Page 13 of Missing Marcus

“Eat small meals throughout the day, drink plenty of water, and I’ll prescribe some medication to help with the nausea. If it doesn’t calm down, we’ll have to revisit. Set your appointments for two weeks from now on. Reduce the stress and use the meds. If you experience any other symptoms, I want you to call the office. Do you understand?”

“Yes. I’ll take it easy,” she assured him. “May I ask you a question?”

“Sure.” He took out the heart monitor and placed it on her belly. The swoosh of the rapid heartbeat filled the room and she smiled widely.

“My mom and my aunt both died during childbirth. Does it mean I might suffer from complications?” She swallowed. The fear of dying during childbirth terrified her, but she’d risk it to have a piece of Marcus with her.

“No, Gabrielle. I read through your mother’s records you brought in. She suffered an aneurysm. Don’t let this stress you. Do you suffer from headaches, or blurred vision? Additionally, many advances have been made since you were born.”

She gave him a relieved smile. “No. I read somewhere Black women have a higher mortality rate when giving birth.”

Dr. Wisner nodded. “You’ve experienced a model pregnancy up until today. You’re doing all the right things,” he assured her. “Make an appointment for two weeks from now for a weight check and keep your baby less stressed. Everything on your ultrasound appears on target. Do you want to know the sex?” he asked.

“No. I like surprises.”

“I’ll see you in two weeks,” he reminded her before leaving the room.

Gabby slid from the table and grabbed her purse. She made her next appointment and stuck the card in her bag.

Walking out of the office, she scanned the parking lot for anything suspicious before hopping into her car. Sighing, she took in the leather seats and all the buttons on the dashboard at her fingertips. From now on, she decided to use public transportation. The car might hold a tracker and she didn’t like driving home at night. Starting it up, she pulled onto the street and her stomach rumbled, letting her know she skipped lunch. With no signs of nausea, and hunger gripping her, she searched for the nearest tacos. It seemed the baby’s favorite thing to eat, even for breakfast.

Pulling through the drive-thru, she ordered three tacos and a water. She set the bag on the seat beside her, pulled her arms out of her coat and set the water in the cupholder before moving onto the street and taking the exit for the highway, cutting her trip down by ten minutes. Food and a nap sounded great. Checking her rearview mirror, she frowned when a speeding car appeared behind her. She put on her signal and switched to the next lane. The car sped up beside her and she let off the gas, hoping to let the person pass her. “Stupid road rager,” she muttered as the car sped up and swerved into her lane. Gabby shook her head and slowed down to put a distance between her and the car, unwilling to take a chance with her child, she let the idiot race ahead of her.

The smell of the tacos beckoned, and she pressed on the gas a little more, hoping to eat them while they stayed hot. The car which passed her slowed down a bit and soon she followed behind them. With her exit approaching, it wasn’t worth trying to pass. The car signaled they planned to exit, too.Great. She started on the turn when the car in front of her slammed on its brakes and sped backward toward her car. She turned the wheel sharply to the left when a truck behind her hit her from behind, sending her over the edge of the highway and down the steep hill.

She screamed as the car left the road and flew into the air as if in slow motion. Branches hit the vehicle on its descent. She gripped the steering wheel and held on tight as the car landed with a hard thud on the ground and kept rolling. She slammed on her brakes as she attempted to push the button on the car to activate the emergency response button. When she glanced up, the car collided with a tree, making the airbag deploy. A cloud of white powder filled the air as Gabby touched her stomach. “I’m sorry, little one,” she cried before everything went black.

10

Gabby woke to the sound of sirens blaring as the ambulance raced her to the hospital. “My baby?” she whispered as the paramedic leaned over her.

“It’s moving and has a strong heartbeat,” the medic assured her. “Can you tell me if you hurt anywhere?”

Gabby took inventory of her body. “My arm and chest hurt,” she answered.

“When you decided to go flying, it appears you broke your arm. We’ll let them know about your chest. You took a heavy hit, even with the airbags. You’re lucky you drive an expensive car with many safety features.”

Gabby swallowed and nodded as they pulled up to the ER. They transferred her to another gurney and whisked her back into a cubicle. Nurses surrounded her, cutting away her clothing and doctors shouted orders. One peered into her eyes while another raised her shirt and searched for her baby’s vitals.

They whisked her down the hall for tests as she held back the tears. Her arm throbbed and her head began to pound as the people whirled around her. She whimpered in fear as much as in pain.

Three hours later, she lay in a room in the maternity ward. The nurse’s station faced her room and the bright light hurt her eyes. She raised her hand to ward off the light when the silhouette of the man she missed every night appeared in the doorway.

It must be the drugs. Marcus doesn’t care what happens to me.She thought before she closed her eyes.

Knight sataround the table with the men of Serenity Securities. Saint invited him to meet the team. The men greeted him and then entered the pool area filled with kids. Children came out of the dressing room and took turns jumping into the water. His sister sat to the side with a group of women surrounding her. Bryanna appeared happy as she sat holding her belly and helping Nugget with her hair.

Saint approached him and smiled at his wife and child. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you. Everything happened fast. Rest assured, Bryanna and our kids will always be my first priority.”

Knight turned and shook his hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll hold you to it.”

Saint chuckled as he glanced around the room. “It’s probably not what you expected to see when you walked in the doors. We brought the kids to let them work out their energy.” A minute later, Taco gave a hoot and cannonballed into the pool, making the kids shout and laugh in glee. He pretended to act like a shark, chasing them, scattering the kids around the pool, shrieking to keep from getting bit by Uncle Taco.

Knight shook his head. “Nope, not in my wildest dreams.”

“The school closed today because a pipe burst and they needed to get it fixed. Kassie sent down the construction crew to work on it. Plus, it gives all the mamas a bit of a break from restless kids.”

Knight scanned the area. Bryanna and Samantha seemed further along than the others. Kassie pulled her hair into a messy bun with tendrils running down and she caressed the protruding bump. Catherine sat beside her with her hand on her friend’s belly, smiling.

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