I walked into the hospital with torn palms and blood on my sleeves. My ankles stung. My ribs hurt when I breathed. I needed a doctor, but no one looked at me. Nurses ran past me toward the west wing. A gurney rattled by. Someone yelled for more saline and a fetal Doppler. Doors swung open and shut. I stood there like a shadow no one cared to move.
I followed the noise to Room 312. A crowd packed the doorway. Inside, Joanna lay on a bed with her hair stuck to her cheeks. Her face was white and wet. She kept grabbing the nurse's arm and then letting go. The sheet under her was a mess. The heart monitor beeped steady and cold. There was no second, softer beat.
“Save my baby," she sobbed, voice breaking on every word. “Please, Taylor—tell them to save our baby."
Taylor stood at her side. Hi
