The ambulance tore through the night, sirens wailing like the anguished cries of a mother begging the heavens for mercy.
Amelia lay pale and trembling on the stretcher, her silk dress soaked through with blood and amniotic fluid, the evidence of life and death battling for dominance within her fragile body.
Each contraction ripped through her like a tidal wave of agony, her hands gripping the cold metal rails until her knuckles turned bone white.
Her lips moved soundlessly, mouthing a silent prayer between each tortured breath.
Hold on, little one… just hold on…
Damian rode beside her, his fingers tightly wrapped around her icy hand, his jaw clenched so hard it felt like his teeth might shatter.
He leaned in close, brushing damp strands of hair from her face, his voice low but unshakable.
"Stay with me, Amelia. Don't you dare give up now. You're stronger than this pain."
Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, her vision swimming in and out of focus as the lights above blurred together like stars crashing down from a broken sky.
"Damian…" she gasped between contractions, her voice barely audible, "…if I don't make it—"
His face hardened instantly.
"No. Don't you say it. You're not going anywhere. You hear me? You don't leave me. You don't leave our child."
The hospital doors burst open as the gurney crashed through, a swarm of doctors and nurses descending upon her like angels and reapers all at once.
The harsh scent of antiseptics filled her lungs, the blinding white lights above a cruel reminder of the thin line she walked between life and death.
"We're losing her!" a voice barked.
Machines screamed warnings.
Her heart monitor flatlined for a heartbeat-long eternity before sputtering back into a faint, struggling rhythm.
Is this how it ends?
And then—
The sharp cry of a newborn pierced the air.
A sound more powerful than any bullet, sharper than any blade.
Her child's cry.
Alive.
Breathing.
Fighting.
Through blurred eyes, Amelia turned her head, her lips quivering.
She saw the tiny bundle in the nurse's arms, heard the urgent cries—weak but alive.
"Is it… is it a boy or girl?" she rasped weakly.
Damian appeared at her side again, his eyes filled with unshed tears.
He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
"A boy, Amelia. He's perfect. Just like his mother."
Amelia's body relaxed, her trembling easing for a moment as she closed her eyes, a faint, peaceful smile curving her lips.
She whispered one final promise before the darkness took her.
"My son… you will never know the pain I endured. Only the strength I leave behind…"
Her heart monitor flatlined.
The doctors shouted, their hands working frantically to bring her back.
Damian's world narrowed to that single, agonizing sound—the steady, unrelenting wail of death.