Chapter 61 #61
Chapter 61
~Dwayne~
I caught her before she hit the ground, my arms wrapping around her limp body as my heart stopped.
"Shailyn!" I shouted, lowering her gently onto the grass. "Shailyn, can you hear me?"
Nothing. Her face was pale, her breathing shallow.
"Fuck," I breathed, already pulling out my phone with shaking hands. I dialed emergency services while keeping one hand on her pulse. Weak but steady. "I need an ambulance at Belmar Manor. Now. A pregnant woman, she's unconscious, she's been sick all day with fever and nausea."
I gave them the address, my voice somehow remaining calm even as panic clawed at my chest.
"Stay with me," I murmured, stroking her hair back from her face. "Come on, Shailyn. Stay with me."
The ambulance arrived within minutes. I climbed in beside her, refusing to leave her side even when the paramedics tried to make me wait.
"I'm not leaving her," I said firmly. "I'm family."
"Sir, we need space to work..."
"I said I'm not leaving her," I repeated, my voice brooking no argument. "She's pregnant. She's been sick all day. I'm the only one who knows her symptoms."
The paramedic looked at his partner, who nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But stay out of the way."
I pressed myself against the ambulance wall, my eyes never leaving Shailyn's face as they checked her vitals, adjusted oxygen, and started an IV line.
"BP is low," one of them said. "Heart rate elevated. How far along is she?"
"Six weeks," I answered immediately.
"Any previous complications?"
"She has amnesia. Head injury from a few weeks ago. She's been recovering."
They exchanged glances, making notes.
At the hospital, they rushed her straight into an emergency. I tried to follow, but a nurse stopped me at the doors.
"The family waiting room is down the hall," she said firmly. "We'll update you as soon as we can."
"But..."
"Sir, please. Let us do our job."
I paced the waiting room, my hands clenched into fists, every worst-case scenario playing through my mind.
The baby. What if something happened to the baby?
"Mr. Belmar?"
I spun around to find a doctor approaching, a middle-aged man with kind eyes and graying hair.
"I'm Dr. Harrison. You brought in Mrs. Shailyn Belmar?"
"Yes," I said immediately. "Is she okay? The baby?"
"Both are stable," he assured me, and I felt my knees nearly buckle with relief. "But we need to discuss what we found."
"What do you mean?"
Dr. Harrison gestured toward a private consultation room. "Please, come with me."
I followed him inside, my stomach knotting with each step.
"Mrs. Belmar has been given an injection," Dr. Harrison began once we were seated. "Based on the blood work, it appears to be a medication that has reacted negatively with her system. The fever, nausea, and eventual collapse were all symptoms of a severe adverse reaction."
"What kind of injection?" I demanded.
"That's what concerns me," he said carefully. "The compound in her bloodstream isn't something typically prescribed for pregnant women. In fact, I'm not entirely sure what it is. I'll need to run more tests to identify it fully."
My blood ran cold. "Are you saying someone gave her something dangerous?"
"I'm saying someone gave her something inappropriate," Dr. Harrison corrected. "Whether it was intentionally harmful or simply negligent medical practice, I can't say yet. But Mrs. Belmar should not have been given this medication while pregnant."
"But she's okay now? The baby's okay?"
"Yes, thankfully. We've flushed most of the compound from her system. She'll need to stay overnight for observation, but barring any complications, both should recover fully."
I exhaled slowly, trying to process this information. Who the hell had given Shailyn an injection? And why?
Then an idea struck me. A terrible, necessary idea.
"Dr. Harrison," I said carefully. "Is Mrs. Belmar conscious?"
"Not yet. She's resting. The sedation we gave her will keep her asleep for several more hours."
"And the baby... is it possible to determine paternity before birth?"
Dr. Harrison's eyebrows rose slightly. "It is. We can perform a non-invasive prenatal paternity test using the mother's blood. It's completely safe for both mother and baby."
"How long does it take?"
"The test itself is quick. Results typically take about five hours."
My heart pounded. "Can you do it now? Without telling her?"
Dr. Harrison hesitated. "Mr. Belmar, that's ethically complicated. Mrs. Belmar would need to consent..."
"She's unconscious," I interrupted. "And there are... circumstances. Complicated circumstances. I need to know, Doctor. Please."
He studied me for a long moment. "You're the biological father? Potentially?"
"Possibly," I admitted. "I need to know for certain."
Dr. Harrison sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair. "I could lose my license for this."
"You won't," I promised. "I'll take full responsibility. Just... please. I need to know. I need to know what I'm dealing with," I said honestly. "Before I make any decisions. Before anyone else gets involved."
Finally, he nodded slowly. "I'll need a DNA sample from you as well."
"Whatever you need," I said immediately.
Within twenty minutes, the samples were collected and sent to the lab. Dr. Harrison drew my blood with practiced efficiency, labeled the vials with clinical precision.
"Five hours," Dr. Harrison reminded me as he finished. "I'll call you as soon as the results are in. And Mr. Belmar? This stays between us until Mrs. Belmar is conscious and can be properly informed."
"Understood. Thank you, Doctor."
He left, and I was finally allowed to see Shailyn.
She looked so small in the hospital bed, so fragile. Monitors beeped steadily around her, IV lines running into her arm. I pulled a chair close to her bedside and took her hand gently.
"I'm here," I whispered. "You're safe. Both of you are safe."
Her fingers twitched slightly in mine, but she didn't wake.
Shailyn's phone buzzed on the side table. Dante's name flashed across the screen.
I stared at it, debating whether to answer. He deserved to know his wife was in the hospital. But what would I tell him about the injection? About the paternity test?
I let it go to voicemail.
An hour passed. Then two. I sat beside Shailyn, my thumb stroking the back of her hand, my mind churning through possibilities.
If the baby was mine... then what? Tell Shailyn? Tell Dante? Keep it secret?
My phone rang. It was Dr. Harrison.
"The preliminary results are in," he said. "Can you come to my office?"
"On my way."
I pressed a kiss to Shailyn's forehead before leaving. "I'll be right back."
Dr. Harrison was waiting in his office, a manila folder on his desk.
"Mr. Belmar," he said gravely. "Please, sit down."
I sat, my entire body tense, every muscle coiled tight.
"The results are conclusive," Dr. Harrison began, opening the folder slowly. "The paternity test shows..."
He paused, and in that moment, my entire world hung in the balance.
"The baby is…”