“It’s just a little! You’ll be fine!” He slammed the brakes, the car screeching to a stop at the hospital entrance. “Sophie’s carrying my child—she’s my only way to get in with the Whitmores! Think about it—if you help her now, once I’ve earned Mr. Whitmore’s favor, in the future we—”
“We?” I looked into his eyes, wide with undisguised urgency, and felt only cold disbelief. “Daniel, what about the baby I’m carrying? Have you even thought about the risk to me?”
“You can have another child later!” His patience snapped. Grabbing my wrist, he dragged me toward the ER. “But if something happens to Sophie now, I’m finished! Claire Whitmore, I’m begging you—just this once!”
I fought to break free, my wrist aching from his grip. “No! Daniel, let me go! The doctor said I can’t give blood!”
But he acted like he didn’t hear me, forcing me into the transfusion room. The nurse glanced at my heavily pregnant belly with visible hesitation. “Mr. Reed, at this stage of pregnancy, blood donation carries a very high risk—”
“I’ll take the risk! I’ll be responsible if anything happens!” Daniel cut her off, glaring at me with a sharp, almost feral look. “If you refuse, you’re as good as killing me and Sophie’s baby!”
When the cold needle pierced my skin, I trembled all over. As the blood flowed through the tubing, the baby inside me suddenly kicked violently, followed by the sharpest cramp I had ever felt.
“It hurts… Daniel, my stomach—” Sweat poured down my face. I clutched his arm, pleading, “Stop, please! My baby—”
Daniel’s eyes stayed fixed on the blood bag’s rising volume. He shook off my hand impatiently. “Hold on—it’s almost done. Sophie’s life is on the line!”
It wasn’t until the nurse gasped, “The patient’s turning pale—she’s going into labor!” that panic flickered in his eyes. But by then, the blood bag was nearly full, my vision was fading, and a warm gush spread beneath me.
“Quick! Prep the delivery room—she’s going into premature labor!”
As they rushed me into surgery, the last thing I saw was Daniel standing in the hallway, caught between my emergency room and Sophie’s ward. After a few seconds of hesitation, he turned and ran to Sophie.
When I woke again, the sting of antiseptic filled my nose, making me cough. The bassinet beside me was empty. A nurse, her eyes red, told me gently, “Ma’am… I’m so sorry. The baby was too premature. He… he never breathed.”