nurse calls out, breaking the silence. “You may see your wife now.”
My brothers stand with me, silently offering their support. I know they’ve got my back, ready to hold me up when I fall apart. As much as I want to see her, to be by her side, I’m scared out of my mind. Each step down the hallway tightens the knot in my stomach, threatening to erupt at any moment.
The nurse stops outside a room lined with glass windows and motions for me to enter. I freeze for a moment, staring through the glass, my eyes tracing along the tubes and machines keeping my wife stable. It feels like I’m dredging through cement as the doors slide open and I walk in. Slowly making my way over to her bedside, my blood runs hot through my veins, searing me from the inside out. Ember’s beautiful face is several shades of black and blue, swollen from the assault by Fury. That motherfucker is on borrowed time and before I’m finished with him, he'll know the true meaning of his name.
Pulling up a chair, I sit at Ember’s bedside. The rhythmic beeping of the machines are the only sound in the room. My heart clenches as I look at my wife’s fragile body, a sharp contrast to the fire she usually carries. Reaching out, I gently take her hand, brushing my fingers over her soft skin, careful not to disturb the IV lines running through her arm.
“I’m not sure if you can hear me, baby,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotion. “But I swear, I’m gonna make this right. I’m going to make Fury pay for this. He’s a dead man walking.”
In some weird way, I was hoping to hear her voice, any sign that she heard my declaration. Leaning in closer, I rub my thumb lightly over her knuckles and place my lips against her warm skin. It’s a struggle to stay composed, but I have to be strong for her, letting her know that I’m right here with her.
