Chapter 6

Spencer Prescott stopped dead, as though he couldn't make sense of what the nurse had just told him.

"An induced abortion? A critical condition notice? What are you talking about?"

The nurse handed him the chart.

"Ms. Hayes was admitted yesterday morning with uterine bleeding and underwent an induced abortion. The bleeding continued after the procedure, and her fever wouldn't come down. Two hours ago, she suffered a severe blow to the abdomen, triggering another massive hemorrhage. She had to be rushed to the ICU."

"She had no family member there to sign the first critical condition notice, so she had to sign it herself when she briefly regained consciousness."

"She'd already received three blood transfusions. She was still in surgery."

The nurse ran through everything I'd been through since I was admitted, her voice edged with barely restrained anger.

Spencer staggered.

No matter how bad things had gotten, he'd always taken one thing for granted: after twelve years together, I could never bring myself to leave him, much less give up a baby I'd fought so hard to carry.

He had never imagined I would actually go through with the abortion.

Never imagined that this might be our final goodbye.

Never imagined losing me like this, in the kind of parting that was a last goodbye.

The ICU doors suddenly swung open. "Is Chloe Hayes's family here?"

Spencer hurried forward. "I'm her husband. How is she?"

"The uterine lining is severely damaged, and she's just suffered another hemorrhage. If she has another major bleed, she may not survive the night."

The nurse handed him another critical-condition form.

"We need a family member's signature."

Spencer stared at the form, his knuckles turning white as he gripped it.

The confidence he'd clung to, along with every trace of hope, drained away.

All that remained was a helplessness so acute it felt like something inside him was being torn apart.

The nurse asked, as part of the required assessment, "Why did the patient suffer such a severe blow to the abdomen?"

Spencer froze, a flicker of conflicting emotions crossing his face.

He signed the form, glanced once at the red light glowing above the ICU doors, and turned to find Vivian.

He walked into the ward and fixed his gaze on Vivian Larson, measuring her.

"Vivian, you know how much I hate being lied to. I'll give you one chance. Why did Chloe suddenly attack you?"

"You said she wanted to hurt the baby. Then why isn't there a single mark on you?"