A cold hand grasped his wrist as he slumped to his knees. Tears brimmed his chocolate brown eyes as he wrapped his arms around his wife Ella who had just revealed what he had been suspecting all along. She was pregnant and he couldn't be more happy. Utter joy seemed into his bones as he felt himself smiling from ear-to-ear. Ella too, could not stop smiling, in fact, she was glowing.
It was Mid-November and they were standing outside of his workplace basking in each other's embrace, smiles stretched across their faces as the cold winter air swirled around them. Daniel knew this winter was likely to be a White Christmas.
"Oh how Ella would love it!" , he thought to himself.
Flash forwarding to present day, Ella brought herself out of her revere as she watched her lovely husband busy himself packing a hospital bag. She was now seven months into her pregnancy and could not wait for their child to be born. She rubbed her tummy and smiled at the thought of another little Daniel or Ella running around creating havoc around them. They had decided to keep the gender a secret since according to Daniel's mom is "one of life's greatest surprises".
Straight away, the urge to empty her bladder became her top priority. Resting one hand on the sofa seat behind her and the other on the arm rest, she supported herself until she could stand. She waddled her way to the bathroom until half-way there she felt something wet trickle down her legs. At first she was ready to cry thinking that she had wet herself but even at first glance the red stains on her pants indicated otherwise.
Frantically shouting Daniel's name, panic and fear consumed every fiber of her being. She was scared, no terrified for her child. Streams of tears flowed like rivers down her face. Her words were incomprehensible. She did not know what to do. Thankfully, Daniel scooped her up in his arms, gently placed her in the car and sped off to the hospital.
Upon arrival at the hospital, Ella was immediately rushed to Emergency. Daniel ran with the doctors, holding her hand and tried his best to hold it together, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. Eventually, when they reached behind the glass doors and a nurse in blue scrubs stopped him he knew he had done all he could. He was then directed to the waiting room.
Sobs racked his body as the worst thoughts filled his mind. He pulled at his hair so hard he was sure by now there would be bald spots but he did not care. What he cared about was that the most precious people in the world to him were currently on a surgery table possibly fighting to stay alive. Guilt consumed him. Worry ate at him. Anxiety snaked its way into his veins. He became frustrated. He wanted to destroy everything in sight. Anger clawed at him, anger for himself, the doctors and anyone who passed by.
It felt like an eternity passed before the glass doors reopened. Daniel glanced up, his neck cracking from being in one position for too long while his eyes were glassy, swollen and blood-shot. He shot up from his position on the door on seeing the doctor. His eyes roamed the doctor's attire carefully observing his tired face and blood-splattered scrubs. Daniel braced himself for the worst. Taking a deep a breath, he opened his mouth to speak but the doctor held his hand up effectively stopping him.
With baited breath, Daniel agonizingly watched as the doctor pulled of his mask to speak. As soon as it was off, their eyes connected and the doctor spoke,
"You are one very lucky man. We were able to save both your wife and child but the baby will have to stay in NICU and your wife in ICU. Would you like to know what brought this early birth on?"
"Yes," he barely whispered but the doctor heard him.
The doctor took a deep breath and launched into the explanation,
"Your wife had placenta previa. This is where she had a low-lying placenta. This means that at the start of her third trimester the placenta was low in the uterus and completely covered the opening of the birth canal. In turn, the area of the placenta over the cervix began to bleed. However, your wife is a fighter and will recover in no time so there is no need for you to worry. You should get some rest your wife will be awake soon."
With that the doctor left a stunned Daniel. He learnt something today and he made sure to remember it for the future in case he and Ella decided to try again someday. He made a mental note to research how to prevent a low-lying placenta. Leaning his head against the wall, Daniel breathed out a sigh of relief. Everything was okay. His family was okay. He knew everything would be alright.
THE END