The ER doctor is young. Calm. Probably sees pregnant women in crisis regularly.She does an ultrasound. Checks vitals. Asks questions about the "car accident" we definitely weren't in."Everything looks good," she finally says. "Baby's heartbeat is strong. No signs of placental abruption or distress. You got lucky."Lucky. Right."But you need to avoid stress," she continues. "I know that's hard given—" She gestures vaguely at us. At our whole situation. "—everything. But for the baby's sake, you need rest. Calm. Safety.""We're working on the safety part," Damien says.After she leaves, we sit in the ER bay. Curtain drawn. Both of us processing."Someone tried to kill you," Damien says. Voice hollow. "They shot at you. At our baby.""They shot at both of us.""The angle was wrong. They were aiming for you specifically. I saw the trajectory. If you'd been standing three inches to the left—" He can't finish."But I wasn't. We're alive. We're safe. We—""We're not safe!" He stands. Star
Last Updated : 2026-01-27 Read more