The bright white lights of the emergency room ceiling flashed past as paramedics wheeled Clara down the long hospital hallway on a silver gurney. Mark ran alongside the gurney, clutching Clara's cold, damp hand tightly in his own. Blood had leaked onto her pale pink dress, and her face was paper white. The hospital staff worked with terrifying speed, shouting medical terms back and forth as they pushed through double doors into the trauma bay.
A doctor with gray hair and sharp brown eyes stepped in front of Mark, holding a hand up to stop him from going any further into the operating room area.
Doctor: Sir, you need to stay in the waiting area right here. We need to perform an emergency ultrasound and check for internal bleeding immediately.
Mark: That is my wife and my unborn baby in there! Please, doctor, you have to save them both!
Doctor: We are going to do everything we humanly can, sir. Please take a seat. I will come out the moment we know more.
The heavy doors swung shut, leaving Mark alone in the hallway. The sharp smell of disinfectant filled his nose. He looked down at his own hands and saw small spots of blood on his tuxedo cuffs. He sank down onto a hard plastic chair, buried his face in his hands, and wept silently. All the wealth, all the mansions, and all the success in the world meant nothing at all if he lost Clara and his baby tonight.
An hour passed like an eternity. The hallway was quiet except for the quiet hum of machines and the occasional footsteps of nurses. Mark kept his eyes locked on the red double doors. Thoughts of Victoria flooded his mind with dark anger. He remembered how she had tried to force Clara to sign a document two months ago—a legal waiver releasing any right to the Montgomery family estate in exchange for a small monthly allowance. Clara had refused back then, not out of greed, but because Mark told her not to let his stepmother bully her. Now, Victoria had taken things to a dangerous, criminal level.
The double doors finally opened, and the gray-haired doctor stepped out into the waiting room. He pulled off his blue face mask and looked at Mark with a serious expression. Mark stood up so fast his chair almost tipped over backward.
Mark: Doctor! Please tell me they are okay!
Doctor: Your wife suffered severe bruising along her spine and ribs, and she has a mild concussion from the impact on the steps. But she is conscious and stable now.
Mark: And the baby? What about our baby?
Doctor: There was some placental detachment from the force of the tumble. It was very close, sir. But we were able to stabilize her with medication and stop the bleeding. The baby's heartbeat is strong right now.
A massive rush of relief washed over Mark, making his knees feel weak. He leaned against the wall, wiping tears from his eyes with his sleeve.
Mark: Thank God... thank God. Can I see her now?
Doctor: Yes, but she needs total rest and zero stress. Her body went through severe physical trauma tonight.
Mark walked quietly into Room 204. Clara lay on the hospital bed, hooked up to an IV line and a fetal heart monitor that emitted a steady, comforting rhythm: thump-thump, thump-thump. She looked small and frail under the heavy white blanket, but when she saw Mark enter, a weak smile touched her pale lips. Mark walked to the bedside, dropped to his knees, and kissed her forehead gently.
Mark: You are so brave, my love. The doctor said our little baby is fighting hard in there.
Clara: I was so scared, Mark... when I was rolling down those stairs, I thought I lost everything...
Mark: I know, sweet girl. I am so sorry I was not standing right beside you on those steps.
Clara: Victoria... she looked at me with so much hatred. She really wanted to destroy us.
Mark: She will pay for what she did, Clara. I swear to you on my life, she will never harm this family again.
As Clara drifted off to sleep under the influence of her pain medication, Mark sat in the chair beside her bed, his mind working quickly. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed his head security manager, a retired police officer named David who oversaw the mansion's operations.
Mark: David, it is Mark. I need you to go to the mansion's security control room right now. Do not talk to Victoria under any circumstances.
David: Mr. Montgomery, I heard what happened! Is Mrs. Montgomery alright?
Mark: She is stable for now. Listen to me very carefully. I want you to pull every single camera recording from the foyer, the upper landing, and the hallway from six o'clock tonight until now. Save them onto a secure flash drive and bring it directly to me at the hospital.
David: Right away, sir. I will have those files ready in twenty minutes.