Fear has a large shadow, but he himself is small."
— Ruth Gendler
"David, help me!"
He took off at a run down the hall back to his bedroom. His heart dropped to his knees in fear. He put his shoulder in the door and shoved his way in. "Erin, what's wrong?"
She sat up, board-straight against the headboard, there was no color in her face. "There's-" she was fighting back tears. "We were fine, 5 minutes ago. I don't know what happened." She shook her head in denial.
"Talk to me!" He demanded with his heart in his throat.
"There's blood on the sheets-David, there's blood everywhere!"
He hurried to her side and grabbed his phone off the nightstand. "Let me see," he pushed the blankets back and tossed the pregnancy pillow on the floor. His stomach twisted in fear as he inspected the sheets. "Erin-" he tried to stay calm but he heard the shake in his voice. Her panties were soaked in crimson. Thick, dark red blood clots destroyed their powder blue sheets.
"I've never had this happen before-" she cried and tried to shift away from the pain in her abdomen.
He dialed 911 and gave the operator a rundown of their situation. A 49 year old woman, 20 weeks pregnant with twins was hemorrhaging.
"I don't care what you have to do," he growled into the phone. "Just come help my wife."
His military training kicked in he grabbed a card table from the closet and brought it to the foot of the bed. He let the phone drop on the floor and turned his attention to Erin.
He had to do something, anything to give their Doublemint twins a fighting chance.
"Wh-what are you doing?" He picked up her feet and put them on the table.
"Help is on the way," he tried to reassure her, "are you in pain?"
She nodded, with tears in her eyes, her abdomen tightened like a drum "It's too early!" She wanted to scream and throw things, it wasn't fair. They were doing everything right, they couldn't come this far to lose everything now.
"It's alright," he wanted to help. He grabbed her hand and pulled her further onto her left side. "It's okay," he squeezed her hand and cradled her belly with the other hand the taut skin under his hand fluttered and relaxed.
"It's not okay!" She argued, "none of this is okay." She sobbed. They were dying and she couldn't stop it. Where the hell was the ambulance?
"Just try to relax." He kissed her forehead and prayed for a miracle. The ambulance was coming and everything would be okay, it had to be.
The team sat around the table at Max ' meal was already paid for and nobody saw the point in leaving. "Why do you think she didn't show?" Penelope asked, as usual, she was the first to break the silence.
"I don't know," Derek grumbled, cutting into his steak."But Rossi looked like his dog died."
"She's under a lot of pressure," J.J. said.
"Look," Morgan countered, "I thought we were turning over a new leaf, since Rossi's heart attack. He planned this whole thing and she ditched him."
"Don't take it personal or anything," Reid piped in with sarcasm as he buttered a roll.
"Listen, okay guys," J.J. said she would forever be the diplomat, "maybe she just didn't feel like going out."
"Or she's playing games with Rossi." Morgan countered and stabbed his baked potato.
J.J. shot an angry glare towards Morgan, "Hotch, help me out here."
Hotch took a sip of his drink, "Let's not point fingers here, whatever happened between Erin and Dave needs to stay between them. We don't want to take sides here."
Penelope nodded, "Our fearless leader's right, we should let the love-bird's work it out." She popped open her sequined clutch and pulled out a $10 bill for the waitress. "I'm going home." She tossed the money on the table and stood up. "I don't want to sit around criticizing our boss."
Reid pulled out his wallet and dropped a $5 on the table. "I'm with Garcia."
"Because you agree with her or because she drove?" Morgan questioned with more bite than intended.
"Both." Reid said, slamming his chair in, and broke into a jog to keep up with Penelope.
A tense silence settled over the room. J.J. picked at her salad, trying to stretch out her evening for as long as possible.
Hotch nursed his whiskey, and Morgan continued chewing. Suddenly a barrage of sound cut through the tense silence.
Hotch reached for his phone and stood up, Penelope skittered back to the restaurant with Reid on her heels; both had their phones in their hands. "Guys," she gasped, "Rossi's phone just dialed 911."
"I'm going to his house," Hotch declared and broke into a run through the double doors of the restaurant and through the parking lot.
Dave watched the clock on the bedroom wall, the minutes stretched like hours and there was no ambulance in sight.
"Erin, I think we need to go." Dave stood up and tossed clothes into a duffle bag. "I'll drive."
"No," she argued, "call Mary and see what she says. I don't want you driving." His heart was already weak and he was under doctor's orders not to was going wrong, what if something worse happened. She couldn't lose Dave too.
"Erin, we're not going to sit here and let you bleed out with your kids asleep down the hall." He snatched his phone off the floor and dialed the good doctor's home number.
He waited with the phone to his ear, the answering machine picked up on the fourth ring. He stabbed his screen and dialed her cell.
Hotch drove down the interstate with his back plastered to the driver's seat of his rented Chevy Tahoe. The smell of burnt rubber seemed to follow him as he hauled ass towards Dave's neighborhood. He stabbed his friend's number on the hands-free calling but he was sent straight to voicemail. 10 minutes had passed since leaving the restaurant as he made the exit into Dave's neighborhood. He tried Erin's phone but the call went to voicemail immediately.
He only looked both ways once before blowing through every stop sign in his path. His mind ran faster than the car, with possibilities. Dave could have had another heart-attack; maybe worse than last time. Hotch yanked the steering wheel into the driveway and ran up to the house, half expecting to find his best friend dead in front of the door. All the lights were out, Hotch put one hand on his service weapon. One bright light shone through the upstairs window.
There was no ambulance in the driveway and he hadn't passed any emergency units on the way. Fear clutched his throat, where was emergency personal?
He grabbed the door knob and pushed his way in. "Dave!" He barked, his voice echoed through the dark, quiet house. The security system emitted a low hum though the house, that would soon turn into a screech to wake the neighborhood.
He flipped on the lights and ran up the staircase. "Rossi!" He yelled, with one hand on his service weapon.
Dave threw his phone back on the floor, the doctor wasn't answering. "Erin, I'm done playing around." He threw the duffle bag into the hall. "We're going to the hospital, now." he growled and grabbed a blanket from the closet.
"How long has it been since you called?" She asked, her voice shook as desperation took over.
"18 minutes, Erin let's go. You're doctor isn't answering and the fucking ambulance is MIA."
She lowered her feet from the table and tried to sit up. Her head swam and black spots invaded her vision, Dave covered her with a blanket, going into shock wouldn't do anyone any good.
Hotch jogged towards Dave's bedroom,from his vantage point in the hall, the whole place looked like a crime scene. "Guys, I'm in your house!" He called and came closer to the door. "The alarm is probably about to go off."
"Good," Dave roared with his back to the door; he kept one arm around Erin and pulled her out of bed.. "Then maybe we could get some fucking help."
Seeing as nobody was going to stop him from entering the bedroom, he let himself in. There was blood everywhere, the bed, parts of the carpet were saturated with clots.
"Jesus," Hotch breathed as he took in the sight before him. Erin was covered in blood from the waist down.
"Yeah, he's nowhere to be found!" Erin cried as she stumbled forward, Dave caught her arm in the nick of time.
"We're going to get you to a hospital," Hotch said, "I'm driving." His tone left no room for argument, before he lifted her into his arms bridal style and started down the hall.
"Thank God, you showed up. I called 911 twenty minutes ago and they're still not here," Dave said, hurrying in front of them to grab the door and turn off the alarm.
Every step felt like an eternity until they reached the driveway. Dave opened the door to the backseat. "Watch your head," Hotch said as he sat her in the car.
Dave crawled in the backseat beside her and gripped her hand.
"Hotch, what's wrong?" Derek Jogged through the yard, to catch up.
"It's Erin," he said curtly.
"Look Man, you're covered in blood." Derek pressed, gripping Hotch's shoulder.
"It's not mine, I'm driving them to the hospital."
"The whole team is on their way over."
"Good. Someone needs to stay with the kids and clean up the bedroom. "We're going to Saint Sebastian's Hospital." He said curtly before ducking into the car and speeding towards the freeway.
"All this time, I've devoted to the Bureau and I can't get a police escort." Erin said, digging her nails into Dave's arm as more pain swept through her abdomen.
"I'm tryin', Baby." Dave said as he dialed 911 and held the phone to his ear. "Aaron, all the lines are blocked. What the fuck is going on tonight?"
Hotch turned the dial on the radio, touched the brake and looked both ways once before speeding towards the hospital.
"With any luck, we won't have to find out," he deadpanned as he turned into the parking lot.
'A massive warehouse fire shut down the city's emergency phone line. Several emergency calls were missed and at least one hospital was put on bypass.'
Erin pointed to the hospital's remote at the TV and silenced the reporter. "Well, at least we know what's going on."
"We got lucky that we weren't put on bypass," Dave said quietly. That was true, the nurses took one look at Erin and rushed her to a bed on the Maternity floor. She was hooked up to monitors to keep an eye on the contractions. The attending physician put her on a drip to stop the labor and a blood transfusion.
"I just wish the doctor would hurry up," everything felt very tentative; like walking on a tightrope while suspended over an open fire.
"Everything's okay, now," Dave said and grabbed her hand and kissed her palm. "We're in the right place and you're on the mend. That's what's important right now."
"I just want to know they're okay."
Just then, a knock sounded and the door opened. Doctor Welby tore her surgical cap off her head, "I'm so sorry I missed your calls."
"Please," Erin begged, "just tell us what happened."
"Knees up, Sweetie" Doctor Welby unfolded the stirrups from the side of the bed and pulled on her gloves. "Let's check things out and look at the ultrasound again."
It felt like all of the oxygen had been sucked from the room as the waited for the doctor's determination. Dave prayed that labor wasn't imminent. Thoughts of James and Caroline took over his mind.
Erin flinched in discomfort and leaned closer to him. He dropped a kiss on her forehead, the smell of her hair was like sunshine in the aftermath of a cold, dark winter. "It doesn't matter what happens, Erin." His voice broke slightly, like he was trying to convince himself. "We'll be alright."
"Okay," Doctor Welby broke through the silence. There was an uncomfortable edge to her voice. She covered Erin with a blanket and stood up, "Everything looks alright. You're not in labor but I want to get a closer look to see why you started bleeding and keep you overnight for observation." She said, with her hand on the door.
"Are the babies okay?" Erin asked, her voice trembled as the worst thoughts invaded her mind.
The good doctor paused mid-stride, "the attending didn't do an ultrasound when you came in?"
"No," Dave broke in before Erin could answer. His voice trembled and Erin watched his hands start to shake. "We're going crazy here, Doc."
"I'll be right back." Dr. Welby said harshly and snatched Erin's chart from the front of the bed. "That's the last time I leave my phone in a locker," she grumbled and disappeared in the hall.
"I think she's pissed," Dave offered to break the silence, he swiped the back of his hand over his eyes.
The motion wasn't lost on Erin, "Are you alright? I know this is hard for you and I'm so sorry." Her voice broke and she couldn't swallow the lump in her throat. Tears tracked down her cheeks before she could stop them, "David I love you." She sobbed, big heartbroken sobs, " and I can't make this better for you."
"I love you too," he grabbed a tissue from the box on the table and swiped his face with it. Grabbing her casted hand he leaned across the top of the bed to bury his face against her hair. "We don't even know anything yet," He mumbled and kissed her hair.
"That-makes it worse-" she hiccuped and reached across to touch his cheek. If they were going to survive the aftermath, they needed to hold tightly to each other.
Suddenly, a knock on the door captured their attention, Dave sat bolt upright in the chair and passed Erin a tissue. Dr. Welby wheeled in the ultrasound machine, she parked it next to Erin and flipped off the lights. "I need to get very clear images and the light can interfere," she explained as she pulled up Erin's gown and applied the transductor gel to her abdomen.
The whole room seemed to close in as she moved the wand around, the gel. She searched the screen until the grainy images started to make sense. "Okay," she whispered to herself. "There's, Baby A."
Questions from both parents came in unison in rapid fire.
"How's the heartbeat?" Dave asked.
"What about Baby B?" Erin cried, searching the screen hoping to interpret the images into something hopeful.
"Baby A's heartbeat is perfect, but I don't like the placement of his placenta-"
"What does that mean?" Dave shot back. "Is that bad?"
"It's starting to grow over the cervix, I think that's what caused the bleeding." The doctor answered and continued the exam.
"What about the second baby?" Erin asked, her throat felt thick and the air felt heavy. She needed answers before she fell deeper down the rabbit hole.
"Hmm…" Mary hummed and kept the pressure on Erin's abdomen. "There she is, she's laying sideways so I can't get the images I want."
Dave perked up, "did you say she?"
Mary smiled, "I did...you have two healthy babies who are not in any hurry to meet you."