There, Winnie lay on the bed, clinging to Ross, crying about her fear of giving birth. Sean was next to her, gently brushing the hair from her face, both of them looking at her with tender concern.
The three of them, side by side, painted a picture of harmony that was painful to behold.
My best friend and I instinctively placed our hands on our stomachs, the contrast to Winnie’s scene of “frightened happiness” only emphasizing our sorrow.
Forcing myself to look away, I grabbed my friend’s arm and left the hospital with her.
We had more important things to do.
[See you at the registry office the day after tomorrow.] I texted Ross.
[And bring Sean with you. This is serious – if you don’t show, we’ll proceed with divorce through the courts.]
Almost immediately, Ross called me, but I hung up.
Messages flooded in, but I didn’t read them. I shut my phone off.
Next, my friend and I headed to the police station to report what had happened.
This wasn’t just an incident; it was a calculated act of revenge against a doctor’s family.
I recounted the details to the officer, who looked deeply concerned.
“This is serious. Why report it now? If the suspect comes after you again…” he started to say.
I let out a bitter laugh. “They won’t. Even the kidnapper knows I have no value to Ross. Hurting me doesn’t affect him at all.”
I pleaded with the officer to check the security footage, explaining that my best friend and I had lost our babies during the incident and survived a landslide on our own.
His face softened with sympathy.
“Don’t worry, Ms. Baker. We’ll do our best to get to the bottom of this.”
Outside the station, we saw a new post from Winnie: [A little angel, 6 pounds and 3 ounces, has come into my life!]
In the comments, Ross chimed in: [Godfather number one, reporting for duty!]
Sean added [Godfather number two, here too!]
A pang of irony struck me. If they ever found out they’d lost their own children, I wondered, would it even matter to them?
Exhausted from the day’s ordeal, my friend and I returned to the small apartment I’d lived in before I married.
When I turned my phone back on, a series of missed calls from Ross popped up.
I decided to call back.
He answered in a fury, practically yelling, “Are you done with your tantrums? I told you to stay home and rest! Now the house is a disaster. I only found out because I dropped by to get a gift for Winnie’s baby!