Chapter 15 Winston #2
I own everything in this fucking building, including his paycheck, so he listens without issue. He stays standing with his hands folded in front of him, eyes trained on the situation at hand.
“And if I ever see you get this close to Dove again, the money you do have will be mine. She isn’t coming back to your horrible work conditions.
Get that through your head,” I nearly hiss through clenched teeth.
“Wait your turn for the stage, Landon. Then, you better get the fuck out of my buildings before I have the guard escort you out in front of a thousand of your peers.”
“This isn’t over, Winston. She’ll see you for what you are. A man who’s always too afraid to go after what he wants. You never close the deal. You always find an excuse to quit. Does she know that?”
I hold my son closer to my chest to keep me grounded.
I need to think clearly. I have more than myself to think about now.
“I’ve never quit anything a day in my life, you know that, but whatever makes you sleep at night, Landon.
You and I both know you’re the thief. You are the one who doesn’t have dreams of his own.
If Dove is going to believe anyone, it’s going to be me.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a presentation to give, and then I believe you’re next.
” I lean in and whisper, “ Enjoy it while you can because this will be the last time you step foot in my hotel.”
I back away, grabbing the handles of Dove’s wheelchair. “Come on, Dove. I’m going to give you the best seat in the house.”
Landon is furious. His hands are on his hips, jacket pushed back, and his face is red with a sheen of sweat.
I’ve done my best over the years to stay clear of Landon, not wanting our paths to cross ever again.
What are the chances that the woman I want to be with not only gets pregnant with my child but works for my enemy?
The world is too small sometimes, yet I’m thankful the universe seems to have a sense of humor.
While I’ve met the love of my life, it’s forcing me to confront a problem I have put aside for far too long.
I lock the wheelchair in place, then drag my fingers across Dove’s back when I move to stand in front of her. Squatting, I take her hand in mine, placing my other on baby Winston’s back. I know it’s ridiculous, but I want to make sure he’s still there.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this? I can take you back to the room—”
“Are you kidding? I want to see you speak. Look at all the people in here to see you!” She beams, true happiness shining from her bright blue eyes. “I’m excited. I’ve learned so much by being here. I never want you to stop anything for me, okay? I’ll be fine.”
“But Landon—”
“I’ve been dealing with Landon for years.
I could care less about what he says. I’m tuning him out.
He won’t win. He can’t take me from you, Winston.
I hated working for him almost as much as I hate him.
Plus, why would I want to be anywhere else when my family is here?
” She rubs her thumb back and forth across baby Winston’s head.
“He’ll probably be hungry soon. Why don’t you give him to me? ”
“I want to talk with him close to me. I like him here,” I state, staring down at him. “He’s perfect.”
“Yeah, he is,” she agrees.
I turn around, noticing the chairs are filled and the auditorium doors are shut. The crowd’s loud murmurs might wake the baby.
“Okay, I’m going to go start. The sooner we’re out of here, the better. If you need me, just yell, and I’ll be at your side in three seconds flat.”
“I’ll be fine, Winston. Go. Go.” She shoos me.
“Okay, okay,” I chuckle, giving her a quick kiss.
“You’re the best surprise of my entire life, Dove Blair,” I say to her, giving her another kiss, this time deeper and more passionate.
I cup her face, her tongue sliding against mine.
All the murmurs of the crowd fade into the distance.
The only people who exist in the world right now are me, Dove, and our son.
“Go, before someone kicks us out.” She giggles, stealing another kiss. “Go and we can finish this later.”
I grin, walking backward because I want to look at her every second I can. The spotlight finds me, and I turn around, giving the auditorium a big wave, and the crowd cheers in a loud uproar. I press my finger against my lips, lowering my hands to the ground, and everyone becomes silent.
Snagging the microphone, I smile so they know I don’t mean to be rude.
“Good morning, everyone.” I keep my voice low since the speakers amplify it so much.
“If you’re wondering why I’m asking you to be quiet it’s because I’m holding my newborn son.
” I point to him. “And he’s asleep. We all know how important that is, right? ”
Everyone laughs, easing the tension in the room.
“If you don’t know me, I’m Dr. Winston Warrick of the Warrick Group. I’m the chief of surgery at our main hospital, Warrick General, and we gladly bring you the War-Med Con where doctors and inventors can come together and see if we can change the face of medicine.”
I begin to walk across the stage, not wanting to be too stagnant.
“Make sure after today’s panels, you check out all the medical inventions in the next room being spotlighted.
Who knows, one of those devices could be the new future of medicine.
I know I plan to invest because without new ideas and growing curiosity, where would we be as doctors?
” I stroll to the other side of the stage, ignoring Landon in the dark corner with his arms crossed like a child.
“I want to take a moment to thank each of you for coming. Thanks to your donations, we were able to fund a new children’s cancer wing at a hospital here in LA. Give yourselves a quiet round of applause.” I pat my fingers against my palm, and the crowd does the same, partnered with a few laughs.
“We all know how important medicine is today. We get to live longer and be healthier. I think that starts sooner than you might expect. Our world begins with women, right? We have to take care of our women, the ones we love and want to protect, so when they’re having children, they’re getting the best medicine this country can offer.
Our infant and maternal mortality rates are too high, and we should be ashamed. ”
Another round of very light applause happens and I look down, wondering how the hell my son can sleep through this noise.
“This is what I’m going to do. I’m opening a scholarship program for men and women wanting to research maternal and infant mortality rates, proving what we can do as doctors to improve those statistics. There will be only two spots for the scholarship.”
A loud murmur echoes through the auditorium as the young medical students exchange their excitement.
“I see you have figured it out. This will be a highly competitive scholarship. Only the best of the best will get those spots. What does the scholarship entail? All of your student loans will be paid off, and on top of that, you and the other selected winner of the scholarship will have an apartment. Paid for. Along with a food stipend. It’s important to take care of our future doctors as they will be the reason we get to live longer. ”
Another round of soft claps occurs, paired with whispered conversations.
“You’re probably wondering what sparked this idea.
My son was an entire month early and his mother—” I point to Dove and she waves to the crowd.
“She almost died on the plane when she gave birth. We weren’t near a hospital yet, so I had to do my best to slow the bleeding.
Any guesses as to what I did to prevent her from bleeding out? ”
“Uterine massage!” a few dozen people call out.
“Correct. It wasn’t working, though. Dove needed surgery.
As I paced her hospital room, waiting for an update on her or my newborn son, the wheels in my mind began to turn, wondering how as a doctor I can make the medicine, the treatment, better for my fiancée’s future pregnancies?
Then I started to think, but what about all the other women out there too?
The newborns in the NICU. My goal is to have Warrick General Hospital be the center for women and newborns to get the life-saving treatment they need.
I’d love to expand to all Warrick hospitals as well.
First, we have to do the research and sadly, there isn’t that much on it.
We need more. I want the best. You’ll be notified by your schools once the application for the scholarship is ready. ”
The crowd erupts in applause, officially waking my son who begins to cry. Since he’s so loud, the microphone sends his cries through the speakers and into the crowd.
“Sorry, guys. I’m going to have to cut my time short.
I think baby Winston is hungry. I talked on the important points.
That’s what matters most. I hope you all enjoy your weekend here at the conference.
Have a wonderful evening.” I lift my arm in a wave, saying farewell to the crowd, and place the microphone back in the holder.
Walking back to Dove, I smile at her, giving my back to what feels like the past.
She’s my future now.