Regrets

Reconciliation

Part 10: Reconciliation

When the doctor entered, everyone jumped to their feet. Their movements were quick and jerky, and their eyes darted anxiously between the woman in the white coat and each other. She raised a hand in their direction, the same way she would greet a nervous horse.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Creek. You're all here for Ms. Gomez, I presume," the doctor said.

"Yes, doctor, we're Selena's family," Ricardo responded quickly.

"Is she alright?" Abel said; his voice cracked.

"Well, she was experiencing premature labor. Her body wasn't ready for the sudden contractions and the baby's position was putting a lot of pressure on her uterus, causing the sharp pains during the contractions. Due to the fact that she's only five months along, the baby wouldn't have been able to survive outside of Selena's body, so we had to intervene to stop her body from laboring."

"Oh my god," Priscilla said. Her eyes were glassy as she took deep breaths.

"And were you able to - Are they?" Mandy swallowed deeply. She couldn't get the question out.

Abel swayed unsteadily on his feet. His knees were shaking, and his heart was racing harder than it ever had.

The doctor smiled sympathetically at the young man before her. She was familiar with his work, and his lyrics wouldn't have led her to believe she'd see him pale and almost trembling in a hospital waiting room. Celebrity or not, in that moment he was just a man worried for his pregnant girlfriend and his unborn daughter.

"Selena and your baby girl are both fine, Mr. Tesfaye," she said. She laid a hand on his shoulder.

Abel let out a deep breath, and his eyelids slid closed. "How are they? Can I," he paused, "can we see them, her, Selena?"

"Selena's resting comfortably. She's been moved to a room upstairs for observation pending an evaluation by her primary obstetrician. Dr. Grant has been notified of the situation, and she'll be on the first flight out of Los Angeles. As for your baby girl, she's still growing safely in her mother's womb," the doctor said. She smiled when she saw the way the group relaxed their shoulders and lessened their grips on one another. It wasn't every day she was able to deliver such good news as part of the trauma staff.

Brian leaned down to rest his cheek against his wife's. "Thank you so much, Doctor."

"When can we see her, Doctor...? I'm sorry, what's your name?" Sara asked.

"That's alright. I'm Doctor Creek. You can go up and see her now," the doctor hesitated, "however, I'm afraid you'll need to go in one at a time. We're monitoring Selena closely to be certain she recovers safely, but too much stress or excitement could cause her body to over exert itself." She spoke slowly, watching Abel out of the corner of her eye.

Abel's jaw dropped open a fraction. One? The thought of being forced to leave Selena's side after seeing her was causing a needling in his stomach, but he could still see the tears covering her cheeks, hear her cries of pain. He'd follow any rule if it would prevent that from happening again.

Ricardo gripped his wife's hand tightly. "Abel, you should go in first to see her."

"Are you sure?" Abel asked. He wanted more than anything to see Selena for himself, but he knew her parents were just as desperate to see her, maybe more.

Rick nodded. "Is there somewhere we can wait upstairs?" he asked the doctor.

"Yes, you can all come with me. I'll let Abel into Selena's room, and then I'll show the rest of you to the waiting room."