Chapter 2 - The Hemorrhage of Truth
Another contraction hit me, a massive, crushing wave of pain that stole the breath from my lungs. I bit down on my lip hard enough to taste copper, refusing to scream, refusing to give them the satisfaction of my weakness.
"She is in distress," Mildred snapped, waving her paper fan as if swatting away a fly. "Give her the medication, Doctor. We don't have time for your insubordination."
"It's not insubordination, Mrs. Reynolds," Dr. Sterling countered, her hand reaching out to physically disconnect the secondary IV line from my arm. "It is the Hippocratic Oath. If I push this medication, she will code."
"People code in childbirth," Richard said, his voice entirely devoid of emotion.
The room went dead silent.
Even the fetal monitor seemed to quiet down for a fraction of a second.
He hadn't meant to say it out loud. But arrogance always makes men careless. He had spoken the quiet part into the sterile air of the delivery room, and now, the truth was bleeding out all over the cracked linoleum floor.
I pushed myself up on my elbows. The pain of the contraction was receding, replaced by a surge of pure, blinding adrenaline.
"Five million dollars," I gasped, staring directly into my husband's eyes.
Richard froze.
"What did you say?" he demanded, taking a half-step back.
"Five million dollars," I repeated, my voice growing stronger, echoing off the stained beige walls. "That’s the payout on the maternal mortality rider you insisted we add to my life insurance policy six months ago. You said it was just a precaution. You said it was to protect the baby."
Mildred’s fan stopped moving. "Clare, you are hysterical from the pain. Lie down."
"I am a registered nurse, Mildred!" I shouted, the fury finally breaking through the terror. I reached up and ripped the fetal monitor tape off my skin, then yanked the primary saline IV out of the back of my hand. A bright bead of blood welled up, but I didn't care. "I know what a magnesium toxicity crash looks like. I know what an induced hemorrhage looks like. You bribed the clinic director to forge the chart, and you brought me to this slaughterhouse because you thought it would be easy to sweep under the rug!"
"Shut her up," Richard hissed to the nurse, Linda, who had been hovering near the door.
May you like
Linda took a step forward, looking terrified, but Dr. Sterling immediately stepped in front of her.
"If you touch my patient," Dr. Sterling warned the nurse, her voice dropping to a lethal octave, "I will ensure you lose your license and share a cell with them."
