A Faint Cold Fear Read Online Free PDF

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    'Tess,' Sara said, pressing open the chest wound to see how deep it went. The trajectory of the knife would have put the blade dangerously close to the heart. 'I know this hurts, but just hang on. Okay? Can you hang on for me?'
    Tessa gave a tight nod, her eyes still darting around.
    Sara used the stethoscope to listen to Tessa's chest, her heartbeat like a fast drum, her breathing a sharp staccato. Sara's hand began to shake again as she pressed the bell of the stethoscope against Tessa's abdomen, checking for a fetal heart rate. A stab to the belly was a stab to the fetus, and Sara was not surprised when she could not find a second heartbeat. Amniotic fluid had gushed from the wound, destroying the baby's protective environment. If the knife blade had not damaged the fetus, the loss of blood and fluid certainly would.
    Sara could feel Tessa's eyes boring into her, asking a question Sara could not bring herself to answer. If Tessa went into shock, or her adrenaline surged, her heart would pump blood more quickly out of the body.
    'It's faint,' Sara said, feeling her stomach lurch at the depth of the lie. She made herself look Tessa in the eye, taking her hand, saying, 'The heartbeat is faint, but I can hear it.'
    Tessa's right hand lifted to feel her stomach, but Jeffrey stopped her. He looked down at her palm.
    'What's this?' Jeffrey asked. 'Tessa? What's this in your hand?'
    He held up Tessa's hand so she could see what he meant. A look of confusion came to her face as the plastic fluttered in the breeze.
    'Did you get it from him?' Jeffrey asked. 'The person who attacked you?'
    'Jeffrey,' Sara said, her voice low. His shirt had soaked through with blood, covering his hand to the wrist. He saw what she meant and started to take off his undershirt but she told him no, grabbing his coat because it was quicker.
    Tessa groaned at the momentary change in pressure, air hissing out between her teeth.
    'Tess?' Sara asked loudly, taking her sister's hand again. 'Are you holding up okay?'
    Tessa gave a tight nod, her lips pressed together, nostrils flaring as she labored to breathe. She squeezed Sara's hand so hard that Sara felt the bones move.
    Sara asked, 'You're not having trouble breathing, right?' Tessa did not respond, but her eyes were alert, darting from Jeffrey to Sara.
    Sara tried to keep the fear out of her voice, repeating, 'Are you breathing all right?' If Tessa became incapable of breathing on her own, Sara could do only so much to help her.
    Jeffrey's voice was tight and controlled. 'Sara?' His hand was tensed over Tessa's belly. 'It felt like a contraction.'
    Sara shook her head in a quick no, putting her hand next to Jeffrey's. She could feel uterine contractions.
    Sara raised her voice, asking, 'Tessa? Are you feeling more pain down here? Pelvic pain?'
    Tessa did not answer, but her teeth chattered as if she were cold.
    Tm going to check for dilation, okay?' Sara warned, lifting Tessa's dress. Blood and fluid covered Tessa's thighs in a sticky black matt. Sara pressed her fingers into the canal. The body's reaction to any trauma was to tense up, and Tessa's was doing just that. Sara felt as if she were putting her hand into a vise.
    'Try to relax,' Sara told Tessa, feeling for the cervix.
    Sara's obstetrics rotation had been years ago, and even the reading she'd done lately in preparation for the birth was sorely lacking.
    Still, Sara told her, 'You're fine. You're doing fine.'
    Jeffrey said, 'I felt it again.'
    Sara cut him with a look, willing him to be quiet.
    She had felt the contraction, too, but there was nothing they could do about it. Even if there was a chance that the baby was alive, a cesarean section in this setting would kill Tessa. If the knife had cut through her uterus, she would bleed out before they reached the hospital.
    'That's good,' Sara said, pulling out Tessa's hand.
    'You're not dilated. Everything is okay. All right, Tess?
    Everything's okay.'
    Tessa's lips still moved, but the only