Chapter Forty-Nine Ella
Chapter Forty-Nine
Ella
Iclutch my stomach, willing our baby to hang in there.
Don’t you dare leave me now.
Tiero sits beside me, pulling me close. Shock, fury, fear, it all rolls off him in waves. He’s trying to stay calm for my sake, but I can feel the tremor running through his body.
I want to comfort him, but I’m too shaken. For the second time today, within the span of an hour, it feels as though all the blood drains from my body. My vision blurs, and I squeeze my eyes shut, fighting it off. Stars burst behind my eyelids.
The reality of it crashes down on me.
Peanut is being targeted.
Someone wants to eliminate Tiero’s heir.
I curl forward instinctively, wrapping my arms around my abdomen as if I can shield our baby from harm. But whatever they gave me is already inside me.
“Tiero,” I gasp. “Our baby.”
His hands clench into fists, his expression a volatile mix of fury and terror.
My earlier panic threatens to resurface. How much of that solution entered my body? Was it enough to trigger a miscarriage?
Nothing has happened yet. That has to mean something, right?
Dr. Smith’s voice cuts through my spiraling thoughts. He keeps his gaze cautious as he looks at Tiero.
“Based on the short exposure, we don’t believe enough of the tampered solution entered Miss O’Neil’s system to cause immediate harm,” he says carefully. “Mr. Dougal’s intervention stopped the infusion very early. But we can’t make any guarantees yet.”
Dr. Agosti nods. “We’re going to run bloodwork right away and keep you under close observation. I’ve also called Dr. Barnes. She’ll want to assess the baby herself.”
Relief flickers, tentative and fragile, threading through the horror still coursing through me. The sharp edge of adrenaline begins to dull, replaced by a bone-deep exhaustion. My heart slows, settling into a steadier rhythm, though every breath still feels deliberate.
I’m going to live.
And Peanut… Peanut is still here.
Have I ever felt relief like this before?
I sag against Tiero, pressing my palm to my face as fatigue crashes over me.
God, this child is going to be an adrenaline junkie. All these highs and lows can’t be good for either of us.
Tiero rubs my arm in slow, soothing strokes. “It’s going to be okay, angel,” he murmurs. “We’re okay. Our baby is okay.”
For now, anyway.
I don’t say it out loud, clinging to the relief in his voice, but the anger is still there beneath it, simmering. I know this isn’t the hospital’s fault. No one expects something like this.
Still, all I want is to leave. I don’t feel safe here anymore.
“I know you’re exhausted,” Dr. Smith says gently, drawing my attention back to him. “We’re going to monitor you closely over the next twenty-four hours. If you feel any abdominal pain, cramping, dizziness, bleeding, or weakness, you need to tell us immediately.”
He pauses, then adds carefully, “You do still need the iron infusion.”
My body reacts instantly, a shiver running through me. “I don’t think I can do that again.”
“Miss O’Neil,” he says, measured but firm, “what happened today was an extreme breach. We’re revising access protocols, securing all medications, and verifying everything at multiple points. I will personally supervise the infusion.”
I search Tiero’s eyes for direction. “I don’t trust anyone right now,” I say quietly, voicing the truth. “But… I also know they wouldn’t try something like this again. Not with this much attention on me.”
Tiero nods. “Agosti, have the next solution verified and triple-checked. I want full oversight. Then we leave. This hospital is a security nightmare.”
Yes. Let’s leave.
Tiero’s island has never felt farther away, or more necessary.
The bloodwork and ultrasound showed no immediate signs of harm, and everything appeared stable.
Such a relief.
Dr. Barnes was cautiously reassuring. The baby’s heart rate was steady, with no signs of distress. Still, she wanted my body kept as calm as possible for the next few days. Rest. Fluids. No unnecessary strain. No sexual activity until we were fully in the clear.
After everything that had happened, I agreed without hesitation.
I wasn’t willing to gamble with Peanut’s safety, not even a little.
The second attempt at administering the iron infusion went off without a hitch. Claudette and Rhia stayed with me the entire time, their company the best distraction from the fear I couldn’t quite shake.
Before the IV line was inserted, the drip was brought into my room. Four samples were taken and sent to different lab technicians, each confirming the contents under the supervision of Tiero’s men.
Once both the doctors and Tiero were satisfied, the procedure began. Dr. Smith monitored everything closely, with Dr. Agosti standing beside him, scrutinizing every step.
That was fine with me.
Claudette and Rhia cheered me up as best they could. I am so grateful to have them with me.
After coming so close to losing the new life growing inside me, and enduring long, torturous minutes fearing for my own life, I don’t want to take anything for granted. Least of all the people who matter most to me.
While we chatted, the men reviewed security camera footage, trying to determine who had switched the solutions.
No one recognized the man, and we were left no closer to identifying who was targeting me. Tiero and Lex agreed to combine resources, and Freemont and Uberto are now working together to track down the fake male nurse.
I’m relieved to see the two men, and their extended networks, cooperating. Something like that would have seemed impossible just this morning. If this is the silver lining to an attempt on my child’s life, I’ll take it.
Dr. Smith has just finished checking my vitals. There are still no signs that the tampered solution caused any harm, and I pray with everything I have that it stays that way.
Tiero has drawn me a bubble bath, not too hot, of course, making sure I don’t overheat. My cast arm rests on the ledge, wrapped in plastic to make sure it stays dry.
For the first time today, I have a moment to myself to untangle my thoughts. I feel vulnerable and disoriented.
Tiero is in the room just outside the door, speaking quietly with Antonio as they firm up plans for our departure. If everything goes well, I’ll be released in the morning.
I can’t wait to leave this place. Danger seems to lurk around every corner here. Tiero’s island beckons.
I let out a long breath, but the thought of the island doesn’t bring the relief I expected.
I stare into the fluffy bubbles as if they might hold the answers. It’s ridiculous, I know.
I’m completely out of my depth. It’s a familiar feeling when it comes to Tiero and his world.
What if we are attacked on the island too? Just because it’s remote doesn’t make it impossible.
A knock at the door pulls my attention from the bath.
A moment later, Rhia pokes her head in.
“Is it okay to come in?”
“Since when do you ask?” I quip, and she steps inside.
“Well, I thought it was polite,” she says lightly. “In case you wanted to be alone. It’s been a big day.” She drags a three-legged chair closer to the tub.
“You can say that again,” I mutter.
She giggles. “It’s been a big day.”
The corners of my mouth lift despite myself. She really is a dork sometimes.
“Seriously though, El. Are you okay?” she asks gently. “You seemed lost in thought.”
She brushes a strand of hair away from my face as she leans against the edge of the bathtub.
“Can I ever be safe being with Tiero?” I ask quietly.
It’s the question that’s been haunting me since the attack.
All my previous doubts are back.
And they’re bigger than ever.
“From the moment I met Tiero, I’ve been under surveillance,” I continue. “Not just by him, but by his enemies too.”
The eerie feeling of being watched while sightseeing in Sicily. Molinaro’s attempts to kidnap me. And now this.
“Even on a completely different continent, I’m still being watched, still being targeted. All because I’m with Tiero.”
I can’t get past the fact that someone tried to kill my baby.
My baby.
“Would that really change if Tiero gets out of the mafia?” I hesitate, then correct myself. “When he gets out. It would have to change, right?”
I lift my eyes to Rhia. She’s been listening quietly, her fingers combing through my hair.
“More than ever, you need answers,” Rhia says quietly. “What are his plans? You can’t just blindly follow him. It’s not only your life you have to think about anymore, it’s your child’s too. And today, that life was actively being threatened.”
She pauses, letting it sink in.
“You came so close to losing Peanut. If Lex hadn’t intervened, we’d be grieving her now. And potentially you as well.”
The thought alone makes my stomach churn. Bile rises in my throat, and I swallow hard.
“God, Rhi,” I say hoarsely. “I’ve been back with Tiero for two days, and my life is already in upheaval again.”
I gesture weakly around the bathroom with my right hand.
“If it weren’t for him, I’d be sitting in that clawfoot tub at Mountain Breath, overlooking the mountains, soaking in the quiet. Instead, I’m in a stark hospital bathroom, terrified for Peanut’s life and mine.”
I shake my head, still in disbelief that someone would target me like that.
“At Mountain Breath, life was normal, if you ignore the fact that I was hiding,” I go on. “I felt safe there. Every day had a rhythm. A predictability.”
I never knew routine could be so comforting.
“Then Tiero walks back into my life, and everything good flies out the window,” I whisper. “Is it always going to be like this with him?”
Rhia doesn’t answer right away.
“You haven’t been together long enough to know,” she says carefully. “But if your relationship started with chaos and multiple attempts on both your lives, why would it suddenly become something different?”
It’s a fair point.
Tiero and my relationship began with an attempted murder, and nothing since has truly changed.
“You’re right,” I admit. “If this were you, I’d tell you to get out while you still could.”
I let out another slow breath, rolling my head from side to side.
“Was I too hasty, Rhi?”
She studies me, confusion flickering across her face. “Too hasty?”
“To give Tiero a second chance,” I finish quietly.