Free Again and Again by E. L. Todd Page B

money right now. “If she’s seen next, it’s yours.”
    “Name?” she asked.
    “I’m Sean Preston. Google me. You’ll see I’m fucking loaded.” I picked up Scarlet again then carried her to a seat. I placed her on my lap and ran my fingers through her hair. She still whimpered through the pain. I wanted to give into the fear and freak out but I didn’t. I comforted her and kissed her, reassuring her everything would be fine.
    The emergency room was packed, so I prayed the nurse would arrange me to be seen next. Ten thousand dollars was spare change to me.
    “Sean,” she called.
    I jumped to my feet with Scarlet in my arms.
    “This way.” She walked beside me then slipped me her name and address. I’d take care of the check later.
    We were escorted into a room. I placed Scarlet on the bed then leaned over her. I gripped her hand. “The doctor will be here soon.”
    She squeezed my hand. “Something isn’t right, Sean…”
    “Shh… We’ll figure it out. Just stay calm.”
    I changed her into her gown and waited for the doctor to arrive. Scarlet was sweating and cringing. The pain in her stomach was killing her. I pressed my face to hers and kissed her.
    “I won’t let anything bad happen to you,” I whispered. “I promise.”
    “I just hope she’s okay…”
    I didn’t want to think about that. It was too much to bear.
    “I’m so sorry about everything,” she said through her tears.
    “Forget about that,” I said firmly. “I love you.”
    “I love you too.”
    The doctor came in with Scarlet’s chart. “Tell me what’s going on.”
    I spoke before Scarlet could even open her mouth. “She woke up with cramping. Her stomach hurts and she’s almost three months pregnant. She hasn’t fallen or drank any alcohol.”
    He nodded. “Let’s take a look.” He set up the sonogram machine and checked her uterus. I couldn’t read the picture so I waited for him to give us news. I held Scarlet’s hand and remained by her side.
    The doctor stared at the sonogram for a long time. Thirty minutes passed and he still didn’t say anything. I was fucking scared shitless. Finally, he sighed. “I’m sorry. Your wife had a miscarriage.”
    Scarlet burst into tears, sobbing. “No…”
    The doctor didn’t look at her. “I’m very sorry. Unfortunately, this is very common in the first trimester. Fifteen percent of all pregnancies result in a miscarriage.”
    Scarlet covered her face and broke down. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. My tears fell into her hair. I didn’t even know my baby, but I was heartbroken with the loss. And seeing my wife fall apart was pure agony. She shook in my embrace, crying harder than she ever had. I wish this wasn’t happening…”
    “I’ll give you two a moment.”
    “Wait,” I said. I wiped my tears away. “Is my wife okay? Is she in danger?”
    “She’ll be fine,” he said quietly.
    That was something to be thankful for.
    He stepped out and gave us our space.
    Scarlet sobbed in my arms. “God, how did this happen?”
    My tears fell on her face. “I don’t know…”
    “How could I love something so much that I never had?” she whispered.
    “I loved her too…”
    “I’m so sorry.”
    “Don’t say that,” I said firmly. “It’s not your fault.”
    “But—”
    “It’s not.”
    Scarlet cried in my arms for half an hour. Unable to handle the loss, I cried too. I wanted that baby so much. Every day I imagined what my daughter would look like. She would be a smaller version of Scarlet, beautiful and perfect. And it hurt that I couldn’t fix this. I couldn’t throw money at someone to get my way.
    The doctor returned then took a seat. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
    Scarlet clung to me and didn’t look at him.
    “What do we do now?”
    “I recommend a DC surgery—to remove the fetus.”
    Scarlet wailed.
    “It’s not normally something that’s done, but she was almost twelve weeks pregnant. I recommend