Chapter 7 - The Emergency Ward
The harsh, fluorescent glare of St. Jude's trauma unit burned Julian's bloodshot eyes. Doctors and nurses moved in a synchronized frenzy around Emilia’s gurney, barking medical jargon that sounded like a foreign language to his buzzing ears.
"Fetal heart rate is dropping! 110, now 95! We have severe placental abruption!"
"Prep OR Three for an emergency C-section right now!"
"Sir, you have to stay out here!" A firm hand pushed against Julian’s chest as the double doors of the surgical wing swung shut, sealing Emilia away behind frosted glass.
Julian slammed his fists into the swinging doors, leaving bloody handprints on the metal push-bars. "Emilia! Emilia, please!"
Silence settled over the waiting corridor, save for the rhythmic beeping of distant telemetry monitors. Julian slumped against the wall, sliding down until his knees hit the cold linoleum. He buried his face in his stained hands, the scent of antiseptic and metallic blood overwhelming his senses.
He had wanted to be a father more than anything in the world. He had wanted to heal the hollow emptiness that had haunted their marriage since the cemetery burials of their first two miscarried infants. He had thought money, connections, and calculated lies could manufacture salvation. Instead, he had engineered their total destruction.
Footsteps echoed softly down the corridor. Julian looked up, expecting to see a doctor.
Instead, a tall, gaunt man in an impeccably tailored charcoal suit stood five feet away, carrying a black leather briefcase. He wore gold-rimmed spectacles and carried the predatory demeanor of a veteran litigator.
"Mr. Julian Mercer?" the man inquired softly.
May you like
Julian pushed himself up, his eyes narrowing with deep exhaustion and instant suspicion. "Who the hell are you? This is a restricted ward."
"My name is Arthur Vance," the man said smoothly, extending a business card that Julian did not take. "I represent Sofia Vance and the Estate of David Vance. I have an emergency court injunction regarding the child currently being delivered in that room."
