The CEO’s Quadruplets

Chapter 10

            Amory was half-asleep when the phone rang and was almost too haggard to answer it. He did not recognize the number that flashed up on the screen, but a sudden pang of worry in his heart told him it was important. A calm-toned young man’s voice sounded on the other end of the line.

            “Is this Mr. Amory Blake?”

            “Yes. This is him.”

            Amory grew suspicious as he knew this was not a prank call. Something was wrong. He could feel it the drumming of his heart as it began to pound against his chest. He waited for a response with baited breath.

            “Sir, your wife has been in a vehicular accident and is being transported to St. Mary’s Hospital. A police escort is en route to your home.”

            Amory’s heart fell. His body was crumbling to dust and his soul shattered as he only imagined the worst. He needed to get there. He needed to see her. If Amory could fly, he would have jumped out of their bedroom window, but he was bound to human limits.

            “Can you tell me anything else? Is she… Is my wife stable at least?”

            “I’m not a medical professional, sir, but it is reported that she was pregnant. Correct?”

            “Yes.”

            “Well, I can say she did not show any serious damage in her abdomen area, if that gives you a better understanding.”

            “Okay.”

            Amory felt breathless, the siren sounded off in the driveway. The dog was barking at the door, and Amory quickly opened a can of dog food and let Romeo out into the garden before throwing on some clothes. He found jeans and a sweatshirt first, so he pulled them on his body as he jumped into the state police car. A man and a woman filled him in on the details of the event.

            A bakery van had its brakes die and it T-boned Isabella’s car on the passenger side with the direct impact happening just behind the back seat. The car had rolled into a median guard after crossing two lanes of traffic and nearly taking out another car in the process. They found her unconscious upon arrival, but still breathing. However, emergency services were concerned about any internal damage affecting the fetuses inside her. There was a question of an emergency Cesarean section.

“It’s why we were so concerned with making sure you got to the hospital to meet the ambulance.”

Amory felt numb. Part of him wanted to cry, but he had to remain strong. The unknown of it all haunted him as they drove through the dim morning light. For a moment, Amory realized that her students would be waiting for their exams with nobody coming to give it to them. What would they think of their professor? Would they even consider the reality of the situation an option? Who could believe this had happened?

Amory hardly believed it himself.

Everything had been so fragile for so long. He only had just won her back after his naivety had kept them apart. He felt stupid for letting their separation last so long. He should have been at their door the next morning with roses and a heartfelt apology. He should have agreed to fire Miss St. Clair the moment Isabella asked, but Amory had forgotten how precious life itself really is. He had forgotten those moments could always be their last ones. Isabella could have died with him never telling her how spectacular or intelligent she was. He could never have told her how her hand cream reminds him of home now, and her smile is what he dreams of. He would never have admitted how inadequate he sometimes felt next to her and her accomplishments in life. All these thoughts ran through his mind as the car raced through the streets.

Isabella was beautiful and fierce. He loved her, and Amory almost lost it all.

As they arrived at the emergency room, an officer came around and let him out of the car as he began to race through the doors. Looking for someone with answers, he raced from desk to desk looking for a sign. A resident pointed him in the direction of where his wife was. She was already in a operating room in the women’s hospital.

“I need to see her! Please!”

“Sir, I’m sorry that is not possible.”

“Why?” Amory was still catching his breath from the growing fear, and asked with a haggard dry voice. “What’s going on?”

His anxiety made his pulse climb as each nurse looked at the other with no answer.

“Mr. Blake, please calm down,” an older black woman said in a stern tone. “I’m Leah Goodwin, head nurse of this ward. I can explain if you will just sit calmly for me right through here.”

She ushered him into a powdery room with fanciful wallpaper and fake wood tile floors. It looked like an antiquated bed and breakfast with medical equipment. Leah pointed to the pair of practical lounge chairs sitting in the corner of the peach-colored suite that appeared cheerful in spite of Amory’s inner turmoil.

“Your wife is all right, Mr. Blake. The airbag, however, caused for the babies go into fetal distress. At least, that is what is believed to have caused this. Now, that means their heart rates were lower than we like, and the doctors were concerned with any internal damage. Both the mother and the babies can recover better if the delivery happens now. Our Natal Intensive Care Unit is prepped and waiting for the arrival of your children, and after we get your wife stabilized she will be brought here. I suggest you take a moment to collect yourself, while I get you a cup of water. When you think you have the strength, you can make any calls using the guest phone in the lounge. Any nurse will be happy to help you, and if you need me just ask for me at the desk.”

The woman stood from her chair, and quickly Amory took her hand.