Baby Mama Drama
1210 Words
Adrian stepped out into the dim corridor, his face tight with fury. The hospital's fluorescent lights flickered overhead, but they couldn’t match the storm in his eyes. He walked briskly past the nurses’ station, jaw clenched as he pulled his phone from his coat pocket.
He didn’t hesitate.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“Yes. I need officers dispatched immediately to Mount Grace Memorial Hospital. A woman is trying to force her way in—Vanessa Sterling. She’s my ex-wife, and she’s not legally allowed near my daughter without supervision.”
“Is there a restraining order?”
“Pending. But there’s a custody clause. She abandoned our child six years ago. I have sole custody. She’s creating a scene and upsetting my daughter’s condition.”
“Understood. Units are on the way, sir.”
Adrian ended the call and took a deep breath, his hand tightening around the phone. Just hearing her name stirred a dozen emotions—none of them kind.
He turned the corner and spotted her near the hospital’s main lobby, flanked by two security guards. Her striking blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail, eyes hidden behind oversized designer sunglasses. She wore a fitted crimson dress, entirely out of place in the sterile environment. Her voice, shrill and entitled, rang out through the hallway.
“I am her mother!” she barked at the guard. “You have no right to keep me away from my daughter!”
“You walked away from that right the moment you left her, Vanessa.” Adrian’s voice came like a gunshot, freezing her mid-rant.
Vanessa turned slowly, removing her sunglasses.
“Well, well,” she purred, venom dancing beneath her words. “If it isn’t the father of the year.”
Adrian crossed his arms. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see my child. You know—the one you ripped away from me.”
He scoffed. “You left her with me six weeks after she was born. Took off with your lover to Paris and didn't look back. Don’t rewrite history because you’re bored or broke.”
Vanessa stepped closer, her heels clicking against the tile like war drums. “You think you can just raise her without me? You think I wouldn’t come back for my child?”
“She’s not your child anymore,” he spat. “She’s mine. Legally. Emotionally. Entirely.”
“Oh, how touching.” She tilted her head mockingly. “Let me guess, the new nanny is helping you play happy family? Is she warming your bed the way I used to?”
Adrian’s jaw twitched. “Leave Liana out of this.”
“That's her name? Oh please. You’ve always had a type—soft-spoken, wide-eyed, desperate.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “You forget, Adrian, I know you.”
“No,” he said coldly. “You knew who I was. You have no idea who I am now.”
Vanessa’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not leaving without seeing Ember.”
“She doesn’t even know who you are,” Adrian said with bitter calm. “And I’m not letting a stranger traumatize her after she nearly died today.”
The smirk on her lips vanished. “What happened?”
“She had an allergic reaction. Her asthma flared. She could’ve died. You’d know that if you’d stayed long enough to learn what she was allergic to.”
Something flickered in Vanessa’s eyes. Was it guilt? Fear? Or just wounded pride?
“I’m her mother, Adrian,” she snapped, her voice growing louder. “You can’t erase me.”
“You erased yourself the day you walked out. And I’m not letting you come back now just because your boyfriend dumped you or your bank account dried up.”
“Watch your mouth!” she hissed. “You think you’re better than me? Just because you played daddy for six years?”
“I didn’t play anything,” he said quietly. “I became what you could never be.”
Just then, flashing lights reflected against the glass doors of the hospital entrance.
Vanessa turned, eyes widening slightly. “You called the police?”
“You’re trespassing and violating our legal agreement. You don’t get to waltz in here and pretend like you’re a parent again.”
The front doors slid open and two uniformed officers stepped inside, handcuffs already dangling from their belts.
“Ma’am,” one officer said firmly. “We need to ask you to come with us.”
Vanessa’s nostrils flared. “You have got to be kidding me.”
The second officer stepped closer. “We’ve been informed of the custody agreement and your abandonment history. If you resist, we’ll be forced to detain you.”
She turned to Adrian, eyes blazing. “This isn’t over.”
“You’re right,” he said, walking up to her, voice like steel. “It’s just beginning. And next time you try to show up, I’ll make sure the court slams the door shut so hard on your rights, you’ll never even say Ember’s name again.”
She hissed, “You bastard.”
“You left her,” he growled. “Don’t you dare act like you deserve to come back.”
The officers took her by the arms. Vanessa didn’t scream or fight as they led her out, but her eyes never left Adrian’s. Cold. Calculating. Waiting for a weakness.
She shouted just once before the doors closed behind her.
“You think you’ve won? That little girl looks nothing like you, Adrian. Maybe you should ask yourself why.”
Adrian’s breath caught in his throat.
The officers shoved her into the back of the patrol car, and the flashing lights disappeared into the night.
He stood in the quiet that followed, heart racing. Her words echoed, thudding in his chest like a curse.
He exhaled slowly.
He couldn’t afford to let her words sink in. Not tonight. Not now.
Turning on his heel, Adrian walked back into the hospital. He ran a hand through his dark hair, trying to steady the emotion that had curled in his gut. Anger. Guilt. And something else.
Doubt.
He took the elevator up to Ember’s floor and walked down the hall. From the window, he could see Liana sitting beside Ember’s bed, reading softly from a picture book, her voice calm and gentle. Ember’s tiny fingers were curled around Liana’s hand.
He paused at the door, watching the scene for a moment.
Liana looked up and noticed him. She smiled—but it faded when she saw his face.
“Is everything okay?” she asked quietly as he stepped inside. She closed the book and rose from the chair, she walked to him and they both stepped away from Ember.
Adrian nodded slowly. “Yeah. I called the cops. They took her away.”
Liana swallowed. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry you had to witness it.”
Liana's voice was low. “She really abandoned Ember?”
“Without blinking,” he muttered. "I don't want to talk about it, ever... again." He walked to Ember.
- Writer
