Chapter 39
Amber slipped in and out of unconsciousness. She could hear muffled shouting and saw a silhouette of a man hovering over her, his eyes filled with worry.
Fabian? She thought and then all became black.
Her eyes opened again, this time she saw gratings of white light on the ceiling whizzing past one after another as she was wheeled into a very cold room. She shivered and tried to call out, but her voice got caught in her throat. It was as if her whole body was paralyzed.
“Don’t worry, you’re going to be fine…now breathe!” someone said and slipped an oxygen mask over her. For some reason, the gas from the mask made her feel sleepy and her eyelids slowly slid to a close and soon she drifted back into unconsciousness.
***
Margaret ran together with a group of nurses pushing the bloodied stretcher that Amber laid on only to be stopped by a nurse in light blue scrubs.
“Ma’am, please wait outside, we’ll take it from here.”
“Make way!” a doctor shouted, pushing past an anxious Margaret and with that, Amber disappeared through the doors of the operating theatre.
No sooner had Amber disappeared from view than Fabian came, pushing his way through the throng of patients and medical staff and ran towards Margaret’s side. He had to fill in the paperwork for Amber earlier. Deep ravines etched across his forehead as he panted breathlessly, “Where is she? Where’s Redd?”
Margaret pointed wordlessly towards the operation theatre, not knowing what to say. She was no doctor, but the amount of blood that Amber lost was not normal, in fact, it was alarming. By the time the ambulance had screeched to a stop in front of the ER, Amber’s orange jumper had all but turned dark red.
“She’ll be fine right?” she asked, hoping to hear good news. She couldn’t lose Amber; it just wasn’t right for the old to bury the young.
Suddenly, the door of the operation theatre burst open and outran the same nurse in light blue scrubs with a worried look on her face. Fabian pounced on her the moment he spotted the harried nurse, “How is she?”
The nurse’s gaze shifted from Fabian’s bloodshot eyes to Margaret’s worry lines. She recognized Fabian Williams and gave him a reassuring smile,” Mr. Williams, the baby’s fine. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to—”
Baby?
Fabian stared at the nurse wide-eyed and feeling confused. Did she confuse Amber with a different patient?
What is she talking about…ohh.
It was a moment of revelation and the jigsaw puzzles fell into place.
Redd’s pregnant…with my baby…
Then he shook his head furiously, “What about Redd? Amber…Is she alright?”
At this, the nurse inhaled sharply, “Mr. Williams, she’s lost a lot of blood. She’ll be in critical condition if we don’t do a blood transfusion now. I need to go to the blood bank asap.” With that, she ran past both Fabian and Margaret, made a mad dash down the hall and disappeared around the corner, leaving the both of them frozen in place with shock. Fabian’s face was drained of color and his lips paled as he slumped against the hospital corridor.
“Oh God…please let Redd be okay…” he choked back a sob, cupping his face in his hands.
“Amber will be alright. She’s in good hands,” Margaret patted his shoulder even as fear coursed through her veins. To her, Amber was like a daughter she never had.
“Yes, she’ll be fine,” Fabian muttered to himself, “She has to be…”
“Sir! Mr. Williams! Sir!” the nurse came running back, panting.
Fabian’s weary head shot up and fear pulled at his heartstrings, “What is it? Have you gotten the blood bag?”
The nurse was exasperated, “No, we’ve run out of her blood type. She’s got a very rare blood type. I came to ask if you have any relatives or friends who might be—”
Fabian’s face lit up, “It’s not that rare, have me tested. I donated to her brother just days ago. We should be a match. I can donate my blood to—”
“Mr. Williams, we can’t accept you if you’ve just donated. It’s against hospital policy and it’ll be detrimental to your health,” the nurse shook her head sadly.
This was not the answer Fabian wanted to hear. He grabbed the nurse by the shoulder and shook her slightly, “I. Will. Be. Fine. Run a test for compatibility and take my blood.” He meant business.
“I’ll take responsibility for breaking protocol,” Fabian growled. “We don’t have time to lose. A life is at stake!”
The nurse gulped and nodded before answering, “Okay…okay...”
***
‘The cave was shrouded in mist and Amber found herself sitting alone at the deep end of the cavern, hugging herself. There was a slight hum echoing throughout the cave as faint pinpricks of light floated around her, lighting up the otherwise darkened cave.
Where am I? she stifled a yawn only to see a tiny light at the opening of the cave.
She frowned and shifted further into the cave trying to move as far away from the source of light as possible. She did not want to leave. The cave was much nicer. It was very comfortable, and she felt very much like sleeping.
Suddenly, a little girl with pigtails appeared out of nowhere and walked up to her.
“Oh, hello there,” Amber said, stifling a yawn and took the little child’s hands in hers. “Are you lost?”
The little girl was beautiful, she had jet black eyes and silken hair. She reminded Amber of someone…but for some reason, Amber could not recall who.
The little girl smiled at Amber, shaking her head, and pointed to the source of the white light. Far away, Amber could hear a voice calling out to her.
“You want me to go into the light?” Amber asked the little girl. The child who seemed wise beyond her years smiled once again and nodded, giving Amber a little nudge.
Amber sighed, rubbing her eyes. Surely, she could just lie down for a moment?
The child tugged at Amber’s tresses, pointing to the light once more, eager for Amber to get on her feet.
Finally, after much tugging and nudging, Amber relented and got onto her feet. Slowly, she made her way to the cave’s opening. Each step was heavy as if her feet were stuck in the mud. She would probably have given up had the little girl not kept pushing her.
As she moved nearer to the cave’s exit, the light source grew brighter, and the voice became louder. It was then Amber recognized the source of the voice…Fabian! Fabian was calling out for her. Her heart swelled with happiness, and she turned around to tell the little girl, but she had vanished.
“Redd?”
Amber blinked and forced her eyes open. LO and behold, she was greeted by the sight of the most beautiful man on earth.
“Fabian,” she smiled, lifting a hand to touch his face bristled face. He had not shaved. He held her hand in his and allowed her to cup his face longer.
“I thought I lost you,” he whispered as he shut his eyes tight. His voice was hoarse, and he had an IV tube connected to his wrist. This alarmed Amber and she tried to get up only to be hit by a dizzy spell.
Her head fell back onto the pillow, and she groaned, “What happened to you?”
Quickly, Fabian dragged his IV drip stand closer and sat on an armchair next to Amber’s bed as she frowned, her eyes on his drip bag. Fabian’s eyes followed her gaze.
“We almost lost you. You were bleeding profusely.”
Something clicked inside her brain. “You saved my life?”
Her astonishment amused him, and he had to smile. He leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips on her forehead and a mischievous twinkle appeared in his eyes.
“You are indebted to me for the rest of your life.”
Indebted would be too light a word. She would never be able to repay him. She looked down at her fingers and played with them nervously, only to be surprised when Fabian suddenly reached out for both her hands.
“Redd?”
She lifted her head to meet his gaze. His eyes were mesmerizingly dark, fathomless even and yet, they were full of gentleness and love. Amber could feel her heart flutter like a butterfly’s just by looking into the windows of his soul.
“I know how you can repay me.”
Oh…her heart sank a little. Did he want her to be his escort again?
“Stay with me for life. Let me be the father of our baby.”
Amber’s jaw literally dropped, “What?”
If Fabian was joking, he certainly wasn’t showing it.
“You’re pregnant. Just 2 weeks, but yeah…you’re pregnant.”
“WHAT?!”
Fabian shot up from his chair and covered her mouth with his hand, “Shh…not so loud. We’re in a hospital.”
Amber felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her chest. She blinked a few times, trying to process the information. So, it wasn’t food poisoning after all.
She sucked in her breath as a hand went to her belly. There was a new life form in her. This was all so surreal…
“Redd?” Fabian cupped her chin ever so slightly.
“Yes?” she asked breathlessly, still reeling from the news.
“I love you. Stay with me.”
Such simple words, and yet those very words carried such a profound meaning. She didn’t deserve him, especially after all that she had put him through, but this man was a tidal wave. He came, he saw, and he conquered her heart, body and soul and Amber Banks knew she would never be complete without him. A single tear slid down her cheek, only this time, it was a happy tear.
“Yes, I love you too Fabian Williams.”
***
Margaret would step in moments later to see Amber in Fabian’s embrace as they both held onto each other tightly, laughing and crying at the same time as both their IV drip bag tubes swayed gently according to their movements, dancing to an invisible song. The sight of her son and beloved Amber hugging warmed her heart. Perhaps, just perhaps everything was going to be alright.
3 MONTHS LATER
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” Amber smiled and took a seat opposite her brother in the prison’s visitation room.
“You look good,” Anson said, holding a hand up towards the clear plastic window. Amber did likewise, both pressing their palms against the screen that separated them.
“Not too bad looking yourself. The crew cut suits you,” Amber teased as she took in the sight of her brother. Surprisingly, he had gained a bit of weight during his stay in prison.
Anson hadn't told anyone, but he was eating and sleeping a lot better now. Before he confessed his crime, he had been burning in a living hell of guilt and now, though he was living a life behind bars, his soul was finally free.
Three months ago, after Amber’s hospitalization, the trial resumed, and Anson pleaded guilty. But thanks to Fabian’s financial and intellectual power, the young redhead was tried as a juvenile, and not as an adult.
Anson turned eighteen that year, but he was a few weeks shy of blowing his birthday candle and Fabian, bless his soul used that to their advantage. Plus, the attorney hammered on the fact that Anson was a victim of both bribery and physical assault and had acted in self-defense when he took the life of Liam Smith. The jury took pity on him, and Anson Banks was finally slapped with a two-year imprisonment for justifiable homicide.
Fabian even helped to set up an educational trust fund for Anson to complete his studies while in prison so he would be able to return to the outside world with a degree two years later.
“Do you know the gender yet?” Anson asked, trying to take a peek at Amber’s belly. She blushed and shot him a look.
“Not yet but the gynae says it’s probably a girl….” Her words trailed off as she suddenly thought of the little child with jet black eyes that mirrored Fabian's. “What should we call her?”
Anson smirked, folding his hands at the back of his head, “You’re letting me name your kid? What would Fabian say?”
A grin spread across his sister’s face.
“Fabian says you should have the honor.”
Anson thought for a while as Amber waited with bated breath, eager for a name from her brother.
“How about Sophia? Since Margaret’s no longer using that name,” Anson said before he started to laugh.
True enough, Margaret’s real name was actually Sophia Grass, the name that Fabian came to know as his mother. Both mother and son recently had a tearful reunion at her bakery. It was one of the happiest moments of Amber’s life, witnessing the joyous smiles on their faces.
Sophia…Amber smiled. Anson was right, this would be the perfect name.
“I guess Sophia it’ll be then.”
“Don’t you want a boy’s name?” Anson asked quizzically. Behind him, the prison guard pointed to his watch. Their meetings would be brief, but Amber came every week, and the siblings would play catch up without fail.
“It’s a girl. I know it’ll be a girl.”
The siblings bid goodbye then and Amber walked out of the visitation center where a dark grey Aston Martin parked outside. The door automatically opened, and Amber climbed in and into the loving arms of a proud husband and father.
“Hello, Mrs. Williams.”
A kiss on the lips. And then a drive off into the sunset.
THE END.