A Vow Of Forever (A Vow Of Hate Novella)

My stomach churned with nausea as I stared at her pale face.

“Has someone called 9-1-1?” Gideon demanded.

There was a chorus of yes as I carefully gathered my wife in my arms. “Julianna,” I croaked. “Open your eyes for me, Princess. I need to see those pretty greys.”

I waited for any signs that she heard me; maybe even a little twitch but she was too still. HA pasty face and cold hands; she felt fragile in my arms.

I held her tighter to my chest, whispering in her ears. “I got you. You’re safe now.”

Please, wake up.

I didn’t care that I was in the middle of the sidewalk, holding my unconscious wife on my lap or that people were taking photos left and right. I just needed Julianna to be okay, for her to wake up because the uncertainty was killing me.

I heard the sirens and familiar voice around me, but nothing made sense to me. My wife was my sole focus but then paramedics surrounded us and one of them took Julianna away from me. I watched in a daze as they put her on a stretcher and then my gaze dropped to my empty arms.

Dread filled my chest as they loaded her up into the ambulance but before they could close the doors, I lunged forward. “I’m her husband,” I spoke hurriedly; frantic. “Please, I need to be with her.”

“Get in,” the older male paramedics demanded. The relief that encompassed me was instant but not enough, because Julianna was still unconscious and probably hurt. There was no physical injuries but what about the triplets?

“Is she okay?” I asked shakily.

The woman who was assessing Julianna’s condition spared me a quick glance. Her lips were thinned in a grim line. “We’re going to get her to the hospital and they’re going to do everything they can for your wife and unborn baby.”

“Babies,” I corrected, as if that would make any difference. “We’re having triplets.”

The paramedics shared a look but was stayed quiet.

I felt numb by the time we got to the hospital. We got surrounded by nurses and doctors as they wheeled Julianna away from me. I didn’t fight it because they were my only hope at fixing whatever was wrong with my wife.

Words hit my ears as panic coursed through my veins and fear slithered down my spine.

“Maybe a concussion.”

“Could also be internal injuries.”

“Paramedics said she’s pregnant with triplets.”

There was a curse and then more words that didn’t make sense to me.

She was taken into the ER and wheeled into a room that I wasn’t allowed in. I paced outside the door as Gideon and Samuel joined me. Nurses went in and out of the room and every time I tried to get inside, they blocked my path.

“Is she okay? Is my wife okay? She has to be okay, right?” I kept repeating to no one in particular. “She has to be okay. She has to be okay. She’ll be okay.”

Finally, after it felt like hours – a doctor walked out. I lunged forward, almost frantically. “What’s going on? Why is no one telling me anything? Is she going to be okay?”

“Mrs. Spencer has had two seizures back-to-back and there’s a placenta abruption. We have to prep for a C-Section immediately,” he announced tightly. “Your wife is in extreme distress and so are the babies.”

His word filled me with terror and I don’t know if it showed on my face because he gave me a sympathetic look. “Does that mean – is Julianna, is my wife – what are the risks? She’s only twenty-nine weeks along. Isn’t that too soon?”

The doctor nodded. “The triplets will be premature and will have to be put in newborn intensive care unit. Our goal is to safely deliver all three babies without any lasting damages.”

“And my wife? What about her?” I couldn’t even hide the fear and pain in my voice.

“I can assure you, both mother and babies are our priorities.”

Then he was gone and I was left with only his words to hang on to; to hope.

I paced the waiting room. Gideon and Samuel were both quiet but I appreciated the fact that I wasn’t alone here. I didn’t know how much time passed. Long seconds turned into agonizing minutes. Maybe it was an hour? Maybe more?

It felt like forever.

I didn’t know how much longer I could last because I was going absolutely insane. I ran a shaky hand over my face and then my gaze flickered to Gideon’s. “Can you call Selene for me? She’s watching Cameron.”

My father-in-law nodded. “I already did before I got to the hospital,” he responded gravely. “She’ll take care of Cameron. You focus on Jules and the triplets.”

I walked to the windows, numbly staring outside. Samuel offered me coffee but I shook my head. I tried to sit down but I was antsy for that, so I went back to pacing. Back and forth; fists clenching, silently praying and with my heart in my throat.