A Surprise

The procedure went faster than I expected it would. If it wasn’t for Dominic, I didn’t think I’d pull through it. By the time I was done, my hands shook. I pressed them down on the side of one of the unoccupied beds, so that I could catch my breath and try not to pass out. I couldn’t look at what I had taken from her. Lisa would never forgive us for this, but what else were I supposed to do? We couldn’t just stand back and watch her die. But now that I stood her, my surgical gloves covered in blood, I regretted the decision. We should have respected her wishes. “Azalea,” Dominic stirred behind me. I waved him off with a trembling hand. “I’m fine. It’s okay. I just need a moment, that’s all. Just a moment.” There was a ripping sound, almost like flesh being torn, followed by crying. I stiffened, my breath lodged inside my throat. “I don’t think this is normal, but…” I flung around, peering down at Dominic’s lap where he held the fetus wrapped inside a snowy towel covered in blood. I was