consciousness, my only thought was that I needed to see Ashton one last time.
When I woke again, it was the searing pain in my abdomen that roused ine. I found myself on a delivery bed, wAs I lay on the ambulance stretcher, I could feel blood pooling beneath me. Before losing ith shadowy figures bustling around me. My vision was blurry, and I barely managed to whisper Ashton’s name through trembling lips.
Suddenly, a hand gripped mine tightly, and I heard the voice I had been desperate for.
“Ashton,” I whispered, feeling relief flooding me.
He leaned close. His voice was a mixture of panic and forced calm. “Pip, I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”
The pain made me groan involuntarily. My face was pale as sweat dripped in large beads down my cheeks.
Ashton gently stroked my face as he said in a soothing voice, “It’s okay to scream if it hurts.”
Even so, I bit down hard on my lip, refusing to cry out. When blood began to seep from my lips, Ashton shouted for the doctor, panic overtaking his tone.
The doctor urged me to relax, to breathe and push in sync with her instructions. However, the pain blurred everything around me, making it impossible to focus.
Ashton turned to the doctor. “Can’t you give her an epidural? Do it now!”
The doctor shook her head. “She’s not at full term. The baby suffered a significant impact, and an epidural could affect the baby.”
