Chapter 1

“Dan!” Karen screamed as loud as she could. “Dan, I need you now!” She cried urgently, causing him to stir a little from his sleep.

“Dan, Karen is calling you into the bathroom!” Wendy said, poking him in the ribs. She followed Dan as he hurried to the bathroom doorway. He stopped, and his eyes widened in horror. Karen stood with her legs spread, hands outstretched, and stiffness at her sides. Her face expressed unbelievable horror.

“Dan, the baby, our baby!” She shrieked, looking down at the floor.

Karen stood paralyzed with fear, with dark blood running down her legs and also dripping from her vagina. “Our baby!” She shrieked. She looked from the dripping blood to her love, terrified at the unthinkable.

“Wendy, call 911!” Dan instructed as he came to the aid of his wife. He grabbed a towel and put it between her legs. “Lay down, honey,” he said softly, helping her down to the floor.

“I felt cramping in my belly and went to the bathroom. When I wiped myself, I saw a lot of blood on the toilet paper. Then I looked in the toilet and saw more blood—awful, awful, dark-looking blood! Oh, Dan, I can’t lose this baby!” She started to cry.

“We’ll get you to the hospital and find out what’s wrong. Maybe it seems like a lot of blood because of the water in the toilet,” he tried to reassure her, though seeing a deep red colour in the toilet.

“The paramedics are on the way. I told them about Karen being seventeen weeks pregnant,” Wendy said, pulling on her top and jeans. The look of concern was already etched on her face as she passed clothes to Dan. Wendy covered Karen with a blanket to keep her warm.

“What’s all the commotion about?” A sleepy Brenda asked, then saw the blood-stained floor.

“Mom is bleeding and has to go to the hospital!” Dan said it loudly.

“Oh my god, I’ll wake up the others!” And she darted off.

Moments later, Brad and Jake poked their heads in the doorway. “Brenda told me what’s happening. I’ll wait outside for the ambulance!” Brad quickly offered.

“Thanks, Brad.”

“Oh Daniel, I can’t lose this baby; I just can’t lose our baby!” She exclaimed, tightly gripping his bicep.

Wendy knelt beside her second love, holding Karen’s hands in support and comfort. The rest of the family stood in the doorway, offering words of encouragement, feeling useless but wanting to help.

The minutes seemed to drag. Soon, the sound of the ambulance’s siren grew louder. Brad stood at the end of the driveway, directing them to his home. The siren and flashing lights soon attracted neighbours in the sleepy suburban community.

Two paramedics came into the bathroom with their emergency kits strapped to a stretcher. Dan and Wendy stood aside, giving the paramedics room to work on Karen. “Hi Karen, I’m Jim.”

“And I’m Steve,” they announced.

Karen’s forehead was already hurting from her eyes opening so wide. “Please, you’ve got to save my baby!” She pleaded, gripping Steve’s arm.

The rescue team took Karen’s blood pressure and other vitals while asking her questions about her health, then started a flow of oxygen to her through a nostril tube. Jim pulled the towel away from between her legs. The blood had started to coagulate and become sticky. Karen coughed, and a large pool of dark blood trickled out.

The two paramedics eyed each other, realizing their patient was in serious condition. Karen looked from one to the other. “It’s serious, isn’t it? I was a nurse at Memorial. Please help my baby! I can’t lose our baby!” She begged, grabbing Jim by the jacket sleeve.

They managed to squeeze the stretcher into the bathroom and lift Karen onto it, then the family followed her out to the waiting ambulance. Several neighbours were standing by the ambulance, while others looked on from their front doors or windows.

“I love you, honey; we’ll be right behind you!” Dan said, kissing Karen and squeezing her hand. Wendy kissed her as the others gathered at the foot of her stretcher.

Karen waved goodbye as Jim sat beside her, and Steve closed the ambulance door. It sped off towards the hospital, the siren and flashing lights pleading its urgency. Dan and Wendy, with the others, rushed inside, gathered what they needed, and drove to the hospital.

Dan left the Mustang at home, taking the Maxima for more passenger room. Wendy held Dan’s right hand as Brenda and Brad offered encouragement to cover their worry about their mother. Diane drove her Mustang, taking Jake and Timmy with her.

Karen was wheeled into the emergency room to a team of waiting hospital staff. The paramedics passed on Karen’s vital medical numbers to them. Her skin was much paler now, and her breathing was growing laboured. “Please save my baby! You’ve got to save my baby!” She pleaded loudly.

“We’ll try and do our best,” the nurse said. The pressure bandage was removed from her groin, revealing oozing, dark blood from her vagina. The doctor on duty did a quick ultrasound of Karen’s abdomen. The image was blurry and dark. The physician knew his limitations with babies and called for the doctor from obstetrics to immediately come down.

The nurse repacked the gauze between Karen’s legs and made her as comfortable as she could. Five long minutes later, “Hi Karen, I’m Doctor Cooper,” she smiled. The doctor viewed the stained bandage and her vagina. She picked up the probe and conducted her ultrasound scan of Karen. “Sorry if it hurts you,” she said, having to press down on Karen’s abdomen.

She squinted, trying to make out any image on the screen. “Please save my baby; you’ve got to save my baby!” Karen pleaded once again. She lifted her head, trying to see the small monitor.