Complications: Scaring the Nurse
Scaring the Nurse
Wedge stalked down the corridor searching for Iella’s room, nearly snarling at the nurse skittering along in his wake.
“Sir, your wife is already distressed, you really should let us treat that before she sees you,” the young Zabrak implored, gesturing towards his bloodied and swelling face. Wedge thought she sounded remarkably like a protocol droid.
He turned to glower at her, and she skidded to a halt, wide-eyed and slightly breathless. “My wife has already seen this and won’t care. More to the point, I haven’t seen her. Now either tell me where she is or stay out of my way!”
“Room 214, sir.” The now pale nurse pointed down the hall. “Take the next left, sir.”
“Thank you,” he growled, and hurried on. He’d feel guilty about scaring the poor girl later. Right now, all his emotions - all his guilt - were wrapped up in someone else.
Have a vicious fight with your pregnant wife, brilliant tactic Antilles, he blasted himself. More stress was just what she needed! But no, all you could think of was yourself.
The call from Agent Hask had caught him in the middle of cleaning up his face. The moment he’d heard that Iella was bleeding, his heart had stopped beating. Now it was pounding entirely too fast as he paused outside her door.
Please… don’t let her lose the baby. Please.Taking a deep breath, he entered, unable to avoid one last terrible thought - Don’t let me lose her either.
Iella lay on the examining table in the small clinical room, clad in one of those impossibly thin medical smocks. Her eyes were fixed on the door, waiting for him, and the moment he appeared, she held her arms out wordlessly.
He was across the room in an instant, holding her close, stroking her hair. No words were needed - at this moment, harsh words were forgotten, cruel blows forgiven. All that mattered was the two of them, and the fate of their child.
“Sithspit! I know you said you hit him, boss lady, but I wasn’t expecting that shiner!”
Wedge jolted at the unexpected yet familiar voice. “Face?”
The former actor, standing on the other side of the table, quirked a half-smile at him. “Yub yub, boss man. Glad you got here so fast.”
Wedge just blinked. “What in the worlds are you doing here?”
“Learning a few things about your wife that I never ever needed to know.” His face and voice lost all traces of humour. “I was with her when she… I brought her here after...” He swallowed roughly. “Anyway, now that you’re here, I’m off duty. Best go keep that appointment with Cracken now.”
Iella reached out and squeezed his hand. “Thank you, Face. For everything.”
The Wraith bent and gave her a gentle hug. “Force be with you, boss lady.” He nodded to Wedge, his eyes dark with sympathy, before slipping quietly out of the room.
Iella buried her face against Wedge’s shoulder, her arms sliding around his waist. “Oh Wedge. I’m so scared.”
“Me too, love.” He rubbed her back, feeling her tremble. “Where’s the doctor?”
“She just went to talk to another doctor. She should be back any minute.” Her voice, small and shaking, scraped against his soul.
He pressed his lips to the top of her head, struggling to hold onto his composure. He couldn’t think of a thing to say… so he just held her, and hoped.
“Ah, you made it, General.” The Deep rich voice made Wedge look up. Standing beside him was a female Thakwaash, easily three meters tall and counting. “Karsha Banefre. We’re sorry not to have met you before now.”
How did I not notice her enter? he wondered rather absently, before shaking himself out of his daze. “Likewise.”
The doctor’s attention turned to his wife. “Iella. Still bleeding, yes? Are you starting to feel any pain?”
“I think the bleeding is slowing down, but I can’t be sure. And no pain - no tightness, no ache. Nothing.” Iella bit her lip. “And I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”
“Let us find out. We’ll start with a basic scan; see if we can’t pinpoint the problem from there. The results will determine our next course of action.” Her dark eyes were soft upon them. “We realise how frightening this must be for you. We wish that we could reassure you that this means nothing bad, but we cannot at this point. What we can assure you of is our determination to find the problem and treat it.”
Iella tangled her fingers into Wedge’s. “Thank you, Karsha. We appreciate your honesty.”
The large ears twitched. “If you want honesty, we’d suggest that your husband learn to block.”
Iella let out a startled laugh, and Wedge decided that he rather liked this woman. Feeling the swelling around his eye and nose, he answered ruefully, “I thought I had.”
“Think again, General.” The doctor carefully positioned the medical scanner over Iella. “We’ll need you to bare your belly, and bend your knees up.”
Wedge watched intently as Banefre quickly and efficiently hooked up the equipment. In essence, it was the same process that they’d been through just four weeks ago. But instead of the anticipation and wonder he’d felt at the thought of seeing his child for the first time, dread was curling in his guts, whispering that it may also have been the last time.
A hologram formed in the air; the smoky, indistinct image of Iella’s womb. Wedge’s eyes fought to make sense of it, trying to pick out a pattern that would show him hope.
Banefre’s large brows furrowed as she shifted the scanner from left to right. The holo rippled, and Iella’s fingernails were digging into the back of his hand.
“What’s different?” she whispered frantically. “What’s changed?”
His heart plummeted as he realised just what was missing; something that had thrilled him beyond measure when he’d heard it that first time. His voice husky with unshed tears, he murmured, “There’s no heartbeat.”
“No. Oh no.” Iella shuddered once, violently. “Is he right, Karsha? Is our baby… dead?”
“We are very sorry… but he is correct.” Ears lying flat against her skull, Banefre shifted the scanner further up Iella’s belly. “There is no movement, and there is no heartbeat.”
“No. No no no.” Iella pressed her face against his chest, and he could feel her fighting not to sob.
Wrapping his arms around her, Wedge kept his gaze on the doctor. Though his heart was breaking, he needed to know that his wife was not also in danger; if he were to lose her as well, his heart, his soul would shatter.
The Thakwaash sat back, making eye contact with Wedge, and he could see the slightest flicker of movement within them - a sign that she was shifting through her many minds, perhaps trying to find the best one to deal with this.
“What is it?” he asked softly, needing to know. “What else is wrong?”
“More? There can’t be more!” Iella bolted upright, clenching her fists. “You just told me that my baby is dead inside me. How could it get any worse?”
“We will need to do some more intensive investigations.” She regarded them steadily. “Perhaps then we shall have some answers.”
*****