I race down the worn, dirt road trying to toe the line between fast and reckless. My tire sinks down into a huge pothole and Charlotte and I both bounce around the cab.

“Shit! Sorry, I didn’t see that one,” I glance at her face. “How are you doing over there? Are you in any pain?” I want to grab her hand, or throw my arm around her, but right now I’ve got my paws at ten and two. I might not pass any driver safety course for this commute, but I’m doing the best I can to get her to the hospital quick and safe.

“I’m not sure,” she rubs her hands over her belly. “I can’t tell if I’m cramping up or if my stomach is just doing backflips because I’m worried.”

“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine,” I’m not sure if I’m trying to reassure her or convince myself. The blood that first trickled out onto the blanket picked up. When she stood up, it flowed down the insides of her legs down to her knees. I want to believe that Charlotte and the baby are going to be fine, but I need to hear it from a doctor to believe it.

“Hang on, I’m speeding up,” I warn her as I finally finish with the dusty back road and pull out onto the freeway. It takes all of my self-control not to flatten the pedal to the floor. The city slides past us in a blur of fluorescent lights as I make my way to the Jubilee hospital.

“We’ll be there in no time, just let me know if anything changes, alright? Are you still good?” I quickly look over at her and can see the worry etched into her beautiful face.

“I’m good,” she answers unconvincingly.

“Okay,” in a stroke of luck I sail through a green light and swoop around a corner, following the hospital signs.

I know it only takes a few minutes, but it literally feels like hours before I pull up in front of the emergency entrance and throw the truck into park. Racing around to the passenger side, I help Charlotte out onto the ground and guide her inside through the automatic double doors.

The tired looking triage nurse doesn’t even look up at us as Charlotte eases into her seat. “Do you have insurance?” She waits for her answer with her fingers hovering over the keyboard of her computer.

“Yes, through work,” Charlotte answers.

Clackety-clack.

“What’s the problem?” The silver haired, white woman still doesn’t actually meet either of our eyes.

“She’s almost five months pregnant and she’s bleeding,” I cut in, trying to move this along.

“What color is the blood,” the nurse answers flatly.

“What color? It’s red, what color do you think it is?” My temper flares and I grit my teeth together.

“Sir, I need you to calm down. I’m talking to the patient. The blood, is it bright, dark, brownish?” She finally glances up at Charlotte. “The more information I have the better.”

“Bright red,” Charlotte clasps my hand and gives it a squeeze. Even in this state she finds time to try to calm me down. She’s an angel.

After the interrogation is over, the nurse asks us to take a seat in the waiting room. We sit down beside one another, our fingers threaded together, and wait. Luckily it doesn’t take too long before a man who looks like he’s dressed up as a nurse for Halloween comes to the end of the hall and calls out, “Charlotte King.” He shakes his head when we both rise to our feet. “I’m sorry sir, but we’re just taking Ms. King in for examination right now. I’ll come and get you once it’s over.”

“What?” I practically choke on the word.

“It’s going to be fine, Connor. Take my phone, please, call my brother and tell him what’s going on. I want him to know, please,” she drops her cell in my hands and follows the nurse down the hall and out of sight.

Could this night get any worse? I immediately regret the thought, I don’t want to tempt fate into showing me just how much worse this whole thing can get. I don’t want us to lose our baby, or for anything to happen to Lottie.

Sighing, I open her phone and bring up Marcus’ contact. I don’t want to overthink it, I just push the ‘call’ button and listen to the rings in my ear.

“Hullo,” my old friend’s familiar voice cuts through my swirling thoughts.

“Marcus?”

“Connor? Why are you calling me?” He sounds like he’s biting off his words.

“Listen, I don’t have time for your shit, Lottie is in trouble, she’s bleeding. We’re at the Jubilee and we don’t know but she might be having a miscarriage,” I wait for an answer but don’t hear anything. I twist the phone away from my ear and look down at the screen. The call timer stopped. That son of a bitch hung up on me!

Rage boils up from my chest and splashes up my throat, “Fucker!” I throw the phone on the floor and the screen shatters.

“Sir!” The tired nurse at the triage desk stands up and levels me with her narrow slits for eyes.

“Sorry,” I pick up the broken phone that I’m going to need to replace and push it into my jeans pocket.

“If you have any more violent outbursts, I’m going to have you escorted out by security,” she points her finger at me and I feel like a kid in elementary school being sent to the principal’s office.

“I understand,” I run my hand over the back of my burning neck and ignore the stares of the other people in the room waiting.

I understand all right, I slump down in a seat and feel my anger coil up inside me. I understand that Marcus is damned lucky he’s not here right now, because if he was I’d be getting dragged away by more than a rent-a-cop. If that asshole was here right now he’d be the one getting seen by a doctor because I’d crush his windpipe with my fist.