Chapter 11
834 Words
Nathan burst through the warehouse doors, his heart thundering in his chest.
The address he had gotten from the security cameras and a rushed tip from a bribed hospital worker had led him here — an abandoned building on the edge of town.
The place smelled of oil, sweat, and rot.
The walls were crumbling, the floor slick with dirt and grime.
Somewhere in the darkness, he heard a cry.
A muffled sob.
Desperate. Broken.
"ELLA!" Nathan roared, his voice ricocheting off the concrete walls.
A door creaked open.
Nathan sprinted toward the sound, kicking the door in with a force that sent it slamming against the wall.
And there she was.
Ella.
Her wrists tied above her head, her clothes torn away, her body trembling and exposed under the harsh fluorescent lights.
Tears streaked her dirt-streaked cheeks as she sobbed, naked and defenseless, trying to shrink away from the two men towering over her.
Nathan didn’t think.
Didn’t breathe.
He just moved.
With a primal roar, he launched himself at the nearest man, slamming his fist into the guy’s face hard enough to send him sprawling.
The second man pulled a knife, but Nathan disarmed him easily, fueled by pure, savage rage.
He beat them both senseless until they lay groaning on the ground, barely conscious.
Then he rushed to Ella.
Her eyes were wide with terror, her whole body shuddering uncontrollably.
"Nathan," she whispered, brokenly, barely recognizing him.
"I’m here, baby. I’m here," Nathan said, yanking off his jacket and wrapping it around her trembling form.
"I've got you. I’ve got you. You’re safe now."
She collapsed into his arms, sobbing hysterically.
He untied her wrists, careful not to hurt her further, and held her tightly against him.
Her body went limp.
Nathan realized with horror that she had passed out, her breathing shallow and uneven.
"No, no, no," he whispered frantically, cradling her.
"Stay with me, baby. Stay with me."
---
The ambulance raced through the city streets, sirens blaring.
Nathan sat in the back with Ella, gripping her hand as the paramedics worked furiously.
"Please," he kept murmuring.
"Please be okay. Please, Ella. Please."
At the hospital, everything was a blur — flashing lights, shouting doctors, beeping machines.
Nathan wasn’t allowed in the trauma room.
He stood outside the double doors, fists clenched, helpless rage boiling under his skin.
Then the worst moment of his life happened.
A doctor approached, her expression grim.
"I'm sorry," she said gently.
"There were complications... and the baby didn’t make it."
Nathan’s world tilted violently.
"No," he said hoarsely, shaking his head.
"No, you’re wrong. She’s strong. Our baby’s strong. Check again!"
The doctor placed a hand on his arm.
"I'm so sorry," she said again before disappearing back through the doors.
Nathan sank into a chair, numb and broken.
He buried his face in his hands, the tears coming hard and fast.
He had failed her.
Failed them both.
---
Hours later, Ella stirred weakly in her hospital bed.
Nathan was by her side in an instant, grabbing her hand, kissing her knuckles, whispering her name.
Her eyes fluttered open, glassy with fear.
"My baby," she croaked, her voice cracked and raw.
"Where’s our baby?"
Nathan swallowed hard, unable to lie to her.
"The doctor said..." His voice broke. "The doctor said the baby didn’t make it."
Ella let out a broken scream, wrenching her hand from his and pressing it desperately to her swollen belly.
"No, no, no!" she sobbed, inconsolable.
"Please, no!"
The heart monitor spiked.
Nathan pressed the call button frantically.
"Nurse! Nurse, help! Please!"
The doctor rushed in, scanning the machines.
"Wait," she said sharply.
"Wait a second —"
Another nurse brought in an ultrasound machine.
Nathan stood back, holding his breath as the probe slid across Ella’s abdomen.
There —
a flicker.
A heartbeat.
Then another.
The doctor’s face transformed from confusion to amazement.
"Oh my God," she said, smiling broadly.
"They're alive. Both of them."
Nathan blinked, not understanding.
"Both?"
The doctor laughed, overwhelmed.
"It’s twins. One heartbeat must have been hiding behind the other during the trauma. They're alive, Nathan. Both babies are alive."
Ella let out a choked sob of relief, clutching Nathan’s hand as the images of two tiny, strong heartbeats pulsed on the screen.
Nathan dropped to his knees beside the bed, his forehead pressed against Ella's hand.
"Thank you," he whispered hoarsely.
"Thank you, God. Thank you."
Ella cupped his face weakly, her thumb brushing away his tears.
"I’m so sorry," Nathan choked out.
"I should have been there. I should have protected you."
"You were there," Ella whispered.
"You came for me. You saved me. You saved us."
Nathan kissed her hand over and over again, unable to stop trembling.
He had almost lost everything.
But now, he had everything to fight for.
Ella.
Their two babies.
Their future.
He would never, ever let anything come between them again.
He swore it with every broken, beating piece of his heart.
- Writer
