19. Chapter Nineteen #2
“We’re recommending delivery by C-section,” she said. “The exact timing depends on whether the bleeding returns and how you and the baby continue to do.”
Caroline stared at her. “Today?”
“It may need to be today.”
“But she’s early.”
“She is. We’ll have the right team for her at delivery. Right now, the monitor looks good.”
The doctor said more about observation and preparation. Caroline caught pieces. Bleeding. Position. Surgery. Baby early. She tried to fit them together and couldn’t.
Hayden came through the door in the clothes he’d worn to travel, his tie loose and his face drained of color. His gaze found Caroline, then the monitor, then her mother.
“I’m here.”
He reached the bed and took Caroline’s hand in his. The pressure of his fingers was firm and familiar. She clung to him before she could decide whether she meant to.
“Tell me,” he said.
Caroline tried. “The placenta is still low. They think I need a C-section. Maybe today. The bleeding slowed, and she seems all right, but it could start again.”
Hayden looked toward the obstetrician. “Is that correct?”
“Yes.” The doctor explained again, more slowly when Hayden asked her to. She answered his questions about Caroline’s condition, the baby’s monitoring, and what would make surgery immediate.
Then Hayden turned back to Caroline.
“Do you understand what they’re recommending?”
“Some of it.”
“Do you feel comfortable having the surgery here?”
Caroline looked around the crowded treatment area. A cart rattled past outside. Someone called for a nurse. She thought of the waiting, the broken pieces of information, and her mother’s repeated questions.
The truth came out in a whisper.
“I don’t trust this place. I’m scared.”
Hayden lifted her hand and pressed it against his chest. “All right.”
He didn’t tell her she was being foolish. He didn’t say the doctors knew best and she should stop worrying. He looked at the obstetrician.
“Is she stable enough to transfer?”
“At this moment, we can explore it,” the doctor said. “If the bleeding starts again or the baby’s condition changes, we would need to deliver here. I won’t approve a transfer unless the receiving team accepts her and we have suitable medical transport.”
Hayden nodded. Then he looked at Caroline.
“After your fall, I found a maternity center in Los Angeles with surgical and newborn support. I kept their number. Do you want me to call?”
Caroline didn’t have to think. “Yes.”
He stayed with her while he made the first call.
He reached the private service quickly, but he didn’t decide what happened next.
The specialist in Los Angeles spoke directly to the Bakersfield obstetrician.
Records and ultrasound results were sent.
The two doctors discussed Caroline and the baby while she listened to what she could understand.
The wait felt endless, though Hayden never let go of her hand.
At last, the Bakersfield doctor returned. “The receiving obstetrician has reviewed your condition and accepted the transfer. Their transport service can send a medical helicopter with a crew prepared to monitor you and the baby.”
“Is it safe?” Caroline asked.
“There are risks with any transfer. If you bleed again before you leave, we won’t go. Based on how you are now, I believe transfer is medically reasonable. You can also remain here, and we’ll care for you here. The choice is yours.”
The doctor explained the plan, the risks, and what would happen if Caroline’s condition changed.
This time, Caroline asked every question she had.
Hayden waited while the doctor answered, then asked whether she wanted anything repeated.
For the first time since the blood appeared, Caroline felt included in what was happening to her body.
She agreed to the transfer.
Only one person could go with her. Her mother kissed her forehead and promised to meet them in Los Angeles. Hayden arranged a car before Caroline could worry about how she would get there.
“I’ll call Jemma from the road,” her mother said. “You just take care of my girls.”
Hayden’s grip tightened around Caroline’s hand. “I will.”
The medical crew moved around her with clear, practiced steps. They checked the monitor, secured the lines, and told her what they were doing before they did it. By the time they took her toward the helicopter, fear had made everything thin and bright.
The flight came to her in pieces. Noise pressed through the headset.
Straps crossed the blanket covering her lap.
One crew member checked her blood pressure while another watched the baby’s heartbeat.
Hayden sat close enough that she could see him every time she turned her head.
Whenever she looked, he was already looking back.
At the Los Angeles maternity center, the receiving team was waiting. The softer light and private room should’ve been comforting, but Caroline cared most that the obstetrician introduced herself, explained what she knew, and asked what Caroline had already been told.
“We’ll keep monitoring you and the baby while we prepare,” she said. “Given the bleeding and the placenta’s position, I believe a C-section is the safest delivery. I want you to understand why before we proceed.”
Caroline asked about the baby being early. She asked what support would be available after birth. She asked whether Hayden could remain with her. Every question received an answer.
Then warmth spread under her, and the nurse’s expression changed as she checked. The bleeding had started again.
The obstetrician came back quickly. “I recommend we proceed now.”
Caroline looked at Hayden. Fear was plain on his face, but he didn’t let it become another pressure on her.
“I’m here,” he said.
She nodded. “Let’s do it.”
The next part blurred. Papers, consent, a cap over her hair. Medication and numbness from the waist down. Hayden returned in surgical clothes and sat near her head while a screen blocked the rest of the room from view.
Caroline shook even though she wasn’t cold.
“Look at me,” Hayden said.
She did.
“She’s going to be here soon,” he said.
“Don’t let go,” she begged.
“I won’t.”