Chapter 3
1057 Words
I stared at that line of text, and the world went quiet around me.
I remember every detail of that night.
Sixteen hours of contractions. The baby was in the wrong position. In the end, they had to move me to an emergency C-section.
Before the anesthesia, the doctor handed me a consent form to sign. My hand was shaking so badly I could barely form the letters.
"Where's my husband?" I asked.
The nurse's face was full of sympathy. "Mr. Bailey had an urgent situation at work. He's on his way back."
Even as the pain blurred my consciousness on the operating table, I kept telling myself: the moment he walked through that door, I was going to let him have it.
When I came to, the first thing I saw was Nathan on his knees beside the hospital bed, eyes red, gripping my hand and apologizing over and over.
"I'm sorry, Rena. I should be shot. I really should be shot..."
He slapped himself across the face. Hard. The sound rang out.
Even the nurses couldn't watch. They came over to pull him away.
I felt myself soften. I actually turned around and comforted him.
"It's okay. The baby and I are both fine, aren't we?"
He said, "I'll never do it again. I swear. I will never let you face something like this alone again."
So that was the truth of it.
"Mommy?"
Sunny's voice drifted from the children's room, thick with sleep.
I snapped back. My hand was trembling. I nearly dropped the phone.
Sunny rubbed her eyes and sat up. "I had a nightmare..."
"It's okay. Mommy's here." I sat on the edge of her bed and pulled her into my arms.
Her body was soft and warm, and she smelled faintly of milk.
This was the child I'd nearly died bringing into the world. The most precious thing I had.
And her father wanted to use her body to save another child.
Hatred spread through me like something wild and poisonous, winding around my heart until I could barely breathe.
When I got back to the master bedroom, Nathan was already asleep.
I climbed into bed and looked at his face. My hand moved before I could stop it.
Crack!
The slap split the silence of the room like a gunshot.
Nathan jolted awake, hand flying to his face. "What happened?!"
I looked at my own hand, then at the red print blooming across his cheek, and slowly smiled.
"There was a mosquito on your face. I didn't know my own strength."
He stared at me for a few seconds, expression cycling from shock to confusion to weary resignation. "You... when did you get so jumpy?"
He lay back down and pulled me against him.
I lay rigid in his arms, breathing in his scent, my stomach turning.
"Get some sleep," he murmured, and was out again within minutes.
I stayed awake until dawn.
The next morning, sunlight was filling the dining room when Nathan came in already dressed.
He stood sipping his coffee, scrolling his phone, a faint frown on his face.
"Something wrong?" I set down his fried eggs, voice perfectly normal.
"The hospital called." He put down his phone, his expression serious. "They said Sunny's checkup results flagged something. They want to bring her back in today for a follow-up."
I knew exactly what this was. I let concern fill my face. "What kind of issue? Is it serious?"
"Probably nothing." He came over and gave my shoulder a reassuring pat. "Likely just routine. Didn't your dad ask you to come in for a meeting today? I'll take Sunny. You don't need to worry about it."
"But..."
"Trust me." He kissed my forehead. "She's my daughter. Of course I'm going to take care of her."
What a thing to say.
I nodded and swallowed down a cold laugh.
"All right. Call me if anything comes up."
When he took Sunny out the door, she turned and waved at me. "Bye, Mommy!"
"Bye, sweetheart." I smiled back.
The moment the door clicked shut, the smile left my face.
I called my father, then walked out the door behind them.
My phone showed a live location feed from a small tracking device I'd quietly clipped to Sunny's collar the night before.
Through my earpiece came the sound of their voices in the car.
"Daddy, where are we going?"
"To the hospital. Don't be scared, Sunny. It's just a quick checkup."
"But what about Mommy?"
"Mommy's busy. Daddy's here with you. That's enough."
His voice was so gentle it made me sick.
Nathan carried Sunny through the hospital entrance.
On the tracking feed, I watched him hand her to a doctor in a white coat. The doctor smiled and ruffled Sunny's hair, said something, then led her by the hand into the operating theater.
The door closed.
I watched Nathan walk toward Phoebe's room. I switched off the feed, got out of the car, and headed for the third floor.
My heels rang out against the floor, each step echoing down the corridor.
The door to Room 312 was ajar. I stopped just outside and listened.
"...so Phee doesn't need to be scared. The surgery can happen any time now."
"Really, Daddy?" Phoebe's voice was bright with hope. "After the surgery, will it stop hurting?"
"After the surgery, you'll be able to do everything the other kids do. Go to school. Go to the park."
"And..." Phoebe's voice dropped. "After the surgery, can Daddy stay with me and Mommy forever? And not have to go back to that other house?"
My grip tightened on the door handle. My nails dug into my palm.
"Daddy promises."
Nathan's voice was tender. Unbearably so. "When Phee gets better, we'll be together. Always."
"Will Daddy still want Sunny?" Phoebe pressed. "Can Daddy just have one kid? Only me?"
"Of course. She's just your donor—"
I drove my fist against my side.
'Just her donor!'
"Mr. Bailey."
The doctor's voice cut in. "The donor is ready. We can begin the procedure whenever you are."
"Do it now." Nathan didn't hesitate.
"Of course. I'll notify the OR—"
The door flew open.
"This donor you're talking about," I said, watching the color drain from Nathan's face, "wouldn't happen to be my daughter, would it?"
- Writer
