That Saturday morning, the sky was clear as the taxi carrying Raina and Auntie Nyai slowly pulled away from the house. True to the decision she had made several nights earlier, Raina chose to go alone with her aunt without telling Hadi.
The hospital waiting room was fairly crowded. Raina sat silently, clutching her lower abdomen, which had begun to ache and feel heavy that morning. Her face looked paler than usual. Auntie Nyai, sitting beside her, kept holding her niece’s hand, her expression filled with worry.
When Raina’s name was finally called, Auntie Nyai supported her as she made her increasingly heavy way into the obstetrician’s examination room. The ultrasound examination, which had begun routinely, suddenly became tense. The doctor repeatedly guided the transducer over Raina’s lower abdomen, studying the monitor with a deeply furrowed brow.
“Mrs. Raina, there’s an emergency condition we need to address immediately,” the doctor said in a serious, firm tone, looking back and forth between Raina and Auntie Nyai. “Your placenta is completely covering the birth canal. This is total placenta previa. On top of that, you’ve started having contractions and spotting, which puts you at very high risk of severe bleeding.”
The doctor set down the examination device. “This condition is extremely dangerous to your life and your baby’s if we leave it untreated. We can’t wait until your estimated due date anymore. The baby needs to be delivered by C-section this afternoon.”
At those words, Raina’s body tensed on the examination bed. Fear instantly seized her chest. The image of a surgical knife and thoughts of her child’s safety—her child named Fathan—made her tremble violently.
As the nurse hurried to prepare the consent forms and the rolling bed for the operating room, Auntie Nyai reached into her bag with trembling hands. She pulled out her cell phone to contact Hadi immediately.
Realizing what her aunt was about to do, Raina’s cold hand suddenly shot out and gripped Auntie Nyai’s wrist tightly. Her breathing grew faintly labored.
“Auntie... don’t,” Raina whispered, her voice soft but full of desperate pleading. “Don’t call Mas Hadi. Please, Auntie Nyai... I only want you with me in there. I just want you.”
Auntie Nyai gazed into her niece’s tear-filled eyes. Her heart ached at the depth of Raina’s rejection and the wounds she carried. But as an older woman who had weathered all the hardships life could offer, Auntie Nyai possessed a firmness and wisdom that would not waver before a momentary pain.
Auntie Nyai lowered her head, stroked the back of Raina’s hand as it clutched her, then slowly shook her head with a calm gaze. “Ina, listen to Auntie, sweetheart,” she whispered gently, but with unmistakable firmness. “You can be angry with Mas Hadi for the rest of your life. Auntie understands your pain. But this surgery is a matter of life and death, and the child inside you has the right to have his father by his side. I won’t let you keep a child away from his biological father at a critical time like this. You have to survive, your child has to survive, and Mas Hadi has to be here to take responsibility.”
Without waiting for Raina to argue—she could only squeeze her eyes shut as she held back her tears—Auntie Nyai slowly released the grip and quickly left the room to call Hadi.
In the house’s driveway, Hadi had just opened the car door for Ayu. As part of their usual routine, Hadi had planned to take Ayu to the clinic they normally visited for her prenatal checkup that morning. Ayu moved slowly, supporting her enlarged belly with one hand as she tried to push away the guilt that still often weighed on her chest.
Hadi had barely begun walking around the car toward the driver’s seat when the phone in his pants pocket vibrated with a ring. Seeing Auntie Nyai’s name on the screen, a terrible premonition instantly seized him. His hand suddenly cold, he swiped the green button and pressed the phone to his ear.
“Mas Hadi! Get to the hospital right now!” Auntie Nyai’s voice on the other end trembled violently, with the sound of a hospital bed being hurriedly pushed in the background. “Ina is bleeding because of placenta previa. The doctor says she needs emergency C-section surgery this afternoon. Ina’s life and the baby’s are at stake!”
Hadi felt as though his world had collapsed in an instant. His phone nearly slipped from his grasp. His legs went weak, and his blood ran cold as he heard about the critical condition of his first wife.
“Auntie... I’m coming right now! Please take care of Raina, Auntie!” Hadi cried, his voice hoarse and his breathing ragged.
“Mas, what happened?” Ayu asked from inside the car, her face ashen as she felt the panic that had suddenly erupted.
“Raina’s bleeding, Yu. She needs surgery right now,” Hadi replied, his lips trembling. “Come on, get in the car. We’re going straight to the hospital where Raina’s being treated!”
Without waiting for Ayu’s answer, Hadi sprinted into the main house. His footsteps pounded as he hurried up the hallway stairs toward the bedroom he shared with Raina.
In the corner near the wardrobe lay a medium-sized tote bag. It was the hospital bag Raina herself had prepared and neatly organized, who knew how long ago. As he stared at it, Hadi felt his chest crushed by unbearable guilt. His wife had prepared everything their baby needed alone and in silence, without ever asking for his help.
Hadi grabbed the bag tightly and half-ran out of the house. He slid into the driver’s seat, slammed the car door, and pressed hard on the gas pedal. He sped down the city streets toward the hospital, where Raina’s life and her son’s hung in the balance.