‘Never mind. What is the matter?” A sob snaked out of her of such anguish it hurt him to hear it.
‘The baby. I think it’s my baby.”
He grabbed his cell phone and started dialing numbers.
‘I will call an ambulance.”
She didn’t answer
just moaned again and then cried out.
Ordering the ambulance took too long.
She was sobbing.
‘lt hurts, oh, God.” She said it like a prayer, as if asking for divine deliverance.
She didn’t get it because her body jerked and she shook her head, thrashing it from side to side on the pillow.
He put his hand over hers, which were locked together over her womb.
‘What happened?”
‘I don’t know.” The words came out on another long wail.
‘Ididn’t do anything.”
He tried to impart his strength to her through their hands, but he felt as if she was on another plane and he could not reach her. He could not prevent her pain. He could do nothing but mouth platitudes and hold her hands.
The emergency workers arrived. They worked around Salvatore at first but then one of them asked him to move.
Suddenly Elisa who acted as if she had not known the other men were in the room grabbed Salvatore’s hand with a desperately strong grip.
‘Don’t let them move me. If they move me, I’ll lose the baby.”
‘Elisa, you must let them take you to the hospital.”
‘No. ” Her fingers scrabbled against his.
‘lf I stand up, my baby will die”
‘We won’t make you stand ” the emergency worker assured her but she ignored him.
Her eyes were riveted to Salvatore’s face. ‘Please don’t let me lose my baby. I promise… ” Her voice trailed off as another contraction gripped her body, making her tense with pain.
‘lt is all right, Elisa. You must trust these men.”
‘I can’t. They don’t care.” She was completely irrational and he did not know how to make her see.
‘lt’s my baby. Please, I can’t let it die. I love it.”
His own eyes burned and his throat was thick so he could not answer her right away.
Her eyes implored him. ‘Please Salvatore. Don’t let me lose my baby. I promise 1‘11 never tell anyone who the father is. 1‘11 move back to America. I won’t bother you any more. Just don’t let me lose my baby.”
The words cut into him each one a dull blade slicing at his conscience.
‘Do not say such things-” The emergency worker who had not spoken pulled back the blanket and revealed a growing stain of red under Elisa.