Chapter 4

"Doctor Winters, it looks like the rebar might have pierced your uterus. Your injuries can't wait. When the ambulance arrives, you should go first."

I felt chills all over my body, sensing the little life inside my belly slipping away bit by bit.

As soon as the ambulance came to a stop, Dash scooped Meadow up in his arms and carried her into the ambulance, struggling to climb in himself.

"This patient's condition is more severe. Could you possibly wait a moment? The next ambulance will be here shortly."

"Or could you please sit to the side and let this patient have the middle bed? She's lost a lot of blood and could be in life-threatening danger at any moment!"

Dash sprawled Meadow out on the ambulance's stretcher, glaring at me with a gloomy expression.

"Look, she still has the energy to glare at people. She won't die anytime soon! First come, first served. We were the first ones down the mountain waiting for the ambulance, so this one's ours!"

"My darling is pregnant, you know. Her tummy's rumbling and she's in a rush to get back to the city for a meal!"

As they were closing the doors, Dash threw me one last mocking glance.

"Serves you right, no one to care for you, you tomboy!"

Not long after they left, we got a call from the ambulance behind us. The road they had just cleared was blocked again.

I endured until nightfall before finally being taken to the hospital by a tuk-tuk.

"Please save my baby...""Save my child..."

Ever since I lost my first baby, I've taken countless medications and prayed to so many deities, waiting desperately for this child.

The doctor cut through the blood-soaked clothes, carefully examining the wound on the abdomen, then took a deep breath.

"You need to be prepared. The damage to the uterus is severe. We may need to remove the entire uterus..."

"Where are the family members? We need them to come to the hospital immediately to sign the consent forms. We can't delay the surgery for even a moment!"

I was stunned by this sudden news. The belief that had been supporting me all along crumbled, and my consciousness began to fade.

The intern who accompanied me hurriedly ran outside.

"Doctor Winters' phone is still in the ambulance. I'll call her family right away!"

A familiar ringtone sounded nearby. Following the sound, I saw that Dash's leg was already in a cast.

He was leaning on crutches, holding a bubble tea, carefully supporting Meadow.

He frowned as he ended the call, but the ringtone stubbornly started again.

"Naomi, I told you I have something important today. Can you stop calling to check on me?"

"It's just Valentine's Day. Is it really worth all these endless calls?"

"I'm busy right now. We'll talk about this later!"He hurriedly hung up the phone, then turned and eagerly pulled a necklace from his pocket.

"Meadow, happy Valentine's Day!"

They walked past me, with Dash deliberately giving me a dirty look.

"Still alive, huh? How come heaven hasn't taken someone so vicious who hurt our Pebbles?"

"Exactly, how could anyone harm such an adorable puppy? Look at her half-dead state - that's karma for you!"

The intern rushed back, avoiding eye contact.

"Doctor Winters, I guess your family is busy with work. No one's answering!"

I knew she was trying not to upset me.

I struggled to sit up and signed the surgery consent form myself.

The doctor removed the mask I'd been wearing and wheeled me into the operating room.

As the anesthesia was injected into my body, I gradually drifted off to sleep.

In my dream, a little girl in pink, delicate as porcelain, sweetly called me "Mommy" before waving goodbye and disappearing.

I was woken up by noise - it must have been nap time. The young nurses were gathered by my bed, gossiping.

"The woman in the next room is so lucky! She just got a little scrape, but her husband is beside himself with worry. He holds her for every blood draw and injection, even feeds her every bite..."The intern scoffed coldly, "It's nothing but refined selfishness. What's there to envy?"

I suddenly realized they were gossiping about Dash and Meadow.

Seeing that I was awake, the intern's face filled with guilt and remorse.

"Doctor Winters, I'm so sorry! If only I could have gotten you an ambulance sooner, maybe we could have saved both your uterus and your sweetheart..."

Even a stranger feels sorrow for me, while my husband of six years hasn't even called me once.

I struggled to get up, wanting to go to the bathroom, but collided head-on with someone coming out.

"Ow, my belly! Don't you watch where you're going?"

"Honey, someone bumped into me!"

Before I could react, I was violently kicked to the ground. The stitches on my stomach burst open, blood soaking through my hospital gown.

It was only then that I realized the person across from me was Meadow.

My husband was anxiously asking if she was hurt, while she, completely unscathed, turned and grabbed my hair.

"You bitch! How dare you hurt my darling? I'll teach you a lesson!"

I tilted my head back, laughing. But as I laughed, tears began to flow uncontrollably.

"Dash, how do you want to punish me?"