Chapter 2 - Eden

“Keep your breathing steady, ma’am. We’re almost there.” the paramedic urged, his hand resting on my shoulder as the ambulance rocked down the road to the hospital.

“Could you hand me my phone?” I swallowed hard, holding back a groan as a fresh wave of pain ripped through me “Please, I need to talk to him. I need to tell him I had to go to the hospital…”

“Uh… Of course, but…” the woman exchanged a worried look with her colleague, who was standing nearby “We’ve tried a few times and…”

“He… He’s just busy…” I tried to justify, relief flooding through me as they placed the phone back in my hand “I know he’ll either answer now or call back soon when he sees all my missed calls…”

Even though the paramedics’ eyes remained skeptical and almost pitying, I focused solely on calling again, my hands shaking as the intense pain of the contractions threatened to make me pass out. 

God, this wasn’t how things were supposed to happen. Our little girl was about to face all the risks of a premature birth and Connor wasn’t with us. He probably couldn’t answer the phone because his meeting was going so well. 

My poor husband… He would be so desperate when he found out what had happened…

“We’re here!” the paramedic said, starting a commotion around the corner as the ambulance doors opened “We need to be quick and get her to the operating room…”

“Will I need a C-section?” I swallowed, my body starting to shake “Is my baby in any danger? Is she low on oxygen?”

“Well…” the paramedic looked at me, clearly surprised that I knew that kind of thing. “The few tests we managed to do in the ambulance are very inconclusive. We need to take you to an obstetrician to find out what the best option is.” I felt the stretcher rush through the hospital corridors, while my despair grew. “You’ll be fine, Mrs. Mycroft. You called the ambulance quickly enough.”

“Please, just…” my voice cracked, tears threatening to fall “Just do whatever it takes to make sure my baby is okay. No matter what happens to me.”

“You have my word, Mrs. Mycroft.” The woman smiled gently. “Now, please, just focus on breathing deeply, okay? We’re almost there…” The stretcher stopped abruptly, as the paramedic’s expression changed from calm to suspicious. “What are you doing here, Ellison?”

I couldn't help but feel the tension freeze in my body at the mention of that last name. Still, I lifted my head slightly to find Jane standing there, dressed in a white lab coat and holding a clipboard. 

For a moment, she looked just surprised, until her green eyes met mine… And, there it was. That expression of anger and contempt that always made me uncomfortable. I had spent years, ever since they were just kids, trying to convince myself that those reactions didn't mean that Jane hated me or something… But I had never succeeded.

Whenever I was in the same room as that woman, I felt like a worm that Jane wanted to crush under her shoe.

“What are you doing here?” Jane asked rather harshly, almost accusingly, as her eyes dropped to my belly.

“She’s in labor. 31 weeks, almost 32.” The paramedic explained, a slight grimace on her face, as if this was the last place she wanted to be. “While you’re here, please call Dr. Ellison. I don’t think it’s possible to induce labor anymore. Emergency surgery will probably be necessary…”

“Are you an obstetrician, by any chance?” Jane cut her off, lifting my skirt right there in the middle of the hallway and coldly observing my dilation “Take her to a room and give her some oxytocin. We have too many patients in the maternity ward right now. We can’t delay my brother’s schedule just because someone is being dramatic. She’s probably just confusing late pregnancy symptoms with labor symptoms…”

“No!” I tried my best to sit up, which only made the pain worse and a groan escaped me. “I’m not! I’ve read about Braxton Hicks contractions, and it’s nothing like what I’m feeling. Plus, the blood…!”

“Oh! A gold digger reading medical articles? What a joke.” Jane let out a mocking laugh, making me freeze.

She had been rude to me before, but... Not like that. Not so openly.

“Don't waste scarce medical resources on her.” she continued, dismissive “Just push her into any random room-”

“And you know?” the paramedic interrupted her, irritated “You’re just a psychiatry intern, Ms. Ellison. This pregnant woman needs to be examined by an obstetrician, not an intern…”

“I think I should let my father know about the kind of paramedic who is working at his hospital.” Jane threatened, silencing the woman immediately. “Take her to her room right now. And don’t you dare bother me or my brother with this matter again!”

“Jane! Wait!” Even though the situation was clearly already uncomfortable enough, I still tried to stop Jane from leaving. “Please… I really need help… If you don’t believe me, then at least help me contact Connor…” I swallowed hard, a fresh wave of pain filling my eyes with tears. “I can’t…”

“You can’t communicate with him?” Jane finished disdainfully, sizing me up and down. “And you still think he would want to talk to you?”

“What… What do you mean…?”

“You know very well what I’m talking about.” Jane growled, her tone filled with a feeling that could not be described as anything other than hatred. “Get her out of my sight. I don’t have time for this.”

“Jane! Jane, wait…!” I tried to stop her again, the fear in my chest growing as the pain continued, but no one there seemed to care about it besides the paramedics.

“Call Dr. Ellison. He’s probably in room 37, checking on Mrs. Lovelace’s recovery.” The paramedic murmured to her colleague, before returning to push my stretcher into a place that didn’t look like a room. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Mycroft. That girl thinks she can dictate how we care for patients, just because she’s the hospital director’s daughter. I’ll make sure you get the care you need…”

“Thank y-you” I couldn’t stop that scream from escaping, as a terrible pain tried to tear me apart from the inside out “Oh, God… Please! My baby!”

A wave of overwhelming despair suddenly surged through me. I could feel my child slipping away from me, and even now, it was only Connor's face I saw in my mind. I know he would be there if he could. And I know I have to be strong for him and not for me.

“Connor…” I whispered to myself, almost in a prayer, feeling the tears of fear and despair streaming down my face "Please, Connor... I need you..."

“Damn, your bleeding is increasing.” The paramedic growled, as the stretcher moved even faster. “Nurses! Quick! Find the first obstetrician you can! We have a serious case here, probably needing surgery.” The woman directed people around, but all I could feel was that excruciating pain and my strength starting to leave me “Stay with me, Mrs. Mycroft. You and your baby are going to be fine.”

“Please…” I begged, gritting my teeth to keep myself from passing out, even though my vision was already starting to blur “Can… Can you try to contact my husband again? I… I need him here…”

“I’ll do my best.” The woman nodded, though she didn’t seem sure about it “Is there anyone else who can accompany you to the delivery room? Your mother?”

“She… She’s dead…” I gasped and the tears I had tried so hard to control began to flow “A drunk driver hit her last year.”

“It’s okay, honey…” the paramedic gently wiped the sweat from my forehead “What about brothers? Sisters? Your father?”

“I… I don’t have any brothers… And I don’t have a father…” I struggled to keep my eyes open, not even able to comprehend the words that were coming out of my own mouth “He didn’t want to be my father when I was a child… He has no right to want that now…”

“Mrs. Mycroft? Mrs. Mycroft, please stay awake!”

“Please…” I gathered all my strength, but that was only enough for a single word to escape my trembling lips “Connor…”

In the next instant, there was nothing but darkness. No time, no pain, no voices. 

When I was finally able to feel my body again, I had no idea how many minutes or hours had passed. The only thing I was sure of was that my pain was no longer as intense and my eyes felt abnormally heavy, as if I was under anesthesia. 

However, even though there was no strength left in my body, I struggled hard to regain some semblance of lucidity, my hand anxiously groping below my stomach, searching for…

“Annie?” I called out my baby’s name, my entire body shaking as I tried to sit up in bed, staring in panic at my now completely empty belly. “What…? Where…?” I looked around, realizing I was in a hospital room, with a blood bag attached to my arm and a completely empty hospital crib next to the bed.

“Where’s my baby?” I asked into the empty room, my terrified voice sounding like nothing more than a mumble. “Please! I need help! My baby…!”

My words trailed off when the bedroom door suddenly opened, causing relief to wash over me.

“Connor!” I cried out in joy, my eyes filling with tears as my husband approached. “You’re here! I was so scared! I was just taking a nap on the couch when I woke up bleeding and…” I was struck dumb the moment he finally stood before me and I could see his expression clearly, which made my heart stop. “Connor? What… What’s wrong?”

I expected to see my husband happy, worried or even relieved, ready to take me to where our daughter was or just hug me. But on his face, I saw only shadows. Pain, anger and hurt, all mixed together in a hard and intimidating expression that I had never seen before. At least, not directed at me.

“What’s wrong?” he asked with a growl, as if his teeth were clenched. “How dare you still pretend to be innocent? Did you really think I wouldn’t find out what you did? Even after that damn meeting?”

“What… What are you talking about…?”

“About my project, Eden!” he roared, full of rage, making me cringe “About the damn project my brother and I spent months working on! The very one that was supposed to build a future for us! The formula you sold to Bowman!”