Beth visibly began to relax.
“Monday—I am sorry. I didn’t mean you were too demanding or judgmental in general. I was specifically observing how Lynn might perceive your words.”
Seeing her acceptance of his apology and his words, he moved to sit beside her, wanting to pull her into his arms.
“Will you tell me what happened?” Bryce asked quietly.
Beth nodded but fidgeted. “Will you… will you hold me while I tell you?”
“Happily.”
She climbed into his lap, curling against his chest. Once settled, she began—her voice small but steady.
“I wanted to do the run we’d signed up for… plus, I was still upset from our call the night before. I thought it would help clear my head.”
She paused, the memory settling heavy in her chest.
“Around the second mile, I started cramping. I pushed through it and drank more water, figuring I was just dehydrated. It never crossed my mind that it could be the pregnancy and not the run. I mean, I had just made it out of the first trimester, so I thought I was safe. But I should have known.”
She pressed her face into his neck, and Bryce rubbed her back gently as she cried.
“I should’ve known better. I’m a nurse,” she whispered, the guilt thick in her voice.
He didn’t interrupt, . just held her tight.
After a long, shaky breath, Beth continued.
“After the run, I drank more water and headed to Jack Quinn’s for the post-run spaghetti dinner. I thought maybe the cramps were from hunger.” Her voice wavered. “But that wasn’t it.”
Her words faltered, the weight of it crashing down on Beth all over again. Bryce’s arms closed tighter around her, bracing them both for what came next.
“Bryce, I couldn’t even make it up the stairs to the pub. And I dou…” A hiccup cut off Beth’s words. Swallowing hard, she tried again. “I doubled over—the pain in my stomach was so intense. It felt like I was being stabbed. I was so dizzy. And that’s when I knew.”
Her voice cracked.
“I knew what was happening, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.” She squeezed her eyes shut, as if doing so could block outthe phantom pain that came with reliving it. Beth shuddered. “I just knew. Then I sat there… refusing help. I was in shock.”
Bryce kissed her temple, his arms tightening around her.
“Someone called 911,” she whispered. “When the EMTs arrived, I insisted they take me to Memorial instead of our hospital. I didn’t want to be treated by our co-workers.”
Bryce exhaled, his voice aching with regret. “I’m so sorry you went through that alone.”
Beth nodded, wiping at her tears. “It was a placental abruption. My blood pressure skyrocketed during the run, but I ignored the signs. Before I even got to the hospital… the placenta had completely detached. The cramps were contractions. The clots were huge.”
Her voice cracked as she fell apart again. “In the ambulance, they gave me magnesium sulfate, but it didn’t stop the contractions. One hit so hard… I could feel everything coming out. I felt our baby come out.”
Beth’s sobs broke free again, raw and uncontrollable.
Bryce’s tears joined hers.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, over and over.
“I’m sorry, Bryce. I shouldn’t have pushed myself so hard on the run. I pushed myself too hard—it’s all my fault.” Her words tumbled out, tripping over themselves in her desperation to apologize.
“Shhh, Sweetheart. It wasn’t your fault,” Bryce whispered, cradling her tighter. “Please don’t put that on yourself.”
Beth’s voice fell to a fragile whisper. “I held her. She was a girl.”
