The CEO’s Hired Surrogate

He wasn’t a fool, he knew he couldn’t keep it up for long. But he was ready to keep going as long as he could.

Just as he was about to reach for his mug of cold coffee his phone started ringing, the music echoing around him, making him jump for a second. Sighing he looked around the empty office and slid his thumb across the screen, dragging the green button with it.

“Yes, mother?” he asked, rubbing a hand over his face. He knew that his mother was probably calling to nag and talk him into going home. He even contemplated for a second whether he could ignore her call. But he knew better. He knew he couldn’t run away from them. He may be able to hide, but running was an entirely different story.

“Where are you darling?” Her voice came from the other end, making him roll his eyes. She knew exactly where he was, so asking that had another meaning. Get your ass home. Yes, she was indirectly saying that.

“I’m at the office and I have a lot of work. Did anything happen?” he asked as he drew random lines on a blank paper, trying to keep his hands busy as he went on with the empty conversation.

“No, I just want you to come home darling. I’m all alone here, and you know how much I hate having dinner alone.” Frowning Ryan stood up. Where was Kayla? Why was she alone? He hated having Kayla out on her own when the night was nearly setting. It made him worry, and he had enough on his mind already

“Why mom? Where is Kayla—and Tania?” He added the last name as he realized just how suspicious he sounded. He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he waited for an answer, already too tensed and tired to keep going through the papers.

“You forgot?”

“Forget what, mom?” he searched his mind for an answer, trying to remember what had slipped his mind. But no thought or memory caught his attention, making his evening even harder.

“Today is Tania’s surgery. Kayla’s in the hospital with her. Now, are you coming or not?” He could barely hear what his mother was saying after the first few words. How could he forget about that? Kayla had been going on and on about that surgery and he knew she had no one. So how could he have been so foolish? She needed him, he was sure of that. Well not him, but someone to be there by her side, to hold her and tell her everything was all right.

“Ryan? Are you still there?” It was only then that he remembered he was still on the phone. Sighing he looked around and stood up from his desk, preparing to hang up on his mother.

“Yeah mom, I have to go.” He could hear her wanting to protest, say something that would talk him into going home, but he didn’t wait for it. He pressed the red button and slid it across the screen, before grabbing his coat and rushing out of the office.

Ryan didn’t remember most of the trip, but he somehow found himself in front of the local hospital, already walking towards the large glass doors of the entrance. He didn’t know where Kayla was, or how he was going to explain his presence there, but those were all minor things. For now he just wanted to be there for her, and he was going to do that whether she wanted him to or not.

As soon as he entered the hospital he noticed the reception desk in a far corner. Rushing over there, he breathlessly leaned against the counter and looked at the old woman behind the desk. The woman was about forty, her small eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses.

She adjusted the glasses and looked at him with raised brows, clearly curious about his rush. Ryan sighed and straightened up before saying,“I am looking for Tania Rogers? She was supposed to have a lung transplant today. I was wondering which floor she’s on,” Ryan asked breathlessly, looking around the lobby, maybe, just maybe he would spot Kayla walking around.

“Yes. She is on the second floor. She’s probably still in surgery so check that wing first.” The woman said before turning back to her computer. In a way Ryan was happy Tania was still in surgery. That meant he could still be there for Kayla, that he still had time to support her through such a hard day.

Rushing, he didn’t wait for the elevator, instead he took the stairs, taking two steps at a time. He jogged through the hallways his eyes frantically searching for one particular face. And when he found it, he no longer knew what to do.

He’d been rushing to reach her side as fast as possible, but when he finally spotted her, he didn’t know what to do or how to approach her. He stood in there a few feet away and watched her. Her head was resting against a wall, her eyes closed as her lips murmured something.

She was probably praying. What else could she be doing in such a situation? Sighing, he walked towards her and soon came to stand in front of her, waiting for her to open her eyes.

*****

As she prayed Kayla suddenly felt something hovering above her, the light that previously shone on her face was no longer there. Frowning she opened her eyes, exposing her blurry, tearful eyes. It was at that moment that she could no longer breathe, her mind going blank as she looked at the man in front of her.

She looked at Ryan through her blurry vision, no longer able to hold her tears back. She allowed them to freely slide over her cheek. She didn’t know what he was doing there, but she didn’t care. She needed to feel his arms around her, she needed the comfort, and she no longer cared about acting rationally. So she stood in front of him, silently asking him for an embrace. And so he obeyed. Without a single word being uttered he wrapped his arms around her, and allowed Kayla to sob into his shirt.

They stood there for a few minutes, not saying a word but simply holding onto one another. There was no tension between them. On the contrary, they were both oddly comfortable. Kayla sobbed and cried while he gently caressed her hair. They stayed like that until a doctor finally emerged from behind the two glass doors, making them both jump and breathlessly approach him.

“Are you Ms. Rogers?” The doctor asked, holding his hat in one hand. Kayla couldn’t answer, so Ryan did instead, his arm still wrapped around her waist, trying to support her body and prevent it from buckling under its own weight. “Your mother is fine. We’ll be escorting her to the ICU in a few minutes. The surgery went according to plan, but we will keep monitoring her over the next few days.”

Relief. That’s the exact word that could describe Kayla’s feelings at that moment. Her mother was fine. All those years of worrying and crying were over. They could both finally breathe with ease. Smiling she turned towards Ryan and then back to the doctor, the happiness she was feeling was overwhelming.

“Thank you, doctor,” she finally said before she watched him leave. Now that her mother’s condition was taken care of, she could finally reflect on what had been happening over the last hour or so. And she could feel the mix of emotions as it lashed back at her.

She could barely look at Ryan now, and the feeling of his arms around her felt like fire. Gently, she moved away, shyly gazing at him from beneath her lashes.

“Sorry for earlier. I was—um…” She didn’t know what to say, there was no excuse for her actions. And Ryan knew that too. They’d both acted on their feelings and there was nothing wrong with that. Not in such a situation.

“No Kayla. Don’t say anything. I came here to support you. And this is a way of me saying I’m here whenever you need me.” Those were simple words, but they meant the world to Kayla. It had been so long since someone had offered their unconditional support to her. Those words made her tear up, but she smiled and nodded, once again wondering how she could have been so lucky to meet someone like Ryan.