"A Sudden Change in Plans"

Ashley woke up to a typical Tuesday morning, or so she thought. She was 22 weeks pregnant with her twins, a boy and a girl, and had been feeling great. She had been experiencing some minor back pain and Braxton Hicks contractions, but her doctor had assured her that everything was normal. As she rolled over in bed, she felt a sudden gush of liquid and a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. She sat up quickly, her heart racing, and that's when she saw it - blood. At first, she thought it was just a little spotting, but as she looked closer, she realized it was more than that. She was bleeding. Panic set in as she jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. She turned on the light and that's when she saw the blood, a lot of it. She felt a wave of fear wash over her as she realized that something was seriously wrong. Ashley quickly got dressed and ran downstairs to get Gerald. He was still asleep, but she shook him awake, trying to keep her voice calm. "Gerald, wake up. I need your help," she said. Gerald rubbed his eyes, still half asleep, but as he saw the look of panic on Ashley's face, he was instantly awake. "What's wrong?" he asked, sitting up quickly. Ashley took a deep breath and tried to explain. "I'm bleeding. I think something's wrong with the babies." Gerald was out of bed in an instant, helping Ashley get her shoes on and grabbing his phone to call the doctor. As they rushed out the door, Ashley couldn't help but think about all the worst-case scenarios. Was she losing the babies? Was she going into preterm labor? The drive to the hospital was a blur, but as they arrived, Ashley felt a sense of relief wash over her. She was going to be okay, and the babies were going to be okay. Or so she hoped. As they rushed into the emergency room, Ashley was met with a flurry of activity. Nurses and doctors rushed around her, asking her questions and hooking her up to monitors. Gerald held her hand, trying to stay calm, but Ashley could see the fear in his eyes. "What happened?" one of the doctors asked, looking at Ashley's chart. Ashley explained the sudden onset of bleeding and cramping, and the doctor nodded sympathetically. "We're going to run some tests and see what's going on," he said. "But I have to warn you, this doesn't look good." Ashley felt a lump form in her throat as she looked at Gerald. They had been so careful, had followed all the doctor's orders, and yet, here they were. Their perfect pregnancy was suddenly not so perfect after all.