Chapter 3

The driver saw the blood on the seat and flinched.

"Hold on, I'm calling an ambulance right now!"

"No time."

I forced the words out through the pain.

"The nearest maternity hospital, please, hurry."

The driver ran two yellow lights, laying on the horn as he swung into the emergency bay.

Staff lifted me onto a gurney and hooked me up to the monitors.

"Blood pressure's dropping, fetal heart rate's abnormal. Looks like placental abruption."

"Draw blood and cross-match now, tell the OR to prep for an emergency C-section!"

I grabbed the doctor's sleeve.

"Can you save the baby?"

"We'll do everything we can. Stay awake for me."

The doctor leaned down.

"Where's the family? Who can sign the surgery consent?"

"I'll sign it myself."

The nurse pressed a pen into my hand, but I had no strength to hold it.

I'd barely written the first letter of my name when everything went black for a moment.

The nurse caught me fast.

"Patient's losing consciousness, find the emergency contact, quick."

I wanted her to call Frances.

My lips moved, but no sound came out.

The nurse opened the contacts on my phone. First on the list was Craig James.

The call went through, and he picked up quickly.

"Your wife has a placental abruption, she's in emergency care right now."

"You need to get to the hospital immediately and sign the surgery paperwork!"

The nurse read out the address.

Two seconds of silence on the other end, and then, unbelievably, he asked:

"Does she have the property deed and her ID on her?"

The nurse froze.

"Sir, this is life or death. Get here now!"

Fifteen minutes later the hospital cleared the emergency-treatment authorization, but a few of the forms still needed verifying.

The doctor kept pushing: if the family could sign immediately, they could get me into surgery faster.

Messy footsteps came down the end of the hallway.

Craig was here.

Behind him came Joyce Lambert and Morton James.

He looked at me on the gurney and didn't ask a single thing about my condition.

"Where's her bag?"

The nurse pointed to the bedside.

"The patient's lost a lot of blood. The family needs to sign first."

Craig pushed past the nurse and snatched up my bag.

He dug out my ID, my debit card, and my keys, then dumped everything in the inner pocket out onto the bed.

"Where's the deed?"

I used everything I had left to grab his wrist.

"Give it back!"

Craig shook me off.

My hand hit the bed rail, the IV needle wrenched sideways, and blood seeped out under the tape.

The doctor snapped at him.

"What do you think you're doing!"

"The patient is critical. Sign the surgery consent first!"

Craig pulled out a document and laid it in front of me.

A Deed Transfer Agreement, no payment involved, with Morton James filled in as the recipient.

"I'll sign,"

Craig said, giving the pen a little shake.

"as soon as she signs this."

The doctor glared at him.

"You're bargaining with her life!"

"This is a family matter."

Craig planted himself in front of the gurney.

"She doesn't sign, then I'm not admitting I'm family."

Morton stood off to the side, pushing him on:

"Craig, get her thumbprint on it already!"

"Clara's waiting on this house to get married."

Joyce Lambert came to the side of the bed and gripped my shoulder.

"Dorothy, I'm telling you for your own good. Be smart about this."

The pain curled me in on myself.

"Save the baby."

"You sign first. We'll deal with the house later."

Joyce's face went cold.

"Later?"

"Once the baby's out, what if you turn around and deny everything?"

She took out an ink pad, yanked my hand, and pressed it down into the red paste.

Craig slid the agreement under my hand.

The doctor reached out to stop him and Morton blocked the way.

The monitor began to alarm.

The doctor looked at the screen and shouted:

"The fetal heart rate's still dropping, we can't wait any longer!"

But Joyce clamped down on my wrist.

"She doesn't sign this agreement, and we will not sign that surgery form."

"This baby, we'd rather do without!"