Little Broken Bird

Chapter 41

Owen

My family was barely hanging on. If the Toma family hadn't kept us focused, I think we all would have fallen apart by now. Gabriel and Luke were withdrawn - Gabe was lost in his anger, and Luke was lost in his sorrow. Much to Mattie's dislike, she and the children had stayed behind with Marc and Emilio. They had finally convinced her that too much was unknown in Germany. We had no idea what allies or resources Carlos had here and if the children were here, we wouldn't be able to focus solely on Tori.

Luckily, North still had a few contacts in the Berlin area and had managed to find a safe house for us while we tracked Carlos and his crew. Victor and Corey had managed to locate the flight records of his jet and from there located the hotel they were staying at. We had a firm handle on where she was, but for the moment it was damn near impenetrable.

"Hey Sean, do you know any doctors with the last name of Bauer or Weber?" Kota asked as he watched the monitors.

"Yeah, I went through some courses with Reggie Bauer. He was an obstetrician back then, why?" Sean replied.

"Well, it looks like Carlos took Tori to an appointment with their medical group, but I can't find what the appointment was for," he explained.

Nate choked, "Wait, obstetrician as in babies? Oh fuck, she's not...I mean, it hasn't been long enough, right?"

"She can't, well, she might not be able to," Gabe said sullenly. "When Mattie had Sophia, I made a comment about kids and she said when she was assaulted at sixteen it did lots of damage. Emilio's doc told her she might not be able to have kids ever."

Sean was frantically typing on his laptop and hissed, "Fuck."

"What is it?" I asked, coming to sit next to him on the couch.

"I think Gabe's on to something. Says here both Bauer and Weber specialize in fertility issues including hormone therapy, surgical options, and in vitro fertilization."

"Shit, he's trying to get her pregnant," Nate swore.

"We need to get her out now," Luke groaned, his hand running down his face.

"Agreed. Sean, can you reach out to the doctors? Do you think they would listen and maybe help?" I suggested.

"I can try, but we run the risk that they might alert Carlos to our presence," he answered.

"I think it's a risk we are going to have to take," I said solemnly. "Time isn't on our side in this."

Tori

I gripped the blanket covering my legs as the nurse wheeled me into the sterile room. I was terrified but also relieved that the doctor had forced Carlos to wait in the room for my return.

"Okay, Mrs. Sanchez, I'm going to give you a fairly mild sedative to help you relax as we begin the hysterosalpingogram. I'm injecting a dye into your uterus and fallopian tubes to see if there are blockages or scarring. This will help me determine our next steps. Do you understand?" Dr. Bauer asked gently as the nurse inserted an IV line.

"Yes sir, I understand," I replied softly.

"Now, if I see only a small blockage, then I'll administer anesthesia and place you under while we make repairs. Let's get started with the dye and go from there, okay?" His voice was so pleasant. I wanted to tell him I'd been kidnapped, but I had no way of knowing if he already knew. If Carlos found out, he'd hurt me even more than before.

I nodded my head, "O...okay." He gave a pleasant smile and I felt a rush of fluid in my arm that felt tingly, then another rush that made me feel the urge to go pee and squirmed.

"That's perfectly normal, Mrs. Sanchez. Just a little more and then I'll check the x-rays. The machine whirred and groaned as I slid into it. "Deep breath and hold," he said, then "Okay, let it out. I'll be right back with the results, ma'am."

He stepped into a small room with a clear glass window and looked at screens I couldn't see while I lay on the cold bed waiting. I know it wasn't long, but it felt like it as I struggled not to wet myself. He finally came back into the room, "Good news, Mrs. Sanchez, the damage is minimal. We're going to transfer you to an operating room and proceed with the repairs. You'll need to stay in the hospital for at least three or four days to monitor for any bleeding, but then you are free to go home. I'll schedule follow-ups and by this time next year, I'm certain you'll be pregnant."

Tears flooded my eyes, and he just assumed they were happy ones as he patted my hand and the nurse took me to a bathroom, then placed me on a gurney and I was being wheeled down the hall.

Carlos came up to the side of the gurney before I entered the operating room. "I'll be waiting for you, love. Soon we can have the family we've dreamed of," he said softly then kissed me on my lips and forehead. "I love you, Tori. You'll always be mine," he breathed, and then the nurses were wheeling me away as I cried quietly.

Author's Notes:  Rescue time...but will it be soon enough?