Chapter 8 - The Emergency Surgery
Elena was transferred to the operating room.
The baby’s heart rate continued dropping.
Dr. Reyes explained the situation in short, precise sentences.
“We need to deliver immediately.”
Elena nodded.
“Do it.”
The anesthesiologist adjusted her medication.
Miriam stayed beside her until the surgical team took over.
Elena asked one question.
“Did Khloe give me the stimulant?”
“We are testing the syringe.”
“My son?”
“We are moving as fast as possible.”
Elena closed her eyes.
She did not pray for Preston.
She did not think about the marriage.
She thought about the child she had carried for thirty-nine weeks.
The baby who kicked every evening when she drank cold water.
The baby whose nursery Preston had painted blue.
The baby now endangered by the same man who once promised to protect him.
The surgery began.
No one told Elena the final outcome immediately.
She heard clipped instructions.
The movement of equipment.
The monitor tones.
Then a brief silence so complete it terrified her.
She tried to lift her head.
The anesthesiologist placed a hand near her shoulder.
“Stay with me.”
Elena heard a sound.
Not a full cry.
A small, strained gasp.
Then medical staff moved quickly beyond the curtain.
Elena’s eyes filled.
“Is he alive?”
No one answered at once.
Dr. Reyes remained focused.
A neonatal team carried the baby toward a warming station outside Elena’s view.
Her blood pressure dropped.
The medication Khloe may have administered had caused excessive uterine activity and contributed to a dangerous complication.
Elena became dizzy.
She heard Miriam’s voice near the doorway.
“Preston is not allowed inside.”
Then darkness closed around her.
Outside the operating room, Preston demanded updates.
Security kept him away.
Khloe sat in an interview room with hospital administrators.
She claimed Elena had injected herself.
No one believed the story.
The syringe carried Khloe’s fingerprints.
The medication drawer access log showed her badge.
The tablet recording captured her asking Preston what would happen if Elena refused.
But investigators still needed to determine whether Preston knew about the drug.
And whether the altered consent form was part of a larger plan.
When Elena finally opened her eyes, the room was quiet.
Her first question remained the same.
“My baby?”
Miriam sat beside the bed.
May you like
Her expression revealed nothing.
Then she reached toward the door.
