Billionaire's Secret Baby

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Ruby’s maternity leave came to an end, she had to start working. She was grateful for the kind of boss she had, he understood her predicament so well. She named her baby Ethan, it has been six weeks since he came into her life. She never believed she could feel so much love for anyone but she did. Her love for Ethan was immeasurable. He was such a lovely and peaceful baby. She and Naomi took turns caring for him. Everyone around her has been so supportive and she was grateful for that. Her boss visited her a few times with gifts for Ethan

The day she resumed work, she reported to Mr Trainor’s office. She knocked lightly and waited to be asked in before opening the door. Mr Trainor was neck deep with work.

“Good morning sir” Ruby greeted

“Good morning Ruby, it’s good to have you back,” Mr Trainor said with a smile. Ever since she went on maternity leave, the workload multiplied and he was so happy to have her back

“It’s good to be back sir” she said

“How is Ethan?”

“He is fine” She had to hire a part-time nanny to take care of her son while she was at work since Naomi was also working.

“Okay go through those files and sort them out according to their level of importance” Mr Trainor was already delegating duty to her. She picked up the files and went to her seat to resume work.

During her lunch break, most of her colleagues walked up to her to congratulate her some even brought gifts. They had their usual small talk which she missed. They were trying to bring her up to speed on what happened at the office. One of the designers has been selling custom-made designs to Teeka’s competitors, she was discovered a few weeks ago and was arrested. As she listened, she realized that there was an opening for a designer and she wanted the spot badly but she was sceptical because since she joined the company, she had been preoccupied with her issues from the one-night saga to the pregnancy and having a baby alone.

Ruby efficiently completed her assigned task before the close of work. When it was time to go home, she contemplated talking to Mr Trainor about the job opening but her courage failed her so she picked up her bag and left the office. When she got home, Naomi was already back from work, Ruby quickly freshened up and then came back to relieve the nanny after paying her for her services.

Naomi made dinner, and they ate and discussed how their day went. Ruby told her about the designer job opening. Naomi listened attentively, she knew her friend was interested in the job.

“I’ve been thinking,” Ruby began hesitantly, “I’ve always wanted to be a designer. And now that there is a small opening and I have more stability in my life, maybe it’s time to take that chance. But I’m worried about Mr Trainor, he may not approve”

Her friend smiled encouragingly, “Ruby you are one of the best designers I know, and if Mr Trainor doesn’t see it then that’s too bad but don’t let anything or anyone derail you from your dreams”

“Okay, I will talk to Mr Trainor about it,” She said in excitement

The next morning, she walked into Mr Trainor’s office with all the confidence she could gather to plead her case. She has prepared herself mentally for her presentation. Mr Trainor quietly listened to everything she had to say

“Ruby are you sure you are ready to be a designer?” he asked

“Yes sir, I am ready”

“Okay here is my offer, I will place you on probation for a month so you get the opportunity to prove yourself” Mr Trainor offered “Is that okay with you”

“Yes sir, I will take the offer,” Ruby said joyfully

“So you need to get a replacement for my secretary position, someone competent before you leave”

“That wouldn’t be a problem sir, I would do that immediately” Ruby said

She left Mr Trainor’s office with joy in her heart, she was determined to prove herself. She quickly texted Naomi to share the good news. She decided to place an ad for the vacant secretary position, as she was about to log into the company’s website, her phone rang and it was a call from her nanny. She and her nanny had an agreement not to disturb her at work except for an emergency. “was Ethan in danger?” she began very anxious. She hurriedly took the call while praying that nothing bad had happened

“Hello, how is Ethan?” She asked in one breath

“Hello ma, I think Ethan is sick” The nanny responded. She could hear Ethan crying in the background

“What do you mean? He was fine when I left him this morning”

“He has been crying all morning, his skin looks pale, and he hasn’t eaten yet but his stomach is swollen” The nanny explained.

“I will be home soon, please bear with me, I can’t exit the office right now but I will call Naomi to see if she can get home earlier” Ruby said calmly. She was worried about her baby but she couldn’t leave work in the middle of a workday. Ruby’s heart clenched with worry as she hung up the phone. She quickly dialled Naomi’s number, hoping that her best friend would be able to leave work early and check on Ethan. The seconds felt like hours as she waited for Naomi to answer.

“Hey, Ruby, what’s up?” Naomi’s voice sounded concerned.

“It’s Ethan,” Ruby blurted out, her voice trembling. “The nanny called, and she said he’s sick. I am not able to leave work at this time, but if you can help check up on him, that would be great.” After a momentary pause, Naomi replied calmly. “Of course, Ruby, don’t worry. I’ll go straight there and see what’s going on. You just focus on work, okay?”

Tears gathered in Ruby’s eyes. There was this struggle between her roles as a mother and those of an employee. Yet being informed that Naomi was heading home to check on Ethan helped alleviate some of her anxiety.

“Naomi, thanks,” Ruby finally got the words out despite her throat closing up. “What would I do without you?”

Naomi replied with a calm voice. “That’s what friends are for, Ruby. We stick together through thick and thin. Ethan is like family to me too, you know.”

Ruby felt a glint of relief as she thanked Naomi again before ending the call. She tried to focus on work but her mind kept drifting back to Ethan. Immediately it was time to go home, Ruby quickly packed her things and dashed home as if she were being chased. When she got home, the symptoms the nanny described were still evident, so she decided to take Ethan to the hospital.

Arriving at the hospital, the paediatric ward was busy, Ruby had to wait for her turn. Finally, a nurse called her into an office. When she got in, a doctor was sifted going through his computer.

“Good evening Doctor”

“Good evening ma”

“How can I help you” He asked

“My child has been crying most of the day, he has refused to eat but his stomach is swollen” Ruby narrated

As she was speaking, the doctor listened attentively and wrote things down at intervals. When Ruby was done narrating, he called a nurse handed her a paper he had written things on and asked Ruby to go with her to run some tests. At the lab, they took a sample of Ethan’s blood and asked them to come back in twenty-four hours for the result.

Time seemed to move slowly, the twenty-four hours became the longest twenty-four hours Ruby had ever experienced. When it was time to get the result, Naomi decided to follow her for support. Immediately they got to the paediatric ward, they were ushered into the Doctor’s office. He held a paper that seemed to be Ethan’s lab result. After studying it for what seemed like ages, he finally spoke

“According to the test carried out, Ethan has some abnormalities in his blood cell count.

“What does that mean” Ruby asked out of curiosity.