When we get back to our room after our soak in the hot tub, Ciara heads to the bathroom and I walk over to the bag I packed with some clothes for each of us. I grab a pair of my boxers and put them on and start to head toward the bed when I hear Ciara scream, "Ben!" I quickly run over to the bathroom and see that she is sitting on the ledge of the bathtub and she has her arms wrapped around her abdomen.
"Ci, what is it?"
"Oh God, this can't be happening. Ben, I'm spotting. We need to get to the hospital, now! I think I'm losing the babies."
I swallow down my own panic and try to stay calm. I need to be strong right now for Ciara, and the babies she is carrying. I can hear my heart beating rapidly in my ears.
"Ciara, are you cramping?"
She looks up at me with tears in her eyes, "No, I don't think so."
"Okay, that's good, right?" I swallow again, trying to think of what I should do. "I'll be right back, okay."
She nods her head.
I hurry back into the bedroom and pull on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, then grab a pair of my shorts for her. I grab my keys from my pants on the floor and walk into the bathroom to hand the shorts to her.
"Put these on okay, baby, and I'll get you to the hospital."
She pulls them on, and I sweep her up into my arms then swiftly carry her down the stairs. Thoughts are rolling a million miles an hour in my head. I'm sure this is God's way of punishing me for all of the past evil that I have done. I took lives while I was sick, and now, he's taking away the lives of two souls I haven't even met, yet love them more and more with every beat of my heart.
I make my way to the car and set her feet on the ground only long enough to open the car door for her and then guide her into the seat. I help her to move her legs into the car and shut the door. I make my way over to the driver's side and slide in. I turn over the engine and we speed off toward the hospital.
I pray that whatever is going on that I don't lose Ciara too. I glance over at her. She is quietly crying in her seat. I take one of her hands in mine and bring it to my lips, "Ciara, it's going to be okay. We're going to the hospital to get you checked out and everything is going to be alright."
"Ben, I don't want to lose the babies," she sobs.
I squeeze her hand, "I don't want to lose them either, honey."
"I just love them so much."
A tear escapes my eye and rolls down my cheek, "I love them too, Ci."
I just keep holding her and slowly run my thumb along the back of her hand. It helps to calm me just a little bit, and I hope it is doing the same for her.
We arrive at the emergency room doors of University Hospital a few minutes later. I get out of my seat and run around the car to open Ciara's door. By the time I have the door open and have Ciara out of the car, one of the hospital workers is there with a wheelchair to bring Ciara into the emergency room. The worker hands me a valet tag and goes to park my car for me so that I can stay with Ciara. I push the chair up the ramp and through the sliding doors to enter the hospital. I kiss the top of her head then whispered, "We made it here, Ci. The doctors are going to fix whatever is going on, okay."
The clerk at the desk asks what is wrong.
"My fiancée is about 15 weeks pregnant and she is spotting. She—she needs to see a doctor right away." Just as I finish telling the clerk this, I see Dr. Sarah Horton, Ciara's cousin, walking up to the desk.
"Sarah, it's Ciara, she needs a doctor right away."
Sarah rushes over to us, "Ciara, sweetie, what's wrong?"
"Sarah, I'm pregnant. I noticed that I was spotting, and I'm so scared I'm going to lose the babies?"
"How far along are you?"
"15 weeks, give or take."
"Okay, well let's get you into an exam room and see what's going on. Beth," she questions over her shoulder, "what exam rooms do we have available?"
"3 is open," Beth answers.
Sarah grabs the handles for the wheelchair and begins to push toward the exam room, "Follow me, Ben."
Upon reaching the exam room, Sarah grabs a gown for Ciara and instructs her to get into the gown and to get up onto the examination table when she is finished. I start to leave to give her some privacy, but Ciara questions, "Ben, where are you going?"
"I was going to step out and give you some privacy."
"I want you to stay with me, and anyway, it's not like you haven't seen me naked before."
"Okay, I just don't want to make you uncomfortable."
"You never could."
Ciara gets out of the chair and puts on the gown. Then, I help her up onto the table. I stay standing next to her and grasp her hand in mine. Within seconds, Sarah is entering the exam room and ready to start her exam.
"Ciara, do you feel any cramping?"
"No, I don't think so?"
"Okay, good. No cramping is a good sign."
Ciara and I both exhale a breath and I place a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Let's do a quick pelvic exam since it was spotting that you noticed first."
Sarah lowers the head of the bed slightly and then gives Ciara a sheet to cover herself with, "Ciara, I'm going to need you to put your feet into the stirrups here and scoot your bottom to the very edge of the table, then lean back. When you're relaxed and ready let your knees fall apart, okay."
Ciara lets go of my hand to move to the edge of the table. I hear Ciara take a deep breath, and she then reaches for my hand and squeezes it firmly as she lets her knees fall apart.
Sarah tells Ciara everything she is going to do before she does it.
"Ciara, you're going to feel my hands on your knees and then they are going to slide down your inner thighs before you feel them enter your body."
I see Ciara squirm a bit on the table and wonder if she is feeling discomfort or just anxious about what is going on.
"Ciara, I'm now going to insert the speculum so I can get a better look at your cervix."
It's a few moments before Sarah says, "You do have some slight bleeding happening, but it's not uncommon for that to happen during pregnancy."
I see Ciara relax just a bit more and I do the same.
"So, are the babies okay?" I ask.
"It looks like it but, I'm going to do an ultrasound to make sure we can hear both of the heartbeats and confirm they are not in any distress.
"See, baby. So far so good," I lean down and kiss the top of her head again.
"Ciara you can scoot further up on the exam table. I'm going to pull out the leg rest on the table so you can lay your legs flat."
"Okay, Sarah what's going on. Why is this happening?"
"I have some ideas, but I want to finish your exam before I draw any conclusions. Okay, Ciara."
"Okay, Sarah."
Once, Sarah, has the leg rest out Ciara lays her legs flat.
"Ciara I'm going to have you pull your gown up to expose your abdomen and then I'm going to pull the sheet down to rest low on your waist so we can get a look at those babies."
Sara places some sort of gel on Ciara's belly and starts to glide a wand looking tool across Ciara's abdomen.
Suddenly there is a thumping sound coming from one of the speakers by the monitor.
"Is that the heartbeats?" I ask.
"You bet it is, Ben, and they sound nice and strong."
"I think that is one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard, Ci. I love you so much," and I rest my forehead against hers for a moment before I look back up at the screen. I see Sarah turning some dials on the machine and the image is becoming clearer.
"There they are," Sarah states and she points to the screen, "here is an arm with the hand and fingers on one of the babies, and here is a foot and toes on the other."
"So, are they okay? Is there anything wrong?"
Sarah turns and smiles at us, "They both look perfectly fine."
Ciara and I both exhale again.
"So, why am I bleeding then Sarah?"
Sarah pulls up the sheet further and then pulls the gown Ciara is wearing down, "Well with the amount of bleeding I am seeing it is generally one of two things. Either a polyp on the cervix or from having intercourse. You don't have any polyps so I'm guessing you were involved in some rather amorous activities this evening," she sheepishly purses her lips together, trying to hide the grin that is forming on her lips.
I can feel my face turn 10 shades of red, and when I look at Ciara she is also doing a great impersonation of a tomato.
"So, I'm bleeding because we had sex?!"
"More than likely, yes."
"When your pregnant there is an increase in blood flow to your sex organs including the cervix, when it's bumped during sex it can cause minor spotting."
"So, this could happen every time we…" I begin to ask.
"It's possible. As long Ciara doesn't experience any heavier bleeding that she is right now, it's perfectly fine, but if she is experiencing any cramping along with the bleeding then it would be a good idea to come back in and be examined."
"Whew! So, everything is okay then, Sarah?"
"Yes, Ciara, everything is fine. I'll get your discharge papers for you and the two of you can head home. Do you want to borrow some scrubs to go home in?"
"Yeah, that would be great, Sarah."
Sarah steps out into the hallway and has a pair of scrubs when she returns. "Here you go, Ciara. Now I'll go get your discharge papers in order. I'm sure you're ready to get out of here."
"I know I am," I sigh.
Sarah leaves and Ciara rapidly changes into the scrubs. When she's finished, she hops back up on the exam table and I sit down next to her.
"I'm so glad you're okay and that the babies are okay," I sigh, and wrap my arms around her, "I don't know what I would do if we lost the babies or if I lost you."
"I told you, Ben Weston, I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me."
I kiss her cheek and squeeze her a little tighter, just as Sarah walks back into the room with Ciara's papers and a wheelchair.
"You two are adorable together."
Ciara grabs my chin with her left hand so she can kiss my cheek.
I see Sarah's eyes grow large and jaw drop, "Ahh, what is that?" she points and then grabs Ciara's hand to examine the ring I just gave her a few hours ago.
"Ben proposed to me tonight, and I said yes."
"Wow, congratulations you two!"
Ciara slides off the table and goes to envelope Sarah in a hug, "Thanks, Sarah."
Sarah whispers something to Ciara that I can't make out. Ciara gasps and playfully swats at her. Ciara looks over at me and then whispers something back to Ciara, and they both start to laugh.
"Alright, I'm ready to get back to the lake property. Can I sign those papers and get out of here?" Ciara questions.
"Of course."
I watch Ciara scrawl her signature across the page. She then walks over to me and grabs my hand, "Let's go, baby."
Sarah speaks up, "Umm, Ciara you need to take the wheelchair out. It's hospital policy."
"But I'm fine."
"Ci, you're taking the chair. No ifs, ands, or buts, babe."
She rolls her eyes up and me and sighs, "Okay, fine."
She sits down in the chair and I look over at Sarah, "Thanks for everything, Sarah."
"Of course, take care of her."
"I will."
I wheel Ciara out to the valet area and give my ticket to the worker sitting there. He radios up to another person and my car is brought down quickly.
I help Ciara get into the car and then get into the car myself.
I drive away quickly and deeply exhale. "I love you, Ciara."
"I love you too, Ben," and she grabs my hand and squeezes it tightly.
We ride in silence back to the lake property.
Once we arrive, we make our way up to the bedroom. Ciara changes out of the scrubs, and I strip back down to my boxers and slide into bed. She curls in next to me laying on her side; her head resting on my chest along with her left hand resting over my heart, and her left thigh is nestled between my legs. We just lay there a few minutes before I let my curiosity get the best of me.
"Ci, what were you and Sarah whispering about at the end there in the hospital?
She chuckles, "She said, 'So, you have a penchant for bad boys too, huh cousin.'"
"Oh…and what did you whisper back?"
"That you're not a bad boy, that you just have an edge, and that I wouldn't have it any other way."
She raises her head up and kisses my jaw, slightly grazing her teeth along the skin.
I close my eyes savoring the feel of her lips on my skin and pull her more firmly against my frame, "So, you don't think I'm a bad boy, just edgy?"
"Yep, and I love that about you," she yawns, "it's exciting and is just one of the many things about you that makes my heart race," she says yawning again through the last few words.
She's exhausted after all of the events that have happened today. "Go to sleep, baby. I love you, Ciara."
"I love you."
She barely finishes the sentence before I hear her breathing deepening and she begins quietly snoring. I send up a silent prayer, thanking God that Ciara and our babies are okay. I close my eyes and give in to sleep.
