Reclaimed (Hostage Rescue Team Series Book 10) by Kaylea Cross

bed panting, damp tendrils of hair stuck to her sweaty face.
    “Can you stop it?” she gasped out, afraid to look down between her legs where the nurse was pressing something. There’d been so much blood. Bright red with dark clots.
    “We’re trying. And we’re going to do everything we can.”
    She made the mistake of looking as the nurse pulled the pad away from between her thighs. It came away glistening red, soaked with fresh blood.
    Summer cried out and pressed a hand to her abdomen. No. No, this couldn’t be happening. She was only twenty-five weeks along. She’d already miscarried once, and this was their second IVF attempt. She’d thought that after passing her first trimester without any problems she’d be in the clear, but…
    Her lower back had been aching early this morning so she’d gotten out of bed and as soon as she’d stood up, the bleeding had started. Alone and afraid to stand up in case it made the bleeding worse, she’d been forced to crawl to her phone on the nightstand and called for an ambulance. But then the contractions had started on the way here and she was scared to death that she might be losing the baby. That it might already be too late.
    No ,she ordered herself. No, you need to think positive. Stay strong, the baby needs you.
    Yes. That was her only job now, protecting the baby. She forced in a shuddering breath, let it out slowly. Then another. And another. It’ll be okay. It has to be okay. You need to slow your heart rate, slow the bleeding.
    But then another contraction started. She tensed up and fought her way through it as it built to an agonizing crescendo and held, tried to lay still when all she wanted to do was writhe and somehow escape the pain. It was all happening too fast. Everything was out of her control.
    The staff bustled around the room getting more equipment and monitors set up, injecting more medication into her IV to try and stop the premature labor and reduce her pain. But she’d already lost so much blood. How could the baby possibly survive that?
    “We’ve been trying to reach your husband at the number you gave us,” one nurse said, taking her hand. Summer grabbed on tight and dug her fingers in as another contraction grew in strength.
    “He’s on a…training mission,” she gasped out, eyes shut tight as the pain swelled. “In L.A.” Oh God, just make it stop.
    When it faded what felt like an eternity later, she was trembling all over. She was in full-on labor at six months pregnant.
    A nurse moved out of the way. Summer raised her head and shot a frantic look at the monitor next to the bed. The little blip of the baby’s heartbeat was getting weaker.
    Tears flooded her eyes as she put a hand to her swollen belly. No, please. Please hang on. She bit her lip but a sob escaped anyway, making her shoulders jerk.
    The nurse holding her hand made a sympathetic sound and leaned over to wrap an arm around her back, squeezing her. “Isn’t there anyone else we can call to be here with you?”
    She shook her head, fighting back another sob. Her family was all back in Indiana, and though she had some good friends here, she didn’t want any of them in this room with her right now. There was only one person she wanted, and that was impossible.
    “I want Adam,” she whispered, the tears spilling free at last. He was so far away, back on the West Coast. Even if he got word and hopped a plane in the next few hours, he wouldn’t get here until tomorrow.
    By then it would be too late.
    That awful squeezing sensation started up again deep in her belly. She moaned and curled into a ball, squeezed her eyes shut as the pain radiated outward. Dimly she heard voices rising around her. Urgent. People rushing around.
    This time when she opened her eyes and sought the monitor, there was no blip on the screen.
    She stared at it blindly for a moment, then sheer terror ripped through her. “No!” she cried. “ No !” She clutched at her abdomen with desperate