Chapter 58 Before Everything Fell Apart
POV Ethan:
A Year and a Half Earlier
As soon as we arrived at the hospital, we ran to the information desk; we needed to know if Scarlett and the baby were okay. After hearing that the woman I described was in surgery, I could swear I was falling without ever hitting the ground. I still don’t want to believe it could be her. Scarlett must be fine and on her way home, right? She must have gone out just to clear her head—this has to be a misunderstanding. My mind is about to explode; I keep replaying on an endless loop what the attendant told me over the phone, and all I feel is an overwhelming fear. Fear of losing her, fear of losing them.
“There’s a woman who just arrived with those descriptions. She was in a car accident, she’s in surgery. If you’re family, I ask that you come as soon as possible.”
That was all it took for us to be inside the car within minutes, running every red light to get to her. I want to believe it’s not Scarlett, because if it is… how is our baby? Did he survive? Will she survive? Liam is the one asking questions at the reception desk; I stay alert, listening to every word, hoping for even the smallest chance that it isn’t Scarlett. A tiny chance that she and the baby are safe and well.
“The police just brought us the patient’s purse so we could contact her family more easily,” the woman said, and it didn’t take long
before I was practically on top of her to ask for the name. “Scarlett Monroe. The patient who is in surgery is named Scarlett Monroe.”
I felt my legs give out. Bile rose so fast I could taste the bitterness. I’m going to throw up.
“It can’t be.” Noah took Scarlett’s driver’s license from the woman’s hands. “I don’t believe this. How is she? And the baby? Say something, for fuck’s sake.”
“Sir, I kindly ask you to calm down. You’ll need to wait for the doctor who is operating on her; only he can better inform you of her condition. Please give me some basic information about the patient, then you may sit in the waiting room.”
Liam stepped up to answer while I decided to leave. I needed some fresh air—if I stayed inside, I was going to vomit. I closed my eyes every time Scarlett’s face appeared in my thoughts—her mischievous smile when she wants to tease us, her sweet smile every time she talks about the baby… The baby. I’m not ready to know how he is.
“Ethan, I… I’m so sorry.”
I turned and saw Damian looking at me with tear-filled eyes.
“Not now, Damian. I… I need to be alone for a bit.” I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.
“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have—”
“Damian, I don’t want to hear it.” I asked, feeling my eyes burn. I don’t want to lose Scarlett. I don’t want to lose our baby.
Right after seeing the results of those tests, I questioned whether I would be a good father. At that moment, I had no answer. The only thing that crossed my mind was that I would try to be the best I could be, no matter what it took. For Scarlett and for him. Each day the reality grew stronger, and my love for them did too… I don’t want to lose them. I can’t lose them.
“I… I thought of two names for the baby. I was going to tell her at dinner.” I shook my head slowly, forcing a smile as the first tear fell—terrified that I might never have the chance to tell her.
“They’re going to make it,” Damian whispered, though I had no idea if he was trying to convince me or himself.
“I don’t know anything anymore.” I confessed as I walked back into the hospital, fear seeping into my bones.
...
Four hours passed and still no doctor had come to tell us anything. We were completely in the dark about how Scarlett and the baby were doing, and with every passing minute, fear spread further through my body. Noah threatened to sue the hospital for lack of updates at least four times, Liam threatened them four times. We’d reached our limit—we needed any news, anything to know they were okay. My thoughts were torture; every time I closed my eyes, I could see how she left that meeting room. Why didn’t I follow her? That’s what I should have done.
“I’m going there again. They can’t keep refusing to give us information.” Noah stood, but before he could take a step, a doctor approached us.
“Hello, are you the patient Monroe’s relatives?” I opened my mouth to respond, but Damian was faster.
“She’s our woman.”
The doctor looked at us, and whatever thought crossed his mind, he kept to himself.
“Your woman arrived with a severe cranial trauma. She needed emergency surgery or we would have lost her.” He looked at each of us, but his eyes lingered on Damian. “I was operating when additional exams became necessary… We were caught by surprise when we discovered the pregnancy under those conditions.”
My heart skipped a beat. I needed to know if our baby was okay—if they were okay.
“Her surgery was successful. Now we need to wait the next 48 hours to have a clearer picture of her condition.”
“The… baby…” Damian didn’t finish the question, and I didn’t know if I even wanted to hear the answer.
“Our best obstetrician was called. For now, the baby is fine. Despite the impact she suffered, the worst injuries were to her head and legs. She broke both of them. Our orthopedist is operating on her now.”
I closed my eyes, feeling helpless.
“As I said, we need to wait. Any more questions?”
I stepped away, not wanting to hear anything else.
...
Three days after Scarlett’s surgery…
The days since the accident have been the absolute worst. I can’t focus on anything; my thoughts are only on Scarlett and our baby—they need to pull through this. While we waited for the doctor in the waiting room, hoping for updates, I prayed silently. When the doctor finally approached, his expression was sympathetic, and whatever he was about to tell us wouldn't be good.
I listened carefully to everything he said, but I got stuck on one single sentence:
“She fell into a coma. We don’t know when, or if, she will wake up.”
When we got home, shaken by the news, Damian locked himself in his office, and it didn’t take long before we heard things being smashed inside.