Chapter 7 - THIRTY-ONE WEEKS
The operating room doors closed between them.
Noah stood alone in the corridor wearing a surgical cap and gown.
A nurse told him he could enter once the spinal anesthesia was complete.
Five minutes felt like an hour.
When he was finally brought inside, Mia lay beneath bright lights.
A blue surgical curtain separated her face from the doctors working below.
Noah sat near her head.
Her lips trembled.
“I’m scared.”
“So am I.”
He pressed his forehead against hers.
“But we’re together.”
A doctor called for another instrument.
Machines beeped rapidly.
Mia squeezed Noah’s hand.
“Promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“Do not let guilt make you weak.”
He looked at her.
“Victor and Scarlett will use your guilt.”
“They will tell you this happened because you failed.”
“You did fail to listen.”
“But what matters is what you do next.”
Noah swallowed.
“I will not fail you again.”
A sharp cry suddenly cut through the room.
Small.
Fragile.
Alive.
Mia began sobbing.
Noah turned toward the doctors.
A tiny baby girl was lifted above the curtain for only a second.
Her skin was red.
Her arms moved weakly.
Then the neonatal team carried her to a warming station.
“Is she breathing?”
Mia asked.
No one answered immediately.
Noah stood halfway before a nurse guided him back down.
The neonatal specialist worked quickly.
Then another faint cry filled the room.
“She is breathing.”
The doctor looked toward them.
“She needs support, but she is fighting.”
Mia covered her face.
Noah kissed her forehead repeatedly.
Their daughter weighed three pounds and nine ounces.
They named her Lily Rose Vale.
Lily after Mia’s mother.
Rose after the color of the dress Mia had worn the night she fought to protect her.
The neonatal team transferred Lily to intensive care.
Mia remained in surgery while doctors controlled the bleeding.
Noah waited between two worlds.
His wife behind one set of doors.
His daughter behind another.
At dawn, the surgeon approached.
“Mia is stable.”
Noah nearly collapsed from relief.
The surgeon’s expression remained serious.
“She lost a significant amount of blood.”
“She will need close observation.”
Noah thanked her.
His phone vibrated.
A video message had arrived from Scarlett’s attorney.
Scarlett sat inside an interview room.
Her red gown had been replaced by gray detention clothing.
She looked directly into the camera.
May you like
“Noah.”
“If you want your wife and daughter to survive the next forty-eight hours, you need to get me out.”
