Reckless Love (Cowboys & Angels 7)

“Oh, God,” I gasped, grabbing Trevor.

“Scarlett?” both the preacher and Trevor said at once.

Then I felt it.

Something wet was running down my leg. Panic instantly set in.

No. No. No! I’m only thirty weeks. I still have ten weeks to go!

“Scarlett, baby, I need you to tell me what’s wrong,” Trevor begged.

Looking into his eyes, I started to cry.

Trevor looked like someone had hit him, and the pain on his face nearly knocked me over.

“Scarlett, what is wrong?” he asked again before glancing around. “Someone help me! What’s wrong with her?”

This time, I found my voice long enough to answer.

“I think my water broke.”

Everything was a blur. I didn’t remember how we got to the hospital. I didn’t remember who drove. How we got to this floor or when they took Scarlett away and told me I had to leave the room.

Everything was a blur.

“Trevor, darling, why don’t you drink some coffee.”

My mother’s voice penetrated the fog and caused me to glance her way.

“This is my fault.”

Her mouth dropped open.

“What?”

Shaking my head in disbelief, I looked down to the floor. “This is my fault. This is my payback for the way I treated her.”

Sitting next to me, my mother placed the coffees on the table next to the chair and reached for my hands.

“Look at me right this moment, Trevor Parker.”

Forcing myself to do as she said, our eyes met.

“This is not your fault. This is no one’s fault. You heard the doctor. Scarlett was in perfect health. The baby was fine; nothing was wrong. She went into labor early, that’s it. God doesn’t play games like that and you know it.”

I shook my head. “If everything was okay, why did her water break and why is my wife being cut open and having our baby taken out? The baby isn’t ready to come, Mom. Not yet. It’s too soon.”

Joyce sat on the other side of me, holding my other hand.

“Trevor, the survival rate of infants at thirty weeks is very good, especially if the baby is born healthy. They know what they’re doing. The baby is going to be okay.”

Tears streamed from my eyes as my head dropped. “Why did this happen? Why Scarlett? Why? If we lose this baby…it will kill her. It will kill me!”

My mother wrapped her arms around me, and I dropped my head to her chest and cried. I didn’t give two shits who saw me, or who heard me. It felt like someone had ripped a hole in my chest and was attempting to tear my heart out piece by piece.

“Joyce, will you find John, please?”

“Yes, of course.”

Rocking me gently, Mom whispered that everything was going to be okay. I wanted to believe her. I wanted to have faith, but it felt like my faith was slowly starting to slip away.

“John, take him to the chapel. Please.”

My father reached down and pulled me up. “Come on, son. We’re going to the chapel. Tripp, help me.”

Tripp stood on the other side of me as the three of us headed to the hospital chapel. Was it a sign that it was on the same floor?

The moment the doors pushed open and I saw the giant cross, I dropped to my knees. Burying my face in my hands, I cried out with everything I had in me. I needed God to hear my pleas. I needed him to listen to me.

“God, don’t do this to me! Don’t you take them away from me. I’ll do anything. I swear to you, I’ll do anything. You can take me, but please don’t take our child from Scarlett… P-please. I b-beg of you. God, please don’t do this!” I cried out as I buried my face in my hands while sobs rocked my entire body.

Tripp was on the floor next to me. His arm wrapped around me, his voice shaking as he tried to tell me to stand up. I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to move. The only place I wanted to be was with Scarlett.

“I need to get to her. I need to be with her. She needs me!” I shouted, jumping up and trying to push past Tripp and my father to get out of the doors of the chapel.

“Stop, Trevor!” my father shouted.

Tripp grabbed my arms and pulled me onto the pew.

“Trevor, I know you’re scared. We’re all scared. But you rushing out there and trying to find Scarlett is not going to help anyone.”

Looking up, I could barely see him. My vision was blurry.

“Tripp.”

It was all I could manage to get out.

He looked down at me, his face softened, and he closed his eyes. “I can’t imagine how you feel, Trevor.”

He sat down next to me and stared straight ahead at the altar, just like I was doing.

“I know Scarlett and I know she is going to fight with everything she has, and I know Dr. Buten is not going to let anything happen to your baby. He won’t.”