Chapter 4

Ella watched with amusement as eight practically grown up men were all acting nervous and looking like a dog about to be scolded by its master in front of their five feet tall mother. While Tiffany was scolding her sons, particularly Thornton and Draven who had first concocted the idea of not telling their mother, her husband, Cedric, whom Ella had only met on a few instances due to his busy schedules, approached Ella and Qingshan. Declan’s wife had been standing next to Ella when the doctor had arrived.

“Good evening,” he greeted with a polite smile. A frown slowly appeared on his forehead. “I should probably join Tiffany and scold your husbands for even letting you come here and camp in the waiting room when you should be resting on your bed back home.” Cedric looked at Qingshan, there were evident worries in his blue eyes. “Especially you, Qingshan. You’re not just caring for yourself, you’re also growing another human being inside you.”

“I’m alright.” Qingshan offered a reassuring smile and waved her hand dismissively. “I can’t let Declan go through this alone. Someone had to make sure he got here safely.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Cedric reluctantly agreed with a small sigh. “The doctor said that Clarabelle is recuperating now so you should head back home.” He moved his gaze to Ella. “You too, Ella.” He took a glance at Tiffany and the boys and probably decided that it would take a while before the boys finished updating things to their mom. “There’s nothing you can do anyway and the visiting hours isn’t until morning. Go home and get some rest.” He glanced at Thornton’s wife who was holding her coat tightly against her body. “Same goes for you, Ava. Don’t you have a morning shoot tomorrow?”

Ava smiled. “I do but I could always call the studio and inform them that I wouldn’t be able to make it.”

“No need.” Cedric shook his head lightly. “Go get some rest. Clara will be fine. She’ll get better. Her mother and I will stay here and watch her overnight.”

Javier, who somehow had managed to escape her mother’s wrath, walked over and put his arm around Ella’s waist. “Dad, are you sure you’re going to stay over?” His voice sounded a tad worried. “Mom said you just got back from Seattle.”

“I’ll be fine.” Cedric waved his hand nonchalantly.

“Javier and I can stay here,” offered Ella without a second thought. She clearly wasn’t pregnant or had kids at home or any important appointment that needed her attention first thing in the morning. Albeit they had just landed in Washington this afternoon, they’d already had enough rest.

“Yeah, we can stay the night, Dad,” said Javier, supporting Ella. “You should get some rest. You need it more than we do. We will update you and Mom if anything happens.”

Before Cedric could decide or say a word, Tiffany approached them and the second she saw her husband, she knew something was up. It was only one look at her husband’s adoring face to figure out what it was. “They told you to go home, didn’t they?”

Javier and his father shared a look. They both knew there was nothing they could’ve hidden from Tiffany Summers. “Mom, you should go home and get some rest too,” Javier said with a sigh. “Ella and I will stay here.”

“You both are newly weds!” His mother sounded appalled. “You’re the second to last person who should stay here.” Without even looking back, she reached her hand and grabbed one of her sons’ arms. “Bring your very much pregnant wife home so she could rest. I’m not sure what you were thinking when you brought her here in the first place. She’s seven months pregnant, Declan.”

Declan had that look of a person who had reiterated the same sentence and given the same explanation numerous times that he could hardly recall. “You’re the eighth person who said that to me tonight, Mom.” Surprisingly enough, he did remember. The lack of caffeine nor sleep didn’t seem to do anything to his memory and capability to remember things. “My wife insisted on coming here and I’m merely a doting husband who obliges anything my wife wishes.”

Tiffany didn’t seem to be fooled by his flowery words. Instead, she rolled her eyes at him. “As much as I want my own husband to fulfill each and every one of my wishes, it’s still plain stupid to bring your seven months pregnant wife all the way to the hospital in the middle of the night just to have her sit on the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room.”

“Once upon a time, you’d say it’s romantic,” commented Cedric in a low voice but apparently it was loud enough for Tiffany to hear.

“Not now, Cedric.” Tiffany rolled her eyes. At this moment, she positively looked a lot like Clarabelle. “Unless you want me to call you ‘C-Bear’ in front of our sons.”

Instead of getting embarrassed, Cedric shrugged his shoulders apathetically. “I don’t mind. You can call me whatever you want, my dear Tiffy.”

“Anyway,” said Tiffany to stop her husband from sputtering another sweet nothing and before she would truly be embarrassed, “I’m not letting you stay here, Javier, Ella. You both have just gotten married!”

“We have been married for over a month ago, Mother,” said Javier in an exasperated tone. He could hardly believe that he was arguing with his mother at four in the morning.

“Well you just returned today,” insisted Tiffany with that motherly chastising tone.

“We’ve rested during the day.” This time, it was Ella who said it and for a moment there, Tiffany almost gave in. After all, it was pretty rare for Ella to jump in between Tiffany and her son especially when they both were arguing. Furthermore, Tiffany loved Ella. She was a darling girl and a good wife to her son. “We’ll be alright, Mom.”

That was what sealed the deal. No matter how many daughter in laws she had, Tiffany was still a softie when someone called her using that nickname. She was a mother through and through.

“If you truly don’t mind,” drawled Tiffany.

“They don’t mind, alright,” said Cedric before Ella nor Javier could say a word.

“I’m just making sure.”

Cedric shrugged. “Well, they were the ones who offered to stay the night. If they do mind, they wouldn’t offer in the first place.”

“Goodness, Cedric. Here we are, still bickering even after being married to thirty something — god knows how many years,” said Tiffany with a huff, feigning annoyance while in truth, she was worried about her husband’s well being.

Cedric had only been sleeping for a mere hour before she’d felt something wasn’t right and gone to check Declan’s room. The second she’d realized that both Declan and his wife weren’t home, she’d instructed their family butler, Jeremiah Ford, to investigate and the rest was history. There was almost nothing that Jeremiah couldn’t do. Having to work for the Summers for over three decades, he’d picked up a few things along the way. Including how to utilize the GPS tracker on the family’s cars, which one of them was used by Declan tonight.

“Thirty nine,” corrected Cedric. His brows arched disapprovingly. “We’ve been married for thirty nine years and ten months.”

“And look who’s counting,” teased Tiffany. She actually remembered that it was only two months before their anniversary — no happy wife would ever forget. However, she wanted to test whether her ever busy husband would also remember.

“We’re being married only a few months younger than Thornton’s age.” Cedric leaned forward and tapped his forefinger on Tiffany’s nose. “Even if there’s no indicator or reminder, I’ll still remember when I tied the knot with the woman I love most.”

“Ah, if only you realized that sooner. I would have the chance to choose a proper wedding dress.” She poked her husband playfully. “One that doesn’t have to hide five months of pregnancy.”

“Alright, alright. Why don’t you both tease each other to your heart’s content and perhaps even relive your wedding night at home?” Draven said with a smirk. He wiggled his eyebrows when he said the last part of his sentence, which earned him a slap on the shoulder from his mother. “No need to be so violent, Mother. Especially not to your favorite son. Everyone would be incredibly jealous.”

Tiffany ignored him. Her gaze was fixed on Javier and Ella. “Let me know if anything happens. If there’s any progress, anything at all, I would like to be informed.” Then as if her request alone wasn’t enough, she added, “Please.”

“Of course,” said Ella reassuringly.

A few minutes later, all of the Summers siblings and their parents had left the hospital to their respective houses with the exception of Declan and his wife who were living with Tiffany and Cedric in their family home. Following Ella and Javier, Draven also stayed behind.

They were on their way out of the waiting room when a young man rushed toward them. His clothes were drenched in sweats and his hair was unruly.

“Where’s Clarabelle?” he asked to no one in particular. “How’s she?”

“She’s recuperating. You can’t see her now. Visiting hours isn’t until morning,” answered Draven. One of his eyebrows arched as he regarded the man. “Who are you?”

The man sighed in relief. “I’m her boyfriend,” he answered once he was able to catch his breath.

“If you’re her boyfriend,” Draven moved his gaze from the man in front of him to the tall dashing man who’d been in the waiting room with the rest of the Summers siblings for the last few hours.

“I think that’s her friend,” said Ella, recalling the conversation from earlier.

The man followed Draven’s gaze. He lifted his brows in surprise but his voice remained calm when he said, “Oh, that’s my best friend.” There was a long pause before he added, “who’s also Clarabelle’s boyfriend.”

“Shite,” said Draven for the second time that night.

* * * * * * *

Author Note: Is anyone excited about Clarabelle’s story? Or do you prefer Draven and Hélène’s story?