Chapter 57 Jessica Collapses
"Baby, be good for mommy," she whispered gently.
"Don't worry, baby, mommy is strong; nothing will happen to you," she reassured, hands protectively over her stomach.
During all this, she debated whether to call Gabriel. Should she? She questioned herself over and over.
For a brief moment, she had even dialed his number but hung up quickly as the call was about to connect.
At the hospital, Jessica immediately registered. It was a weekday, so thankfully it wasn't too difficult to get an appointment.
During the wait at the clinic, she was already feeling terrible. Dizziness clouded her vision, her head pounded while her legs felt like jelly, and she even had the fleeting illusion that she might pass out at any moment.
The waiting room was packed, hot, and stuffy.
Jessica stood up, intending to catch some air outside.
Just as she reached the lobby, a patient on a gurney barreled in. This was visibly an emergency.
"Doctors and nurses rushed alongside the patient, shouting urgently, “Make way! Clear a path!”
Jessica knew every second was critical in an emergency. As the medical team hustled the patient towards her, she instinctively stepped aside without a second thought.
But in her haste, her foot twisted suddenly, sending her staggering to the side.
Thankfully, there was a large pillar nearby which she clutched desperately, preventing a complete fall.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw doctors and nurses racing the patient to the emergency room, followed by a line of uniformed police officers sprinting in close pursuit.
Just as she was about to remark how the scene felt like something straight out of a TV drama, her vision went black.
The next moment, she lost all consciousness.
"Boss, someone's passed out. It looks like it's the lady who just cleared the way for us," Yosef said.
Vincent broke formation and like a gust of wind, rushed to Jessica’s side. He scooped her into his arms and bolted straight for the ER.
Outside the ER, after a moment of thought, Yosef suddenly slapped his forehead. "Boss, I remember now… it’s that stunning woman who was in our car last time!"
"Boss, I have got to say, fate seems to intertwine you two," Yosef said excitedly, only to notice Vincent's stern expression, unchanged by his words.
"Boss, say something, will you? Do you not remember the lady?" Yosef pleaded anxiously.
Vincent merely gave him a cool glance, "I don't know her." But the truth of the matter was, he had recognized Jessica the instant he picked her up.
Indeed, she was beautiful—with the classic 'egg-shaped' face, arched eyebrows, cherry red lips, and a sculpted nose, her features were flawlessly striking.
But that wasn't what mattered most. It was the profound sense of melancholy she exuded that truly left its mark on him.
Each time he encountered her, he could sense a subtle sadness, a feeling so strong it stirred an urge in him to dispel it.
For a moment, he found himself curious, ‘What would she look like if she smiled?’
Just then, Yosef's phone rang. After taking the call, he quickly reported to Vincent, "Boss, the bullet's been removed, and the guy's life is saved. Looks like this mission's finally yielding some results. Once he wakes up, we might pry some valuable intel out of him."
"Get up there while I keep an eye on her. The moment the guy wakes up, let me know," he ordered.
Yosef glanced back at the emergency room door, "But that lady in there—"
"I've got this handled. I'll join you as soon as I make sure she's okay," Vincent reassured.
"All right, Boss. Heading up now," Yosef said as he turned to leave. Before he left, he made sure to remind him with a nudge, "Boss, take the lead, will you? And don't forget to exchange contact info!"
Unbeknownst to Yosef, they had already added each other on WhatsApp during their first encounter.
Of course, Vincent wasn't about to spill the beans.
Another ten minutes crawled by before the doctor emerged from the ER. Vincent approached him immediately, "Doctor, how is she?"
"She fainted due to a fever and exhaustion and appears to be slightly malnourished. Thankfully, the baby seems to be unaffected," the attending doctor informed.
"What? The baby?" Vincent was caught off guard, sputtering his words for a moment—in his career as a SWAT officer, moments like this were a rarity.
Seeing Vincent's baffled expression and remembering Jessica's previous admission that she hadn't informed her husband about her pregnancy, the doctor mistakenly assumed Vincent was Jessica's husband and began to scold him. "What do you mean, 'the baby?' Aren't you, her husband? Your wife is two months pregnant, and you didn't know?"
"Do you need her to spell it out for you? How could you not notice something so obvious? What kind of husband are you?"
The doctor's irritation grew with every word, especially seeing Vincent's clueless expression without a hint of reflection or remorse.
She became even angrier, thinking about Jessica's multiple hospital visits lately. "She's only two months along and she's been to the hospital several times already. If you keep this up, do you even care about the future of this child?"
"Doctor, I... I'm not the—" Vincent started to say, trying to explain.
But the doctor wasn't having it. She thrust the bill handed to her by the nurse into Vincent's hands, "Go take care of the payment," and with that, she turned and went back into the ward.
Vincent stood dumbstruck, looking at the bill in his hands, then headed to the ground floor to settle the charges.
Inside the ward, Jessica was receiving an IV drip.
The doctor addressed her with a mix of sympathy and frustration, "You're already frail; why don't you take better care of yourself?"
"I've told you time and again, you need to stay positive. Your well-being is crucial for the baby's health. You let my advice go in one ear and out the other, didn't you?"the doctor reproved.
Jessica knew she had messed up, so she sat sheepishly, waiting for the imminent scolding.
The doctor noticed her downcast look and her heart softened. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not here to lecture you. I just want you and the baby to be healthy. I hope you have a smooth delivery in eight months."
As she spoke, a thought about Jessica’s husband popped into her head. “Oh, I kind of let the cat out of the bag when I saw your hubby outside. Sorry about that!”
“He knows?” Jessica’s question was followed by a sudden heaviness in her chest, as though a stone was pressing down on it.
“Yeah, I told him,” the doctor affirmed.
He knows… Gabriel knows.
A single question echoed in Jessica's mind, ‘Does Gabriel know that she’s pregnant?’
What would his reaction be? Was he happy? Irritated? Feeling trapped, perhaps. Was he mentally prepared to welcome this baby?
Jessica's heart raced with anxiety, these thoughts swirling in her head.
The doctor, scribbling out a prescription, couldn't help but comment, “Your husband looked like a knight in shining armor when I met him, and today in his police uniform, he has such a handsome figure. I just don't get how he could take you for granted.”
"I guess a jerk is a jerk, no matter the uniform they wear," the doctor remarked.
‘Police uniform?’ Hold on, that seemed like a crucial detail to Jessica.
“You said he was wearing a police uniform?” Jessica asked, her voice laced with seriousness.
