Chapter 39
CHAPTER
MY BODY TINGLED with dread at the sound of that family’s name. What new part of the plan was this? Was it not truly over?
“Are you okay with that? This officer said he can remain in the room with you if you prefer,” Gail said. “And you don’t have to speak with him if you don’t want to.”
I bit my lip, trying to stay calm by breathing slowly in and out.
Part of me never wanted to see, hear, or speak to anyone from the Clark family ever again.
But a stronger part of me clawed itself to the surface, stomping on my fear and hesitation.
I want this to be over, once and for all.
I want to look into this guy’s face and make it clear that family will never get anywhere near my son.
So let him say whatever it is he wants to say and then make it clear you are never to hear from any member of that family ever again, my conscience insisted.
“I’ll see him—but yes, please stay,” I asked the officer. He nodded.
A middle-aged man in a suit carrying a briefcase walked in. “Hello, Ms. Mitchell, my name is Dwight Easterwood. I represent the Clark family.”
My eyes darkened. The idea that anything that family had done to mine could be at all defensible made angry fireworks go off inside my brain. But the man’s next words surprised me.
“First of all, I wanted to let you know that I’ve spoken with the district attorney in San Francisco, and all charges against you have been dropped for the assault against Madison Hunter. You have also been cleared in the disappearance of Jenna Martin.”
Once I’d absorbed what the man had said, a sigh of relief escaped my body. Until that moment, I had completely forgotten about my pending legal troubles.
“I was also asked to pass along my client’s sincere apologies for everything his wife and daughter put you through.
Mr. Clark was unaware of … well, everything.
As far as he understood, his wife and daughter had entered into a legal surrogacy agreement arranged by a legitimate agency.
He would like to express his deep remorse about that.
He wanted me to let you know that all of your medical bills are being covered by the family, one hundred percent. ”
My eyebrows shot up—I hadn’t been expecting that.
“In addition, he will be granting you a lump sum of money to help cover living expenses while you and your baby heal and get back on your feet.” He gave me a swift smile. “You’ll hear more from me soon, but I at least wanted to deliver that news to you right away.”
“Thank you,” I managed to say, stunned.
Mr. Easterwood left his card on a small side table, and the officer showed him out.
Later, the nurses removed the bandages from my face and let me take a long, heavenly shower.
“That was easily the best shower of my life,” I said to Nurse Gail with a dreamy smile, as I toweled myself off.
Though my cheek, feet, and wrists still stung, I could already feel my legs getting stronger again, now that all the drugs were wearing off.
She chuckled. “They all say that.”
Dr. Kelly recommended I try some short walks through the halls, so I pushed Baby Evan in his bassinet on wheels right to the nurses’ station.
“Can you tell me which room Colleen Nichols is in?”
“Of course! She’s on a different floor—let me call hospital transport, and we’ll wheel you up.”
I held Evan as a young man in scrubs helped me into a wheelchair, and we headed toward the elevators.
It looked like Colleen had been dozing, but the sound of the opening door woke her. She immediately broke out into a smile when she saw me.
“Oh my gosh, I am so glad to see you,” she said, her voice choked with emotion.
Hearing her say those words brought tears to my eyes. Memories of everything we’d suffered through the night before washed over me.
Colleen’s eyes brimmed with concern. “Are you okay?” She reached her good arm out to beckon me closer.
“Yes … I just … I can’t begin to thank you for how you helped me … helped us.” I looked down at my sleeping child. “I’m so sorry you were hurt. I feel terrible about it.”
“Don’t be. Helping you was the right thing to do.
If I had gone through with their plan, and something had happened to you …
or your baby … well, I never would have been able to forgive myself.
” Her eyes shone with tears. “Neither of us could have guessed what we were getting into with the Clarks, right? They’re the ones to blame—and Max. ”
I could see a deep-rooted sadness behind her eyes, and it made my heart ache. Something told me she’d had a hard life, even before all this had happened.
“Besides—the doctor says I’m going to be fine. Just going to take a while to heal, is all,” she said.
I wiped away a few stray tears. “There’s someone here you should meet. He certainly owes you a lot too.” I came closer to the bed. “This is Evan Mitchell.”
Colleen’s face, previously pinched with pain, transformed with a huge smile as she took in Evan’s tiny pink face, peeking out between the folds of his blanket burrito.
“Oh my goodness!” She leaned in. Evan squirmed a tiny bit, and one of his hands popped out of his swaddle.
His tiny fingers peeked out over the top of his blanket and came to rest against his cheek.
“How precious! I’m so glad to see him looking so well. The doctors have checked him out?”
“Yes. He’s just fine, amazingly, even though he was three weeks early, and was born in the middle of absolute chaos.
” I gently patted his bottom as he squirmed again.
For just a second, he opened his eyes and looked right at me with that piercing gaze of his, spreading a warmth through my chest I had never known before.
We were startled by a knock on the open door. The man with the briefcase from before was standing in Colleen’s doorway.
“Sorry to interrupt, Ms. Nichols. My name is Dwight Easterwood. I’m an attorney for Mr. Charles Clark.”
Colleen’s eyes shot over to mine with a look of panic.
“Don’t worry, Colleen. I’ve spoken with him too. Madison’s father had no idea what she and Nora were up to, and … I think he’s trying to make it right. For what it’s worth.”
Still wary, Colleen turned her eyes back to the attorney.
He cleared his throat. “Mr. Clark asked me to tell you that all of your medical bills have been taken care of. And he wanted me to give you this.” Mr. Easterwood handed her a white envelope; she took it with her good hand.
“What is this?”
“A check for thirty-five thousand dollars. I’m told that’s the amount Nora Clark had agreed to pay you for your services—twenty-five thousand—plus an extra ten thousand for your pain and suffering, and to make up for any time off you need to take from work while you heal.”
Colleen clutched the envelope to her chest gratefully. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure, Ms. Nichols.” He nodded to the two of us and left the room.
Colleen’s head fell back onto the pillow as she sighed with exhaustion. “Oh, thank God. This will make such a difference. Maybe I can actually rest now, and not have to worry about paying the bills for a while.”
I smiled, rocking Evan gently in my arms. “I’m so glad, Colleen. You deserve it. I hope we can keep in touch.”
“I do too,” she said with a tired smile.
“I’m going to let you get some rest now. It’s probably time to feed this little guy too.”
“Yes, I think I could use some more painkillers, and a nap,” she said with sleepy eyes. “Thank you, Savannah.”
“No—thank you.”
By the end of the next day, Dr. Kelly and all the nurses agreed that Baby Evan and I were both well enough to be discharged.
Mom and Ellie came to pick me up. They said they had been working all day and night to get my apartment ready and stock up on baby essentials for me. I was so grateful for the two of them.
As soon as I opened the door to my apartment, I heard: “Surprise!”
Friends and family burst into an explosion of noisy enthusiasm under festive strings of crepe paper decorations and a banner that read “Congratulations, Mommy!” Beautifully wrapped presents were piled high on the coffee table, and in the center of the kitchen table was a giant layer cake made of baby diapers with a perfect blue bow on top.
It was the baby shower I’d never gotten to have.
My face was wet with grateful tears as I looked around the room at all the familiar, loving faces, including Amber and my other girlfriends from college, Ellie and her parents, and even Sam and some other coworkers from the Blackwell Agency.
In true baby fashion, Evan slept through the entire thing as I made the rounds, showing him off to everyone.
Finally, Mom coaxed the sleeping angel out of my arms so she and Ellie’s mom could take turns nuzzling his sweet face.
After handing him off, I turned around to see Sam standing behind me, hands in his pockets and a shy smile on his face.
“Sam, I can’t believe you’re here. I’m so touched.” My eyes were getting misty again.
“I’ve been keeping in touch with Ellie, and asked if I could come by.
I didn’t get all the ugly details until today, though.
” He shook his head. “My God, Savannah—I just can’t believe it.
What a horrible ordeal. You could have been killed—your child too.
To say I’m relieved to see you standing here …
and that you and your baby are okay … well, it’s an understatement. ”
He pulled me into a hug, which only made me cry more.
Suddenly my chest and stomach felt a little damp.
I gasped, and blushed profusely. As I pulled back from the hug, I self-consciously crossed my arms over my chest, shocked to feel how swollen and hard my breasts felt now that they were filling with milk—and leaking.
“Listen—I wanted you to know,” he said, “I filled Meredith in on everything that happened to you, including the fact that you were cleared of all the charges against you. She was … astonished, to say the least. I don’t want to make any promises, but once you’re settled in, give me a call.
Maybe we can find a time to meet for coffee or lunch with Meredith, and catch up.
See what she thinks about bringing you back, once you’re ready. ”
“That’s so nice of you, Sam. Really, I appreciate all your support. It means more to me than you’ll ever know. I always tried to do the best job I possibly could for Blackwell … I just had some really bad luck this year.”
I looked across the room to see Ellie and my mom holding my son and looking down at him with such love on their faces, it made my throat constrict just a bit. “But I think all that’s over now.”
It’s you and me, kid, I thought with a tender gaze in Evan’s direction.
But it wasn’t just us, was it? It was us, and all of these people filling my apartment with joyful chatter. The ones who loved and supported us.
And despite all odds, Evan had ended up with exactly who he was meant to be with—his mother.
The better mother.
The End