The bright fluorescent lights of the hospital emergency corridor buzzed quietly overhead. Arthur paced back and forth across the polished floor, his dark suit jacket rumpled, his knuckles white as he squeezed his hands together in constant prayer.
Dr. Vance: Mr. Sterling?
Arthur spun around instantly, rushing toward the tall doctor stepping out from behind the heavy surgical double doors.
Arthur: Doctor! How is she?! Is my baby okay?!
Dr. Vance: Take a deep breath, sir. I have good news for you.
Arthur: Please... tell me they are safe...
Dr. Vance: Your wife suffered severe bruising, a sprained wrist, and several contusions along her back from the fall. But miraculously, her thick clothing and the angle of impact prevented any direct trauma to her abdomen.
Arthur: And the baby's heartbeat?
Dr. Vance: Strong and steady. We performed a full ultrasound and fetal monitoring check. Your son is perfectly fine, though we are keeping your wife on strict bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy.
Arthur dropped into a nearby plastic chair, covering his face with both hands as a massive wave of emotional relief washed over him.
Arthur: Thank God... thank God...
Dr. Vance: You can go in and see her now, Mr. Sterling. She is awake and asking for you.
Arthur pushed open the door to Room 204. Clara lay in the hospital bed, an IV line hooked to her arm, but her color had returned, and she offered a faint, warm smile as Arthur walked in.
Clara: Hey... look at you, you look more terrified than I do.
Arthur: Clara... oh God, Clara...
Arthur knelt beside the hospital bed, pressing his forehead against her uninjured hand and kissing her fingers repeatedly.
Arthur: I thought I lost you... I thought I lost both of you on that marble floor...
Clara: Our little boy is a fighter, Arthur. He wasn't going to let Victoria win that easily.
Arthur: Victoria and Julian are in central holding right now. The magistrate denied their bail an hour ago.
Clara: Did the police see the full security video?
Arthur: Detective Reyes watched the whole thing. He said it's the most open-and-shut case of attempted murder and corporate conspiracy he's seen in twenty years.
Clara: What about the family trust fund? Julian said he modified father's will before he passed away.
Arthur: That was another lie. My forensic lawyers audited the estate files while you were in examination. Julian forged our father's signature on the trust amendments three months ago.
Clara: He forged it?
Arthur: Yes. He embezzled over six million dollars from the family business accounts to cover his own gambling debts in Las Vegas, and Victoria helped him hide the bank transfers.
Clara shook her head softly, tears welling in her eyes as she squeezed Arthur's hand.
Clara: They were willing to kill us just to protect their greed...
Arthur: They failed, Clara. Tomorrow morning, the probate judge is signing an emergency order freezing all their assets and restoring your legal status as the primary beneficiary of the Sterling estate.
Clara: I don't care about the money, Arthur. I just want us to raise our son somewhere safe, far away from that terrible mansion.
Arthur: We're never going back to that mansion again, sweetie. I sold my shares in the building to a medical group an hour ago. We're going to build a new life in the countryside.