U-Unnerved

What should have been a normal ten minute procedure ended up being a life threatening emergency that took almost two hours to get under control. Brandon never left his wife's side as the doctor cut an incision and started the procedure of delivery. It took him about five seconds to realize that the baby was not breathing.

"What's going on," he asked? "Is Ellie okay?"

"Her lungs are not fully developed; she's having trouble breathing. Brandon, she's very small."

"But she's…she's alive isn't she? My daughter is going to live right?"

"I can't answer that Brandon. We have to move her to a special care unit until she is stronger. I promise we'll do everything we can for her."

He handed the baby, who was only a frightening two pounds, to the nurse, who then hurriedly rushed away with the little girl, who was only breathing very shallowly. Brandon turned back to his wife, who was in active shock, and the doctors ordered him to step out of the room.

Gina put her arms around Brandon after he nearly threw up from the worry, and the two of them and Van and Owen all looked on in horror. It was nearly an hour before the doctors came back in to update them.

"She's lost a lot of blood; we had to hook her up to an IV so she can get the nutrients she needs. When she is stronger, she will need a blood transfusion."

"Can I sit with her," Brandon asked.

"She's not responsive right now so don't push her; we want her to come out of this more calm."

Brandon nodded his head and followed the doctor as Gina and Owen hugged. They all loved Guya very much.

Brandon sat at her bedside as he ran his fingers through her hair; she was so cold and clammy that it scared him.

"Wherever you are baby, please come back to me. I promise I will never let anyone hurt you again."

He picked up her frail hand and kissed her knuckles. "Ellie and I need you baby; we need you so much."

He laid his head on her stomach as he listened to the sound of her heart and finally let the tears come.

His eyes ignited with an emptiness she had never seen before and a rage that consumed him. She took a step backwards, trying to retreat, but he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her towards the bed. She spit in his face as he tightened his grip on her.

"You're going to pay for that bitch," he snapped.

"Try me bastard," she bit back.

Her lungs began to ache when his fist pounded into her abdomen and he threw her hard against the headboard of the bed. She looked up at him with the eyes of a woman who was through fighting. She reached for the gun that Brandon always kept under his pillow.

"Don't feel so tough now do you," Dan yelled, as he punched her again, and dizziness overcame her.

She knew he was on top of her now—his hands wrapped around her throat just after he tore at her dress. She could barely focus from the pain but she was not about to let him hurt her one more time.

"You're a fucking whore," he yelled and she knew what he planned to do. She took the butt of the gun and hit him over the head, causing him to lose his balance just long enough for her to stand up.

"You're not going to shoot," he said. "You don't have the guts to kill your son's father."

"You are nobody's father… you aren't even human. You might have taken my past but you won't take my future…I will see you in hell before I let you hurt my children or my husband."

She fired the gun then…shot him in the balls…and she fired repeatedly until she was sure he was no longer breathing. Dan was her mistake but she would not let him be the death of her. For the first time in many years, she had something to live for.

She was bleeding profoundly when she tried to dial Brandon's phone…the gun slipped from her hands and she fell onto the floor, Brandon's name on her lips as she slipped into unconsciousness.

Her heart beat rapidly against her rib cage and she shot up from the bed screaming and sobbing, sweat falling down her face.

"Sweetheart, it's okay. You're okay now," Brandon soothed. She was confused now.

"Where's Dan?" she asked. "Did you find the body? He's dead right?"

Brandon was not sure if his wife was confused or if she just confessed to murder; it didn't matter either way. She clung to him then, terrified of her own nightmares, and Brandon just held her in his arms and promised himself he would never let her go down for anything. If she killed Dan, it was justified…If she did not then he would do it for her. Either way, their nightmare would end tonight.