CHAPTER 19

THE PAIN

The surgical suite was filled with a tense silence, broken only by the steady beeping of monitors and the murmurs of the medical team. Grace lay on the operating table, her face pale but calm. She clutched Ethan's hand tightly, her weak grip betraying her fragile state.

Ethan hovered close, his eyes darting between Grace and the doctors. His heart pounded as they began the C-section, his chest tight with fear. He whispered soothing words to Grace, though his own voice was unsteady.

"You're doing great, Grace," he said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Just a little longer, and we'll meet her."

Grace gave him a faint smile. "I'm ready, Ethan. I'm ready to see her."

After what felt like an eternity, a sharp cry pierced the air. Ethan's head snapped toward the sound, his breath catching in his throat. A nurse lifted their baby from Grace's womb, her tiny body wriggling and red.

"She's here," the doctor announced, holding up the baby.

Ethan's eyes filled with tears as he looked back at Grace. "She's beautiful, Grace. She's perfect."

Grace's face lit up with a mixture of relief and joy. "Let me see her," she whispered.

The nurse brought the baby over, carefully placing her next to Grace's face. Grace turned her head weakly, her trembling lips pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead.

"Hi, sweetheart," she murmured. "You're everything I dreamed of."

Ethan bent down beside her, his arm around her shoulders. "You did it, Grace. You brought her into the world."

As the baby was taken to be cleaned and weighed, Grace's breathing began to falter. Her chest rose and fell unevenly, and her face grew even paler. The monitors around her started to beep erratically, drawing the attention of the medical team.

"Her blood pressure is dropping!" a nurse called out.

Ethan's heart sank as he saw the panic on the doctors' faces. "What's happening? What's wrong?"

"She's losing too much blood," the doctor said quickly. "We're doing everything we can."

"Grace," Ethan whispered, gripping her hand tightly. "Stay with me. Stay with us."

Grace's eyes fluttered open, and she gave him a weak smile. "Ethan…promise me…you'll take care of her."

"No," Ethan said, his voice breaking. "Don't talk like that. You're going to be here. You're going to watch her grow up."

But Grace shook her head, her gaze filled with both love and resignation. "I love you," she whispered.

Her hand went limp in his, and the sound of the flatline filled the room.