Gwendolyn White could no longer hold back her tears after the nurse spoke. She collapsed against Carney’s chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
Stewart took the critical care consent form, gripped the pen tightly, and signed his name.
The nurse accepted the form and turned to disappear into the emergency room.
Stewart stared at the tightly shut doors of the operating theater, his dark eyes clouded with worry.
Seconds dragged into minutes.
Carl returned from his phone call and quietly stepped over to Stewart’s side, lowering his voice. “Mr. Wentworth, the blood units are on their way. They should be here in about twenty minutes.”
Stewart gave a curt nod in response.
Carl silently withdrew to the side.
Carney, having overheard Carl, shot Stewart a sidelong glance.
Gwendolyn, growing more distraught by the minute, pushed free from her husband’s embrace and stormed up to Stewart, her voice trembling with accusation. “What did you do to Bryn?”
Stewart’s brow furrowed. “I haven’t had any contact with her these past weeks.”
“Then why did Bryn say you wanted to hurt her baby?” Gwendolyn pressed her hand to her chest, her voice breaking. “She was in agony the whole way here, barely conscious, but she kept mumbling, ‘Protect the baby. Don’t let Stewart hurt my child.‘ She was terrified you’d do something to her baby! Stewart, what did you do to make her so afraid?”
His lips pressed into a thin line.
He remembered, all too clearly, how Briony had panicked the moment he appeared in the ambulance. Her reaction had been extreme–far beyond anything he could explain.
It had to be connected to that stranger she met. Briony only fell apart after seeing that person.
But until he figured out the truth, Stewart had no intention of telling Gwendolyn anything.
“Mrs. Winslow, I understand how you feel. But since Briony came to Silveridge, I haven’t spoken to her.”
Gwendolyn studied him, her frown skeptical.
Just then, the doors to the emergency room swung open again.
Dr. Warren emerged, his face partially hidden behind his mask, but his eyes alone gave away the gravity of the situation.
“We’ve delivered the babies,” Dr. Warren announced. “The boy weighs three pounds, five ounces; the girl, three pounds, nine ounces. I’m very sorry–the boy was delivered without a heartbeat. The pediatricians did everything they could…”
Gwendolyn’s knees buckled. “How could this happen…”
Carney caught her just in time, his own eyes rimmed red. “And the girl? How is she?”
“Her vitals aren’t great either. She’s already been transferred to the neonatal unit,” Dr. Warren replied.
He paused before continuing, “The mother is still hemorrhaging. We’re doing everything we can, but if we can’t stop the bleeding, we may have no choice but to perform a hysterectomy.”
Gwendolyn’s breath hitched. “A hysterectomy?”
Dr. Warren met her gaze. “That’s the worst–case scenario.”
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“Dr. Warren, Bryn is so young! She’s already lost one child, the other’s future is uncertain… You can’t take away her chance to have children!”
“Mrs. Winslow, I completely understand. Dr. Jarvis and I are doing everything in our power. But as your doctors, we have to keep you informed.”
“We understand, and we trust you,” Carney said, meeting Dr. Warren’s eyes.
“Our biggest obstacle right now is blood loss. The hospital’s blood bank is running low-”
“The blood’s here!” Carl shouted suddenly. “It just arrived!”
Dr. Warren nodded briskly. “We’ll give it another try.”
The timely arrival of the blood bought Dr. Warren and Dr. Jarvis precious time.
At last, nearly an hour later, the surgery was over.
Dr. Warren stepped out of the operating room and pulled off his mask.
“Dr. Warren, how’s Bryn?” Gwendolyn hurried over, her voice thick with fear.
Dr. Warren let out a long, weary breath. “We managed to save her uterus, but she’ll need to stay in intensive care for the next forty–eight hours.”
Gwendolyn sagged with relief, covering her mouth as tears streamed down her face.
Carney and Gwendolyn went to take care of the hospital paperwork and check on Briony and the surviving baby in the ICU.
Dr. Warren turned to Stewart. “Are you the father?”
Stewart nodded, his expression tight.
“Would you like to see your son?”
Stewart’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. After a long moment, he finally managed, “Yes.”
A nurse led Stewart to the infant.
The tiny boy, barely three pounds, seemed impossibly small–so small, Stewart thought, he could fit in the palm of one hand.
He lay perfectly still.
If he’d been alive, Stewart imagined he’d see the gentle rise and fall of that little chest, the flutter of a beating
heart.
But there was no movement, no heartbeat. Just a cold, silent stillness.
He never got a chance to see the world.
Stewart closed his eyes, forcing down the bitter taste that rose in his throat.
The nurse handed him a stack of forms. “Please review these and sign where indicated.”
He took them, but when his eyes landed on the “Certificate of Death,” his chest tightened painfully.
“Would you like the hospital to handle arrangements, or will your family take responsibility?”
Stewart closed his eyes. His voice came out rough. “We’ll handle it ourselves.”
“In that case, please sign this release form as well…
He completed the paperwork.
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Stewart instructed Carl to arrange a private flight–he wanted to take his son home to Northborough himself.
But before leaving, Stewart went to see Briony and their daughter.
Both mother and baby were still in critical condition.
Stewart left Carl at the hospital and returned to Northborough with his son.
By the time Gwendolyn and Carney approached the hospital to ask about the baby’s remains, Stewart’s plane was already in the air, leaving Silveridge behind.
Gwendolyn was distraught.
“What does he mean by this? He won’t even let Bryn say goodbye?”
Carney’s heart ached too, but all he could do was try to comfort his wife. “Maybe… maybe it’s better this way. Maybe it’s less painful for Bryn not to see him one last time.”
Chapter 270
