Chapter 396 The Hidden Pregnancy Records
Gabriel was staring at her, his eyes as dark as the midnight ocean.
Chill and composed.
But totally unreadable.
Jessica glanced over, making sure he had his seatbelt on. She quickly looked away, focusing on the road as she drove through the traffic near Blue Bay Apartments.
She had no clue what was up with Gabriel today. It was one thing for him to seem cool with riding in her old, beat-up car, but he kept staring at her. Even when Jessica shot him puzzled looks, he didn't flinch.
She tried to focus on driving, keeping an eye on the road. She didn't have time to figure out his stare, but it was making her super uncomfortable.
Finally, at a red light, Jessica stopped the car and turned to face Gabriel.
He was still staring.
She suddenly felt suffocated in the car, struggling to breathe. She took the chance to roll down the windows.
Sunlight, which had been blocked by the windows, instantly flooded the car. Gabriel sat there, bathed in the sunshine.
Avoiding his gaze, Jessica coughed and said, "If you're feeling off, make sure to tell the doc when we get to the hospital. That metal hook was no joke, and rust is a thing. Even though the doc in San Francisco said it was fine, I don't know how your wound's doing."
"Okay."
He agreed without hesitation.
But it was hard for Jessica to ignore him while driving.
When they got to the hospital, the doctor they had an appointment with was already waiting. They came straight here because the medical setup was way better than what a family doc could offer at home.
Gabriel's wound had healed, and he was moving around just fine. The hospital visit was just to make sure everything was cool.
He went in for the check-up, and Jessica waited outside the exam room.
She was probably the only "patient's family member" in the hallway wearing huge sunglasses, a mask, and a hat, catching the eyes of many patients, their families, and the medical staff passing by.
Jessica turned to face the wall next to the exam room door, trying to avoid being seen.
But she could still hear people whispering nearby, "Is she a celebrity?"
"She’s got a great figure and dresses well. Covering her face like that, she might really be a star."
"Should we ask for an autograph?"
"Do you know which celeb she is? What if she’s got a bad temper?"
"I’ve never seen a celeb before. I’m so curious."
If they were Jessica’s fans, they’d recognize her from her back. But if they were just random people, they’d just think all female stars in the entertainment biz were tall and had good figures. Just looking at her back, they couldn’t tell who she was.
Jessica kept facing the wall, and those whispering didn’t dare to approach. They were too scared to ask for an autograph if she wasn’t a celeb.
After a while, those people left, and Jessica breathed a sigh of relief.
About twenty minutes later, Gabriel came out of the exam room and saw Jessica standing there. Raising his handsome brows slightly, he asked, "Reflecting on your mistakes?"
Jessica, tired from standing, glanced at him, "Done? What did the doc say? Anything to watch out for?"
Gabriel closed the exam room door behind him and said calmly, "The wound's healed well."
Jessica had figured as much. After all, she saw him moving just fine when he got out of the car. Sarah had also mentioned that Gabriel had gone back to work a few days ago. He didn’t act like an injured person.
Except for the first week after the injury when he was really out of it.
"Good to hear. I gotta get back to the set this afternoon. It’s a big production, and I can’t keep taking time off. I only had this morning free because the actor I was supposed to shoot with had a stomach flu. I need to be back on set by 1:30. Are you heading back to the company or Blue Bay Apartments? I’ll drop you off first..."
At that moment, the exam room door swung open, and the doc stepped out, "Mr. Harriman, the wound's healing up nicely, but it was pretty deep. This month's rest only took care of the outside. For the next month or two, avoid heavy lifting or straining yourself. Also, no driving for now."
Gabriel nodded, "Got it."
Jessica turned to the doc, "Anything else we should watch out for?"
Doc replied, "Mr. Harriman's in good shape. No tendons or bones were hurt, but there might still be some impact. As they say, 'It takes a hundred days to heal from a bone injury.' Just avoid overdoing it for the next month or two, and he should be fine."
Jessica nodded, "Thanks, doc."
After the doc nodded politely to Gabriel and went back into the exam room, Jessica finally felt a wave of relief after a month of worry.
They stepped into the elevator to head downstairs. As it descended, it stopped on the third floor.
The third floor was the OB-GYN department of Xyleria Central Hospital. A young guy was helping his wife, who looked like she was about to pop, as they walked in.
Seeing her round belly and pale, pained face, it was clear she was in labor. She was probably trying to have a natural birth and was still walking around, not yet in the delivery room. She must've been in a lot of pain.
Jessica moved to the side of the elevator to give them space.
"Thanks," the young guy said politely as he saw Jessica step back.
Jessica smiled but didn't say anything. With her mask on, they couldn't see her smile. She silently stepped back a bit more.
Gabriel noticed the wife being supported by the young guy. His gaze lingered on her pale, sweaty face for a moment. Although it was only two or three seconds, it was a long time for Gabriel, who rarely focused on anyone.
Jessica was puzzled. Was Gabriel interested in the pretty pregnant lady?
Otherwise, why would he look away back for quite a while?
The next day.
Harriman Group had its usual Monday morning meeting. It was already past ten when Gabriel left the conference room and returned to the CEO's office.
It was nighttime in M Country, and an email from Jimmy had been flashing in the corner of his computer screen for two hours.
The secretary was about to come in to report, but seeing Mr. Harriman raise his hand slightly to signal them to leave, the secretary quickly exited the office with the meeting documents.
Jimmy's email contained over a dozen prenatal check-up records for Jessica from several hospitals in M Country, including all the registered documents from the day Danielle was born.
There was also a message from Jimmy on his phone: [No wonder Jessica has been so fearless since returning to the country. Cynthia helped her keep all the records in these hospitals confidential. The originals are with Cynthia. I only managed to investigate this because you asked. No one else could get these originals from Cynthia. I've sent you the scans. As for the originals, I'll give them to you when you come to M Country]
Gabriel opened the email, connecting all the timelines from Jessica's first prenatal check-up in M Country to the later check-ups and the birth of Danielle.
The last two scanned documents in the email were the consent forms Jessica signed herself on the day Danielle was born.
The family member section was blank, with only her signature at the bottom.
From the time Jessica got pregnant until she gave birth to Danielle, all the records requiring a family member's signature only had Jessica's signature.
For ten months of pregnancy, even facing all the unknown dangers in the delivery room, she was alone.
The only family member was herself.
Gabriel looked at the scanned originals repeatedly for a long time, then slowly raised his hand and pressed his brow.
