“Thanks for standing up for me today.” I didn't mind if the guard heard us now. “You didn't have to protect my honor or anything, but I appreciate that you did.”
Joshua grinned. “You mean when I hit Gavin? That wasn't for you.” He nudged me. “That was because he put me in the middle and I wasn't having any of it.”
Whether he was joking or not, I didn't care. What he'd done could have gotten him into a lot of trouble. “Thank you,” I breathed, dropping a kiss to his lips. “For everything.” From outside the door, I could hear a female clear her throat, trying to get our attention. “Elsa?” I motioned for her to come inside the room.
“We're needed in the infirmary. One of the women has gone into labor.”
Elsa gave Joshua an apologetic smile. “You're required to stay in the dormitory. Kelvin will be coming with us. Can you handle staying put for a few hours? Jaxon should be in his room shortly, you can stop by and pay him a visit if you get bored.”
“It's fine,” Joshua answered. “I can manage a few hours on my own.” He gave me a quick kiss goodbye.
“Thanks.”
CHAPTER 18
We headed down to the elevator and out the building. Chloe drove, her foot hard on the gas as she rushed through town.
Pulling up to the side of the building with an abrupt halt, we shuffled out of the car. Standing by the curb, I stared up at the dirty white paint coating the outside of the building. Most of Torv seemed well-kept but the hospital had an older appearance, darker and maybe even a bit gloomy. Built of brick and four stories tall, it barely seemed capable of the secrets held inside. I wasn't ready to help a woman give birth but this was why I'd come to Torv. There was no turning back. The sign flickered on and off reading “Hospital” as we entered in through the heavy metal doors. Bright florescent lighting enveloped the halls as we were ushered through basic security and provided with disposable scrubs to wear. “There are guards here?” I asked, surprised to see their presence inside the walls. I didn't understand why it was necessary to have them at the hospital.
Chloe sighed. “The women are already high-risk pregnancies. It's not uncommon for someone to come into the city and consider stealing a newborn, when they find out they're not from Genesis. In some ways, it makes the children incredibly valuable. We fear the government will want one of the children to study,” Chloe confessed. “As it is we pay protection by offering some of our men for their military.” The armed guard protecting me stayed outside with the other guards. He wasn't needed or invited inside the maternity ward. I was relieved to get away from him for even a short while.
I sighed, now understanding why Torv was allowed to exist. “How many men are sent to the military to serve?”
Chloe shrugged. “I'm not part of the high council, but I would guess at least twenty percent, perhaps more? We offer our men every year or sooner when their numbers grow weak. Those that don't follow the rules in Torv, instead of finding themselves in prison, are shipped off to the militia. It keeps our community filled with law- abiding citizens. In return the government leaves our town alone. Without us their military wouldn't stand a chance.”
“What about Haven?” I asked, as we headed towards the maternity ward.
Chloe frowned. “What about it? We're allies with Haven. Well, we were,” she acknowledged. “But the men who serve take orders from the government.”
I couldn't believe it. “What happens if the government instructed your men to destroy Torv?”
Chloe smiled, tight-lipped. “They wouldn't do that.” She looked confident of her answer. I wasn't convinced. If they fought for the government it was entirely possible they were being controlled by it as well. “Enough talk of military and government,” she instructed us. “We are going in to help a pregnant woman in labor. I need each of you to focus and follow my instruction to the letter.”
As much as I despised Chloe right now, I also knew this was why I came to Torv and I wasn't going to let a young woman who was about to be a mother die, not if I could help stop it. I stepped past the double doors, my eyes taking in the sights around me. The room was the same sickening shade the outside had been painted, and, worse it smelled of disinfectant. I shivered as goose bumps coated my skin: the temperature had dropped several degrees inside the room. They must have been trying to make it comfortable for the woman in labor. The window shades were drawn, keeping the room dark and private as we were on the first floor.
“Hi, Drezden.” Chloe smiled reassuringly as she walked over to the mother. Her husband sat next to her in a chair beside the bed. “Tristan.” She nodded, acknowledging him. “How is the mother doing?” She turned towards the nurse who had been with Drezden, monitoring the baby and the mother.
“She's only about four centimeters dilated,” the nurse informed Chloe. “So far everything looks good.”
Chloe smiled. “That's good, Drezden. Slow progress right now is good. We have something we'd like you to try. There's an experimental hormone we've developed. It's still in its very early stages but we think it might save your life.”
Tristan frowned. He looked frustrated, worn. “Are there any risks to Drezden or the baby?” Chloe pulled the vial from her pocket and the nurse handed her a syringe. “There are side effects to any experimental drug. We've discussed before about the rate of mortality, and we think this is your wife’s and the baby's best chance at survival.”
“Do it.” Drezden agreed. “If you don't think it'll hurt our baby.”
Chloe made no promises as she filled the syringe with the hormone before injecting it into the IV line. “It may make no difference at all,” she reminded them both. “But we've spent time studying Olivia's hormones and synthesized what we hope to be a cure.”
I was surprised by the news. We'd barely spent any time in Torv and though I knew in Shadow they were running tests and trying to create a cure, I hadn't thought they'd come this far. I found the whole ordeal unsettling. I hadn't proven to anyone that I could carry a pregnancy to term and survive. They were assumptions Chloe and Elsa had made. The tests confirmed I was capable of conceiving but beyond that, they couldn't predict the future. They couldn't know without a shadow of a doubt that I wouldn't be in the same position as Drezden, fighting for my life and the life of my child.
I did my best to assist the nurse as she asked for tools and a fetal heart monitor reading from the screens. I had no idea what tools were needed and seemed to take three times as long as necessary when given instructions.
Elsa gathered towels and blankets, preparing everything for after the baby was delivered. I walked over to Drezden. “How are you feeling?” I asked her, resting a hand on her arm.
“Tired.” She smiled through heavy eyes. Sweat coated her skin and her cheeks were flushed. The nurse again checked to see how far along she was dilated.
“Six centimeters.”
“Soon,” I assured her, doing my best to keep her calm.
Drezden nodded, her red hair sticking to her skin, and I gently pushed the hair back from her face. I grabbed a cool, wet washcloth and applied it to her forehead. Staring at her, the bright red hair and green eyes reminded me so much of Jacqueline. Of course, Jacqueline was younger by about seven years, but there was a strange familiarity I recognized.
“Thank you,” Drezden whispered, her hand gripping her husband's as another contraction took hold. Each one came closer in time and Elsa did her best to time them, relaying the information to Chloe.
The night slowly edged to morning, and I grew tired on my feet. I needed sleep, but it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Drezden was fully dilated, which meant the baby would come soon. Each second felt as though it were a lifetime as she pushed and the baby slowly inched out. “Wait!” I glanced at the fetal monitor seeing the baby in distress. The heart rate had dropped.
Chloe glanced at it but ignored it. “She's almost done. You need to push, Drezden. Everything you've got,” she encouraged as I held Drezden’s hand and felt her tremble.
Sweat covered her body, and I focused my attention on Drezden. My mind went to a calm and peaceful
