Emily Harper, eight months pregnant, sat quietly in her hospital room at Riverside Medical Center in Chicago. Pale blue walls, the faint smell of antiseptic, the soft beep of the heart monitor—it all reminded her that one tiny life depended on her calm. She had checked in for high blood pressure and irregular contractions, hoping a few days of rest would protect her baby. She traced circles on her stomach, whispering promises that everything would be okay—though she wasn’t sure she believed them