Beautiful Mistakes

~Chapter 1~

Gabe

"Gabe, my water broke!"

"What? Already?! It's too soon!"

I jump out of my chair in a scramble to reach my office door. As I fling it open, I'm greeted by my pregnant executive assistant who's standing immobilized as amniotic fluid lies in a puddle at her feet.

"Shit! What do we have to do?"

She gives me a look like I'm the world's biggest idiot and says, "I think I need to get to the hospital."

Good ol' Samira, always level-headed and calm, even in the midst of a disaster. And let me tell you, her going into labour two months early in my office is probably the worst form of disaster I've lived through. Not because I'm some man-baby who can't handle this stuff, but because I care about her and only want the best for her.

"Let me grab my keys and I'll drive you."

"Are you sure? I don't want to put you out. I know your schedule is full today."

Of course, she knows it is. I wouldn't be surprised if she had it memorized, because that's the type of person she is. It's part of why we work together so well.

Samira has been with me since I bought this little start-up tech company in my late-twenties and turned it into the multi-million-dollar company it is today. Through thick and thin, surpluses and deficits, hirings and firings, she's stayed by my side. This is why she's the only one of my employees I let call me by my first name. To the rest, I'm Mr. Daniels.

"Samira, you're about to have a baby. A baby you and Rayan have been desiring for years. This takes precedence over any meeting, email, or phone call. Besides, I'd do anything for my favourite employee."

I wink at her and laugh as she sticks her tongue out at me.

"So, you're telling me you wouldn't do this for Trevor?"

"Not a chance," I say as I walk back towards my office to pick up my keys and phone.

Samira is hanging up the phone when I get back to her desk. "I've set your email to out-of-office and asked Whitney to cancel all your appointments."

"And you've called Rayan, right?"

"What?! Oh shoot! No, I didn't! I just panicked and told you."

Leave it to Samira to be more worried about work than to inform her own husband that he might have a baby on the way.

"I feel like he's going to want to know that you're going into labour early, don't you?"

"Yes, yes, of course." She picks up the phone on her desk, looks down at the ground, then promptly hangs it up. "I'll call him as soon as I finish cleaning this mess."

"Samira."

She freezes and glances up at me.

"Put the towel down. We have housekeeping staff for that. We need to get you to the hospital."

She hesitates, looking between the ground and the towel a few times. Her big brown eyes widen with fright as the realization of what's happening overwhelms her. She sways unsteadily, and I rush to move her chair behind her. As her butt hits the seat, she bursts into tears.

"I'm really scared, Gabe. It's too soon. She's coming too soon! I don't want anything to happen to her."

Crouching down, I place my hands on the sides of her chair. I can't lie, I'm freaking out too. I don't know much about pregnancies and babies, but I do know having a baby too early can't be good. I'm also well aware of Samira and Rayan's fertility struggles and how badly they've been wanting a child. She was so excited when she finally got pregnant, she invited me over to their place for dinner.