Prior Rings

Chapter 56: Tris - Children

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and to my fantastic beta reader, Rosalie!

WARNING: A mild warning still applies to those who are in the last trimester of pregnancy. This chapter provides an explanation of what went wrong, so if you're the type to read something and worry about it happening to you, I'd avoid this chapter until after you deliver.

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Chapter 56: Tris – Children

(Tris is 30, Caleb is 31, Tobias is almost 33, Abigail is 4 3/4, and Eli was just born)

Dr. Martinez seems tired and serious when she enters my recovery area.

"It's good to see you awake," she comments as she checks the readings on the myriad machines that are connected to me and then starts listening to different parts of my abdomen with her stethoscope. "You gave us all a good scare."

"So I gather," I mutter, looking at Tobias again. I'm still too groggy to assess my condition accurately, but it must have been bad for his face to be this red and splotchy. And for him to be keeping a constant hand on me, as if he's afraid I'll vanish if he lets go. "What exactly happened?"

The doctor's mouth flattens as she stands back, making eye contact for the first time since walking through the curtain. "You developed a condition that we call uterine atony, where the uterus fails to contract enough to stop the bleeding after childbirth. The condition causes hemorrhaging, which became severe in your case."

She sighs. "It's probably a good thing that we were doing a Caesarean. If you had had that level of bleeding after a vaginal birth, I'm not sure we could have stopped it in time."

It's a sobering statement, and beside me, I can feel Tobias stiffen, his hand tightening on mine.

"I guess it's a good thing Eli was so big," I murmur, realizing that he indirectly saved my life that way.

Dr. Martinez purses her lips, debating that. "Maybe. His size might have been a factor in the atony, though it might have occurred anyway. There's no way to be sure. But overall, I suppose if he was going to be large, it was better for him to be large enough to require surgery."

She pauses, her expression serious, and I realize that she's about to add something that she'd rather not say. It makes my insides squeeze uncomfortably.

"The bleeding was truly severe, and extremely difficult to stop. We did everything possible, including giving you multiple blood transfusions, but ultimately we had to perform an emergency hysterectomy. I'm sorry."

It's a straight-forward statement, but it takes a moment to sink into my fuzzy head. When it does, the word echoes all the way through me. Hysterectomy.

"We were able to leave your ovaries in place," she continues, though I barely hear her at this point. "So, your hormone levels will remain normal."

"I can't have any more children?" I blurt out, interrupting her. I can't focus past that thought.

"I'm sorry," she says again, looking like she genuinely means it, "but no."

We're all silent as I try to make sense of this. I haven't even seen Eli yet, and any possibility of giving him another sibling has already been removed.

Vaguely, I realize that Dr. Martinez is talking again, but I can't process any more. Images keep floating through me of what might have been, both better and worse than the reality I'm facing. I don't understand how this happened.