Adrian couldn't think straight as a bolt of panic hit him. A fear that almost unmanned him was losing the woman he loved. Although he had lost her to another man, but he couldn't afford losing her to mother Earth. The thought of losing his unborn child before it came to the world made his face ashen.
He wondered why life had always been unfair to him and full of misery. He had lost everyone dear to him, he thought maybe he was cursed. He kept pacing back and forth. He couldn't help but blame himself for the condition Zoey was placed into.
He had mixed feelings and emotions. Perhaps if he hadn't drank into oblivion that night, Aurora would be out of the picture, and Zoey would have had more reason to stick with him. He wouldn't have pushed her into accepting Jasper, maybe things would have been much better.
What was he even thinking?
One minute, he was blaming himself, the other, his fingers were pointing at others.
It had been over three hours since she went into the emergency ward. If anything happened to Zoey or the baby, he'd never forgive Aurora. He blamed her for every damn thing that had happened, then Jasper. All of this was just perfect until they both came back into their lives.
The nurses who moved in and out of her ward weren't saying a thing. No one could blame them as it was their profession, and they couldn't disclose any information to the family. Adrian had instructed Regan that her parents were driven home safely, but his words were less convincing.
They neglected his act of kindness.
"We thought of you as a family, but you failed us this day. My daughter is in this state because of your stupid actions. I will hate you if anything happens to her," Mrs Anderson said, bursting in tears. Her dad sat back, watching in silence.
On the other hand, Jasper felt helpless. His mum comforted him with a warm hug, while his dad patted his shoulder, assuring him that all would be fine. He had to be strong for himself and the entire family if anything happened to her. But he hoped everything turned out positive.
…
"Doctor, any positive news?"
"Yes please, tell us how she's doing."
"Is she alright?"
"How's the condition of the baby?"
"Can we go in now?"
They all flooded the doctor with series of questions as he walked out of her ward. The doctor took off his nose mask, then a relieving smile lit up his face. His smile calmed down their nerves, their ears itching for a good news.
"This is a rare case. It was a 50/50 chance of survival of the mother or the set of twins–"
"Twins?" everyone asked simultaneously as it took them by surprise.
The doctor nodded. "In this case, we lost a twin and we're sorry about that. Please, do well to accept our condolences. The good news is that we saved the other baby… and the mother. Congratulations, it's a baby boy."
Mrs Anderson squealed in excitement. "Oh my– Zoey has birthed me a grandson. Words can't express how happy we are. Thank you so much, doctor."
The doctor smiled. "It's our pleasure. As a matter of fact, the bleeding stopped earlier, but she became weak after delivery due to excessive blood loss…"
Jasper was lost in his thoughts as they conversed.
He walked out of the hospital and waited for everyone. His mind pondered on accepting a different blood as his family. He was losing his mind, knowing Zoey's heart didn't belong to him. It was hard to accept that what they shared was in the past.
Her eyes didn't hold the love he saw in them years back. She hardly found his jokes funny. His touch had no effect on her. She wasn't that cheerful Zoey he knew. Lots of things had changed. Or he was just overthinking it. He didn't wish a one-sided love. At the same time, he never wanted to leave her side.
He took a long slow deep breath as he looked up at the blanket of stars that stretched to infinity. The pale crescent moon shone like a silvery claw in the night sky. The night was beautiful in his eyes, just as Zoey. That thought earned him a smile.