Cool Mom

74: Direr News

I don't realize at what point I started crying but before I know it, I'm hysterically sobbing. "No!"

"Emma, I know it is hard to accept but this is exactly the reaction that they want from you. You cannot give them the satisfaction of being right. We need to be ahead of them at every step." Jeremy sighs.

I gulp, "But how do they know all this in the first place? No one except family knows about the pregnancy and Daniel's condition. They're all under strict orders not to mention it to anyone."

"We're working on finding out." Jeremy tells me for the second time.

"Daniel can't know." I gasp for air.

"Agreed." He nods just as his phone starts to ring. He lifts it off the desk and frowns at the screen.

"What?" I ask, wiping my cheeks.

"It's your home number." He turns the phone towards me.

"Daniel, probably." I shrug and leave the room to collect my thoughts as Jeremy answers the call.

I make a trip to Daniel's office to use the bathroom there, not wanting to run into anyone in my current state. I carefully apply another layer of make up to cover up all signs of my tears from my face, then allow myself a few minutes to breath before walking out.

I'm about to leave the office when the sound of wrappers crinkling reaches my ears. Frowning, I walk around the desk in the room to find Hazel sitting with the bottom drawer open, a bar of Mars chocolate hand in her hand, half eaten.

"Bunny!" I smile at her.

She smiles sheepishly at me as she shuts the drawer and stands up to take my hand, the chocolate in her other hand. Ever since Hazel started eating solid foods, Daniel has kept chocolates in his desk at home and here for Hazel to eat whenever she wishes to. It's some sort of father-daughter agreement that I've never tried to interfere in.

When we return to Jeremy's office, he's not there. I lead Hazel back down to the ground floor and ask at the reception desk for Jeremy but find out that he left. When he doesn't answer his call, I leave him a message and head for the parking.

"I'm hungry." Hazel complains from her car seat.

"Will burgers do?" I ask her.

"Yes!" She replies.

I make a quick detour at the nearest Burger King before heading home again. Hazel truly is hungry because she finishes her food in the twenty minute drive home.

I let her run into the house ahead of me as I gather my things and then follow her in. I start to call out Daniel's name when my eyes land on a helper scrubbing at something on the living room floor.

"What are you doing?" I ask, walking up to her.

She visibly jumps at my voice before stumbling to her feet, facing me.

"Just cleaning, ma'am." She says with a forced smile which puts me off.

As I take a step forward to look, she tries pushing herself into my line of vision but she's not quick enough as a scream escapes my mouth and I crumble to the floor, trembling.

"Whose blood is that?" I whisper.

"Ma'am." She starts to say something but I instead scream, "ANSWER ME!"

"Sir Daniel's."

The two words make my whole world spin. I don't know how long I sit there, my body shivering and my heart hammering and I sob.

"Where is he?" I ask her once I find my voice.

"Sir Jeremy instructed the butler to call for an ambulance and that we weren't to tell you." She replies not wanting me screaming again.

"Water." I croak and she runs off to fetch me some.

I'm left alone with the smudge of blood on the floor. My brain warns me that I may faint if I don't leave the room. I locate my handbag and take out my phone and with trembling hands dial Jeremy's number.

"Where is he?" Is the first thing I ask when the call gets through.

"You need to come here yourself." Is all that he says and refuses to budge on the matter.

"Hazel-" I groan but he cuts in, "There is extra security outside the house. You can meet them yourself if it helps. No one will leave the house without your permission. But you need to get here right now and please have a driver bring you."

"Okay." This is all I can say as I turn off my phone and barely manage to call for Hazel.

"Yes?" She asks running in but her smile slips when she notices my tear stained face.

"Mommy has to go meet daddy for something important. You are going to stay here, have something to eat then finish your homework, okay?"

She nods, "Okay."

I kiss her cheek and rush back outside. As promised there are guards outside the house and I hurriedly get into the waiting car and instruct the driver to take me to the hospital.

Is he okay? The thought weighs my mind as I feel my head start to hurt from the stress. The minute the car stops outside the hospital entrance, I'm running in. I give in my name at the front desk and I'm instructed to head to the Intensive Care Unit.

My feet stop right outside the double doors that will reveal Daniel to me. I feel tears stream down my cheeks as I force myself to push the double doors open and walk in. Jeremy stands up from where he is sitting across the room but my eyes are already on the glass window embed into the wall.

Or rather my eyes are glued to Daniel in a hospital bed on the other side of the glass, attached to machines.

"What's wrong with him?" I sob.

Jeremy comes to stand next to me and replies, "His sugar level dropped and he lost consciousness. When he fell, he hit his head on the floor and the doctors are still trying to determine the extent of his brain injury."

"Brain injury?" I mumble to myself.

"Yes." Jeremy replies solemnly as I touch my forehead to the glass pane and let go of the emotions I was keeping reeled in.