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

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**king 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.

Oh God, Abby was going into emergency surgery…she might not be able to have children like we planned. It was all too much, and I moaned in agony.

At the feel of Mia’s hand on my back, I tensed. I didn’t want her words of sympathy, nor did I want her comfort. I just wanted to be alone, so that I could somehow muster the strength to enable me to put on a brave face for Abby.

Mia soft voice came close to my ear. “Jake, I’m so, so sorry.”

Twisting my shoulders, I slung her hand off me. “Just leave me alone.”

“Hey man, I know you’re hurting, but the last thing you need to do is to shut down. It isn’t good for you and it isn’t good for Abby,” AJ said.

I jerked my head up to glare him. “Don’t you dare try to tell me what’s good for Abby. I’m her husband. I know better than anyone what she needs. As hard as it’s going to be, I know I have to be strong for her right now because I know the minute she comes out of surgery and hears this news, she’s going to fall apart. She’s wanted a baby with me practically since the moment we met. And now I have to go in there and try to pretend that everything is all right when she may never get what she wanted.”

Mia reached over and took my hand in hers. “I know the prognosis isn’t the best in the world, but the doctor didn’t say Abby couldn’t have children.”

“What do you two know about anything? You weren’t even trying and bam, you got pregnant. Hell, neither of you even wanted kids. There’s nothing Abby wants more than to have a baby, and now that’s going to be a f**king struggle for her.”

AJ narrowed his eyes at me. “Fuck you, man. Just because Bella wasn’t planned, it doesn’t mean we love her any less or that we didn’t want her. Last time I checked, there isn’t some pissing contest about who deserves what.”