Chapter 816
Chapter 816 This Is the Fourth Time
Selena woke up that morning and instantly felt something viscous that seemed to have pooled beneath the lower half of her body. Lifting the covers, she was greeted by traces of blood on the sheets.
As he was shocked by that sight, Pierre demanded, "What happened? Why are you bleeding?" Her calm and collected demeanor was a stark contrast to his flustered one as she said, "We need to get to the hospital."
He immediately carried her in his arms. This was the first time they had any physical contact since his return and he found that she was still as light as a feather despite her growing bump. In fact, she might even be lighter than she had been before he left and he felt his heart twist at this realization.
Jason arrived at the hospital soon after Selena had been admitted. She was being wheeled into the emergency room and Pierre stood helplessly outside the doors. Jason came over and patted him on the shoulder before he said grimly, "This is the fourth time it's happened." Pierre turned to look at the other man quizzically.
"Ever since she nearly miscarried the baby, she's been experiencing occasional bleeding. This is the fourth time she's been admitted to the hospital to stabilize the pregnancy; the doctor said they would do their best to prevent a miscarriage, but they can only leave the rest up to fate."
Jason sat down on the bench outside the emergency room with a grave look on his face. He recalled how Jude's death had happened immediately after the doctor's prior attempt to stabilize Selena's pregnancy. Selena was so devastated that she bled once more, which caused her to spend another week in the hospital and was put on bedrest while taking in fluids and injections necessary to keep the baby. Now that he counted, it was the fourth time that she was forced to undergo the same treatment. At the thought of that, Jason recounted plaintively, "She has had 28 injections and 69 blood transfusions during the course of this pregnancy, not to mention all the medication she's been prescribed. Juniper has even tried acupuncture on her and it has admittedly shown results. The gap between her bleeding this time and the last is significantly wider."
Pierre felt his throat tighten when he heard what Jason had said.
He knew how terrified Selena was of needles and she was never able to keep from squirming whenever she saw Juniper perform an acupuncture. Who knows what she's been through just to keep the baby? He could only imagine the fear that seized her when she lay alone on the hospital bed.
Pierre was beginning to understand why Selena was so calm when she decided to come to the hospital. It was because she was already used to making such trips.
She was already used to the fear.
Not long after, the doctor came out of the emergency room and announced, "We've stopped the bleeding, but I'm afraid she'll have to go through the same treatment again and be put on bedrest while we work on preventing a miscarriage."
Following the doctor's instruction, Selena was wheeled into the ward and Jason quietly excused himself so that he could give the couple the privacy to talk things out.
She lay silently in bed as she stared impassively at the ceiling.
Pierre, on the other hand, was seated on the chair next to her bed and he carefully reached out to clasp her hand as he said, "I'm sorry, Selena. I'm sorry."
After he continuously mumbled those words until his voice grew thick with regret, the tears that threatened to overwhelm finally did so.
He should have apologized and explained everything to her, but he didn't and he could only blame himself for putting the woman he loved through hell.
Meanwhile, Selena blinked and allowed the tears to stream down her face. He looked up and brushed away the tears with his thumb before he murmured, "Don't cry, Selena. I'm sorry. This is all my fault." With that, Pierre brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the back of her hand.
After a long pause, she finally spoke, "Did you know this was going to happen when you left home?"
Selena thought about how strange things had been preceding his abrupt departure and while she couldn't quite put her finger on it, she still felt as though something was off about the whole thing.
"Yes. When the organization called me away on the mission, they told me all about the plan. I didn't agree with them at first." He remembered how helpless and frustrated he had felt.
"Why didn't you tell me anything?" Then, as soon as she asked the question, she broke out in a broken and bitter laugh. "I know-it's top secret."
"No, believe me-I wanted to tell you. However... The organization was right when they said that the others wouldn't be convinced of my death unless you were."