'Hey guys! :) Sorry for the wait but life took an odd turn lol. First there was my sister-don't ask, really-then my mom got sick,
she's fine now though, and I've got a job too-which I should be getting ready for lol :P-and then I injured myself :S
And by that I mean, I like nearly broke my ankle /: not fun lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. The next one will be quite angsty so be warned.'
Mercer Army Medical Centre
"Did you call, Michael?"
Pamela nodded as she perched on the edge of the bed, "Yes. He was in some meeting that was almost over, so he should be on his way by now." She offered her frightened friend a reassuring smile and for once, Claudia Joy didn't even attempt to force one back.
Silence lapsed between the two friends as they listened to the steady—and thankfully still strong—out of time heartbeats fill the room.
Claudia Joy returned her troubled gaze to the monitor; its strap securely looped around her stomach, letting her know that her babies were still alive, and that was all she was concerned with at the moment.
Her gut twisting tightly, Pamela glanced at her watch and then at the clock, sighing in frustration, "What is taking this damn doctor so long?"
Claudia Joy remained silent, staring relentlessly at the heart monitor, hearing only the twins heartbeats.
Pamela's face fell and her heart ached for her friend, "Hey?" the redhead called softly, taking the worried woman's hand, "The doctor will be back soon and she'll tell us what the hell's goin' on. You know they're okay—"
"For now." Claudia Joy cut in defeated.
Before Pamela could reply the door to the room burst open and Michael rushed in.
"Michael." Claudia Joy breathed, the relief in her voice and on her face unmistakable.
Michael stopped and stared at his wife; looking small and fragile in that large bed, crisp white sheets around her, machines everywhere else. It terrified him.
"Honey, what...?"
Pamela glanced between the couple who were both clearly afraid and her heart ached some more. Claudia Joy had tears in her eyes, tears she was obviously trying to fight. Pamela gave her hand another squeeze then turned to Michael who hadn't moved from the foot of the bed.
"She was bleeding." The redhead informed the silent General softly, "And there was some pain so I brought her here and they're running some tests so we should know something soon."
Michael nodded absently, finding it harder than normal to focus on her words while his wife was hooked up to machines in a hospital bed.
Pamela bit down on her lip then moved from the bed to his side. Laying a hand on his arm she told him quietly, "Michael, she's really scared right now and she thinks that, whatever is happening, is her fault."
Michael's troubled, dark blue eyes cut to her.
"She needs you." Pamela observed with a kind smile.
Michael managed to smile back and nodded to her before making his way to his wife's left side. Wordlessly he took her hand and kissed her temple, "You're okay. I'm here."
Claudia Joy closed her eyes, leaning into his touch.
Michael looked across the bed to Pamela who was back on Claudia Joy's right side, "What tests are they running?"
Pamela took a deep breath, "Well, they drew some blood, checked her blood pressure and did an exam." She answered him clearly, "The doc, also did an ultrasound."
"She found something." Claudia Joy mumbled, speaking for the first time, "She didn't say anything but I could tell. She saw something and she didn't like it."
Michael looked over at Pamela with a deep frown and she gave a reluctant but affirmative nod.
"Um..." Pamela nodded to the heart monitor, "...after the ultrasound, she hooked her up to that monitor to keep an eye on the twins then left." She concluded after clearing her throat, "Hasn't come back yet."
Michael looked down at his wife again who sent him a weak smile. Closing his eyes, he kissed her temple, "I'm gonna go see if I can find the doctor."
Just as he made to move towards the door, it opened and Dr. Montgomery entered.
"Sorry, Mrs. Holden." The doctor apologized sincerely, "The lab's been a little backed up these past few days—oh." The tall blonde blinked in surprise, "General Holden, Sir." She nodded respectively.
"Dr. Montgomery." Michael greeted with a nod of his own, "What's wrong with my wife?"
Dr. Montgomery glanced pointedly at Pamela who sent the woman a smile before she reached for her bag.
"I'll wait outside okay?" the redhead smiled at Claudia Joy, leaning in to kiss her cheek.
"No." Claudia Joy grabbed her hand when she turned to leave, "She can stay." The brunette directed towards her doctor then addressed her friend, "Please, stay?"
Pamela smiled, squeezing her hand, "Of course, sweetie. If that's what you want?" she queried, just to be sure.
"It is." Claudia Joy assured her firmly.
Pamela nodded once and dropped her bag again, "Okay then."
Claudia Joy turned back to her doctor, "Please continue."
Dr. Montgomery smiled kindly, glanced quickly at Michael who nodded too, then stepped forwards, stopping at the bottom of her patient's bed, "Your blood work came back normal but your blood pressure, as I said, is a little high."
"It is?" Michael cut in slightly alarmed, concern flaring in his gut.
Dr. Montgomery nodded confirmation, "But it's understandable. Bleeding and pain during pregnancy is always stressful."
"What...caused that exactly?" Pamela sought with a deep frown.
The doctor drew in a deep breath, eyes finding her patient's before she answered with, "Placenta Previa."
"What's that?" Michael questioned, tightening his hold on his wife's hand and stepping closer to her.
"It's a placental disorder which occurs when your placenta lies at the bottom of your uterus instead of at the top." Dr. Montgomery elaborated, calmly.
Claudia Joy glanced quickly at her husband before focusing back on the blonde in front of her, "Is it serious?"
"Cause it sounds serious." Pamela added with wide eyes.
Dr. Montgomery nodded, "It can be. Bear with me here." She requested with a pleading smile, then began to explain, "There are two types of previa; complete and marginal placenta previa depending on how close to or how much of your cervix, the placenta is covering."
The doctor paused to make sure her audience was following and more importantly, understood what she was saying.
"What do I have?" Claudia Joy questioned, proving to the blonde that she did understand.
"Right now; marginal." Dr. Montgomery replied evenly, "Your placenta is only lying near your cervix. Now this condition is more common than you might think and in most cases the condition corrects itself as the placenta moves back up the uterus."
"And when it...doesn't?" Pamela probed impatiently.
"That's when complications can arise." The blonde answered, her expression a little grim, "As your baby grows and develops in your womb, the risk of your placenta tearing increases. If that happens, Mrs. Holden, you could haemorrhage and start contracting and with twins...I'm afraid the risk is higher." Dr. Montgomery informed her with an honest sigh.
"How...how do we stop that from happening?" Michael demanded, the woman's tone of voice making him nervous.
Dr. Montgomery sighed, annoyance flashing in her bright sea green eyes, "Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do, at this point." She revealed to them solemnly, "There's no medical way to prevent placenta previa from occurring—we're not even exactly sure what causes it—and then when it does, there's no way to correct it."
"You can't be serious?" Pamela snapped, her face the picture of incredulous disbelief, "You're a doctor. There's got to be something you can do?"
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Moran but there isn't." Dr. Montgomery insisted, shaking her head, "I wish there was but the truth is; medicine is as much an art as it is a science. We can't explain everything and we can't correct everything either."
The doctor then turned back to her patient with serious eyes, "I'm not going to lie to you, Mrs Holden, with your already high risk pregnancy this condition concerns me." The blonde moved from the foot of the bed to the bottom right side and placed a hand on her patient's leg, "If it doesn't correct itself, if it gets worse and your placenta tears you could die."
Claudia Joy blinked in surprise and the doctor squeezed her leg.
"I'm not trying to frighten you I just want to be honest with you." Dr. Montgomery told her gently, "And since the tearing could occur at any time during the pregnancy, there's a chance..." she pressed her lips together, "There's a chance we could lose one or both babies."
Claudia Joy's eyes closed and she breathed, "Oh, god."
"But that is worst case scenario." Dr. Montgomery added with a kind smile, "There's a very good chance this will right itself and your pregnancy with go smoothly, without any further complications. For now, all I can do is monitor you closely and see how it goes." The blonde's eyes were full of regret and her smile was apologetic.
Michael moved his right hand to his wife's back, running it across and forced his eyes open, "So what—is there anything that we can do?"
The doctor nodded, "You can stay off your feet as much as possible, even if that means just sitting down." The blonde was looking at her patient despite the brunette's eyes being closed still.
Pamela was watching her friend too, teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she tried not to let herself think the worst.
"Get as much rest as you can and please try and avoid any additional stress."
Claudia Joy's eyes opened at that, eyebrows arching.
"I know." Dr. Montgomery smirked, "That's not easy but just try. Also since the top of the uterus is the most nutritious, baby's weight gain can be a problem and since your twins are identical this concerns them both. You will have to supplement the loss through your diet but I can give you a list of foods that can help with that." She assured them with a smile.
"Thank you." Michael said gratefully.
"Not a problem." Dr. Montgomery dismissed with a kind smile, "It's my job. I'll also want to see you more regularly now; twice a month just to be on the safe side."
Michael nodded again, "Sounds good to me."
The doctor flashed him a smile but her attention was focused on her silent patient. Moving closer, Dr. Montgomery stopped next to Pamela, "Claudia Joy?"
Brown orbs met green.
"I know this is a lot of information to absorb at once but it's not as bad as it seems." The blonde assured confidently, "Your condition is fairly mild, these are all just precautions."
Claudia Joy forced a tense smile and nodded, "Okay."
Dr. Montgomery rubbed her leg comfortingly, "Do you have any questions right now?"
The overwhelmed brunette paused to think but her mind was currently blank, on an information overload so she asked the only intelligible thought she could form, "When...can I go home?"
Dr. Montgomery smiled, "Well, the bleeding's stopped, are you still in any pain?"
"No." Claudia Joy shook her head negatively, "No, no pain."
"Good." The blonde nodded, flipping open the chart in her hands, "Uh...your blood pressure is still a little higher than it should be so I wanna keep you a few more hours."
Heaving a sigh, Claudia Joy nodded once, "Okay."
"Okay." Dr. Montgomery smiled again, "I'll come back in a couple hours alright? You try to rest."
"Thank you."
"Thank you, doctor."
Pamela sent the woman a smile as she left then turned to her friends, "Are you okay?" she whispered, tucking the brunette's hair behind her ear. It sounded lame to her ears but she had to ask it.
"I..." Claudia Joy shifted in the bed and lifted her shoulders helplessly, "I, I, I don't know." She admitted shaking her head, "I have no idea, this is—it's all just..."
"Too much?" Pamela supplied quietly and Claudia Joy smiled a little. "What about you?" the redhead directed towards Michael who looked just as stunned as his wife.
"I'm a little...overwhelmed." Michael admitted with a frown.
"Yeah." Pamela scoffed, "Well, that was a whole lotta worry she just dumped on your laps so, I'm not surprised you're overwhelmed."
Michael smiled gratefully at the redheaded woman, suddenly very grateful for her calming presence. He then looked down at his watch and sighed tiredly.
"I have to get back." Michael announced reluctantly, "I've got one more meeting that I can't postpone." He pushed his fingers through his wife's hair then kissed her head, "I'm so sorry, honey."
Claudia Joy brought his hand she was holding to her lips, kissing it lightly, "It's alright, Michael." She assured him with a soft smile, "I'm fine now, I'll be fine."
Michael looked unsure as he cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking the soft skin, "I don't wanna leave you alone."
"I'll stay with her." Pamela instantly offered with a smile, "I can stay here until she's released and then take her home, stay a while."
Claudia Joy shook her head, "No, Pamela. You have your own family, you—"
"You are part of that family." Pamela interrupted firmly then glanced pointedly at Michael, "Both of you."
He smiled back at her.
"And to be honest..." the redhead continued with a frown, "...I don't feel all that comfortable leaving you on your own either."
The brunette still remained unsure.
Sighing, Pamela moved her free hand to her friend's shoulder, "Come on, Claudia Joy. You know the kids are spending the day with Chase so I'll have nothing to do except housework..." Pamela arched her eyebrows, "...and you know how I feel about housework."
Claudia Joy chuckled lightly and Pamela smiled.
"Alright." The brunette surrendered, "Okay, then."
~AW~
Holden Residence
"Do you need anything else?" Pamela asked softly as she drew the throw cover from the base of the bed up over her friend's body.
"No." Claudia Joy shook her head with a grateful smile, "I'm fine. You've done enough, Pamela. Thank you."
Pamela shrugged, "It's alright. It's nice takin' care of you for a change."
"What do you mean?" the brunette queried, tilting her head to the side curiously.
Pamela shrugged again, perching on the bed with a smile, "You're always taking care of us, always strong and dependable."
Claudia Joy looked down and then her grateful smile returned, "I don't know how to thank you for today." She said quietly.
Pamela shook her head, "I didn't do much, Claudia Joy. I was just being a friend."
"No, it was more than that." Claudia Joy insisted, taking the redhead's hand in both of hers, "You stayed so calm, so focused while I was...a mess." She shook her head slowly and squeezed her hand, "I couldn't have done it without you, Pamela; all the tests and the ultrasound and the waiting—"
"You're welcome." Pamela cut in with a smile, stopping her ramblings, "I'm glad I could be there for you but..." she shook her head, laughing nervously, "...while I may have appeared calm externally, I was definitely not calm on the inside."
Claudia Joy tried to laugh with her but it was obviously forced. She was shaken.
"Aw, honey." Pamela inched closer to her, "You heard the doctor, she's just being cautious. Your case is mild and hopefully it'll correct itself and everything will be fine."
Claudia Joy stared at her with misty, tear-filled orbs, "But...what if it doesn't? What if it gets worse and everything's not fine?"
Pamela opened her mouth to answer but she didn't know what to say to that. There was a very real possibility that this could end badly and she could lose one of her best friends, so instead she merely drew in a deep breath and covered the other woman's hands with her free one.
"Then you'll handle it." Pamela tried to comfort her while sounding confident, "You and Michael...you're one of those couples the rest of us strive to be like. You two can handle anything."
Claudia Joy's eyebrows rose but she smiled, "Thank you."
"You're strong, Claudia Joy." Pamela stated certainly, "You can survive this—you will." Her voice was firm and unwavering and the redhead believed her words so readily that Claudia Joy felt herself believe them too.
"I hope you're right."
"I am." Pamela insisted further, "You'll be fine, even if it does get worse. You'll. Be. Fine."
Claudia Joy offered her a weak smile then quietly changed the subject, "I should try and get some rest."
Pamela nodded. Apparently they were done talking about this.
"Yeah, you should." Squeezing her friend's hand, Pamela smiled softly, "I'll be downstairs if you need me, okay?"
Claudia Joy nodded slowly, watching her head for the door then suddenly changed her mind, "Pamela?"
The redhead stopped at the sound of the timid voice, then turned back with a smile.
Biting down on her lip, Claudia Joy tried to fight the tears that wanted to fall, "I don't—how can this not be my fault?" She questioned in a whisper and Pamela closed her eyes, with a sad sigh.
"This is my body. As mothers were supposed to keep our children safe, protect them and nourish them but..." Claudia closed her eyes and swallowed her tears, "...my body is doing the complete opposite."
Pamela listened silently, watching as the tears her friend had been fighting since they had left the hospital finally escaped, her heart hurting for her.
"My body is attacking my babies, depriving them of the nourishment they need." Claudia Joy's wide eyes met her friends, "How do I accept that as out of my control?"
"Hey." Pamela chastised firmly, moving back to the bed, "Stop that. Listen to me, Claudia Joy; what's happening is not your fault. It's this stupid condition you've got, honey but it's not you."
Claudia Joy sucked in a shaky breath as more tears fell, "This pregnancy could kill me, Pamela and if it doesn't then I could lose one or both of my babies, I—" a sob tore through her and Claudia Joy buried her face in her hands, shoulders shaking silently.
Pamela's face contorted in pain and she covered her mouth, eyes falling closed. Taking a moment to compose herself, Pamela breathed deeply and blinked the salty tears from her dark emerald eyes, swiping at the one that escaped. Walking back to the bed, Pamela kicked off her shoes then slid onto it next to her friend.
"Come here." The redhead ordered softly, wrapping her right arm around the brunette's shaking form.
"No." Claudia Joy refused, shaking her head and fighting against her pull, "No, I'm okay. I'm—"
"Hey!" Pamela called sharply, tugging on Claudia Joy's arm to make the woman look at her, "It's okay to be upset over this." She assured determinedly, "This is scary and uncertain and dangerous and there isn't a damn thing anyone can do for you." Pamela turned on the bed so they were face to face and she could look Claudia Joy straight in the eye, "It is really okay to cry, sweetie."
More tears burned behind, Claudia Joy's eyes at her friend's words. She knew how horrible her situation was, how frightening and damn right she was scared. Her unborn babies could die before they were given the chance to live and there was a very likely chance that trying to bring them into this world might cost her, her own life. It was one big, sick and twisted mess.
"I'm scared, Pamela." Claudia Joy whispered instead, more tears following her admission, "I am so scared."
Pamela's expression crumpled and she repositioned herself next to the distraught woman, swiftly pulling the brunette into her arms, "Let it out, Claudia Joy." Pamela instructed in a whisper, resting slowly back against the headboard and closing her eyes, holding Claudia Joy close as she cried, "I'm here."
Michael returned home as early as he possibly could. His mind had been unfocused since he left the hospital and he was hard pressed to remember anything that was said to him afterwards. It just didn't make any sense; how could this happen in just a month? How could everything they'd been looking forward too, everything they'd been planning for, all be in jeopardy? He could lose his wife because she was pregnant with his children. That was the cruellest unkindness of all.
Michael closed the front door behind him quietly—Pamela's car was still in the driveway, Emmalin should be home from wherever she'd been today by now and with any luck Claudia Joy was sleeping. He dumped his things in his office, wandered into the kitchen in search of his daughter, who wasn't there, before heading up stairs.
A part of him was hoping his wife really was asleep; he had no idea what to say to her. He didn't know what to make of everything they'd been told earlier that afternoon and he couldn't fix it so what was left? Acceptance? Was he just supposed to accept the fact that his wife could die and do nothing about it? Michael James Holden wasn't the kind of man who took things lying down. He protected his family, and he fought against any threat that came their way. He would find a way to fight this too. He had too.
When he reached his bedroom door it was closed and the house was completely silent. Turning the handle and stepping inside, a sad smile touched his lips when he found his wife's sleeping form, wrapped up under the throw over their bed, her redheaded friend's arms around her.
Pamela turned towards him, a soft smile—matching his own in sadness—gracing her face.
Michael blinked, he thought she was sleeping.
"Hey." Pamela whispered quietly.
"Hi."
Glancing quickly down at Claudia Joy, Pamela informed him that, "Emmalin isn't here. She having dinner at..." the redhead frowned. She couldn't remember the name. "It'll come to me." She assured him with a light chuckle.
Michael lifted his shoulders heavily, "I can't keep track of her friends either." He nodded gently in his wife's direction, "Claudia Joy knows them all by name, their parents too."
Pamela's sad smile returned, "It's a mom thing."
"Yeah." Michael sighed, lowering himself into the chair, his exhausted body sagging into it, "She keeps us on track. I uh...I don't think we'd be anything but lost without her."
The redhead closed her eyes tightly, "Michael..." she breathed, carefully untangling herself from her friend and sliding down the bed to sit across from him, "...we're not going to lose her."
Michael nodded immediately, "I know. I'm going to fix this."
Pamela frowned deeply, "U-um...how?"
"I don't know yet." Michael answered, his eyes gazing at his wife's sleeping form intently, "But I'll think of something."
~AW~
'Well, you know the drill by now right? lol :) Please, review? Plleeaassee? lol
I love them-what writer doesn't?-and they make me smile. :D Like that lol Plus I'm still injured :( And some lovely reviews would make me feel better.
Lmao, that's sad :S Now I'm emotionally blackmailing you /: hmm...oh well. *shrug* I never claimed to be a nice person ;) lol
Rachel xoxo'