I couldn’t bear the pain anymore. The contractions were relentless, and I was desperate to get out of that contaminated ward. “Please,” I begged, “take me out of here.”
But no one listened. Just outside the ward, my legs gave out, and I collapsed to the ground.
“Nydia, you weren’t even at the nurse’s station when we arrived. So how come you'll be infected by the virus? Drop the act now! Do you think we’re stupid?”
In their eyes, I was nothing but a jealous, vindictive woman.
But soon, Hadden approached me in his hazmat suit. I thought, foolishly, that he might offer me some kindness. But I was wrong.
As I reached out to grab the hem of his pants, he coldly pulled back his foot and kicked me over. I fell backward and warm fluid quickly pooled beneath me as I lay there helplessly.
But despite that, he didn’t care. Not about me, not about our baby.
“Weren’t you always so good at scheming?” he mocked. “What happened? You tried to release the virus to harm someone and ended up taking yourself down instead?”
He laughed cruelly. “You’re an idiot. Next time you try to hurt someone, use your brain.”
He thought I was the one who opened the vial. Did he think so highly of himself that he believed I’d ruin lives for his sake?
“As the head nurse, you should know better. Leaking an experimental virus is a serious medical offense,” he continued. “Do you have any idea of the consequences? Do you know how much of our research you’ve just destroyed because of your carelessness?”
Nydia's POV
"Even the higher-ups won't let you off the hook for this!"
Hadden kept rattling off my supposed crimes, but his words blurred into the background. My mind was foggy, and the contractions were hitting harder and faster.
"Dr. Fletcher, I think Nydia is really going into labor," one of the coworkers finally noticed, seeing me struggling to breathe, my lower body soaked in a mixture of amniotic fluid and blood.
"Nydia, I've observed you’ve been drinking soda lately—couldn't it be due to that?" Cynthia said.
"Yeah, you might be right," another chimed in. "She probably has a UTI or something. Maybe she’s just peeing blood."
"Cynthia, you’re so smart—definitely sharper than some people. It's a pity you're still a nurse."
"Oh, stop it, Hadden, you’re just flattering me!” Cynthia giggled, and they continued flirting like it was just another ordinary day.