I was too tired to proofread but wanted you guys to read this. Let me know what you think (or if you find any unforgivable grammar mistakes I need to correct)
With all my love, enjoy!
Erika's POV:
"What do you think you're doing?" Savi said furiously the minute she walked into the doctors' office. I was still on the phone, so I continued to ignore her, turning my spinning chair away from her furious gaze.
"Have you any idea what a mess this will be?"
"Yes, I would very much appreciate that. We'll have them transported to your hospital as soon as possible." I said on the phone, the gynecology ward's secretary, of Indianapolis Hospital, happy to assist me.
"God! You're gonna get us all killed," Savi continued under her breath, her angry strides echoing inside the empty room.
With our last goodbyes, I put the phone back on the receiver, a triumphant smile on my face, as I finally turned to face Savi.
"What did you do?"
"Ms. Alberts' newborn baby is a very low birth weight infant, of under 1500 grams, to be exact. He needs immediate attention from an intensive care unit-"
"Which this hospital has and is beyond prepared to care for him," she interrupted me, vexation in her voice.
"But we are understaffed and with no beds to accommodate him. The University Hospital of Indianapolis was more than happy to step in and take the case, since we were beyond capacity to assist at the moment."
"Wha- Understaffed? That's what you said?"
"They'll be leaving in an hour with the helicopter."
"What?" she asked louder, baffled with my plan. "Does the mother know about this?"
I pushed back my chair, lightly this time, taking swift strides towards the intensive care unit, to see Cynthia's baby.
"She's gonna find out."
"And you're certain she'll agree?"
Savi didn't get another answer from me, as the door closed behind me.
Last time I saw the newborn was at the beginning of my shift, right after he was delivered. It's been more than six hours since, and the nerves were getting to me. His birth was risky, so I needed to see him, ensure he was still well and breathing. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to face his mother.
Walking into the neonatology ward, I was welcomed by the comfortable quietness and sleepy snores of newborn babies. They all looked healthy, with their rosy cheeks and tiny hands wrapped in baby-gloves to avoid unwanted scratches on their sensitive faces.
Further ahead, was the intensive unit for all the premature newborns. Prevention or early detection and treatment of complications is very important, which was why thorough clinical observation, examination, and instrumental monitoring, with ECG, pulse oximetry, heart, and respiratory rate, as well as blood pressure measurement are essential to their survival.
Premature babies require particularly good monitoring in specialized clinics. And although there are many in Illinois, sending Cynthia and her baby as faraway as logically possible was the only way.
"How is he doing?" I asked the pediatrician who was taking notes by the cot, monitoring the tiny human in the baby incubator in front of her.
"He's stable. He received surfactant in the first half hour after he was born. We took the tube out about an hour ago, and he's now breathing through the oxygen mask on his own." I nodded at her words, turning away from her and towards the baby, as she continued to do her job.
He was fuzzing around, his movements slow, as he was wrapped in a soft blanket; tubes and wires connected to his small body. I reached inside the incubator through one of the holes, touching his fingertips. It was survival instinct, I knew that, but the minute he reached for my touch, wrapping his fingers around my finger in a firm grip, I felt tears pierce my eyes.
"He's a fighter," I said under my breath, only for the newborn to hear. "Just like his mom."
I knew ensuring a safe escape route for both of them was a priority, but I took another minute in the baby's company, as I repeated in my head everything I had to do, for the plan to work.
Dr. Marshall was out of the office today and couldn't help much, but sent me Alex's phone number, who was more than happy to cover for the transfer and put Cynthia into the FIB's witness protection program. The only thing left to do right now, was get her out of the state, and Indiana seemed like a great idea to get a head's start.
I didn't know if my patient would agree. I certainly hoped so. My biggest concern right now was for this plan to work. Not even Savi or Dr. Fisher's wrath, demanding my head, could stop me right now.
"Where do you think you're going?" A man wearing a black suit, tall and strong, grasped my wrist, pushing me away from the door's handle.
I turned to look at the hand wrapped around my wrist, before I returned my gaze to his.
"Who are you? And why are you out of my patient's room?"
"We're family," said the one next to the burly man still holding my wrist. He was wearing the same attire as his counterpart, but he seemed less violent and more levelheaded, as the lie flew out of his mouth so easily.
"I need to check up on my patient. Now, if you'll excuse me," I said through my teeth, forcing my hand out of his grasp.
"Be quick about it."
I turned away from them, quickly walked inside the room, before I closed the door behind me.
Cynthia looked to be in a daze, but the minute she heard noise, her eyes searched the room.
"Hey, Cynthia. You're already awake? How are you?" I asked softly, nearing her bed.
One minute she was calm, searching, trying to piece together what had happened, and the next she looked alert and panicked.
"Where's my baby? Did they take him? Where is he?"
"Cynthia-"
"Where is my baby?" She screamed louder, this time, trying to hoist herself off her bed unsuccessfully, since her body was still under the effects of the anesthesia.
"Calm down. Your baby's fine. I need you to trust me, Cynthia."
I grasped her shoulders as she thrashed in bed, trying to keep her still, afraid she would tear her sutures.
"Where is he?"
I knew I needed help, so I pressed the SOS button on the side of her bed, and in no time in walked Savi with Lynn.
"What happened?"
"She panicked at the absence of her baby. I think she's still under the effect of the drugs."
"Lynn, I need you to call the neonatal unit. See if we can bring the mother to see her baby. We've got it from here," Savi said, and Lynn walked out of the room, leaving the three of us inside.
"Okay, sweetie, I need you to calm down. Do you remember us?"
Cynthia still looked panicked, but seemed to remember where she was.
"That's right, sweetie. Take big, deep breaths. Dr. Ricci here delivered your boy, and he's fine. We're gonna try and bring him to you-"
"Are they still outside the door?" Her question made us both pause.
"You mean the two men in suits?" I asked and she nodded. "Yeah, they're still here-"
"Then, you can't bring him here. They can't see him," she sobbed, and I exchanged questioning glances with Savi, who seemed equally lost.
"They don't know about him," I said, putting the pieces together. "But how?"
"He was so small... for the longest time they just thought I put on weight."
"But they were the ones that brought you here." It was Savi's turn to question her.
"They brought me in because I was bleeding. They thought a client hurt me. But they didn't know... about my pregnancy, I mean."
Her words broke my heart. She navigated through all this secret pregnancy while still trying to survive, and everything while people were taking advantage of her.
Did she even want this baby?
"Then this might be our only chance. Savi, call Lynn to cancel the baby's transportation. Instead, we're gonna proceed with my plan."
Savi let out a heavy sigh, but she didn't fight me on this one. Instead, she stepped out, so that I could talk with Cynthia, while she prepared everything else for the baby's transportation.
"Cynthia, I'm getting you out of here."
"But my son is too small... he won't survive, without hospital ca-"
"You're right. Which is why I'm transferring both of you to another hospital, out of the state."
"What?"
"I'm getting you both out."
Her eyes widened, trying to understand what I was saying.
"How?" she asked in disbelief.
"I have a friend, and she's willing to help you. She's been tailing this trafficking line for years, but with no evidence, there's no way to shut them down. We'll get you out of here, out of the state, with your baby, and she will protect you from there."
"In exchange for information, I presume," she said, her tone turning cold.
"I know you're afraid... but these people... This man has been hurting people for so long. Isn't it time to stop him?"
"It's easy to say that, when you're on the outside, Dr. Ricci. But for the girls that are still trapped inside... You don't know what you're asking of me."
"Frankly, I'm not asking you for anything. I'm just giving you a chance to escape this life once and for all. What you're willing to do with your freedom, that's completely up to you. But don't expect me to stop trying, just because I'm on the outside looking in."
I was out of breath, anger taking over the logical part of my brain.
"I'm sorry," I said after a few moments, breathing deep through my nose to cool my head. "I didn't mean to-"
"You're right. I'll help. I'm putting my life and my son's in your hands, doctor. So please, take care of us."
I nodded, explaining to her the plan exactly as it would unfold, before I paged Savi again.
She came running through the door, nurses at her tail, as I created mayhem.
"What is it this time?" she asked, eyes confused when she found me over my patient trying to keep up with chest compressions.
"She flatlined. We need to get her to the ICU now!"
"What? But she was fine a min-" a nurse started to say, but Savi stopped her.
"You heard the doctor. You two make way. Lynn, help me move the bed. Let's move people."
"What's going on?" One of the suit-cladded men said; the burly one.
"Sir, we'll have to answer your questions later. Right now, this woman needs immediate care, so we're taking her to the ICU," Savi said, her authoritarian voice stopping the men in their tracks, as she rushed Cynthia's bed out of the room.
I was still on her side, balancing on the bed's rails, as I continued with the fake chest compressions, praying they wouldn't notice.
Once the elevator arrived, Savi sent Lynn away to find Dr. Fisher. She looked confused, but didn't question her superior, leaving the three of us alone in the elevator.
As soon as the elevator doors shut closed, Savi activated with her personnel-card our ascend to the roof, where the helicopter and Alex were waiting for us, and I stopped my actions. I climbed off the bed, to Cynthia's side, who was now laughing her heart out.
"I can't believe we pulled that off," she said through giggles.
I started laughing with her, Savi joining us shortly after, because we couldn't believe it either.
"Let's stay level-headed for a little while longer. Cynthia, your baby is already in the helicopter with another nurse."
"What nurse?" I asked Savi, surprised she didn't tell me about this sooner.
"She will accompany you with an FBI agent to Indianapolis, and help you settle down," she continued, ignoring me.
"What nurse, Savi?"
"She's my senior, Erika. You can trust her," she said the last part to both of us, but I had a feeling it was more for me to hear than Cynthia.
After everything that happened until now, I knew I trusted Savi, so I didn't fight her on this one. Besides, everything happened so quickly, I had to accept her help if I wanted this plan to work and get Cynthia and her baby to safety.
"Get ready, ladies. It's gonna get windy," Savi said as the elevator doors opened, to a very windy sight, as the helicopter was ready for take-off.
We covered our eyes for a moment, not used to the harsh winds created by the helicopter. Shades of orange of the Chicagoan skyline painted everything in its beautiful hues, a warm feeling overtaking me at this upcoming goodbye; until my eyes met hers.
Viviana King.
She was holding onto the infant, cooing a soft lullaby, as we approached her. Her eyes met the mother's, a warm expression I saw for the first time. They looked at each other, understanding in both their faces; a woman's sacrifice, from one mother to the next.
I wished I could pretend this was right. I wished I could pretend, she didn't have the face of one of the tormentors in my dreams.
But I would be lying to myself, and I'm not the best liar.
"What is she doing here?" I seethed under my breath.
Maybe manipulation was her forte when it came to her family. But this part of town was my arena. She couldn't just waltz in here and pretend to take care of them; not when she had a deal with the devil himself.
"Savi, what the hell were you thinking?"
"Look, Erika,-"
"Not everything is as it seems, Dr. Ricci. I'm here to take this woman to safety, and we both know, this city ain't it."
"What's going on?" Cynthia tried to voice her concerns.
"You demand trust from me? When you're the one who-"
"Like I said... not everything is as it seems. And if you really want for this charade to work, then you need me by your side."
I was prepared to fight, until I felt a soft hand fall on my shoulder.
"You can trust her with this," Alex said, appearing out of nowhere; or maybe she was here the entire time.
"Does Brandon know about this?"
"Brandon doesn't know a lot of things. Which is why I'm able to do this. If Brandon doesn't know, then he doesn't suspect me, either."
He. The common denominator to everything.
I prayed she wasn't trying to deceive me. As things were in the moment, I didn't have a choice in the matter.
After another squeeze on my shoulder from Alex, I knew I had made my decision. I didn't trust Viviana, but I trusted the FBI agent. Besides, she was holding a gun, so if Mrs. King had different plans, I knew Alex would take charge and protect Cynthia and her baby.
With an exasperated sigh, I jumped onto the helicopter, hugging Cynthia, who was already cradling her baby in her arms.
"Your baby's in good hands, and so are you," I whispered.
She squeezed my hand, and that was the last thing I needed for the tears to finally spill out of my eyes.
"I will never forget what you did for us."
"I wish I could do more," I said as I pulled back, rubbing the tears away as my eyes met hers. She was strong, hiding her pain well; just like the mark on her back. "Have a safe flight."
Jumping out, I watched with wet eyes, as the helicopter flew away.
"I can't hide this from him," I told Savi, as she stepped beside me, the both of us watching the helicopter become a small dot on the horizon.
"She knows that already."
"I don't understand. That night, at the party... she was down there with them. He said they had a deal she needed to uphold. How is she able to help?"
"She comes from a long family-line of gangsters, that's why Cyrus trusts her. But she was always different; fought to run away from all that, only to get trapped in her own game."
"I don't understand."
"This," she nodded towards where we were standing. "Belongs to her."
"The hospital?"
She answered with a nod, making my eyes wide as I tried to process everything she was telling me.
"She ran away from Seattle for years, but when her parents finally found her, she had already built a life of her own here in Chicago, while working as a nurse. She revived herself from the ashes, and this was their gift to her. The hospital's in her name. And that's the biggest price she still pays to this day."
"What in the actual hell are you talking about?" I said out of breath, while still standing in the same spot.
There was no way Viviana was actually a martyr in this. Right?
"Are you trying to convince me that Viviana King, Brandon's mother... the same Brandon I am in love with, is actually owner of the damn hospital I just happen to work at? For the past year?"
Another silence accompanied by a nod and a far away look on her face.
"Fuck, this is so messed up," I cursed under my breath.
Ironically, that earned me a reaction from Savi.
"Look, Erika, I would love to stick around and chat, but we have a fake 'family' to inform of their cousin's death, so... if you may!"
I knew this wasn't the right time to talk about this, but she couldn't just leave me here, wondering what on earth was going on.
Just as I was about to press her for more answers, both of our pagers were activated, ringing through the crisp air of the afternoon.
"It's Dr. Fisher," I told her, and after another deep exhale, she walked by my side as we ascended to the gynecology ward, and to Dr. Fisher's office.
I wasn't exactly prepared for this; facing her after she trusted me.
But as we walked to her office, the soft expression of her face revealed, she was informed about everything. Nonetheless, her eyes pierced through my soul, making me want to beg for her forgiveness.
"I had seen the mark on her back. I knew that already. And to be honest, I'm glad you did what you did... even without telling me. It's hard to know who to trust."
I was grateful for her words, but uneasiness kept me on my feet.
"Let me take care of her 'family'. I'll tell them she had an internal bleeding, one that cost her life. We couldn't do anything, and even though she was stable for a few hours because of the meds, the sepsis in her blood from the infection was irreversible."
Those were her exact words, as she told the men the story, while I stood behind her. She took them on, answering their questions, but the minute she felt threatened by their presence, she demanded answers to her questions as well. They backed down when they felt threatened, not knowing how to cover their tracks, without spilling too much information about their working backgrounds and true familial nature.
It felt like a miracle. It all seemed too easy, and although elated, I felt uneasy.
Dr. Fisher sent me away, saying I had worked enough for a day, demanding I took the next day off work to celebrate my birthday, and I gladly took it. I needed time to recharge, and put things into perspective, while doing some digging of my own. Savi's words only gave birth to more questions on the spider web, which was turning into a full mess once more.
"So, you love him?" Savi asked, while we were changing out of our scrubs in the locker room.
"What?" I turned around, eyes wide, as I was pulling my hoodie over my head.
"That's what you said... when we were up on the roof."
"Oh... Uhm, yeah. I do," I said turning away from her, feeling my cheeks turn a rosy shade.
"Does he know?"
"I didn't say the words, exactly, but I'm sure he can feel my l-"
"You should tell him." The tone of her voice sent chills down my spine, confusing me.
If we were talking about love, then why did she look so pained?
"Sometimes, life... doesn't work out the way you hope it will... At least do the things, express your feelings in the way you want them, before it's too late."
"Savi, I..."
"Get that expression off your face, Ricci. I'll see you the day after tomorrow." Her tone was final, as she moved towards the exit. "Happy birthday, Eri," she said, walking out of the room, before I had time to react.
A small smile pulled on my lips at our exchange. This was so her; I was surprised, but at the same time I wasn't.
The ride home helped me put things into perspective, creating a new plan of action in my head. I had to tell Brandon everything, I knew that, but after the day's charades, I felt exhausted.
Coming home earlier than Brandon, I took a quick shower, before heading to bed for a short nap. I didn't mean to sleep through the late afternoon, but when I finally woke up, it was already dark outside my window. And I'm sure I could sleep through the night, if it wasn't for the sound coming from downstairs.
Walking down the stairs in light sweatpants, I was greeted with the still dark hallway, lit by a green light coming from the TV. The sound I was hearing was probably a game, which surprised me immensely. Brandon wasn't the biggest fan of 'normal' football, but that was exactly what he was watching.
Trying to sneak up on him and surprise him, I walked on my tippy toes, only for the lights of the living room to suddenly turn on, followed by a loud "SURPRISE!"
Turning around, I found everyone right behind me, and in front of everyone was Brandon with a lit cake in his hands.
Still trapped in place, they began singing their 'Happy Birthday', as I scanned the room for all the familiar faces. There was Stella with Mia, Liam, Malcolm, Jaxon, and Pops, and even Savi with Dr. Marshal and Eli at the back, with a few more guests I was going to meet very soon.
Tears filled my eyes, and that was when I was pulled into my brother's arms.
"Happy birthday, Eri," he said by my ear.
"Markus... I'm sorry, I forgot about our birthday this year."
"It's fine. We wanted to take care of it this time, anyway."
"Thank you. I love you so much," I tried to say, but my throat was closing up from all my scattered emotions.
"Happy birthday, my Ricci babies," Stella said after a while, jumping onto the both of us and sending us to the floor.
After a while, I was pulled to my feet and into the arms of the man I loved. "Happy birthday, baby," he said softly, providing my body with all the warmth it needed.
"Thank you, for all this," I said, my hand on his stubbled cheek, as I pulled him towards me in a kiss. "How did you know?" I said against his lips, hands locked around his neck; I wasn't ready to part from him yet.
"Why are you still surprised?" He wiped the stray tears from my cheeks, kissing my lips once more, before holding me tightly in his embrace.
I chuckled, pressing my face to his chest, his presence enveloping me in a warmth that made all my fatigue and stress disappear.
"You make me happy," I said against his shirt, leaving a kiss over his heart, as I concentrated on the rhythmic beating.
Those were the words that left my mouth, even though I wanted to say something else instead.
I wanted to say, 'I love you.'
I wanted to scream the words.
But I couldn't say them; not yet.
Not when it meant sharing that precious moment with all these people. I wanted it to be special, a moment for just the two of us instead.
But Savi was right.
___
As this is my last uni-year, I started contemplating. About life, decisions, plans for the future... when I realized that all throughout my uni-life, I never truly appreciated the aspects of coming-of-age, meeting new people, going out, giving new people chances to surprise you.
So here I am, with two jobs at the moment, while also studying my ass off for final exams, contemplating how these past couple of years have flown by.
What I decided to do? Go out for drinks and dancing. You know why? Because I haven't been letting myself experience all that up until now... So yeah, I'll be working tomorrow the 12-hour-night shift, but still went out for drinks with my girls... because life's too short.
And I am short myself, so I had to cut my losses somehow.
Logic.
Anyway, that's from me.
Take care of yourselves, and think twice. Is it worth it? Is my sanity worth sacrificing? Dwelling on what ifs?
No?
Then go out for a ladies' night. Eat the cake. Wear the heels. And don't forget your flats as well... (You wouldn't want to regret that decision in the morning either, trust me.)
Yours, always,
Dear Joanna.