Chapter 7 - Labor In The Sanctuary
While Roman and Claire watched their house of cards collapse under the flashing lights of federal scrutiny, I was forty miles away, wrapped in the quiet comfort of a private maternity suite at St. Jude’s Women’s Pavilion.
The snow fell softly outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, coating the pine trees of the private hospital grounds in a thick blanket of pristine white. There were no paparazzi here, no corporate executives, and no lying husbands checking their watches. Arthur Vance had arranged for top-tier private security to guard every entrance to the ward under the authority of our newly granted protective order.
Margaret sat in the armchair beside my bed, gently peeling an orange and handing me slices.
""The board just finished their vote,"" Arthur said quietly from the corner of the room, looking up from his tablet. He wore a warm wool sweater, looking more like a protective uncle than an apex corporate litigator. ""They voted eleven to one to remove Roman as CEO with immediate effect. Julian Cross has been appointed interim administrator under the supervision of the Vance Trust.""
""And Roman?"" I asked, my voice calm, breathing through a mild, rhythmic tightening in my abdomen.
""He was detained for questioning at the Aster House alongside Miss Bennett,"" Arthur replied with a cold chuckle. ""His personal accounts have been locked down. He’s currently trying to find a criminal defense attorney willing to work on contingency, because he can't even access fifty dollars to buy breakfast.""
A sharp, sudden pain gripped my lower back, causing me to gasp softly and grip the edge of the bedsheet.
Margaret was on her feet in an instant, setting the fruit aside and resting a warm, soothing hand on my shoulder. ""Savannah? Was that a real one?""
I closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing, riding the crest of the contraction until the tension released. ""Yes. That was definitely real.""
The door to the suite opened, and Dr. Evelyn Reed—a world-renowned obstetrician who had been my late mother’s close friend—walked in with a warm, encouraging smile. She was flanked by two senior nurses who immediately went to work checking the monitors.
""Well, Savannah,"" Dr. Reed said after checking the ultrasound display and the monitor readouts. ""Your daughter has decided she doesn't want to wait for January. She wants to be a Christmas baby.""
""Is she safe, Evelyn?"" I asked, my voice trembling with the first genuine vulnerability I had felt in twenty-four hours.
""Her vitals are perfect. Her heartbeat is strong and steady,"" Dr. Reed assured me, taking my hand and giving it an affectionate squeeze. ""You did the right thing by getting away from that toxic environment. Your blood pressure has stabilized completely. Today is about you and this little girl. Nothing outside these walls can touch you.""
May you like
Another contraction rolled through me, stronger this time, commanding all my attention. I squeezed Margaret’s hand with one grip and Dr. Reed’s with the other.
For the last nine months, Roman had convinced me that I was fragile, that I was an emotional liability who needed his stoic intellect to survive the world. But as the pain washed over me, I didn't feel weak at all. I felt like an unstoppable force. I was bringing life into the world, and I had already cleared the path to ensure that life would never be dictated by the cowardice of Roman Carter.
