Chapter 2 - The Screaming Sirens
The paramedics exploded through the front door a mere three minutes later.
They were Ethan’s colleagues, people who knew us, people who had bought us baby clothes just hours ago.
A paramedic named Sarah dropped her medical bag, her face turning pale when she saw my blistering skin.
“Dr. Caldwell, what the hell happened?” she asked, dropping to her knees on the opposite side of my body.
“Third-degree thermal burns to the maternal abdomen, suspected placental abruption, fetal distress,” Ethan rattled off clinically.
“We need two large-bore IVs, fluids wide open, and an immediate transport to Mercy.”
They moved with terrifying efficiency, sliding a backboard beneath me while I screamed in absolute, blinding agony.
As they lifted me onto the gurney, two uniformed San Diego police officers walked into the kitchen.
“Who is responsible for this?” the taller officer asked, taking in the chaotic scene.
Ethan pointed directly at my mother, his hand perfectly steady despite the nightmare unfolding around him.
“That woman threw boiling liquid on my pregnant wife,” Ethan stated firmly.
Vivian immediately burst into theatrical tears, clutching her chest as if she were the victim.
“Officer, my son-in-law is hysterical, it was a terrible kitchen accident!” she wailed.
The officer looked at the stove, then at the massive burn pattern on my body, clearly not buying her performance.
“Ma'am, I am going to need you to step into the living room and put your hands behind your back,” he ordered.
Kelsey started sobbing hysterically, dropping my stolen purse onto the floor.
“I didn't do it, it was her idea, she wanted the diamonds!” Kelsey screamed, betraying our mother in a heartbeat.
Vivian spun around, looking at her favorite daughter with pure, unfiltered hatred.
I didn't hear the rest of their argument, because the paramedics were rushing me out the front door and into the bright sunlight.
The back of the ambulance felt like a freezing metal box, shaking violently as we sped toward the hospital.
Ethan rode in the back with me, holding my unburned hand in a death grip.
“I am right here, Maddie,” he kept repeating, kissing my knuckles over and over again.
“The fetal heart rate is dropping, Dr. Caldwell,” Sarah warned, her eyes glued to the portable monitor.
“It's down to eighty beats per minute.”
Ethan’s face went completely white.
“Call ahead to the trauma bay,” he ordered, his voice cracking with raw terror.
“Tell Dr. Evans to prep an OR for an immediate crash C-section.”
I squeezed his hand, fighting through the wave of darkness trying to pull me under.
“Save Lily,” I whispered, my throat raw and burning.
“Promise me you will save her first.”
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Ethan leaned down, a single tear falling from his eye and landing on my cheek.
“I promise you, my love, I will save you both,” he vowed.
