Bleeding Out for My Husband's First Love

On the day I'm due for my labor, Chad Nelson's first love, Lucy Baker, who's diagnosed with depression, barges into the maternity ward. Without warning, she plunges the knife she's holding into my belly.

By the time Chad and the medical team arrive at the ward, I'm already lying in a pool of my own blood on the bed. The machine recording my vitals keeps screeching loudly the whole time.

But Chad crouches down next to Lucy, who has gotten shoved to the floor by a nurse earlier. It seems that her elbow has suffered from light abrasions.

"Dr. Nelson, your spouse is in critical condition. She needs to undergo a surgery immediately!"

Chad raises his head to glance at me. His tone is cool and professional.

"None of Caitlin's vital organs are hurt by the stab, so she can still endure the pain for now. Lucy, on the other and, has a coagulation disorder. Even though she has only suffered from abrasions, there's a chance that her blood flow can't be staunched at all. This makes her situation more critical than Caitlin's.

"Anyway, give the two bags of blood in the blood bank to Lucy."

When I get pushed away, I use all of my strength to grip Chad's white coat tightly. He just frowns at me in return.

"Lucy didn't do this on purpose. Her depression has gotten triggered, that's all. Since you're a woman of medicine, you should be more empathetic toward the patient."

After that, Chad digs out a letter of forgiveness from his pocket that he has already printed out in advance.

My husband, Chad Nelson, held my blood-soaked hand and pressed my thumb onto the signature line.

"The next batch of blood bags will be here soon. Just hold on a little longer."

With that, he carried his first love, Lucy Baker, away.

The hallway was empty. No one looked back as the baby in my belly kicked violently, over and over again.

…

"Quick! Establish IVs in both arms, and start pressurized fluids! Rush the blood bank!"

"Dr. Atkinson, the patient's blood pressure is down to 50! Blood loss is over 2,000cc!"

"Where are those two bags of packed red blood cells reserved for delivery?"

I floated above the operating room, watching the crowd scramble around my body.

Dr. Jake Atkinson's scrubs were already soaked in my blood.

I wanted to touch my stomach, but my hand passed right through the air.

The wound Lucy inflicted wasn't just a scratch, despite what Chad believed.

She had slipped past the nurses, hiding a paring knife up her sleeve.

As she drove it in, she whispered in my ear, "As long as you and this baby are gone, Chad will only have me left."

When she pulled the blade out, she had even twisted the handle on purpose.

"The blood bank just responded. Those two backup bags were signed out by Dr. Nelson five minutes ago." The nurse's voice cracked.

"Signed out? Is he insane?