Set Fire and Burn

Set Fire and Burn Trigger Warnings:

Abduction, Violence, Murder/Assassination, Strong Language, Sex, Death, Substance Abuse, Dismemberment, Blood/Gore, Mutilation of Corpse, Sexual Assault, Crude Language, Immolation, Imprisonment, Voyeurism, Illegal Activities, Bondage, Prejudice, and Miscarriage.

Set Fire and Burn

Prologue

The petite blonde had staggered into the emergency room and all but collapsed, holding her stomach. Her skin and hair were bruised and dirty, her lips cracked and split, and her clothes little more than rags. The young woman had been through hell and looked as if she’d been held against her will. When the receptionist tried to call the police, the young mother shot out her hand and stopped her. “Don’t, please!” 

“Who do you want me to call?” the receptionist asked in concern. 

“Not the cops, he owns the cops,” she said in fear, then doubled over in pain. “The baby’s coming.” Within moments, the woman was put on a gurney and wheeled through the emergency room doors away from the prying eyes of others waiting to be seen for less urgent things. Once she was in a room, two nurses helped her out of her clothes and into a hospital gown. The older nurse had kind eyes and moved with the confidence of years of practice, while the younger nurse with short blonde hair struggled to keep up. The door was opened by a nurse with fiery red hair carrying supplies for a sponge bath. 

“Don’t you worry, sweetie, we’re going to get you cleaned up before this baby comes. You’re safe now,” the third nurse said.

“I don’t think the baby is going to wait,” the young mother said, doubling over in pain.

“Her contractions are about three minutes apart; the doctor needs to see her now,” the older nurse said. 

“I’ll get you cleaned up while the doctor and other nurses take care of the pregnancy,” the fiery redhead assured her with a smile. 

“We need to get a blood sample,” the younger nurse informed her, pulling out a needle.

“NO!” the young mother cried, jerking away from the nurse and trying to climb out of the bed.

“Easy! We just need to know your blood type, in case we need to give you blood,” the young blonde with the needle said as the other two kept the mother from falling.

“No more needles.” Tears slipped down the distressed mother’s face as a storm suddenly clouded the sunny day.

“We will just put you down for O-Neg in case it’s needed. Don’t worry, we won’t let anyone hurt you,” the red-headed nurse assured her with a look at the one with the needle. The nurse put it back in the supply cart and held up her hands, showing that they were indeed empty. 

“Will you at least let us get your vitals? No needles, promise,” the redhead pressed.

The young mother looked around at the three women in the room with her and nodded. “Just no needles.” With that, the nurses set to work as the storm rapidly grew in intensity. 

When the doctor came in, the nurses reported the young woman’s elevated blood pressure, fever, and a racing heart. “I know you’ve requested no needles, but based on the information I’ve been given, we may need to do surgery to save you and the baby. Can you tell me how far along you are?”

“Nine months, please, no needles, please,” she whimpered.

“I’ll do everything I can,” he said before pulling on his gloves and instructing her on how to lie properly in the bed for the best delivery and to check her dilation. 

Lightning flashed across the sky, and the lights went out in the hospital as the young mother screamed in pain. The storm had rolled in without warning, and the generators were failing. The young mother was in distress, but without the machines, all the doctors could do was hope. The doctors had been ready to rush her into a C-section when the storm had hit and left them with only the lightning flashes to see by. 

“Looks like we don’t have a choice. The baby is already crowning anyway. On your next contraction, I’m going to need you to push for me, alright?” the doctor instructed.

The young mother didn’t even have time to nod or catch her breath before another contraction hit and she was pushing. With only a few contractions, the baby girl came into the world crying loud enough to be heard over the thunderstorm that continued to shake the hospital. “You have a healthy daughter,” the nurse said behind the doctor as he worked to stitch up the mother.

The young mother smiled through her tears. “Angelica, her name is Angelica Steel.”

The doctor looked at the nurse. “Swaddle the baby and let her hold her daughter.” 

The mother closed her eyes. “I’m bleeding too much, aren’t I?” 

“I’m afraid so, Miss Steel,” the doctor said in a quiet voice. “I’m doing all I can for you, just hold your daughter for a moment.” The young mother never got to hold her daughter before losing consciousness, her pulse and breathing were undetectable. The baby girl cried as the nurses and doctor struggled to revive the mother during the storm. Time of death was called as the baby was taken to the nursery and the mother was wheeled to the morgue.