“It’s gonna be okay.”
Her next words were muffled. “I just wanted to end my contract and leave. I—I didn’t expect any of this. I didn’t know she would come at us like that and end up falling. I didn’t expect for her to bleed like that and…”That baby is innocent, she wanted to say but her voice failed. “Do you…do you think that it’s my fault?” she asked in a hushed whisper.
“It was an accident, Emily,” Nicolas said in an end-of-discussion tone, his hand smoothing over her hair.
“I know but?—”
“No buts,” he cut her off swiftly. “I know it may be a lot for you to take in now, but none of it is your fault. It was just an unfortunate accident none of us could have predicted.”
On cue, the doors to the emergency room swung open and a doctor stepped out. Jake was in front of him immediately, words tumbling out. “Is everything okay, doc? How is she? And our baby…they’re gonna be fine, right?”
The doctor’s expression was unreadable.
For a moment, Jake’s shoulders stiffened.
Emily swore she stopped breathing altogether too.
“Miss Peterson lost a significant amount of blood on the way here,” the doctor started. “She required a transfusion as soon as she arrived.”
Jake’s hands trembled. “And…?”
“She also required surgery to control the bleeding,” the doctor continued. “Her body responded well to the procedure, but because of the anesthesia used, we’ll need to monitor her closely. Pregnancy sometimes complicates recovery, and there are certain risks we can’t ignore.”
“Are you saying something could happen to her or to our baby?” Jake gaped.
The doctor exhaled slowly. “I’m saying there’s apossibility. But right now, she’s stable, and that’s a good sign.”
Jake let out a shaky breath, relief flooding his features. “Thank God,” he aired.
Emily turned toward Nicolas, tears welling. His thumb brushed across her cheek.
“This is thanks to your quick response,” the doctor added. “If you’d delayed calling the ambulance and hadn’tgotten her here in time, the outcome could have been very different.”
Jake’s eyes landed on Emily and Nicolas. He looked gutted, but gratitude overcame him. “Thank you.”
Shock rippled through Emily. For the first time, she fumbled for words to answer him.
Before she could, he turned back to the doctor. “So can I see her now?”
“You’ll be able to once she’s transferred to recovery,” the doctor said. “It will take about an hour. By then she should be awake and the anesthesia will have worn off.”
Jake nodded, his jaw tight. “Okay. I’ll wait.”
As Nicolas and Emily were about to leave, a familiar black haired girl came bustling down the hall.
Adrianna’s eyes laser-focused onto Jake, running up to him. “Is my aunt alright?”
Aunt?
“Stella’s going to be fine,” Jake said firmly.
Wait…what? Adrianna was Stella’sniece?
Adrianna’s shoulders slumped, before she braced herself on her knees, bent over. “Thank God. I got here as fast as I could when I got the call. She still has me as her emergency contact no matter how many times I’ve told her to change it to you. I’m thankful that she didn't.”
Her eyes shifted to the side and her brows furrowed. As if struck by an epiphany, she shot up into a full stance, shoulders squared again. “Did you cause this?” Adrianna asked, stepping toward Emily.
“Are you serious?”
