Chapter 14: Extraction

The procedure took place the following afternoon in an operating suite that carried no affiliation with Aaron’s primary hospital.
I was transferred under security escort through internal corridors. The temporary patient band remained the only identifier visible on my wrist. Continuous fetal monitoring began before the anesthesia and did not stop. I stayed awake. The regional block took effect in stages until the lower half of my body felt distant and heavy while my mind stayed clear.
Dr. Reed stood near the head of the table where I could see her. The surgeon worked with minimal conversation. Instruments clicked. A nurse announced times and fetal heart rates at regular intervals. The numbers stayed within the range they had told me to expect.
When the object was removed, the surgeon held it only long enough for the circulating nurse to photograph it in a sterile field and place it directly into a labeled forensic container. I did not look at it for long. I did not need the visual details to understand what it represented. The container was sealed, logged, and removed from the room under the same chain-of-custody protocol that had protected the earlier samples.
The uterine wall was inspected. Hemostasis was confirmed. The fetal heart rate remained steady.
Closing took longer than the extraction itself. When they finished, I was moved to a recovery area that still had no exterior windows and still required staff badge access. Dr. Reed stayed until I was fully alert and the first post-procedure ultrasound confirmed that my son’s heartbeat and position were unchanged.
“It’s out,” she said simply.
I closed my eyes and felt the truth of the sentence settle into the space the device had occupied.
Out.
May you like
No longer inside me.
No longer under his control.