Chapter 3

"Captain Jason, the emergency record from the maternity ward needs your signature."

Nurse Maggie stood at the door of the VIP room, clipboard in hand.

Jason tested the temperature of a cup of water and handed it to Mia. He didn't turn around.

"Just leave it at the nurses' station. Can't you see Miss Mia needs someone with her right now?"

"But sir, this record is different — it's about last night's patient, the one who—"

"Different how? The maternity ward has emergencies every day."

Jason cut her off.

Then he tore a tissue from the box and wiped a drop of water from the corner of Mia's mouth.

"I was up all night with Mia. I don't have the energy for anything else right now. Have the deputy director sign it."

Maggie opened her mouth. Her eyes went red. She clutched the clipboard and said nothing. She turned and left.

I followed her out and watched her slide my death record into a drawer.

The little pink ID anklet — the one that never got put on — went in with it, tucked into my patient file.

The morgue was so cold.

I lay in the refrigerated drawer beside my baby, whose eyes had never opened. No one had come to claim us.

All I could do was drift back to Jason's side.

Mia finished her water and reached out to tug at Jason's sleeve.

"Jason, the way she looked at me last night — it was so hostile. Like she wanted to kill me."

"Is she still angry with me? Is she hiding somewhere on purpose to avoid you?"

Jason pulled out his phone and looked at our empty Instagram chat.

His brow creased slightly.

Normally, if he was gone for more than two hours, my messages would come in one after another. Asking when he'd be home. Asking whether Mia was having another episode.

But from last night until now, there was nothing.

"She's just stubborn. She thinks I favor you, so she's pouting."

Jason's long fingers tapped against the screen.

I drifted closer and read what he'd typed.

"When you're done throwing your fit, respond. Mia's been through enough. Stop making it worse for her."

"The baby isn't a bargaining chip. Did you really think going silent would make me cave?"

He hit send and locked the screen.

Mia watched him, a flicker of satisfaction crossing her eyes.

She bit her lip, and the tears started again.

"What if she calls the police and has me arrested? I'm so scared."

Jason pulled out the copy of the liability waiver.

"With this, she can't touch you legally. And she's a military doctor — she knows when to let things go."

"Once she cools down, I'll have her apologize to you. She did provoke you last night, after all."

I watched him quietly. Listened to him use his most measured voice to pass judgment on a dead woman.

Two nurses walked past in the hallway, speaking in low voices.

"That poor woman last night — she just bled out completely."

"I know. And the baby didn't make it either. A little girl, they said. Fully formed."

Jason's hand paused on his water cup.

He suddenly remembered — today was my due date.

He stood up, a strange heaviness settling in his chest.

"I'm going to check on the maternity ward."

He'd barely taken a step when Mia suddenly grabbed her arm and screamed.

"It hurts! Jason, I'm so dizzy — am I bleeding again?"

Jason turned immediately and sat back down beside her, pressing his hand over hers.

A nurse murmured nearby: "That woman who died last night — the name on the baby's ID anklet, listed as the father… it was Jason, wasn't it?"

Jason had just started to turn when Mia let out a sharp cry and threw herself against his chest.

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