I handed her the ibuprofen and water and set the heating pad on the couch beside her then plugged it in. I sat down and pulled her feet into my lap. Rubbing them, I looked over at her as she gingerly placed the heating pad on her abdomen.

“So since we’re staying in, is there anything you want to get caught up on TV or a movie you want to watch?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m a few episodes behind on The Vampire Diaries if you don’t mind watching it,” she answered.

“It’s okay. I’ll admit, I’m kinda wondering what’s gonna happen with Damon and Elena,” I said with a smirk. I knew she liked Damon’s bad-boy character.

She smiled as I turned the TV on and selected the DVR. I chose the first of three recordings and settled in for the show. We were watching a scene where the witch, Bonnie, was trying to cast a spell, when Sam shrieked, dropped her water, and doubled over in pain.

“Cramps getting worse?” I asked her.

“Yeah, it was a bad one,” she clenched her fists. “I need to go to the bathroom again.”

I helped her up and to the bathroom. While she was in there, I waited by the door in case she needed anything. I heard the toilet flush and the water in the sink run. She opened the door looking really pale.

“I think I need to see a doctor, Emmett,” she said. “There was a lot of blood that time, even more than the first. That’s not normal for me. I think something’s wrong.”

“Okay, there’s an urgent care clinic over off Opelika Rd. We can go there or to the ER if you think that would be better. Are you ready now or do you need a few minutes?”

“Let’s just go to the ER. The clinic would probably send me there anyway. I’m gonna wash off and change my clothes. I need to throw these into the washing machine before we leave or they’ll be ruined.” She winced in pain.

“You take your shower and I’ll get the wash going. Don’t worry about it.”

She went into the bedroom, and I grabbed her clothes and headed for the laundry closet. As I started the washing machine, I worried about her. I’d never really paid much attention to a girl’s cramps before Sam, so I didn’t know what was normal and what wasn’t.

I took Gage outside for a quick walk then hurried back inside. As I was undoing his harness, Sam came out of the bedroom with her wet hair swept up in a ponytail and wearing a pair of Falcons pajama pants and a black sweatshirt.

“Ok, let’s go,” she said.

I drove her to the emergency room, and when we arrived, she looked relieved. Hopefully, they’d be able to give her something for the pain. I’d never had to worry about her medically. She was very healthy. Her only real vice was having a drink socially. I parked the car and helped her inside. I signed her in at the front desk and took the clipboard over and handed it to Sam.

“Here ya go, Peach. We need to fill this form out and give her your driver’s license and health insurance card. Do you want me to fill it out for you?”

“No, I can do it,” she said as she dug out her wallet.

I startled when she screamed with pain. The nurse at the desk ran over behind me to check on her.

“Hey, hey, easy. Come here, Peach. Lean onto me.”

I rubbed my hand up and down her back as she shivered in my arms.

“We’ll call her back soon. There’s only one other patient ahead of you,” the nurse said.

“Okay, thanks, ma’am,” I replied.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine, don’t worry. It’s good we’re here though; you’re looking really pale. How are you feeling now?”

“The pain comes and goes.” She let out a deep breath. “But it’s not really any worse than it was when we were at home.”

They called the family with the sick little boy back, and we continued to wait our turn to be seen.

“When they call you back, do you want me to come with you or wait for you here? Whichever you want is okay with me.”

“I’d like you to come back with me if you don’t mind.”

She leaned her head on my shoulder, still holding her stomach. I ran my hand up and down her back, trying to comfort her as best I could. I hated the feeling of not being able to make her better.

A nurse opened the door and looked around the room until her gaze settled on us.

“Samone Lang, you can come back now.”

I helped her stand, and we slowly walked over to the nurse and followed her to a room.

“Come on in. I’m just going to take your vitals and ask you a few questions,” she said, to which Sam nodded. “What brings you in today?”

“I’ve been having really bad cramps and bleeding, but it’s a lot more blood than normal,” Sam replied.

“Do you have any other symptoms?” the nurse asked.

“Well, I haven’t been feeling well for a few weeks now, and I’ve been tired a lot lately,” she replied.

“Are you on any medications?” the nurse asked as she took Sam’s blood pressure.

“No, just vitamins. I did take some ibuprofen for the cramps about two hours ago,” Sam answered.

“I’ll let the doctor know you’re ready. He’ll be in as soon as he can.”

Sam lay back on the hospital bed and closed her eyes. I stood by the head of the bed and ran my fingers through her hair. When the doctor finally came in, Sam had fallen asleep.

“The doctor is here, Peach,” I whispered, gently waking her up.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Roberts. How are you feeling, Ms. Lang?” he asked.

“Not very good,” she replied.

“I see that your blood pressure is a little high, which could just be the pain. I’d like to run a few tests, draw some blood,” he said then turned and walked out the door.

A phlebotomist came in and took a few vials of blood from her arm. She sat there like a champ through the whole thing. I could tell she was still in pain by the grimaces on her face.

We’d been waiting for a while before I excused myself to use the restroom. When I returned, Sam was asleep, still moaning in pain. I was just about to lose my patience when the doctor finally came back in, his face serious, a sign that didn’t bode well for Sam and shot my nerves to new heights. I tapped her shoulder and gently woke her up.

“Ms. Lang, we’ve got your blood tests back. Maybe you’d like your friend to wait outside while we discuss your results?” he suggested.

Sam’s eyes shot to mine. “No. I want Emmett to stay,” she replied, her voice shaky.

The doctor looked pointedly at me then and said, “Let me get the nurse back in here.”

I looked at Sam as he called for the nurse. She returned and closed the door as Dr. Roberts rolled his stool over and looked at Sam. We peered back at him expectantly.

“You have elevated levels of HCG in your blood. It’s the hormone produced during pregnancy. The cramping and heavy bleeding mean that you’ve likely had an early miscarriage. I’ll order an ultrasound to confirm it. Then we’ll need to do a D&C to remove the tissue,” he explained. “I’m so very sorry, Ms. Lang,”

I felt flushed. Shocked. Numb. I looked at Sam as she murmured her thanks to the doctor. She turned and looked up at me, her eyes flooded with tears. I slipped her hand in mine, and rubbed my thumb over her fingers. Neither of us knew what to say, so we just sat there and stared at each other.

Sure, we were young and still had college ahead of us, and the timing was awful considering we weren’t married, or hell, even engaged, but we’d created a life, and it had been snuffed out before it ever had a chance in the world. My throat felt tight as tears welled from the corners of my eyes, but they were nothing compared to the ones that streaked down Sam’s splotchy red cheeks.

I was overcome with anger, frustration and helplessness as her eyes told me she was thinking the same thing as I was. Fate had fucked us again.