Emery In The ER
Harper's car screeched to a stop outside the hospital entrance. She yanked open the back door, grabbed Emery's wrist in a bruising grip, and dragged her out forcefully.
"Let go of me!" Emery screamed, trying to pull her arm free. "Harper, please, you're hurting me! The baby! Stop!"
Harper was hysterical, eyes wild, voice shrill. "Shut up! You're coming with me right now! I'm proving once and for all that this bastard isn't Alexander's!"
She dragged Emery toward the main doors, ignoring her cries of pain. Emery stumbled, one hand desperately clutching her belly as sharp cramps radiated through her lower abdomen.
A few nurses near the entrance immediately noticed the commotion. One young nurse stepped forward, eyes wide with alarm.
"Ma'am, what are you doing? Let her go, she's pregnant!"
Harper ignored her, yanking Emery harder. "She's a liar! She tricked my brother into marriage and now she's carrying some other man's bastard! I'm taking her for a paternity test right now!"
Emery cried out as another wave of pain hit her. "Harper please! Something's wrong... I feel... ahh!"
More staff gathered. A senior nurse rushed over, her face paling as she saw the situation.
"Security! Someone call security now!"
Harper was screaming louder, creating a full scene in the busy hospital entrance. "You all think she's innocent? She's a whore who slept with someone else and passed the baby off as my brother's! I'm exposing her today!"
One of the nurses suddenly gasped in horror.
"Blood! She's bleeding!"
Everyone's eyes dropped to Emery's white trousers... a bright red stain was rapidly soaking through the fabric between her legs.
The head nurse, a no-nonsense woman in her fifties, immediately took charge. She shoved Harper's hand off Emery's wrist and pulled Emery protectively behind her.
"Get your hands off her!" the head nurse barked at Harper. "Security! Grapple this woman and call the police right now! This is assault and endangerment of a pregnant patient!"
Two security guards rushed in and grabbed Harper, who was still screaming obscenities.
"You can't do this! She's a fraud! That baby isn't a Prescott!"
Emery's face had gone deathly pale. Her legs buckled as a sharp, tearing pain ripped through her abdomen.
"I... I can't..." she gasped.
Her eyes rolled back. She lost consciousness and started to fall.
The nurses caught her just in time, lowering her gently to the floor.
"Get a gurney! Now!" the head nurse shouted. "Possible placental abruption, heavy vaginal bleeding! Call OB emergency and prepare for possible C-section! Move!"
Chaos erupted as medical staff swarmed around Emery. They lifted her onto a gurney and rushed her inside, one nurse pressing a pad between her legs to stem the bleeding while another monitored the baby's heartbeat.
Harper was still struggling against the security guards, screaming, as the police sirens grew louder in the distance.
Emery was wheeled away, unconscious, blood staining the white sheets beneath her.
The baby's life and Emery's now hung in the balance.
×××××××
Jesse and Ivy burst through the hospital entrance together, both breathing hard from running. The moment they stepped inside, two police officers turned toward them.
"Mr. Prescott," Sergeant James said, recognizing Jesse immediately.
"Sergeant James," Jesse replied, his voice tight. His eyes instantly drifted to Harper, who was now handcuffed and sitting on a bench near the wall, still ranting under her breath.
Sergeant James stepped forward, his expression grave.
"Do you have any idea what your sister did here?
She dragged Mrs. Prescott into the hospital against her will.
She assaulted her and endangered both the mother and the unborn child.
We have multiple witnesses from the hospital staff and clear CCTV footage. "
Ivy's face twisted in horror. "Harper, what did you do to her?"
Harper looked up, eyes wild and unrepentant. "I did what I had to do to get rid of that bastard!" she screamed. "She thinks she can be happy? She can carry a child? She can have all the love? Never!"
Jesse's jaw clenched so hard it ached. He moved toward her, palm raised mid-air, ready to strike but he stopped himself at the last second. His hand trembled as he forced it back down, clenching it into a tight fist at his side.
"If something happened to Emery or the baby," he growled, voice low and dangerous, "you're going to pay for it. I swear to God, Harper."
Sergeant James stepped between them. "Mr. Prescott, we have to take her to the station now."
"Of course," Jesse said coldly, never taking his eyes off his sister. "I will never stop you."
Harper started screaming and protesting as the officers dragged her away. "This isn't over! You'll all see! That baby isn't a Prescott! She's a liar!"
Jesse and Ivy watched her go, the screams echoing down the hallway until they faded.
Then they rushed to the reception desk.
"Emery Prescott?" Jesse demanded, voice urgent. "The woman who was dragged in here by that psycho? Where is she?"
The receptionist, who had witnessed the entire chaotic scene, nodded quickly. "She's in the ER right now. Possible placental abruption and early labor. They're preparing her for an emergency C-section."
Ivy gasped, hand flying to her mouth. "Thirty-four weeks... it's too early!"
The head nurse hurried over, her face serious. "Mr. Prescott?"
Jesse turned sharply. "Yes?"
The nurse spoke quickly but professionally. "Your sister-in-law has gone into labor. There's significant bleeding and signs of placental abruption. The baby's heart rate is dropping. We need to do an immediate C-section to save both mother and child. We're moving her to the OR now."
Jesse's world tilted. His face drained of color. He staggered back a step, head falling into his hands as the weight of the words crashed over him.
"No... God, no..." he choked out, voice breaking. Tears spilled down his cheeks as his shoulders shook. "Please... not them. Not my Emery... not my son..."
Ivy wrapped her arms around him, tears streaming down her own face. "Jesse... they're going to do everything they can. We have to be strong for them."
But Jesse could only stand there, head bowed, crying silently as the fear of losing the woman he loved and their unborn child threatened to destroy him completely.
The nurse gently touched his arm. "We'll update you as soon as we can. Please wait in the family area."
Jesse nodded numbly, still broken, as Ivy guided him toward the waiting room.
The wait had begun.
And it felt like the longest night of their lives.
×××××××
The hospital waiting area was thick with tension when Rebecca and Alexander arrived. Jesse was pacing like a caged animal, hands clenched into fists, eyes red-rimmed from unshed tears and barely contained rage. Ivy sat nearby, looking pale and shaken.
The moment Rebecca stepped through the doors, Jesse exploded.
"Mom!" he shouted, voice cracking with fury as he stormed toward her.
"Your daughter has lost her fucking mind!
Harper dragged Emery out of the house, threw her into her car, and brought her here against her will!
She was screaming, calling the baby a bastard, saying she was going to prove it isn't Alexander's!
Emery was in pain, Mom! Harper wouldn't let go! "
Alexander's face hardened. "What?"
Jesse turned on him too, but his main fury was aimed at Rebecca.
"If something happens to Emery or the baby because of what Harper did today, I swear to God I will not let her go.
I will make sure she pays for this. She has already lost Kitty, and now she's trying to take my.
.." He caught himself, breathing hard. "She's trying to destroy everything! "
Rebecca looked stunned, her usual composure cracking. "Jesse... why are you so furious? So protective of Emery? She's Alexander's wife. Of course we're all worried, but you're acting like-"
Before she could finish the question, the door to the inner corridor opened. The obstetrician who had been handling Emery's pregnancy, Dr. Maxwell, walked out, her face grave and tired.
The entire family turned to her.
"Mrs. Prescott, Mr. Prescott," Dr. Maxwell said, addressing the group but looking mainly at Alexander and Jesse.
"Emery is stable enough for a brief moment, but we need to operate soon.
There's significant placental abruption caused by the trauma.
The baby is in distress, and Emery is losing blood.
We're preparing for an emergency C-section. "
She paused, her voice turning solemn. "The next hour is critical. You can see her for a minute or two before we take her in."
The words landed like a bomb.
Jesse's face crumpled. He turned away, pressing a fist to his mouth as tears spilled down his cheeks. Alexander looked stunned, his own injuries suddenly forgotten. Rebecca's hand flew to her chest, eyes wide with shock. Ivy covered her mouth, stifling a sob.
Dr. Maxwell gave them a compassionate nod. "This way, please. Quickly."
"We'll go," Alexander said and gestured to Jesse to follow him.
They followed her down the corridor to a pre-op room. Emery lay on the gurney, pale and hooked up to monitors, an IV in her arm. Her eyes were open but filled with fear as she cradled her bump with both hands.
The moment she saw them, fresh tears slipped down her cheeks.
"Alexander... Jesse..." she whispered, voice weak.
Jesse moved first, gently taking her hand. "We're here, Emery. You're going to be okay. Both of you."
Alexander stood on the other side, his expression a mix of guilt and worry. "I'm so sorry this happened. Harper will answer for this."
Emery gave a small, pained nod, her hand tightening around Jesse's fingers for a brief second before she let go, mindful of who was watching.
The doctor gently urged them back. "We need to move her now."
As the nurses wheeled Emery away toward the operating room, Jesse stood frozen in the hallway, watching her go.
The fear of losing their son was tearing him apart.
×××××××
The operating room was blindingly bright under the surgical lights. Emery lay on the table, draped in sterile blue sheets, her arms outstretched on boards.
Local anesthesia had numbed her from the chest down, but she was fully awake: heart pounding, eyes wide with terror.
She could feel the pressure, the tugging, the strange pulling sensations as the doctors worked.
"Scalpel," the lead surgeon said calmly.
Emery's breath hitched as she felt the first incision: not pain, but a deep, sickening pressure across her lower abdomen. She stared at the ceiling, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes.
"Stay with us, Emery," the anesthesiologist said gently, monitoring her vitals. "You're doing great. Baby's heart rate is holding for now."
The doctors moved with agonizing slowness and extreme care. Too careful, Emery thought desperately. Every second felt like an eternity. She could hear the metallic clink of instruments, the quiet beeps of the monitors, the murmured instructions between the surgical team.
"Retractors... careful with the placenta... there's more bleeding than expected."
Emery's hands clenched into fists. She could feel the tugging intensify, the strange sensation of her body being opened. Blood soaked the drapes. She saw the surgeon's gloved hands moving, stained red.
"Is he okay?" she whispered hoarsely. "My baby... is he okay?"
"Heart rate is dropping a little," a nurse replied. "We're almost there. Just a few more minutes."
Forty-five minutes dragged by in a haze of fear and pain. Emery's vision started to blur. The room spun. She felt cold, so cold.
"Blood pressure dropping... she's losing too much..."
Emery's eyelids grew heavy. The last thing she remembered was the surgeon's voice, urgent now:
"Clamp... we have the baby... come on, little one..."
Then everything went black.
She passed out, not knowing if her son had taken his first breath.
Not knowing if she would ever wake up again.
×××××××