And Then There Was You (Chris Evans AU)

June (Part 6)

  Chris POV

  I hear the rush of footsteps down the hall before the door swings open. Daphne's body continuing to seize, the whites of her eyes all I see as they've rolled completely back. Nurses sprint around the room for a moment gathering necessary items before shoving me out of the way. I move off to the side, watching them work as my own hands become clammy and a fearful sweat breaks out across my brow.

  While I know, and have experience with everything they're doing to help Daphne, it doesn't stop the anxious feeling that sits deep within my stomach. My biggest fear of her battle for this pregnancy has now come true, leaving me to question if I'm going to gain a daughter but lose my wife.

  I keep my composure the best I can, knowing that a few may even be wondering how I'm able to stay calm as my wife's body begins to slow from the convulsions. My demeanor on the outside does not match the storm that's rushing through each part of my body on the inside. My head snaps to the door as Dr. Kallen sprints in, asking for the latest vitals and explanations.

  Daphne's nurse for the latest shift fills him in and that's when I take notice of her recent blood pressure, 170/100. 

  "Let's get her to the OR. Prep for a section, STAT," he calls out as they move her onto a bed for transport. 

  "It's too early," I mumble the words that have been rattling around my brain. 

  "We're going to do everything we can, Mr. Evans." Dr. Kallen grips my shoulder for just a moment before he's moving out of the door.

  "Wait!" I call out, the nurses stopping just outside the hall. I sprint to Daphne's bedside before leaning down and kissing her forehead. "I love you, Daph," I remind her as I stare down at her weak body.

  "Mr. Evans, we need to go," Dr. Kallen urges.  

  I step back, allowing the nurses to continue their urgent trek towards the maternity floor's operating room. Kallen jogs after them, stopping and turning back towards me in annoyance as I call out his name. "If a choice has to be made," I pause, knowing how much Daphne would hate me, "save my wife."

   Flashback

  "I need you to be honest with me, Chris," her eyes dance between my own as the nurse scoots out of the room once she finishes her job of hooking Daphne up to all the monitors and machines.

  "I've always been honest with you," I assure her.

  "Not when it comes to the worst possible outcomes of my health." She adjusts the blankets on the bed, shifting her legs towards one side to create a spot for me to sit down. 

  Her parents had left shortly after the decision was made that she would be admitted indefinitely until it was safe enough for the baby to be born. It was now just she and I, both of us filled with our own emotions and questions rattling back and forth, afraid to be the first one to ask about the nitty gritty details.

   "I'm not sure that it would help you to know all of the worst case scenarios, love."  

  To be honest, I don't want to tell her. I know her well enough to know that it would just make her become more fearful, thus cause her blood pressure to rise further, and put her and the baby in more distress.

  "I'd rather here them from you than the doctor." With a sigh, I give in, taking a seat in the spot she's cleared off for me. "Worst case scenarios."

  I take a deep breath, my eyes staring down at my hands in front of me. "You already know about the headaches, the vision issues, and the swelling. But those are all relatively normal with preeclampsia. You could end up having a seizure or even a stroke, Daph. If either of those things happen, they'll probably go ahead and take the baby."  Her hands immediately go to her stomach, the fears of Juniper not being fully developed are written all over her face. 

  "If there is ever a question of me or the baby," my eyes flick quickly to hers, "make sure they know to save the baby."

  "What?" I ask, my brow furrowing deeply. I couldn't have heard her correctly.

  She sits up a bit straighter, her hand gently caressing our daughter over her gown. "Juni comes first now, Chris. You and I, we're second in this life. Our daughter comes first." 

  Daphne speaks so tenderly and without fear, that I worry she's not comprehending the severity of the situation. "She needs a mother, Daph. We can make another baby, I can't get another you."  

  She finally looks back at me, tearing her gaze away from our unborn child. "I couldn't live with myself knowing that if given the choice, I chose myself over our daughter. She's the most important part of me, of you. She deserves to experience life." Tears begin to slowly trickle down her cheeks, as her voice begins to break. "I've been given the chance to experience it all." She reaches over, taking my trembling hand in her own. "I fell in love with the man God made just for me. I fought to become a mother, and even though she's not here yet, I am one. Having our little girl will make all of my dreams come true. I can let it all go, as long as I know she's safe and being taken care of by you."

  End Flashback

  I'm startled out of a light sleep by the tiny cries of Juniper as she stirs in my arms. "Sh, sh, sh," I breathe out as I begin to rock back and forth in the rocking chair once more.  I pet across her cheek, watching as she nuzzles closer to my touch, the pink and grey blanket slipping from around her arms.

  "Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high, there's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby. Somewhere, over the rainbow skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true."  Her eyes find my own for a moment as she listens to my voice, the deep browns staring back at me reminding me of the first time I saw her mother's eyes. 

  But in my daughter's eyes, there are no hidden fears, no what-ifs being asked. Just the knowledge that I'm going to take care of her, the same way I took care of her mother for the first time almost two years ago. 

*Unedited