Chapter 2 - The Ambulance Ride
The siren screamed through downtown Chicago.
Every bump sent another wave of pain through my body.
The paramedic pressed an ultrasound probe against my stomach.
His expression slowly tightened.
"Come on..."
He adjusted the monitor again.
Nothing.
He tried another angle.
Then...
A tiny heartbeat.
Weak.
Irregular.
But there.
I burst into tears.
"My little girl..."
The paramedic squeezed my shoulder.
"She's still fighting."
"You stay with her."
Minutes later another ambulance pulled beside ours at a traffic light.
Through the window...
I saw Alex.
He sat beside Valerie.
He was holding her hand.
She leaned against his shoulder.
He looked terrified.
The way he used to look whenever I got sick.
He never looked toward my ambulance.
The light turned green.
The vehicles drove in different directions.
One carried the woman he chose.
May you like
The other carried his wife.
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