‘James,’ I uttered, dropping my hands to look up at him. In all the years he’d worked for me, he’d never called me anything but “Sir,” despite my repeated requests for him not to.
‘I’ve got your back. Mr. Steel better get his scrawny arse over here fast, as I’m about to usurp him from his best friend role.’ He patted my shoulder with a wink and headed to the door.
‘James, I …’ I shook my head, unsure what to say to express my gratitude. He dipped his head, an unspoken confirmation passing between us, then pulled the door behind him. I dropped my head back onto the cool leather and slowly exhaled. How the hell was I here again? First Rebecca, then Moira, and now Ellie in the hospital three times. I thought her stairs tumble had been bad, then the caesarean, but now it wasn’t just the two of us and Oliver. We had Jonas and we were supposed to be having Eva. There was so much more at stake, my love for her was so much deeper. I’d had no idea that I could love anyone more than I loved her on our wedding day, but she kept on surprising me every damn day.
I rubbed my hands over my eyes. I needed caffeine, no way was I going to go to sleep until I knew if both of my girls were ok. I heard someone scream the word “no” outside and looked up as the door was flung open. I only knew it was Brooke from the flash of red hair as she threw herself at me, tucking into my side as she sobbed. I put my arm around her and kissed the top of her head, then felt someone nestle into my other side and looked down to see Molly. I kissed her head too and tightened my arms around both of them as they cried. I looked up to see Jenny watching us from the doorway. She wiped her tear-streaked face and nodded at me. If I had a spare arm, I’d have gathered her up as well. These three girls meant the world to Ellie, therefore they meant the world to me. This was good, having people here to distract me. I wondered if it was horrible of me to feel some consolation that I wasn’t the only person hurting right now.
Jenny made me a black coffee and set it down on the coffee table in front of me, then took a seat opposite. I wanted to drink it, but I was reluctant to let the girls go. I’d never been in a room with these women when no one said a single word. Usually it was hard to even think over the noise. I’d give anything now to hear them all laughing and joking. I just ran my hands up and down Brooke and Molly’s arms until they finally stopped crying. Brooke had her face buried in my shirt, clutching it tightly in her hands. Molly was just staring at a spot on the wall opposite. Jenny had her elbows on her knees, her eyes focussed on the peach-coloured carpeted floor. Every time I heard footsteps approaching, I looked up at the door, hoping it was someone with good news, determined I wasn’t going to lose faith no matter how long it took. Ellie and I had barely had any years together, we deserved so many more. James appeared and shut the door behind him.
‘Your parents are on their way, Magda is watching over Master Oliver and Master Jonas. Mr. Steel is flying out as soon as possible. He was very upset that he wasn’t able to get here faster, but I told him that I’m standing in for him until he arrives.’
‘Thank you, James.’
Everyone ate the cooked breakfast provided except for me. I rarely went off my food, but it had been over three hours. There were seven of us now in this small room. My parents had arrived and Andy had come in, despite not being on shift. I was lucky to have such support. Everyone whipped their heads around when there was a knock on the door and a doctor in scrubs appeared.
‘Mr. Davenport, may I speak to you in private?’ he asked. I felt my stomach twist in agony. This was it. I couldn’t tell from his face whether he was about to bring me the best or worst news of my life. I stood up and quickly looked around at the expectant and tired faces around me.
‘Whatever you have to say, you can say here. There’s no one in this room that isn’t my wife’s family.’ I felt a hand in mine and looked around to see my mother giving me a half-hearted attempt at a smile.
‘Mrs. Davenport suffered a uterine rupture, as we suspected. She lost a great deal of blood, but we managed to stabilise her and she’s currently being closely monitored. We expect her to make a full recovery, though she’ll be with us a little longer than expected.’
‘Thank God,’ Mother uttered, echoing probably everyone’s sentiments. I felt the load on my shoulders lessen a little. My Ellie was alive. I’d told her so many times how strong she was, but she really had no idea. I wanted to sob with relief, but that could wait until I was alone with her.
‘I’d like to discuss the implications of the surgery with you both when she’s conscious. She’s currently heavily sedated.’
‘My … my daughter?’ I asked, the shake in my voice obvious.
‘One moment,’ he nodded, disappearing out of the door.
‘What the fuck!’ snapped Brooke, leaping to her feet. ‘He can’t just walk out and leave us hanging.’
‘Brooke,’ Molly warned, placing a hand on her forearm.
‘No,’ she bit. ‘God knows I’m over the moon to know Ellie made it, but what about the baby? This is unacceptable.’ The previous quiet of the room was suddenly shattered by the noise of voices all talking over each over, but when the door opened again, it was like someone had hit the mute button at a nightclub, you could suddenly hear a pin drop. A nurse stood, framed by the door, with a small pink bundle in her arms.
‘Mr. Davenport, your daughter was born by caesarean section at 4:45 a.m. She was closely monitored, but has suffered no side effects as a result of the trauma. She weighs six pounds and two ounces. Do you have a name yet?’ she asked, smiling at me. I nodded, unable to form words as I craned my neck, trying to see my new baby’s face. All I could see was pink. As well as the pink blanket, she had a pink knitted hat on.
‘Eva, Eva Davenport,’ Brooke sniffed next to me, rubbing my back while she spoke for me.
‘Would you like to hold Eva?’ the nurse asked me. I nodded and watched with baited breath as she walked over. I held my arms out and took my daughter, cradling her in my left arm against my chest as everyone just waited, silently watching. I felt tears well in my eyes. She was beautiful, her facial features were all Ellie. Those full, heart-shaped ruby lips, a small snub, perfectly straight nose, and defined bone structure. I pushed her hat up a little bit and grinned. She had my dark hair, and lots of it. I loved that she had both of our features.
‘Wow, a mini Ellie,’ whispered Brooke. I nodded, unable to take my eyes of my gorgeous baby girl. Oliver and Jonas were going to love her.
‘When can I see my wife?’ I asked.
‘You can have a few minutes now, but we’ll let you see her properly when she’s fully conscious and we’re satisfied she’s up to visitors.’
‘We'll look after Eva for you. Go, see Ellie, and make sure to give her all of our love.’
‘She’ll be asleep, Mother,’ I reminded her, bending down to kiss my daughter’s forehead before reluctantly handing her over.
‘No one knows what she may or may not hear. Go, we will all be waiting when you come back and I will ask for breakfast for you, you must be starving, no?’
‘That would be great,’ I nodded, kissing her cheek. ‘Thanks everyone, I can’t tell you what it means to me that we have your support.’
‘Go, before you make me cry again,’ scolded Brooke, shoving me towards the door. ‘And tell her that we all love her.’
The nurse opened the door to the private room and another nurse quickly got up and walked out, with a nod at me.
‘We’ll be just outside. The machine noises are nothing to worry about, it’s just the heart rate monitor and blood pressure machine,’ she smiled. I resisted the urge to tell her it wasn’t my first experience of a wife hooked up to machines, and stepped inside. Ellie was lying on the bed, propped up on a load of soft-looking pillows, with oxygen tubes up her nose. The beeping was nothing new to me, but the transfusion drip was. I leaned over and kissed her lips as I stroked her hair.
‘Don’t you ever do that to me again, Ellie. There are only so many deaths I can die before you ki
ll me for real. There’s a waiting room full of people who haven’t slept all night for worrying about you and Lucas is on his way too, with Summer.’ I pulled up a chair and sat next to her, lifting up her hand and running my thumb over her wedding and engagement ring. I had her new ring at home, ready for when she came home, but I had no idea how long they were going to keep her. ‘Our daughter is fine, as I know you’ll be worrying about her. You did an amazing job, she’s absolutely beautiful, and I can’t wait for you to meet her. I can’t believe I didn’t say it in the car, but I love you, Ellie. So much, it cripples me when we’re apart. So this is a formal warning that I shall punish you severely if you ever leave me alone again. I’m going to have faith that I’ll be seeing you soon, because you’re the strongest woman I ever met.’ I quickly kissed her again as the door opened and the nurse stuck her head in.
‘I’m sorry, but it’s time.’
‘When can I see her again? How long before she wakes up?’
‘I’d suggest going home, all of you. Leave Eva with us, we can watch them both while you freshen up. We’ll call you as soon as we’re happy to let you see her again, but I’ll only allow you in on the condition you let her rest if she needs it.’
‘Ok,’ I sighed, not wanting to leave her side. People weren’t going to be happy, but Ellie’s recovery took precedence.
Ellie
I opened my eyes and blinked a few times. I felt confused and sleepy. I quickly reached down to my stomach with my hand, but winced as I felt a sharp tug.
‘Hello, Ellie. Welcome back, you’re in the hospital. You came in as an emergency in the night, but you’re on the road to recovery. Mind the IV’s in your hand and arm.’
‘My baby?’ I whispered, the memory of realising I was bleeding quite badly coming back to me.
‘She’s perfectly healthy and right here, fast asleep. I’ll get her for you. You might feel some pain in your stomach, you had an emergency caesarean, so be careful how you move. I’ll ask the doctor to come in and talk to you if you’re up to it?’
‘I just want my little girl and my husband,’ I nodded, noticing two bags of fluid attached to me, one clear and one red. I must have lost a lot of blood. I’d known it was bad before Dan had brought me my clothes, but I hadn’t wanted to worry him.
‘He’s in the waiting room, we’ll let him know you’re awake and that he can come in for a while. You had a lot of people here all night waiting for news on you.’
I smiled, fighting against the urge to sleep again. All I could think of was seeing Eva and Dan. I couldn’t bear the thought of what I’d put him through. I gasped as the nurse carried my daughter over and carefully put her against my unhindered arm. She said something, but she may as well have been speaking a foreign language, I was too transfixed. I had the most beautiful little girl I’d ever seen. She scrunched up her nose and pursed her tiny lips as I gazed down at her.
‘Hello, Eva Davenport,’ I murmured, drinking her in. Dan might not agree, given I’d not even been fully aware of what was happening, but I was sure she was worth the payoff of whatever had happened last night. I rocked her and kissed her pink hat, feeling overwhelmed with love. Now I had the perfect family, she was the last thing I’d ever dreamed of. Dan wasn’t just my Prince Charming, he was my fairy godmother as he’d made all of my wishes come true. I shivered when I heard my name in his deep baritone voice, and looked up to see him just inside the door.
‘Dan,’ I choked, a river of tears suddenly flowing from my eyes at the thought of how close I’d come to never seeing him again. He strode over quickly, clasped my face, and kissed me forcefully.
‘God, you gave me one hell of a scare, Ellie. Don’t cry, everything’s ok now.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ I sobbed.
‘You were born to test me, Ellie. You once said we were perfectly imperfect and this was no different. It just strengthens my love for you, to know how hard our battle has been to get here today. What do you think of our girl? She’s the epitome of beauty, isn’t she?’ He smiled as he looked down at her and ran a finger gently over her rosy cheek. ‘Just like her mother.’
‘She’s gorgeous. I’m so happy,’ I nodded.
‘So these are happy tears?’ He grabbed a tissue from the box on the bedside table and gently wiped my eyes and blew my nose for me.
‘Relieved and happy tears. Where are the boys?’ I asked with a gentle sniff as I tried to pull myself together.
‘They’re fine, totally oblivious and with my parents. Magda stayed with them last night, so my parents could be here, along with everyone else, but the hospital insisted they’d only let me back in. Everyone sends their love. God, I hated not being with you, Ellie. They wouldn’t allow me in the theatre and I was only allowed a few minutes with you earlier this morning. I’m not leaving now, no matter what they say. They’ll have to bring in another bed for me.’
‘Thank you.’ I pursed my lips for a kiss. I couldn’t bear the thought of him leaving me here. I felt so emotional and needy right now.
‘Someone’s hungry,’ he smiled, rubbing my shoulder. I looked down to see Eva smacking her lips, so Dan helped undo the tie on my hospital gown and pull it down at the front. I held her to my breast, but it took her a while to latch on. The boys were much faster. She soon realised what was happening and I felt myself warm all over as she fed from me. ‘Please tell me this is temporary, that you’re putting her on the bottle? I can’t remember the last time I could suck your nipples without a foul-tasting mouthful.’
‘Dan.’ I half laughed as I shook my head.
‘Are you in pain?’ he asked, turning serious very suddenly.
‘My stomach feels a bit tight and stiff, no different to my caesarean with Jonas. What happened?’
‘I’m not one-hundred percent sure myself, baby. The doctor will be here soon to explain it all. All I care about is that you’re both here. I love you, and this is the start of another new chapter of our lives. We’ve had all the bad luck one couple can possibly have now. From here on out, it’s going to be smooth sailing.’
‘I hope so,’ I nodded, leaning my head against his toned stomach as he stood at the side of the bed. He stroked my hair and held one of Eva’s tiny hands as she continued to nurse. ‘I really hope so.’
Day Seven
Friday 11th October
Damien Daniels
I could barely contain the smile on my face as I sat in my car outside the hospital. Two fucking years it had taken, but I’d finally tracked them down. I’d taken on some private consultancy work, earning enough cash to purchase my new identity last year. Damien Daniels. It kind of suited my persona. Whenever I heard someone call me Damien, it sounded dark and dangerous. For all intents and purposes, from now on I was Damien. That was the name on my bank accounts, passport, and driving licence. It was astonishing that such a relatively small amount of money could purchase fake papers that were good enough to fool the British authorities.
After earning enough to pay for my documents, I’d finally moved out of that shit hole in Tower Hamlets. I was renting a small studio apartment in Waterloo. It was clean, warm, and functional, but more importantly, mould and vermin free. Much as I’d have loved to upgrade my accommodation to the standards I used to live in, it would eat into the money I was saving to recruit the team that I’d need. I’d purchased a second-hand car and figured Davenport Technologies was my best starting point. After two weeks of sitting outside in the car, hoping for a sight of the great man himself, I’d grown impatient and walked in, requesting an appointment. The attractive brunette had batted her eyelids at me as she took my details and I quickly realised she could be my perfect way in. I’d flirted with her and asked her out for a drink and she’d agreed. It hadn’t taken her long to part her legs for me. I’d taken her to The Dalton Hotel, not wanting her to see that my rented flat didn’t quite live up to the millionaire consultant role I was playing. Jessica wasn’t a bad fuck, but seriously mentally challenged. The stupid bitch worked fo
r one of the best software firms in the world and didn’t put fucking protection on her phone. Accessing her calendars while she took her morning shower had been simple. Then it was just a case of taking photos on my own phone of the days he’d be in London.
When I’d failed to trail his driver, due to his skilled evasive tactics when he left the office, I’d purchased a GPS tracker, which I’d secured on his limo. It was kept in a secure, patrolled, underground car park, but Jess was so enamoured with my cock, it hadn’t taken much persuasion for her to have sex in the car park, up against a concrete pillar next to the limo. I’d planted the tracker under the wheel arch while she had her eyes closed as I licked her out. It was easy then to trace where his London house was. Pavilion Mews in Knightsbridge. It also helped me to narrow down the private airport he used for his plane back up to Scotland. As far as England was concerned, with my never-ending mine of information from Jess’s phone and her willingness to gossip about her employer, there was nowhere they could hide. Finding them in Scotland was another matter. Even she didn’t have his home address.
I rubbed my eyes as I fought the urge to sleep. It was a dull grey day, with a constant stream of drizzle. Bright sunlight might have kept me awake after sitting out here since the limo registered as being static here for some time, but this overcast weather had my head nodding. Ellie had obviously had her kid, as there had been a flurry of activity with her parents-in-law coming, her best friends, and two of their security team. One of them looked old enough to be my bloody dad. I reckoned he was their weak point, he’d be easier to take down than the other guy who looked like The Rock on speed, minus the baby oil. He was a great bloody driver though, but get him one on one, or more, on the ground and he’d be an easy target. Yeah, the old guy was going to be my best bet at grabbing that kid of theirs. Oliver fucking Davenport. Number two. I just didn’t get people naming their kids after themselves. Talk about fucking narcissistic. I jerked my head up when I felt myself nodding off, then reached into the glove box and pulled out a hand mirror and my stash of blow. I checked around me and snorted a couple of lines, then leaned my head back against the head rest and waited for the buzz to kick in.
31 Days of Autumn Page 9