"Here." Leanne touched her belly that had gone very stiff. "I don't..." She screamed, her hand clutching her husband's.
"She's in labor. We need an ambulance."
"That's going to take time." Scooping her into his arms, Christos rushed towards the entrance, where the valet had the car running.
"I'll drive," Andreas, who had rushed behind them, told them tersely. "Get her in. Dad, call the precinct and alert them to clear a path." He turned to the doctor. "Where?"
"Hope General is the closest hospital." She slid into the back seat where Christos had his wife cradled on his lap. "I'll call ahead."
"Move!" Christos said frantically as another contraction seized her.
"How is it possible for her to be in labor? She has two weeks..."
"Christos." Her fingers were biting into his arms as she tried to ride out the wave of excruciating pain.
"Yes baby?"
"Promise me..." She took a deep breath and tried again. "Save my babies. Please. Whatever happens, please save my babies." She glanced over at the doctor who was monitoring her blood pressure and finding it worrying.
"I can't..."
"Please!" Her body arched as the pain came again. Seeing the anguish on her beautiful face would have made him promise to take his own life.
"I promise," he agreed tautly. "How much further?" he asked his brother.
"Two minutes." Andreas stepped on the gas and within a minute and a half, was screeching into the parking lot. A team was already present with a gurney and very soon she was strapped in and rushing through the front doors.
Dr. Henderson started snapping out orders along with Dr. Friedmann who was waiting for her. They were immediately assigned a delivery room.
"She's in labor and her blood pressure is too high. We're going to have to try and stabilize it before going on." Dr. Henderson told the team. Turning to look at Christos as she suited up, she told him bluntly, "You're just going to be in the way. Please allow us to do our jobs."
"Don't leave me." Leanne clung to his hand tightly.
"You have your answer," he told the doctors grimly. "I'm staying."
"All right. Just suit up and stay out of our way." She smiled at Leanne. "These babies are in a hurry to be born, I'm afraid."
"Please save them," she whispered.
"We intend to."
*****
Two hours later he walked into the waiting room, not in the least bit surprised to see his entire family there, including the children.
"What's the news?" his mother demanded.
"She lost a lot of blood." He wasn't sure he would ever recover from what he had witnessed just now. "The babies have been rushed to the NICU and they've put her under." He walked over to the window to stare out bleakly.
He felt numb, as if he was standing aside and staring at himself. "They're hopeful. She was bleeding pretty badly, but they managed to stop it." He shook his head. "I..." He squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to get rid of the image of his wife being cut wide open, her flesh sliced and so much damn blood. He was surprised she had any left.
"I did this to her."
"Darling..."
He shook off his mother's arm. "They sent me out..." They all turned when the door opened and the doctors came in.
"Well?" Christos demanded.
