Chapter 245: The Baby Is Safe

Dr. Desmond and Brad came sprinting right behind him, Desmond shouting commands while Brad frantically pulled out his phone to order a transport team.

"Get him onto the medical gurney in the private wing! Now!" Dr. Desmond ordered, barking directions to the on-site nurses as the heavy doors of the suite slammed shut behind us, cutting off the frantic shouts of our family outside.

Reid laid me down on the crisp white sheets, refusing to let go of my hand for even a second. His large palm was white-knuckled around mine, his forehead pressed against our tangled fingers as Dr. Desmond rushed forward with the ultrasound wand.

"Talk to me, Desmond!" Reid yelled, his voice breaking as he stared at the red staining my clothes. "Fix it! Fix him!"

"Keep him calm, Reid!" Dr. Desmond snapped, his hands moving with rapid precision as he prepped the scanner. "Kain, look at Reid. Deep breaths for me. Don’t stop breathing."

I couldn’t hear him over the deafening roar of blood pounding in my ears. I squeezed my eyes shut, terrified to look at the monitor, terrified of the silence, my chest heaving in absolute, unadulterated terror as another sharp cramp tore through my lower abdomen.

"Reid..." I wailed, the sound small, wrecked, and completely broken. "Don’t let her go... please don’t let her go..."

"It’s going to be fine, I promise..." Reid rasped, but even as the words left his mouth, his hands were shaking violently against mine.

He pressed his trembling forehead against our locked fingers, his breath coming in ragged, desperate gasps. His rich pine scent was erratic, heavy with a raw, suffocating fear, wrapping around me in a desperate attempt to keep both me and our daughter anchored to this world.

"Look at me, Kain. Please, look at me," Reid begged, his voice cracking into a fractured whisper. "I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. Just... Stay awake and look at me."

Dr. Desmond prepped the transducer wand with a fresh layer of gel, pressing it firmly against the lower curve of my bump. "Hold on... stay quiet for just a second..."

The entire room seemed to lose its air. The silence was suffocating, broken only by the sound of my ragged sobs and the quick, terrified shallow breaths coming from Reid’s chest.

Then, through the speakers of the portable unit, a sound broke through the static.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump.

Fast. Steady. Strong.

The rapid, rhythmic beat of our baby girl’s heart echoed through the room, loud and unmistakable.

A sharp, breathless gasp tore from my throat, my body going rigid on the sheets. Beside me, Reid froze. He lifted his head, his dark grey eyes bloodshot and wide, staring at the glowing monitor in complete, stunned disbelief.

"Her heart is strong," Dr. Desmond breathed out, a heavy, visible wave of relief crashing over his face as he scanned the screen. "The heart rate is completely stable. Kain, look at me—the placenta is intact. It’s an acute cervical tear from intense late-term pressure and fatigue, not a placental detachment. The baby is safe."

"She’s... she’s okay?" I sobbed out, the words barely carrying over my cracked lips as the paralyzing terror in my chest began to fracture. "She’s really okay?"

"She’s fine," Dr. Desmond confirmed firmly, wiping a hand over his own forehead before looking up at Reid. "We need to put him on bed rest starting right now, stop the bleeding, and monitor his contractions, but the baby is not in immediate danger."

The moment the words registered, Reid let out a sound that was half-sob, half-groan.

The strength completely drained from his massive frame, and he collapsed forward, burying his face into the side of the mattress right beside my head. His broad shoulders shook violently as he finally let go of the terror he’d been holding back, his shaking hands gripping mine so tight it almost hurt.

"She’s safe..." Reid choked out against the sheets, his voice thick and completely broken with relief. "You’re safe... Oh God, Cap... you’re both safe."

I raised my trembling right hand, my fingers tangling weakly into his damp blonde hair, pulling him as close as I physically could while Dr. Desmond and the nurses quietly went to work stabilizing me.

"Reid," I whispered, tears blurring my vision as I listened to the steady thump-thump-thump filling the room. "I was so scared."

"I know, Cap," Reid rasped, his voice muffled against the side of the mattress. He turned his head, pressing a long, desperate kiss to the back of my hand, his breath hot against my clammy skin. "I was terrified. God, I was so fucking scared."

He slowly pushed himself up just enough to look at me, his face drawn and pale, dark grey eyes glistening with fresh tears. The raw, unfiltered vulnerability in his expression cut deeper than any physical pain.

"I thought I lost you both," Reid whispered, his voice cracking down the middle. "I thought... when I saw the blood..."

He couldn’t even finish the sentence. A harsh, choked breath escaped him, and he leaned down again, pressing his forehead against mine. His hands, still trembling slightly, carefully cupped the sides of my neck, his thumbs tracing my jawline with painstaking gentleness, as if terrified I might shatter under his grip.

"Don’t do that to me again," he breathed, his rich pine scent finally settling out of its panicked razor-edge into something thick, warm, and intensely protective. "You’re staying in this bed. You’re resting. I don’t care if I have to carry you everywhere for the next two months—you aren’t lifting a single finger."

I let out a soft, watery laugh, tears continuing to slip down my cheeks as I tightened my fingers in his hair. "I think Dr. Desmond already ordered that, husband."

"I don’t care who ordered it," Reid murmured, leaning in to capture my lips in a deep, slow kiss that tasted of salt, panic, and profound relief. "It’s law now."

The door to the private suite clicked open softly behind us. Brad stepped in first, his face pale with lingering anxiety, followed closely by my parents, Marina, and Jennifer. The room was deathly quiet as they waited for the verdict.

"He’s stable," Dr. Desmond announced from the side of the bed, setting the scanner aside to write up a chart. "The baby’s heart rate is perfectly normal. It was a localized vascular tear—scary, lots of blood, but zero damage to the placenta or the fetus. Strict bed rest from here on out."

A collective, shuddering sigh of relief swept through the room. My mother immediately collapsed into my father’s side, burying her face in his shoulder as he rubbed her back, his own broad shoulders visibly relaxing for the first time in an hour.

Marina stepped up to the foot of the bed, her usual razor-sharp composure returning, though the tension in her jaw gave away how rattled she’d been. She looked at Reid, whose arm was still firmly anchored around my chest, then down at me.

"You really can’t let anyone else have the spotlight for one afternoon, can you, Kain?" Marina asked dryly, though her voice lacked its usual bite, softened by genuine affection.

"Sorry for ruining the day," I rasped out, offering her a weak, genuine smile.

"It’s fine. The confetti had already and we were simply partying, so you didn’t ruin anything," Jennifer said softly, coming up beside Marina and resting a hand on her arm. "Just take care of our niece."

Reid didn’t look up from me, but his fingers smoothed over the high curve of my stomach beneath the light blanket, his steady heartbeat pressing against my ribs as the monitors continued their soft, reassuring cadence in the background.