Music of the Soul (Runaway Train, #2.5)(27)

“No sir. She’s stable. Her vitals are strong, but we need to get her to the hospital for some scans to see what’s causing the bleeding.”

“Can I ride along with you?”

“Sure,” the paramedic replied.

His partner hurried to the cab of the ambulance and cranked up. I glanced back at the others. “Go on. We’ll be right behind you,” AJ said, and Brayden and Rhys nodded.

“Thanks,” I murmured, before trailing behind Abby’s stretcher. Once she was loaded inside, I hopped in and slid across the bench to sit beside her. I grabbed her hand, the one with her glittering diamond engagement ring and platinum wedding band, and squeezed it in mine. “I’m right here, Angel. I’m not going anywhere.”

For the first time, I noticed she had a reaction, even though it was just her forehead crinkling. When he pressed on Abby’s stomach, she shrieked and tried to turn away. “Stop it! You’re hurting her,” I cried, trying to push him away.

“Sir, I have to check your wife’s injuries. If you don’t stop, we’ll have to restrain you, so you don’t prevent us from doing our job.”

With a defeated wail, I buried my face in my hands. If I could have, I would have plugged my fingers in my ears just like a child, so I didn’t have to hear Abby’s cries. When I glanced up again, she had quieted, and I saw the paramedic tossing a hypodermic into the medical waste bin. “Just something to help ease her pain.”

“Thank you.” I once again took Abby’s hand in mine. I brought it to my lips and kissed it gently. The rest of the way to the hospital, I spoke softly to her in between fielding a barrage of questions from one of the paramedics. With the drugs in her system, she rested easily on the stretcher.

I didn’t know where we were, least of all which hospital they were taking her to. I found out soon enough it was St. Augustine Memorial. When the ambulance doors flung open, a doctor and a nurse were already there, waiting on us. I don’t know if it was standard protocol or if it was because Abby was famous.

After they took Abby from the ambulance, I trailed along beside her into the emergency room. When I started into her room, a tall nurse with auburn hair stopped me. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you go out to the waiting room, so we can ascertain your wife’s condition. We’ll come and get you when we know more.”

I shuddered as I felt a horrible sense of Déjà vu coming over me from the last time I’d been in this position. I remembered that horrible night when Bree, an ex-groupie of mine, in a jealous rage had almost killed Abby. She had been beaten so severely it had taken weeks for her to recover.

Now we were back almost in the same situation—a strange hospital, Abby being worked on by doctors and nurses, and me alone in the waiting room, wondering if the woman I loved more than anyone else on the earth was going to be taken from me.

AJ and Mia suddenly appeared, followed by Brayden and Rhys. AJ sat on one side of me while Mia sat on the other. I don’t know how much time went by as I sat there staring into space, tuning out all the conversation around me. It seemed like an eternity before a middle-aged, male doctor in a white lab coat appeared.

“Are you Jake Slater?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I’m Dr. Miller. I’m the physician assigned to your wife’s case.”

I swallowed hard. “How is Abby?”

“She’s being prepped for emergency surgery.”

“W-What?” I demanded, my heart shuddering to a stop before restarting.

“After an ultrasound and CT-scan, we discovered that Mrs. Slater had a large ovarian cyst rupture. This caused the hemorrhaging that she experienced.”

“So you’re going to operate on her to stop the bleeding?”

“Yes, but we will also need to remove her ovary and fallopian tube.”

“Oh…f*ck. But why?”

“It seems that during the growth of the cyst, it caused torsion or twisting with the ovary. That, along with the rupture, caused too much damage to the ovary and fallopian tube. We will also remove her appendix while we’re in there as it has also suffered damage.”

In the past, I had kept my knowledge of the female reproductive system to an as needs to know basis. That was one of the reasons I wasn’t entirely clear what the doctor was trying to tell me. I did know that whatever they were taking out was part of what made babies. That thought alone caused a deep ache to burn through my chest.

“After this surgery, can Abby…can she still have a baby?” I croaked.

“Yes, the left ovary and left fallopian tube are not damaged. Usually, the remaining ovary will compensate for the lost one. It will depend on if there is any further damage from the hemorrhaging. Although she is young and healthy and could conceive on her own, I wouldn’t rule out the use of IUI or IVF in the future to help matters along.”

“I see,” I murmured. Oh, f*cking hell. My poor Angel…if only I had gotten to her quicker, maybe there would have been less damage.

“You and your family will want to go on up to the surgical floor waiting room. As soon as she is in recovery, a doctor will come out and tell you how the surgery went.”

Once Dr. Miller left, the adrenaline in me depleted. My muscles felt rubbery, and they wouldn’t support my weight. I collapsed back into my seat and buried my head in my hands. I shuddered at the smell of blood of my hands. Abby’s blood.