Chapter Text
Dana’s POV.
The day started out fine. My back twinged a few times but apart from that it was fine. Me and three other residents had been asked to go to a primary school to give vaccinations. It was only a small school so we were located in the gym hall. I was just about to give a child his vaccine and I got this pain that went from my back around to the lower point of my abdomen. I took 4 large deep breathes and changed my position in my chair until it subsided. It didn’t take long. I brushed it off and scanned the room to make sure no one had seen. About half way through the day we were allowed a lunch break. I sat beside Meredith, while Alex and Mark sat opposite. The small twinges had become more frequent so I shuffled in my chair to try and make them go away.
After we had finished eating we were given 15 minutes before the rest of the children were sent in. We talked amongst our selves, until I had the the sudden urge to use the bathroom. The school was set out weird. There were only two staff toilets and the one closest was out of order. I stood up rapidly which caused me to go dizzy, the spinning of my head made me feel nauseous. I tried to conceal how I felt. Some people in the office noticed me go into the out of order bathroom but no one said anything. I emptied my breakfast and lunch into the toilet. When I tried to stand, the dizziness took over and I slumped down against the wall, my breathing was shallow and I was struggling to keep my eyes open.
As hard as it was I pulled myself up off the floor and stumbled out towards the hall. No one was in the office anymore so it was just me trying to get my body to work with me instead of against me. I stumbled into the hall. I mustn’t have looked good because everyone’s eyes were on me. I took my seat and gave a small reassuring smile. I could feel the bile rising in my throat that begged to be released. I stood again. The fluid began to spread down my thighs. I hit the floor and I could feel my eyes wanting to close. Everyone stopped talking. Mark jumped into action scooping me up off the floor. He ran me to the toilet to give me as much privacy he could. Alex noticed the blood on my chair and wiped it away as soon as he could. Just as Mark had got me out of the hall the next lot of children began to spill in. Meredith explained calmly that there was an emergency even though she didn’t know exactly what that was just yet.
I was laid flat on my back when my eyes cracked open. Mark gave me a reassuring smile. I had a cold compress over my forehead, I was burning up I could feel myself getting hotter and hotter and my entire body was shaking. My hands cradled my stomach which contained my 7 1/2 month baby that no body knew about…
Meredith asked me if I was okay. Still pretty drowsy the only words I could manage to say back were “my stomach hurts”. Everyone’s eyes turned to my stomach remembering the significant amount of bleeding I was having. The way I felt nauseous was totally different than morning sickness. My bump was only noticeable if you knew it was there, or my scrubs were lifted. I purposely wore a bigger scrub top so no one would notice, since I’m quite petite I hadn’t began showing properly until i was 6 1/2 months.
Luckily enough for me we had been driven here in an ambulance, and it wasn’t allowed to leave until we did. As Alex went to get things they might need, a stabbing pain ripped through my abdomen, I inhaled sharply causing Mark and Meredith to snap their heads back in my direction. Mark asked if I had any idea what could be causing the pain and the only words I could muster was “my baby”.
Everyone tried remained as calm as they could but I could see the panic in their eyes as they realised what might be happening. Mark got up quickly and left to find Alex.
Meredith looked at me with big worried eyes “Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?”
“I…I don’t know why.”
“How far along are you” she said quietly.
“7 1/2 months. Mer, earlier, when I came to the toilet I passed out, only - only for a few seconds but…” her eyes widened.
“as I was falling to the floor I remember feeling this - this pain against the underside of my bump. I think I hit it, maybe off the toilet or I fell on it. I - I don’t know” I said with tears welling up in my eyes. I began to try and reach for the toilet next to me. I retched into the toilet as Meredith held me up as I didn’t have the strength in me to do it. Mark and Alex both returned carrying a bunch of equipment. Mark rolled in a gurney and the medical supplies were brought in on top. They stood and looked at the position me and Meredith were in and immediately came to help.
“Guys, she’s 7 1/2 months, she passed out earlier and think she may have hit the underside of her bump on the toilet or fallen on it as she lost consciousness” Meredith explained. As I lifted my head out of the toilet bowl they began to lay me flat again. I could feel the warmth spreading so I reached down and when I pulled back up my hand was covered in blood.
“Your okay - your okay” Meredith had a tight grip on my hand.
The bleeding had become so heavy it had soaked my pants. Mark began to pick me up gently so he could place me onto the gurney so I was more comfortable. I told him to stop as another pain ran straight from my back to my abdomen. I gripped onto his scrubs, gritted my teeth as the pain reached its climax and slowly released when it subsided. He felt me begin to release as it subsided and he slowly and carefully lifted me onto the gurney. I thought the back pain I had been feeling was from the chairs we had been given but evidently not.
Alex handed me a sick bucket and gave me a reassuring smile although he could see the pain I was in. Alex and Mark left the toilets so Meredith could help me out of my blood soaked pants. However I didn’t have enough strength in me to lift myself up enough. She popped her head out of the toilet door and signalled for Mark to come back in and they both helped me out of my pants and covered my lower half with a blanket, Alex came back in after they had finished. Mark made his way to my head and Alex stood to my left so Meredith could give me an examination with as much privacy as she could but they would be close enough to help if needed. Meredith paused for a split second when she noticed the small swelling of my stomach, shocked to actually see the bump, she noticed a small bruise on the lower right side of my swollen abdomen. She snapped out of it and carried on with the internal exam while taking note of my external injury. Meredith had finished the exam and it wasn’t looking great. Everything was covered in blood. She used a doppler to check the baby’s heartbeat, as she scanned over my stomach I don’t think anyone had expected to hear anything with the amount of bleeding going on. Mark had a tight grip of my hand. As she scanned over the bottom portion of my abdomen the stabbing pain ripped through me, stronger than any of them before. I gripped Marks hand so tight, he immediately told Meredith to wait. I held my hand out to Alex and squeezed his too. I felt the bleeding get heavier and it began to drip off the side of the gurney and onto the toilet floor. Meredith quickly ran the doppler over my abdomen as I squirmed in pain, the baby’s heartbeat filled the toilets, I released a breath I didn’t realise I was holding. Although the baby was fine they were all worried for me. I had probably lost 2 pints of blood at this point and the colour was starting to drain from my face.
My condition was rapidly declining. I had started to drift in and out of consciousness. They all made the decision to move fast, as soon as we made it into the ambulance we were moving in direction of the hospital. The pain was unbearable, I was dying. The only thing that was keeping me awake were the constant voices around me telling me everything was going to be okay. The severe waves of pain I was in kept me lucid but they were also painful enough to knock me out. Meredith kept checking the baby’s heartbeat every 5 minutes it was still strong. As she checked my baby’s, Mark checked mine. Mine was slow too slow. My body was beginning to shut down, the colour drained as the blood left faster. Alex kept squeezing my hand to keep me awake. “Dana… Dana… stay with me Dana”.
Mark slipped an oxygen mask over my face just as my eyes rolled into the back of my head.
“She’s loosing too much blood, we’re going to loose them both if we don’t get there soon” Alex said in a panic.
A couple of minutes later I regained consciousness. The pain was worse than before. I squirmed around the bed begging for some relief.
“Okay Dana… I know it hurts… try stay still for me…” Meredith was calm.
It subsided slower than the others.
“What happened” I asked breathlessly
“You blacked out Dana” Mark exclaimed
“Ahhhh…” I inhaled sharply. The pains were much stronger but weren’t spaced like they were contractions.
“I’m going to be sick” I said urgently.
Alex quickly held a sick bucket as I emptied anything that remained in my stomach. Mark rubbed my back as Meredith checked me over. We were just pulling into the hospital as another wave of nausea and pain ran over me. The blood flowed faster now. It swiftly fell down on to the ambulance floor and everything went black. I could hear Mark telling the on call doctor what they thought to have happened.
I slowly regained the strength to open my eyes and there I was in the ER. Doctors were rushing around me until one stopped and realised I was awake.
My arm raised begging for someone to grab it. Until someone did, he reassured me that everything was going to be fine.
“Where’s… Mer” I asked.
“Who?” The doctor looked at me confused.
“Meredith”
“She’s right outside with the others who brought you in. I will send them in once your stable” the doctor stated. I fainted. Although I was unconscious I could feel the things they were doing to me, I could hear them pulling the curtain around the bed, I felt the cannula going into my hand, my legs being lifted so they could check internally, I heard a female voice this time and although I wasn’t awake she assured me I was going to be okay. I kept feeling someone holding my hand and their thumb stroking mine, it was Meredith, I heard her telling them that she thinks I hit my bump on the toilet when I passed out and the amount of blood they thought I lost. They wanted her in their just in case I regained consciousness while they were examining me so she could calm me down if needed.
20 minutes later. I woke in a private side room.
“What’s happening?” I uttered
The doctors had changed. I recognised this one it was Dr. Robbins.
“Dana, you’ve got a partial abruption of your placenta.”
She could see the worry begin to sink in on my face.
“I can’t lose my baby”
“Your baby is fine. You are our concern. It doesn’t seem to have affected your baby at all it’s you who’s lost too much blood, so we’re giving you a blood transfusion. You may still experience some nausea, some pain but it won’t be as bad as before” she reassured me
“What about the bleeding?”
“I can’t answer that, it’s going to depend on how your body responds to the medication we’ve given you, you need to stay in bed and call if you need anything and I mean anything” she smiled
“Thank you, could you sit me up a little, are they allowed in?” I asked pointing your the door where the trio stood.
“I’ll send them in, a nurse will come check on you in a little while” she smiled, sat me up then walked away. The tiredness I felt was unbelievable, it was like all of the life had been sucked out of me.
I had drifted off unknowingly. Meredith quietly wandered over to my bed to see if I was up for visitors.
“Dana… Dana would you like us to stay or come back another time?”
“No you can stay” I said drowsily
“How are you doing?” Alex asked quietly
Just as I was about to answer the urge to be sick took over. I think they must have memorised the face I make when I’m about to be sick because they all looked around for a bucket. Mark handed me one and nothing but bile was released. Meredith was sat closest to me and had a hold of my hand. Her thumb stroked across my hand multiple times. It comforted me know someone was there. After I had finished, Alex disposed of the waste and stood by my feet. They were all worried you could see it on their faces.
“I’m fine…” I lied
“You don’t have to lie to us” Mark exclaimed
At that point I just cried.
Meredith sat to my side and embraced me into the warmest hug. You could see my protruding bump from under the sheets which led me to believe I was a bit swollen, I rubbed my hand over the bottom of my abdomen which was a bit tender. It made me flinch which caused a momentary panic.
“Dana what is it?” Mark questioned
“It’s fine I just caught the bruise from where I bumped it, that’s all - I promise I feel fine - well I wouldn’t say fine but better - I feel better” I reassured them pulling myself together.
“Who else knows?” I asked
“Just us and Doctor Robbins.” Mark said positively
“Thank you” I said graciously
“For what?” Mark asked
“Everything, you guys saved my life and my baby’s” I said tears began to stream down my face.
“I need to ask you to do something important for me” their heads shot up.
“Anything” they all said.
“Could you all be godparents to my baby?” I mumbled the last part because the tears got too much.
Meredith started to tear “of course we will.”
“Guys would you mind if I spoke to Meredith alone for a minute. ” I questioned
“Yeah no problem, just call if you need us, we’ll be right outside.” They both left.
“What’s up?” Meredith asked worriedly
I shuffled a bit in my bed and stopped suddenly when I felt the massive gush of warm liquid touch my leg and the pain return.
“Do you need Dr. Robbins?… Dana answer me!”
“I uh…” as the pain subsided I answered.
“Could you lift the blanket and check me?” I quietly asked.
“Agh…the pain’s back… and… I think… there’s blood…” I gritted my teeth and let Meredith check.
She didn’t look at first she just felt around under the blanket. She could tell that it wasn’t blood by the consistency and she told me to relax back so she could check. She lifted the blanket and could see that it wasn’t blood or urine and she came to the conclusion that it must have been my waters.
“It’s not blood, I’m going to get
Dr. Robbins” Meredith said quickly
“No…no stay with me, please get one of the guys to find her.” I pleaded
“Mark, Alex!” Meredith shouted.
“What is it?!” They both asked
“Her waters just broken, one of you go find Dr. Robbins!”
The moment she said that I began to panic. I couldn’t breathe.
“I… can’t… breathe…”
“Dana… Dana look at me, breathe with me, in 1,2,3 out 1,2,3. Keep breathing Dana” Mark took over.
There was still no sign of Alex or Arizona.
“I’m scared” I said quietly
“Dana your going to be fine, Meredith is just going to check you and you squeeze my hand if anything happens. okay” Mark said calmly
“Okay” I agreed
“Dana I’m just going to insert my fingers it might be a little uncomfortable but it won’t take long.” Meredith was calm but everyone knew that it was a little early for the baby and I was still in danger of a grade 5 haemorrhage.
“I thought it was just back pain from those chairs we were given at the school but I guess it wasn’t huh.”
“Wait you’ve had pain since this morning?!” Mark asked
“Yes but it wasn’t as bad until I fainted, then I hit my stomach and it just got worse from there.”
Another contraction began to build, I could just about muster enough energy to tell Meredith. Mark noticed though when my grip on his hand got tighter and my face contorted in pain. She stopped and waited for the contraction to die down before she told me that I was 6 centimetres dilated. It was then obvious that I had been in labour for most part of the day. The contractions were frequent and lasted for around a minute. Mark calmly told me that they would be more painful because of what I had been through today.
I changed positions and laid on my side. With that one movement I felt more warm liquid roll down my leg but it felt different, almost thicker than the other.
“Somethings wrong”
“What is it Dana… tell me…” Mark said worryingly
“I… think - I think I’m… bleeding”
I placed my free hand down in between my legs and I could feel the warm gooey liquid. As I pulled my hand back out Mark and Meredith waited. It was red. Meredith through back the blanket to see a fast growing pool of blood.
I saw the panicked look on Mark and Meredith’s face as they put an oxygen mask over my face as my breathing got worse and flicked the brakes on the gurney and rushed me out of my room. My sopping wet ginger hair clung to my face as I was rushed into the elevator. My breathing got worse and my heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. Everything stopped.
My world went black.
I was in cardiac arrest. The monitors bleeped around me.
Meredith jumped on top of the gurney and began chest compressions and Mark and another person wheeled me into theatre. Although I wasn’t awake I could hear everything that was happening. Then I couldn’t.