26. Scarlett
Less than an hour and a half after I got off the phone with Rhett, we were hovering over the roof of the medical center. Oh boy, that man could make the world jump to his bidding when he wanted it to.
We touched down and as the relentless thrum of the helicopter blades began to slow; I took off the headphones, giving Dr. Morris a shaky smile that I was pretty sure was not at all convincing.
The pilot pulled the door open for me and I stepped out onto the tarmac, the cool air doing absolutely fuck all to clear my head or settle my stomach.
Dr. Morris, ever the reassuring presence, gave me a smile as the rotor wash dissipated around us. “You’re going to be just fine, Scarlett.”
The door at the top of the roof opened and a group of people stepped through it, then lined up in perfect order. Jesus fuck, who were all those people? Surely, they weren’t all lined up like that to greet me?
A man in a white coat stepped forward as we approached, his coat catching the breeze. “Ms. Wright, Dr. Morris, welcome. I’m Dr. Jennings, the director here.” He held out his hand, and I took it. His grip was firm and his eyes kind. Just the sort of guy you wanted overseeing your suddenly high-risk pregnancy, I guess. “It’s our pleasure to have you here and I trust your stay is enjoyable and meets all your expectations.”
Why did this suddenly feel like a stay in a five-star hotel? “Uh, thank you, Dr. Jennings. I’m sure it will be lovely.” I managed, my voice betraying a tremor I couldn’t quite suppress.
Dr. Jennings gestured to the staff gathered nearby. “This is our dedicated team. We’re all here to ensure you and your babies receive the best care possible.”
One by one, I shook hands with nurses and technicians, knowing for damn sure I’d never remember all their names. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” I said, forcing a stiff smile to my lips. Was this what it felt like to be royalty? Or famous? Can’t say I was much of a fan, to be honest. I felt like everyone was looking at me, judging me. I was definitely feeling like I was coming up short. That was all probably totally ridiculous, but to be fair, I’d had the weirdest fucking day.
I actually felt like I was falling to pieces, like if you pulled one tiny thread of me, I’d completely unravel. Until I saw Rhett’s face through the crowd. Smiling at me. The crowd moved aside, and he held his arms out to me. I walked straight into them, pressing my face into the solid warmth of his chest, sighing with relief when he wrapped his arms around me. “I didn’t know you would be here.”
“Just a quick stop to get you settled in, then I have to go back to the office.”
He pressed a kiss into my hair and honestly, it was so incredibly sweet that I had to say, “I’m not going to cry.”
“Of course you’re not. Why would you?”
It was stupid, but that made me feel so much better, because exactly, why would I?
He held me for a few moments, his hands tracing soothing circles on my back. I pulled away first, finally feeling like I could cope with whatever was coming next.
“I’ve arranged some food. Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, I am actually.”
Dr. Jennings interjected. “Wonderful. How about we show you to your room and make sure that everything is as you require?”
“Sounds good.” And in we went. Down the stairs and through a carpeted hallway. No sterile white tiles for this place.
“Here we are.” Dr. Jennings gestured into my room with a kind smile on his face. And uh, wow. I’d never seen a hospital room like this before. It barely even looked like a hospital room, more like a five-star hotel, with the abstract paintings, soft carpet and big picture window with a view of some pretty amazing gardens.
The only give away that this was actually a hospital room was the bed, with its crisp white sheets, roller wheels and some monitoring equipment. Gulp. Let’s not think about that. Let’s focus on the polished wooden desk under the window, all ready for me to work off of for however long I was here for. Well, as soon as my laptop arrived.
To finish off the cozy space, there was a little table and chairs, with a cloche covered tray already on it. Whatever it was covering smelled utterly divine and had my stomach growling.
“Ms. Wright. I trust that everything meets your expectations.” Dr. Jennings was still smiling, but did I detect a hint of panic as he shot a look at Rhett?
“Uh, yes, thank you. It’s all great.”
“Wonderful. I’ll leave you to it, then. Dr. Morris, if you would like to come with me, I’ll show you the arrangements we have made for you.”
“Certainly. Scarlett, I’ll come back to check on you a bit later, alright?”
“Sure.”
And then they were gone, leaving me, Rhett, and the most delicious smelling food a pregnant woman who hadn’t eaten for five hours could imagine.
“I’m just gonna…” I gestured to the table.
“Go for it.”
We sat, and I lifted the cloche. “Oh. My. God.” Roast beef, potatoes, parsnip, beans, carrots, gravy, fresh crusty bread.
As I picked up my knife and fork, Rhett’s voice cut through my hunger haze. “I have some news.”
With my mouth stuffed full of potato, I made a motion with my hand to let him know to go ahead.
“I expect we’ll have some concrete information on your birth mother by close of business today.”
I almost choked on the damn potato. Forcing myself to swallow, I said, “That fast? Less than two hours ago, you had nothing.”
“I’ve had enough of pussyfooting around the issue, waiting on the courts. So, I reached out to the adoption agency myself. They’re expediting the search for your birth mother.”
“What, just because you asked them to?”
“I might have offered a little incentive.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What sort of incentive?”
“A financial one, obviously.”
“Uh huh. I see. How much?”
“Twenty thousand dollars.”
I stared at him for a long moment, my eyes bugging out of my head. Just like that, calm as you please. Nothing in his tone to suggest any sort of discomfort at bribing a medical worker and… breaking the law.
“You’re breaking the law.” The words tasted bitter on my tongue as the seriousness of the situation sank in.
“Fuck yes, I am,” he replied without hesitation, the determination in his eyes unnerving. His blase attitude toward the whole situation was fucking unnerving.
“You can’t!”
“I can and I did. I expect the information tomorrow morning at the latest.”
“I’m really struggling with this.”
His only reply to that was a shrug. “I thought you would be. That’s why I didn’t run it by you before I did it.”
“That’s very fucking disrespectful.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way. But the alternative is waiting for the slow hand of the law to tip in our favor and unlock your files. Who knows what could happen with these babies in the meantime?”
He had me there. He fucking had me there. I lay a protective hand over my belly, not knowing how to think or feel.
“It’s done. There’s no point you stressing over it.”
“Doesn’t mean I won’t. It was a closed adoption for a reason. Now some poor woman is about to get a bolt of lightning in her face, from out of nowhere.”
Another shrug. “Just eat your dinner and look after yourself. That’s all you need to do right now.”
“Fuck you.”
“If you like.”
Grrrr. “I’d like to be alone now.” I didn’t look at him, couldn’t look at him, so I just focused on cutting into the perfectly tender roast beef.
He didn’t move at first and I could feel him watching me, but I kept my eyes down. Finally, he said, “Fine. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.”
Only when he’d gone out and pulled the door behind him did I slump back in the chair, covering my face with my hands.
To think that in the next few hours, someone would be contacting the woman who brought me into this world. They would be asking for a full family history and they’d tell her it was because her daughter needed it. What would she think? How would she react? Happy, sad, scared, angry, indifferent? Which one of those reactions would I prefer? Jesus fuck.