Chapter 3

Molly’s POV

I don’t see my husband for the rest of the night, but that isn’t even what gets me more pissed. It is the fact that when I walk into my room after having such a long day, my mouth opens when I take it in.

Amanda's child seems to have had a battle here, with the pillows thrown on the floor, the sheets all tangled up, and the drawers holding my certifications open, with pieces of paper on the floor. 

A gasp escapes my lips as I take in all my hard work over the years, reduced to nothing. Tears sting the corner of my eyes as I go to one knee, picking up a tiny piece of paper with a part of my name on it.

I don't hear the door open, but after a minute, I feel my daughter's tiny hand on my shoulder. I try to sniff my tears in before looking at her. But it doesn't work.

Her fingers catch a bead of tears before it rolls down my face. 

"Are you in pain, Mommy?" Her tiny voice breaks something inside me.

“No,” I whisper, shaking my head. “Mommy just got something in her eyes. Will you take it out for me?”

I stay put while she blows over my eyes, while my head tries to work fast on the next step to take. I cannot lock anyone out of the room, because then Jason will say I do not care about the health of the child. 

“Mommy, Lila isn’t sick,” Eva murmurs, shaking her head. 

"Why, honey?" I grab her arms, gearing her to look into my eyes. "Did Lila tell something?"

“She said my Daddy will no longer be my Daddy, and that he will send us out of the house. Mommy, did you and Daddy fight?”

I need to have a talk with Amanda. She should watch what she tells her child because there is no other place Lila would have heard that from. 

“Eva, Daddy isn’t sending us out, okay? This is our home. Lila does not know what she is saying because she’s ill.”

“But she’s not ill!” Eva whines, her eyes going glossy again. 

“Okay,” I murmur, pulling her into my arms. “Don’t worry. Let’s get you to bed. You have to get up early for school tomorrow.”

She takes my hand, and I turn her around, heading out of the room. I hear my phone ringing downstairs, but I ignore it, needing to get Eva to bed first. It is probably someone from the hospital, and that can wait.

My daughter comes first.

After settling her in, I return to the living room. My phone has stopped ringing, but I retrieve it anyway, dialling the last number on my call log. 

“Doctor Cross.”

"Doctor, we have been trying to reach you," one of the two medical interns under me chirps into the receiver. "We have a kid here in need of an expert, and all the doctors are currently busy with surgery. Doctor Olivia is out of town currently."

“I’ll be right there.”

Sighing, I rush into the bedroom, ignoring the mess in there to change out of my scrubs. Dressed in a pair of comfortable slacks and a tee, I grab my keys and head out, calling the nanny to come watch Eva since there is no one at home.

When I get to the hospital, I let one of the doormen pack my car while I race in. My lab coat is in my office, and going there will cost me time. So, I head to the waiting room first, where I meet my intern.

“Status?”

“Five years old. The mother says the baby has an echo in her heart, but I couldn’t find anything. Should we conduct an ECG?”

“Not yet. Let me talk to the patient. In the meantime, get the other intern to come in. I need to explain something about conducting an examination upon the suspicion of an echo.”

She nods and scurries away quickly while I proceed into the room with the open doors. I see wild blonde hair first, the face buried into the shoulders of another person. 

A man.

When I walk in further, my feet halt very close to the door, taking in the scene. Life must have decided to throw me hardballs today, because it just keeps getting worse.

The duo must have noticed someone else in the room as they look up at the same time. My husband narrows his eyes while Amanda scoffs, wiping the fake tears off her face. 

“What are you doing here? Came to gloat some more about how healthy your child is?”

I take a deep breath, my medical vow and personal feelings coming into conflict. 

"How is she feeling now?" I question, pushing myself further. I stop by her bedside and press two fingers on her neck. But suddenly, frail arms push me away from the side of the bed. My arms launch out to break my fall, but I crash into the drip stand. 

“Stay away from her!” Amanda roars, her eyes wide with rage. “Jason, tell your wife to get her hands off my child.”

"Molly!" Jason whispers harshly. "Stop making a scene right now. Even if you don't care about anyone else, you should care for the life of this child. You have a child, too, Molly. What if she were the one lying here on the bed?"

I shake my head as I try to stand upright. "I don't care that she's your mistress' child, Jason. I am here to fulfil my medical duties to my client. Let me conduct my examination. And take Amanda out of the room."

Amanda scoffs. “Now, you’re playing doctor? Please.”

I shake my head and move towards the bed again. Amanda plants herself in front of me. “Don’t make me call security on you.” She gazes out through the windows. “Doctor, anyone out there? Someone is trying to kill my child.”

“And where is the doctor we were told would be here minutes ago?”

I tilt my head and raise my hand. “Here.”

“Stop doing this!” Jason yells. His nails dig into my arm as he tries pulling me towards him. My interns rush in at that minute, taking in the scene frantically. 

“Doctor Cross!”