Loreen's POV
Loreen had intentionally refused to let his mind process what was happening. Seeing Sairis in this state was already doing too much to him, and he felt like he was only a second away from breaking down. He could not afford to lose control now. Not when Sairis needed him.
And now there was their child too.
He did not want to think about that. He could not let himself think about what might happen to the baby. Every time the thought entered his mind, fear tightened painfully in his chest.
He kept pushing it away and focused only on Sairis, on the weak pulse beneath his fingers.
Ardent turned back to Sairis. He accepted another preparation from the apprentice on his left and administered it with the same careful efficiency as the first.
Then he straightened and moved to the foot of the bed and began working his way back up methodically, checking, pressing, assessing with his hands what his eyes could not tell him.
He opened Sairis's shirt.
