A/N: This story is a departure from my usual writing style. Nonetheless, I hope you will enjoy it.
Thanks as always to the ever gracious charahkids for looking this over for me.
I don't own CHUCK, but I do think it's a nice gift for surviving the first year of my university's Law program. :p
Words: 7,849
Friday, February 26th 2021
'High risk'. As he sits in the doctor's office, the two words play on a loop in his mind.
He's not into a lot of the medical terms her doctor uses, but he's read enough during her previous pregnancies to know what it means.
They have two children already and the second one was touch and go. Due to complications which arose later in the pregnancy, Sarah went into preterm labour and was advised against having another.
That's why he is so scared right now.
He had a vasectomy after her doctor told them that them another pregnancy could put her life at risk. That's why he is now raking his mind trying to figure out how this could have happened.
Five weeks ago, Sarah started to feel terrible. She would vomit every day and her inability to keep anything down soon manifested physically as she started losing weight. A week of her refusing to go to the doctor came to an end when after insistence by him, Emma and Ellie, she finally caved. To his shock, she did not have the flu, nor had she caught a stomach bug.
Her OB/GYN had run some blood tests and the results had come in today. They have just found out that she is indeed seven weeks pregnant and Chuck is gobsmacked. The doctor stressed the complications that could arise from this pregnancy and advised Sarah against keeping it. Chuck agreed. Sarah refused to listen to the doctor or Chuck. In fact, from the time her long time doctor Christina had mentioned 'options', she had mostly tuned out of the conversation.
/\
The drive home was tense and Chuck is thankful that the boys will be sleeping over at his mother's apartment that night. Sarah is sitting on the bed, reading the nutrition facts on the back of her new bottle of prenatal vitamins and Chuck sighs.
"Sarah, you can't be serious about this," he says, his mouth set in a grim line.
"This isn't your decision," Sarah responds and the look on Chuck's face makes her regret the statement.
"Excuse me? What did you just say?" He looks furious.
"Chuck, please," Sarah begins but he cuts her off.
"Please what Sarah? You're over forty. The pregnancy with Chase was a difficult one. I am not going to sit here and watch you take a risk with your life." He runs his hands through his curls and sighs. "Sarah, this is not the time for you to be stubborn. I will not put up with it. Sarah, I love you and I cannot and will not allow you to do this." He walks away from her and paces for a moment before sitting down at the foot of the bed, his head in his hands.
"I don't want to fight about this."
"And you think I do?"
"Chuck, I'm sorry. I think this is a decision that ideally we need to make together but I can't do what you want me to do." Her voice is soft and tears are pooling in her eyes. She knows Chuck is usually supportive of her and not controlling. He's never forbidden her to do anything or try to force her to do something like he just did.
"Sarah!" Chuck warns, "you know how dangerous this is!" He can't believe that after everything with Chase and the doctor's cautioning earlier that they are even having this conversation. "Were you even listening today? You could die Sarah!"
"I know," she whispers.
"I can't lose you Sarah," Chuck finally looked at his wife. "You know what it would do to me. After that mess with Quinn, I almost lost you Sarah. If we do this, you and I both know I could lose you permanently."
"Chuck, I want to carry this baby." She reaches out and rests her hand on his shoulder.
"Sarah, please, please don't ask me to do this," he pleads.
"Chuck,"
"And what about Logan and Chase, Sarah?"
He is scared, she knows he is. And she is scared to admit to him that she is too. If they do this, go through with the pregnancy, it can put her life at risk and the baby's. She's conflicted. On one hand she already has two children and wants to be there for them. On the other hand, the news that a baby growing inside of her, though so incredibly unexpected, makes her happy. She feels a strong connection to her baby already and she can't bring herself to not give him or her the chance at the life their other two children have.
There are tears in both of their eyes now and Chuck falls back on the bed, angry yet remorseful that they're at an impasse.
~/0\~
Monday, May 3rd 2021
Chuck is adamant that someone from their core team should always be with Sarah while she's at CI. He's still on edge about this pregnancy even though she's entered the fourth month without any complications. Casey is in the lobby of the executive floor checking for messages when he hears Sarah scream. He bolts into her office, with Amanda, Sarah's executive assistant on his heels. The scene that confronts them is enough to send Amanda into panic, but he retains his cool. He needs to be calm because Sarah is one straw away from completely freaking out.
Sarah feels a pain in her lower abdomen and she doubles over.
"Casey, something is wrong," she frantically tells him. Her breath is ragged and Casey can see the fear seeping into her eyes.
She feels the liquid running down her legs and the panic fully sets in. She sways on her feet but Casey is quick and catches her before she falls to the ground. He knows they must act quickly and he yells out orders to Amanda to go call Chuck and Ellie to alert them of the situation. She runs off hastily.
Casey hoists Sarah into his arms and makes his way to the elevator.
"Stay with me Walker!" he commands to Sarah who is murmuring things as she doses off. "Sarah! You've got to stay with me!" Casey commands.
"Okay," she says, not with as much conviction as Casey would like and he huffs impatiently, angry that the elevator is taking so long.
Amanda catches up with them just as the elevator doors open. She has her phone to her ear. She's tried calling Chuck already but he isn't answering and now she's trying Morgan's cell since the two were together.
"I got through to Ellie," Amanda informs Casey. "She said she'll contact Sarah's doctor."
The elevator ride moves way too slowly for Casey and he resists the urge to slam his fists into the control panel. By the time they get to the downstairs lobby, people are looking at them in concern. Amanda has already called and got someone to bring a car around for them. Casey lays Sarah down in the back seat and Amanda hops in, using the first piece of cloth she got her hands on, in this case her suit jacket to try to stop the bleeding.
/\
Westside Medical Centre
She hears a lot of people talking around her. So many people she thinks. Her vision is blurry but she thinks she recognises the structure and strawberry blond hair of her OB/GYN above her, screaming orders to nurses and orderlies. Casey hasn't left her side and he insists on going with her despite the nurse telling him that family only is allowed. As far as he is concerned, they are family; she's like the little sister he never had.
Amanda stays back in the lobby, desperately trying to get into contact with Chuck, Morgan or Sarah's Mom.
"Sarah!?" She hears Devon's concerned voice through the haze. "What's going on?" He had just gotten out of surgery when Ellie told him he needed to head down to A&E as Sarah was coming in but she had just been called in for an emergency surgery.
Casey answers him but she doesn't really hear what he says. Nurses are working on her. Her button down is undone. A catheter is inserted in her arm and a foetal monitor is attached to her stomach.
The baby. They have to save her baby. He's not at a stage where he can be delivered with a chance of life and she can't stand this. She tries to open her mouth to tell them that she can't lose him but suddenly her throat feels constricted and she feels as though she's going into shock. There's some more yelling and the nurses and doctor work feverishly over her. A pulse oximeter is placed on her index finger and an oxygen mask over her nose and she's attached to a heart monitor. She hears the blips of her monitor and the foetal one only in a distance. They are working fast but she sees everything in slow motion, her vision becoming blurrier. She doesn't understand half of the clinical terms they're using and she doesn't even attempt to concentrate. It's too hard to concentrate anyway. Her head is throbbing, and she feels a headache coming on, almost as intense as that time when she was losing memories because of the corrupted Intersect. The pain is insurmountable and she feels herself inclined to relieve herself by falling asleep.
"We're losing her!"
"Embolism," another nurse yells and the doctor calls for a thrombolytic to be injected.
The pain is everywhere. In her head, on her temple, in her eyes, her stomach.
She blinks a couple of times, attempting to look around the room. Casey isn't there. Chuck isn't here and she feels scared. And for the first time in a long while since she's met Chuck, she feels alone.
Chuck, she needs him here.
The voices muffle and she only hears broken pieces of sentences. Tears fall from her eyes and she slowly feels herself losing consciousness.
/\
She wakes up to a heavy weight on her legs and the sounds of light snoring. But the melodious sounds of the foetal heart monitor create a wave of calmness over her so that she does not wake in a state of hysteria. She slowly opens her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the brightness of the room before looking down at her husband. Smiling, she runs her hands through his hair and gently stirs him awake.
"Hey," she smiles down at him. He looks so adorable with his eyes still heavy from sleep and Sarah is glad he is here.
"You're awake," Chuck rushes to hug her and Sarah breathes in his scent and she snuggles into the crook of his neck. "Baby, I love you."
"I love you too," Sarah kisses his cheek.
They spend a few more minutes in their embrace before Chuck leaves to get her doctor.
"What's taking so long?" Sarah sighs as they wait. "It must be bad news."
"Try not to go there," Chuck says, both to her and himself. When he got the frantic call that she had been rushed to the hospital he and Morgan immediately left their meeting with EA Games. He'd driven like a mad man and broke pretty much all the speed limits to get to her side. By the time he got there she was unconscious and as her doctor had explained the situation, try as he had to pay attention, the words flew over his head and he could think of nothing but her and their children.
"Try not to go there?" Sarah huffs incredulously. She lives 'there'. There have been so many moments where she has sat there, thinking about how this pregnancy would go. She would over analyse the simplest of things. 'Did I eat enough fruit today? Did my meals have enough iron? Did I drink enough water?' 'Am I gaining sufficient weight?'
The doctor enters then, with Sarah's chart in hand. "Sarah, it's good to see you're awake. I have your test results and I have a bit of good news."
"How good is good news?"
"There is a minor tear in your placenta but it was high enough to cause concern and that was responsible for the bleeding."
"But the baby's okay?"
"Yes, for now."
"Thank you." She feels as though a weight has been lifted off her shoulders.
"But I am going to have to prescribe bed rest as soon as you leave here."
"For how long?"
"Until you are out of the woods."
"And how long will that take?" Sarah presses.
"When I say so."
"Yes ma'am," Sarah smiles.
When she found out she was pregnant, Sarah was absolutely terrified. She knew the chances of carrying the baby full term and delivering it with both of them surviving were not that favourable. But still, there was a swell of happiness within her. Chuck had gotten a vasectomy and yet here she was pregnant. She had felt that she at least needed to give the baby a chance. She could not consider the abortion as the doctor had suggested. She knew that Chuck loved their boys so for him to even side with the doctor was a show of how scared he was about this. She couldn't live with the 'what if'. When she had felt the warm blood running down her leg, she thought for sure that it was her body making the decision for her. But now, she's here in the hospital room and the bump is still there. Her baby is still there and she knows then and there that their baby is a fighter.
~/0\~
Thursday, May 20th 2021
This wasn't a planned appointment and the fact that she needs to be here at all worries Sarah. Since the disruption in her placenta was discovered, they have pushed her visits up to weekly rather than bi-weekly. It's Thursday and she finds herself in her doctor's office, having already been there on Tuesday. But that same night she experienced cramps and Chuck was worried. He was insistent on taking her to the hospital, dreading another recurrence. But since there was no blood this time, she had held out and called her doctor instead.
She fiddles with the hem of her shirt as she waits for the doctor to return and begin the ultrasound. Chuck is watching her intently, his gaze going anywhere but the curvature of her eighteen weeks' pregnancy belly. Sadness washes over her as she once again affirms that Chuck is more nervous and scared about this pregnancy than he is happy about it. She sighs. It's so much different than her first two pregnancies and she wishes she could assuage his and her own fears so that they would worry less and enjoy the pregnancy more.
The doctor comes in and breaks her out of her musings. They exchange greetings and get the ultrasound underway.
"So, what exactly have you been experiencing?" Christina asks while looking at the monitor.
Um," Sarah begins, glancing at Chuck before continuing, "Some cramps in my lower belly."
"Hmm," she continues to move the wand over her stomach. "Are they as strong as say Braxton Hicks or actual contractions?" she continues to probe.
"No, they're more on the scale of period cramps," Sarah explains and Christina nods and finishes the examination, wiping Sarah's stomach off with a paper towel.
"How about we sit down?" She offers, pointing to the chairs. Chuck helps Sarah up from the examination table and they take their seats opposite the doctor.
"Your baby is fine. Nothing in your condition has changed over the past couple of days." Sarah breathes a sigh of relief. " But the cramps you are discussing sounds like you're putting yourself under too much pressure. I don't know what caused you so much stress to spike your blood pressure which caused the cramps but if this continues you will be risking both yours and the baby's life. You developed preeclampsia when you were pregnant with Chase and as I've said before his makes this pregnancy more dangerous."
"If you could identify where the stress came from and avoid it, that would be a big help. Whether it's from work or otherwise,"
Sarah nods. She will try to remain calm in all situations. She thinks back to the night ago when the cramps started. She had been talking to Chuck about possible names and had eventually gotten tired of his noncommittal answers and had eventually gotten angry. "I understand,"
"What about bed rest? Will you put her on that again?" Chuck finally speaks up.
The doctor looks at Sarah's chart before speaking. "At the moment no, from the measurement I took this morning she is back in the normal range. We need to ensure that it stays that way though. We do need to talk about plans for an early delivery to save both mother and child."
They already know that this birth has to be done via C Section but Sarah gasps.
"But the baby, if he's too small…he could die."
"If you develop preeclampsia again Sarah, there is a risk that both of you could die. Delivering early will take you out of danger."
Chuck bows his head, already knowing what Sarah is going to say. "Don't. If there is a choice to be made between my life and the baby's, the baby wins."
"Sarah," Christina looks at her and then Chuck. She notices from his body language that he does not agree with this course of action. "Let's hope we do not have to cross that path."
"Still, if we must, I want your assurance that my wishes will be respected. Do I make myself clear Dr. Sheldon?" Sarah looks straight at her.
She's been her OB/GYN since before she was pregnant with Logan and had developed a good rapport through the years which extended to calling each other by their first names so Christina is not lost on the use of her professional name. She nods and makes a note of it in her file.
/\
Saturday, May 29th
"Chuck, how are you?" Mary asks.
He tries to smile but it comes off as forced. "I'm good."
"No, Chuck really. How are you?"
He sighs and looks behind him to make sure the children are still occupied and not too close that they can hear the conversation. They're sitting on the back porch and Logan, Chase, Clara and Josh, Ellie's younger child are all playing a game of tag. Sarah, Ellie and Alex have gone on a spa day so Mary is helping him watch the children.
What is he supposed to say?
"I'm not really sure how I'm feeling. She's stubborn. She knows the risk of this. And yet, she wants that if there's ever the decision to be made about which life to save that it be the baby's. I'm not sure if I can do that Mom. I can't lose her. I mean, sure I would want to respect her wishes. But what about Logan and Chase? Is she even thinking about them? What losing her would do to them? I mean does she think I can raise them all on my own? I know what it was like to grow up without a mother and I sure as hell don't want them to go through it too."
He realises the last words that came out of his mouth and looks apologetically at his mother. "Mom, I didn't mean for that to come out that way."
Mary nods at him and waves it off. "I understand."
He sighs and takes a deep breath, trying to organise his thoughts properly. "I don't want to lose her Mom. I can't. But if it does come down to a choice she's already told her doctor what to do. I don't want to lose her and then resent the baby."
He finally breaks down in tears. He has tried to be strong for so long but it's all coming to a head now.
When she was on bed rest, Logan was upset that she couldn't come to all of his Little League Football matches and the thought that because of this pregnancy she very well may be unable to be there for any other events in their children's lives, eats at him inside.
Maybe he is being selfish, but he can't help it.
"Or maybe my anger is misplaced and I'm actually angry at myself," Chuck snorts bitterly.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm the one that got her pregnant… I mean if the vasectomy hadn't recanalised we wouldn't even be in this situation."
"Chuck, come on. That was a medical occurrence," Mary tries to get him to see reason. It was uncommon and no fault of his. "Have you told Sarah how you feel?"
He sighs. They have talked about this already. She stands firm on the decision that the baby must be saved as long as it has a chance of survival. And it absolutely breaks his heart. He knows that she can't be under too much stress and that conversation stresses them both so he doesn't bring it up again. But it does eat him from the inside.
~/0\~
Saturday, June 12th
Ellie and Sarah are out shopping for baby clothes when she feels it. Ellie immediately notices the change in her sister-in-law as she clutches her belly and has a small sense of wonder on her face.
"Sarah, you okay?"
She nods and gestures to a nearby bench. "Mind if we sit for a while?"
"No, of course not," Ellie says and helps Sarah to sit.
"I just felt the baby kick," Sarah smiles fondly, rubbing her stomach. "There he goes again." She's a little over five months pregnant and although she's felt a slight fluttering in her fourth month, she thinks she prefers feeling the kicks. For her, said kicks are reassurances that her baby is strong and developing well.
Ellie places her hands on Sarah's belly with her permission and she smiles too as she feels the strong kicks. "You know Sarah; I'm still convinced the baby will be a girl so you really should stop saying 'he'."
She laughs. "I figured as much when I saw you buying that frilly white dress." Her mother and Mary think it's a girl too. They've said that her craving something sweet all the time is indicative of the baby being a girl.
"What does Chuck think it will be?" Ellie prods.
Sarah is silent. What does Chuck think? Well she is not so sure. They have become a bit disconnected and for the baby's sake, she's tried not to get too worked up about it. Still, she is not sure how much more of the tension between them she can take. "He just wants healthy," Sarah finally responds.
Ellie picks up on the underlying current in her voice and puts an arm around her shoulder as she knows that Chuck still worries about the pregnancy.
/\
They're lying in bed, Sarah is one her side and Chuck is spooning her. His left hand is resting lightly on her stomach when he feels it. The kick is strong under his palm and a wide smile tugs at the corner of his lips.
"Sarah?" He whispers in the darkness.
"Hmm?" she mumbles sleepily and Chuck thinks he should let her be. He feels the baby kick again and he wonders how women ever get any sleep when the baby is being so active. "What's wrong?" This time she sounds more awake and she turns on the bedside lamp, easing herself up against the headboard.
"Baby, I am so sorry," Chuck says, looking straight in her eyes. She goes to interrupt him and he holds his hand up. He has to let her know how sorry he is. He has a lot to apologise for. "When we found out about the pregnancy and you wanted to keep it, I was so angry with you Sarah," he admits. He wanted to shake her until she saw reason. "And I was always so scared that something would happen and I'd lose you," he still is afraid of that. "Sarah, I didn't want this baby," he continues and the tears fall down his face. "I felt like this baby would take away you from us. And Sarah, I'm ashamed to admit it but I felt like if I did lose you I would resent the baby and be incapable of loving it as I do Logan and Chase. And you know I love the boys and I just didn't get why you would risk giving it all up,"
"Chuck," Sarah says emotionally.
"I'm not saying any of this to hurt you. I would never do that. But I think me being angry with you and being scared about losing you made me pull away from you. I pushed you away at a time when you would have needed me most. We're a team and we're supposed to be there for each other but I didn't support you. And you may deny it but I know some of the stress you were under was because of me. You shouldn't have had to deal with the way I was behaving…"
"Chuck, where is all this coming from?"
"I felt the baby kick a moment ago, and it was like everything came crashing down. I know I hurt you. And I am so sorry."
Sarah nods and pulls him in for a soft kiss on the lips. Things had been tense between them for a while now and she did feel like Chuck didn't want this baby, but she also understood where he was coming from. He was scared and fear does some pretty amazing things to people. He had been attentive to her- he made sure she got enough rest and that she took her vitamins on time, that she didn't overwork herself and that the boys didn't tire her out. But she had sensed the difference in his approach to this pregnancy. It was almost of a cold detachment but right now, she could also see a change in him and she believed and accepted his apology. "We'll get through this."
~/0\~
Tuesday, August 17th
They've gone shopping for more baby clothes and picked out the furniture for the nursery and the colour scheme with Logan's and Chase's input. In the end Chuck was outnumbered one to three on a rain forest theme as opposed to a Star Wars one. He's more involved in the pregnancy now- talking to her belly more and singing to it just like he had with the other two. Sarah smiles when he does it because the baby is more active when he does and she's glad that they are bonding while the baby is still in the womb. Logan and Chase have joined in too and they love to see the baby moving within her stomach. They've nick named her bump Butterfly because to them when it moves around it looks like a butterfly flapping its wings. She's elated that the entire family is finally embracing her pregnancy.
She's in her eighth month of pregnancy and they're all breathing a bit easier. They still go for her weekly appointments and the baby is growing just as he or she is supposed to be. Since she and Chuck cleared the air she has been feeling considerably better and her doctor noted with satisfaction that her blood pressure levels are well within range. She's assured them that at this point she's confident that they will have a smooth delivery.
As a precaution though, she's been placed on bed rest again. This time, she isn't allowed to do anything work related unlike last time so she occupies herself by arranging the baby clothes in the drawer by size and watching TV. She soon got fed up of all the soap operas and reruns of reality TV series. She's made up in her mind that day time TV sucks and decides to read some more instead.
She's in the kitchen when Chuck brings home the children. She heard her children before she even saw them as their jubilant voices reached her ears from the time the car pulled into the drive way.
"Mommy!" They greet her and rub her belly lovingly.
"Hey you two. Did you have a good day at school?"
Logan is relating all his tales of the day to her and Chase is talking softly to her belly when Chuck walks in.
"What are you doing?" he asks Sarah. "Sarah the whole point of bed rest is for you to be in bed."
"Making tea is my big action for the day. Please don't ruin it for me," Sarah smiles at Chuck as she stirs her ginger tea.
"Bed!" Chuck insists. "Boys, go put away your school things."
When they run off, Sarah saunters up to Chuck. "You know Chuck, usually when you ordered me to bed it would turn out so much different," she smirks and nibbles his ear lobe before swatting his bottom and continuing on upstairs.
/\
Monday, September 27th
She's scheduled for the C-Section in three weeks but the baby has different plans.
"My water just broke," Sarah says to Chuck and his eyes go wide.
He's in the kitchen preparing lunch for her when she walks in, clutching her stomach. 'Don't freak out,' he has to repeat it like a mantra. Exhibiting more calm than he really possesses, he calls her doctor and the rest of the family to meet them at the hospital.
"Chuck, there's this horrible pain," Sarah admits as they approach the hospital.
"Just relax baby,"
Chuck kisses her forehead trying to hide the panic in his calm voice but he didn't manage to mask it from his eyes. She's nervous as they prep her for the OR even though she's been through this before.
She's injected with the spinal block so the lower half of her body will be numb and as she is, she keeps her eyes on Chuck and offers him a small smile. He squeezes her hands reassuringly.
A short screen is placed over her stomach to block her vision of her abdomen and the doctor begins to work. Chuck keeps his eyes on her face as the incisions are made in her lower abdomen and uterus.
After a few minutes, the doctor holds up the crying baby for Sarah to have a peek before handing her off to the nurse. "It's a girl!"
Sarah smiles and it comes off as being loopy because of the medication. The doctors begin to stitch her up and he promises to be back. He's just going to take one moment to look at their daughter before she is taken to the NICU for observation.
When he reaches the nurses who are taking care of his daughter, she's already been cleaned off and she's no longer crying. Chuck is taken aback by the baby who is now staring up at him in wonder and looks everything like Sarah.
/\
She hears the monitors going crazy. The beeping becomes erratic and it makes Chuck anxious.
"What's happening?" Chuck screams although it is somewhat muffled by the mask.
Sarah's becoming anxious and she feels as though she can't breathe. Her vision becomes spotty and she's not sure if it's because of the anaesthesia or not, but she feels herself slipping into unconsciousness. She knows something isn't right. This didn't happen with Chase and she struggles to keep her eyes open.
Chuck is screaming for bloody murder as he sees Sarah's body begin to tremble. His tears are uncontrollable and the doctor orders one of her nurses to get him out of the OR as they work to save Sarah's life.
He puts up a fight and insists that he needs to be there, but the nurse quickly tells him that he needs to give them the room to work. He begs him to save his wife.
/\
It's half an hour later when Ellie finds him outside the operating theatre, banging his head against the wall. She shakes him slightly and noticing his tear streaked face, offers her hand.
"Let's go see my niece," she offers as a means of getting his mind off of his wife being in the operating theatre.
He nods and accepts her hand. When they reach the NICU, he has to change into a different set of scrubs before being admitted. Ellie coos at how beautiful the baby is but his eyes are somewhat glazed over as he looks at the tube in her nose.
"She has a tube in her nose Ellie," Chuck says sadly. "That means she has trouble breathing." They've been through this with Chase. "What if her lungs aren't strong enough?"
"Chuck," Ellie whispers, trying to comfort him. "That's common for premature babies. She defied a lot of odds just to be here. I'm sure she'll beat this one too."
Chuck nods, hoping that his sister is right. Although his daughter is just under two hours old, he already feels himself swooning in love for her and he just wants to hold her in his arms and caress her curly blond hair and tell her how much she was loved.
/\
"You all don't need to be here," Chuck says to his family.
"We want to be here," Morgan speaks on behalf of all of them and Casey grunts in agreement.
He nods and doesn't argue further because truth be told he needs them here.
He's staring at the wall when Christina finally comes out.
"She lost a lot of blood," the doctor begins and Chuck swallows thickly.
"How much blood?"
"We had a little trouble getting the bleeding under control, but she's stabilised now."
There's an audible sigh of relief and they exchange hugs.
"Thank you!" Chuck tells Christina, it's only then that he allows himself to sit down and be comforted by his family.
/\
It's after seven when she wakes and Chuck can finally feel some of the tension leave his body.
"Hey," Chuck greets when Sarah's eyes flutter open. "How are you feeling?"
"Oh my god is the baby," she begins to panic as she feels the difference in the size of her stomach.
"She's fine," Chuck assures her, "She's smaller than the other two, but all things considered, she's okay. They're keeping her in the NICU for observation."
"I want to see her," Sarah says with longing in her voice
"As soon as either of you are able to move." He's quiet then, contemplating if he should say what's on his mind.
Sarah senses his dilemma and reaches out to him. "What's wrong?"
"You had me worried," Chuck admits and he feels the emotions flooding back.
She sees the tears forming in his eyes and some form in hers as well. "Chuck," she chokes out and reaches out to place her hands in his.
"I thought I was going to lose you," He had tried not to let his mind go off on that tangent but while waiting for her doctor to give an update, it was all he could think about.
The tears fall down her face as she sees the hurt in her husband's body. "It's over now. I'm here." She tries to assure him the best she can. Truth is, she was scared too.
Chuck nods and rests his head in her lap while wrapping his arms around her torso. Sarah lovingly runs her hands through his hair. She continues to whisper to Chuck affirmations that she's okay and he snuggles deeper into her lap. He needs to physically feel her. He needs to convince himself that she's okay.
/\
Tuesday September 28th
Emma has finally convinced Chuck to go home and have a shower and advised him to also take a nap. Morgan and Alex have been the ones primarily taking care of the boys and she thinks it would be good for them to see their father.
He has become rugged and sleep deprived and Emma knows it's the constant state of worry for Sarah and the baby's well-being that has caused him to plummet. She thinks he might have even lost some weight.
She's sitting in the chair opposite Sarah's bed flipping through a magazine. She's not too interested in it though as stories about the Kardashians and other celebrities and their newest drama doesn't catch her fancy. Still, it's better than sitting here with nothing to do than twiddle her thumbs as she waits for her daughter to wake up and an update on when her granddaughter will be brought up from the NICU.
Sarah murmurs in her sleep, causing Emma to glance at her. That's when she notices it. Blood. It's seeping out from her daughter and staining the pristine white bed sheet. She springs into action, flinging the magazine onto the floor and rushing over to her daughter's bedside. "Sarah! Sarah!" There's no response and this sends her into a panic. She hits the panic button next to her and rushes out of the room, looking for a nurse.
"Nurse, I need you!" Emma shouts in panic and fear.
She was already on her way to the room after being alerted to the call but sensing the urgency in Emma's voice, she runs a little faster down the hallway and into Sarah's room.
She assesses the situation and immediately picks up the phone calling for Sarah's doctor.
"What's happening?" Emma screeches as the nurse begins switching the drugs in Sarah's IV.
Sarah's doctor and some more nurses rush in and begin to move around Sarah.
"What's happening to my daughter!" Emma yells and Christina tells one of the nurses something before ushering Emma outside.
She doesn't want to leave her baby girl's side. "She's going through postpartum haemorrhaging," Christina explains and Emma suddenly begins to feel weak.
"Call Chuck, we might need to operate and we'll need his consent,"
Emma nods and the doctor turns on her heel, going back to her patient.
/\
"Chuck, you need to sit down," Ellie says.
"Yeah bro," Devon adds as he massages Ellie's hand. "You know Christina, she's one of the best OB/GYNs and she'll do everything she can to get this right."
"But what if all she can is not enough?" He asks his assembled family members and when they can't answer he turns away from them.
Mary watches him go and she wishes she could take away the pain from him. But this threat to her family isn't a mercenary or a crazed arms dealer and she's unfortunately ill-equipped and unable to do anything in this instance.
"She has to be okay," Emma mumbles to herself and Mary hears her. She reaches over to the woman whom she's become friends with as they were both involved in their grandchildren's lives and gives her hand a reassuring squeeze.
Emma looks up and gives a small smile while Ellie and Devon look on.
/\
Morgan called and said the children are asking about when their parents will come home with their baby sister. Chuck is distressed, knowing that he might very well leave the hospital without their mother. Their baby girl is doing better and that's the one bright spark he is clinging to right now. She's breathing on her own now so that's good too. He needed a distraction while he waited so he had gone up to the NICU and was finally able to hold her. When he did, the little girl had stared into his eyes, almost in recognition and just when Chuck thought he could not live her more, he felt himself love her a little bit more. He doesn't want to imagine taking her home and raising the three of them without Sarah and whenever he feels himself going down that line, he has to force it away and think of other things.
He's still pacing and lost in his thoughts when Christina walks up to him. His family had long given up on trying to get him to sit.
"Chuck" Christina calls out and the entire family looks up.
"How is she?"
"We got the bleeding under control with drugs but she's suffering from uterine rupture and that's causing the post-partum haemorrhaging."
"Okay, okay. It's good that you got the bleeding to stop though, right?"
"It is. But I'm afraid she's not out of the woods yet. She could start haemorrhaging again. We need to operate."
"Whatever it takes. Let's do that. I'll sign whatever forms I need to,"
"There is a problem. Your wife is O negative and we currently have a low stock. In the event that she will need a transfusion we can't proceed unless we have enough blood on hand."
"Surely you have donors. You can put out an appeal…Something?" He is desperate now.
"I'm her mother. I have the same blood type," Emma speaks up.
"Okay, this is a start. Come, I'll have a nurse set you up,"
\
"Chuck," Carina and Zondra run up to the group. Casey had just picked them up from the airport.
"We came as soon as we could," Zondra adds and pulls him into a hug.
"What's going on? How is she?"
"They need to operate but the blood supply is too low. Emma's giving some but I don't think that'll be enough. Logan is O negative as well but he can't give,"
Carina hates seeing them so broken and feeling so helpless. "I'm O negative. I can donate," she offers.
"You haven't had anything to drink in the last twenty-four hours? Because if you have they can't use it. It's too much of a risk."
"Chuck, I swear, I'm good."
"Then come on, we've got my sister to save," Ellie booms, grabbing Carina's arm.
~/0\~
Sunday, November 30th 2025
"Banning them for a month was kind of excessive don't you think?" Sarah asks Chuck as they're preparing for bed.
"They need to learn that playing pranks on Savannah is not cool," Chuck grumbles.
"But still," Sarah counters and Chuck looks at her quizzically.
"I thought you were in agreement?"
Sarah sighs. She agrees that the boys' actions were not tolerable. They had sneaked into Savannah's room after they were supposed to be asleep and proceeding to hide under her bed and make noises to make her believe there were monsters under her bed who would eat her. Considering that they had filled the four-year old's head with stories about monsters that evening it wasn't surprising that she was frightened and wet the bed, ending up sleeping with her parents for the night.
Chuck was livid and scolded them soundly before making them apologise to their sister. He had even made them help to change the sheets of their sister's bed.
"I was, but I think you might have come down a bit too hard on them just because it was Savannah,"
It was clear to everyone in their family how protective Chuck was of his little princess and she simply adored her father. Considering how hesitant he had been about the pregnancy, their bond warmed Sarah's heart.
"Okay, maybe I was," he admitted although he did think about going further and letting them spend a weekend with Casey while they took Savannah to the lake house. "Tell you what, how about depending on how well they behave in the next couple of days we decided if we will reduce the terms."
"Okay, that sounds good."
"I'm gonna go make sure they're asleep. Wanna come with me?"
"Of course," Sarah says, grabbing his hand.
They walk down the hallway and check on Savannah first. The soft glow from her night light allows them to see that she is sleeping soundly, cuddled up to an army bear that her Uncle Casey had given her after she was released from the hospital because in his words, she had showed the resilience of a solider during her hospital stay. They continue onto Chase's room and his bed is empty but that's not unusual as the boys often alternate between whose room they will build a fort in for the night. So they went into Logan's room but find his bed is still made up and the room is empty.
"Sarah, if they are downstairs playing the X-box or worse yet hiding in Savannah's room again I will ban them until next Christmas!" Chuck hisses and they quickly make their way into their daughter's room again. This time they turn on the light and the sight that greets them is nothing short of cute. Both boys are in there but this time they are not up to mischief. Logan is asleep in front of the closet with the light saber Morgan gave him on his eighth birthday as a weapon while Chase is sleeping at the foot of the bed with his live action T-Rex.
Chuck tiptoes over to his oldest child and gently nudges him awake. Logan rubs his hazel eyes in confusion. "Dad?"
"Hey buddy, what are you two doing?"
He runs his hand through his blond curls and shrugs. "Savannah was scared that the monsters would come for her. We're protecting her."
"My T-Rex can eat any monster Mommy," Chase who has always been a light sleeper awakes and whispers to his mother.
"Well aren't you brave?" Sarah smiles and the younger brown haired boy beams at her.
"You can go to your rooms," Chuck begins but Chase cuts him off.
"No, I have to protect my baby sister," Chase insists.
"Okay, fine." Chuck concedes.
"I'll go get you some pillows and blankets," Sarah says and leaves the room.
"Uncle Casey says he's slept in worse conditions than this," Logan comments to his father.
He chuckles, thinking about Casey's tale of living in the walls of a dictator's home. "That he did buddy."
Sarah re-enters and they settle down into the blankets.
"We love you," Chuck says.
"Love you too," the boys answer simultaneously as they fall back to sleep. Sarah turns off the light and Chuck pulls her closer. They watch their three children for a few moments before heading back to their bedroom.
"Aw see Chuck," Sarah begins, "they recognise that they were wrong."
"It was kinda cute the way they were protecting her," Chuck agrees. "Hopefully that protectiveness is still there when she starts to date."
Sarah laughs and saunters over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Chuck pulls her flush against him and she giggles. "And here I was thinking you were tired."
He smirks, "You haven't seen anything yet baby,"
He kisses her deeply and Sarah moans into his mouth. After an intense make out session he backs them up to the bed and when her leg hits the bed frame, she falls back, pulling him down with her. His hand snakes under her shirt and it rises up, exposing her stomach and the faint scar there from the incision. Her recovery had been smoother than he had expected and he is thankful for the way it turned out in the end.
"I love you Sarah."
"I love you too, Chuck."
A/N: I have not done anything Biology related in three years. My life now mostly consists of reading statutes, cases, law commission reports etc. So if some of the medical scenes are incorrect, blame it on Google and employ the willing suspension of disbelief.
Thanks so much for reading and please review, even if it's as a guest.
Until next time (which will probably be in an update of Charah vs the Teens)
xoxoxo,
Barbadiangirl 04/06/2016.