Chapter 215 It's a premature birth!
Frederick drove back to the villa and parked in the underground lot. As he unbuckled, he touched Charlotte's belly. The baby was only three months along, so no movement yet.
He started by touching the baby, but soon reclined the passenger seat, trapping Charlotte beneath him, and kissed her gently. He was careful to avoid her belly, worried about hurting the baby.
He meant to stop there, but as their clothes hit the floor, her pregnancy-softened body made him unable to resist. He was gentle, constantly asking how she felt. Having held back for so long, he did it twice.
When they finished, Charlotte had tears in her eyes but looked radiant. Frederick wasn't fully satisfied, but tonight felt different; some moments were especially interesting.
After this night, they did it twice a week. When Charlotte was seven months pregnant, Frederick stopped touching her. Her body was cumbersome, so he brought Maria from Copenhegan to help during the final weeks.
One day, Charlotte went to the music studio. When she returned, Frederick picked her up. As she got in the car, she said, "Everything's set. I'll come back after the baby is born! I can't believe how quickly Brian has changed; he can almost handle things on his own now."
Normally, Frederick would comment on Brian, but today he stayed silent. Charlotte found it odd and smiled, "What's up with you?"
Frederick stopped at a red light and hesitated. "I need to go to Novaria for that case. Mr. Mitchell called this morning and said he doesn't trust Howard. Charlotte, I need to go one more time."
Charlotte blinked, taking a moment to respond, "Is it that he doesn't trust him, or you don't?"
Frederick stayed silent. She was pregnant; he couldn't argue with her.
Charlotte spoke softly, "Frederick, you promised you wouldn't go to Novaria again! The baby is seven months along. If you were in the country, it would be fine, but Novaria is at least 24 hours away if something happens! Did you think about me before you agreed?"
Frederick knew she was upset. He tried to comfort her, "The baby's check-ups have been stable! I'll only be gone for three days. As soon as the trial is over, I'll rush back. After that, I won't take any more cases and will focus on being with you for the rest of the pregnancy, okay?"
Charlotte knew he had already made up his mind. Feeling uneasy, she asked softly, "When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow morning."
Charlotte was visibly startled. She turned to look out the window, saying nothing more.
That night, Frederick packed his luggage and tried to comfort her, but Charlotte couldn't be happy. When they went to bed, she slept with her back to him, restless all night.
At dawn, Frederick got up quietly, kissed her, and said hoarsely, "I'm leaving."
Charlotte woke up from a dream, scared by the memory of blood. She hugged Frederick's waist, feeling a faint movement in her belly, her voice trembling. "Frederick, don't go. I don't feel well."
Frederick gently touched her belly, thinking she was just upset. "It's the heat. Let Maria stay with you. I'll only be gone for three days."
Charlotte held onto him, whispering, "Frederick, I feel like something is going to happen. The baby is kicking a lot."
Frederick smiled, bent down, and kissed her belly. "Is it being naughty?"
Charlotte gently massaged his scalp. "It's never like this! Please don't go. I'm afraid something will happen."
Frederick straightened up and kissed her. "If I don't leave now, I'll miss my flight. Be good."
Charlotte refused to let go. He gently pried her fingers away, one by one, and smiled tenderly. "You act like a child. I'll be back in three days."
He left with his luggage. Charlotte sat there, feeling cold despite the summer heat. She wanted to sleep again but felt hot and uncomfortable. She got up, took her phone, and went downstairs, calling out, "Mom!"
Maria and the maid had just returned from grocery shopping, chatting and laughing outside. Hearing Charlotte call her, Maria was about to respond when a loud explosion sounded outside. Debris, glass shards, and steel flew everywhere.
At ten in the morning, on the main road of a high-end residential area in the city, a gas pipeline exploded violently. Trees were split in half, scattered everywhere. The road was blown apart, completely blocked.
Charlotte was coming downstairs when a powerful shockwave hit, throwing her against the wall. Her waist felt shattered, but she instinctively protected her belly with her hands.
The impact caused Charlotte to briefly lose consciousness. When she came to, she felt immense pain. The baby seemed to sense the danger and kept moving. Charlotte could even feel it descending.
The baby was coming prematurely!
"Mom! Cindy!" Charlotte called out, struggling to support herself.
"Charlotte!" Maria and Cindy Kelly were both injured, covered in blood. Cindy was unconscious, and Maria had a deep, bleeding gash on her leg, trapped under a heavy board.
Maria, lying on the ground, looked helplessly at Charlotte, hoarsely calling out, "Someone, save my child!"
But the entire area had exploded, trapping everyone and cutting off contact. No one could hear her cries for help.
Charlotte fell into deep despair. She knew if she didn't get to the hospital in time, the baby wouldn't survive, and her body wouldn't hold out much longer.
'Phone. Where's the phone?'
Enduring immense pain, she began to fumble around. She needed to call Frederick; his flight shouldn't have taken off yet.
The phone was just five steps away. This short distance was a matter of life and death. Moving made her feel like her body was shattering. She couldn't stand and had to crawl, inching towards the phone.
As she descended the steps, the edges scraped against her belly. The pain was excruciating, but she kept crawling.
Covered in sweat and dust, she was almost unrecognizable, but she still crawled towards the phone. The five-step distance took all her strength.
When her fingertips touched the phone, she gasped for air and turned her body so the baby was facing up. With trembling hands, she dialed the emergency contact.
Number 1 was Frederick's phone number. The call went through, but it was the cold, automated voice: "Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off."
The world seemed to go silent, with only the continuous sound of the automated message. She mechanically hung up.
She didn't have time to dwell on it; she wanted to live, she wanted her baby to live, she wanted her mom to live. Nothing was more important than surviving.
Number 2 emergency contact was Andrew, her uncle. The call went through, and Andrew was probably in a meeting, unaware of the situation here.
Charlotte, trembling all over, used all her strength to shout, "Andrew, save me!"
Andrew was stunned for a moment, then urgently asked, "Charlotte, don't panic. Tell me what happened?"
Charlotte's mind was already somewhat scattered. She used her last bit of strength to murmur, "Explosion, Andrew."
The phone slipped from her hand. Andrew, in the conference room, was in tears. His secretary, who was his confidant, quickly found out and whispered, "There was a gas explosion in a high-end residential area in Syeattel. All roads are blocked, and the situation is very serious!"
Andrew held onto the phone, calmly instructing, "Prepare a private jet; I need to go to Syeattel immediately! Also, dispatch a helicopter to the residential area in chaos. I need the fastest one, understand? Not a second wasted!"
His sister Victoria was gone. The Devereux family's child couldn't have another accident!
Andrew, with red eyes, stepped out of the conference room. No one had ever seen him so distraught.
When Andrew arrived in the city, his people had already joined forces with Patrick's team, and they got Charlotte to the hospital as quickly as possible.
In the delivery room, doctors and nurses were busy under the bright lights.
"The fetus is 7 months old. It's definitely a premature birth. In the current situation, a C-section is not an option; it has to be a natural birth. Whether the baby can be born safely depends on its fate. But Mr. Hawkins, I must tell you in advance, the baby's condition is not good. Even if born, the survival rate is very low! The mother is also at significant risk!"
The doctor explained that if they didn't keep the baby, Charlotte would suffer much less. With such injuries from the explosion, enduring the pain of childbirth was unimaginable.
Andrew arrived just in time to hear this. Patrick, seeing him, felt like he had found someone to discuss with. He and his wife wanted to save Charlotte. Even though they were reluctant to lose the baby, Charlotte was a living person! They had no reason to let someone sacrifice so much for the Hawkins family.
Patrick, with a choked voice, explained. Andrew's facial muscles twitched. He scanned the room and asked, "Where is Frederick? His wife is in the hospital giving birth. Where is he?"
Patrick punched the wall in frustration! He hadn't known about this until Cherie informed him moments ago, and he felt like dying from guilt! He regretted it even more now.
Andrew didn't ask further; he could guess. He didn't think about whether to save the mother or the baby; he went straight into the delivery room. It was against the rules, but he didn't care; he had to see Charlotte. She needed him by her side now.
Charlotte was already awake, lying on the delivery bed, enduring labor pains. Her clothes were soaked through. She looked like she had been pulled out of the water.
Andrew came over, bent down, and pressed his face to hers. The comfort of blood relations was something no one else could provide. Tears rolled down Charlotte's cheeks. "Uncle Andrew!"
Andrew, holding back his emotions, softly told her what the doctor had said. Charlotte looked up at the bright lights above, her slender fingers resting on her belly. This baby had been with her for 7 months, and she had already decided to name her Lola. "Andrew, I want the baby!"
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