Port in a Storm

Amy was indeed in labour, preterm nevertheless. Her mother was with her when I reached, holding her hand. I spoke to the doctor, learned that they were keeping her under observation for a few hours because the baby still wasn't in position. If it didn't come into proper position, they'd have to do a C-section.

"My baby..." Amy mewled when I went to meet her. "He'll be okay, right?"

"Definitely," I smiled, stroking her head. "Just relax, alright? Everything's fine."

"I'm afraid..." she murmured, tears glistening in her eyes, though I wasn't sure if it was because of the pain or because she was scared.

"It'll be okay. Your baby will be okay." I kissed her forehead, feeling nervous myself when I saw her wince and cry out every time a contraction came. Amy held my hand, a tear rolling down her temple. I wiped it away, then leaned close when she attempted to talk.

"Aaron's verdict is supposed to be out today," she said, swallowing hard. "I hope he is punished."

I nodded silently, not knowing what to say. Her mother looked pretty distressed by all of it, was pretending to be brave but feeling equally anxious deep within.

"I used to think I love him," Amy continued, while the tears kept rolling. "But when he tried to take it out on my unborn...I realised I didn't actually love him anymore."

She squeezed her eyes shut when another contraction hit. I held her hand between my palms, feeling distressed. Amy still thought about Aaron. Even though she wanted him to be punished, it would take her time to erase him from her memory. And with the baby around, maybe she could never do that at all.

But she needed closure. She couldn't spend her life fearing that Aaron would turn up at her doorstep. She needed it to be over.

In many ways, so did I. Because every time I thought about Aaron, I thought about that night twelve years ago.

When Amy was taken for a C-section after about six hours of waiting for the baby to come into the right position for a natural delivery, I sat next to her mother outside the operating room, extremely anxious and afraid. It wouldn't be long, an hour or so. I looked at the time on my watch. Eight-thirty. For a brief moment, I thought of calling Dave. I could even drop in to see him for a bit, since he was just two stories above. But I didn't do either.

"Vivienne." I turned my face at the voice, found Amy's mother staring at me. I forced a smile.

"Don't worry," I said quietly. "She'll be okay."

She nodded slowly, her gaze drifting for a moment. Then she looked at me again.

"You saved my daughter," she said, her eyes welling up. "I didn't know she was being abused... She always seemed so troubled, but she never said anything."

She quickly wiped away a falling tear, then smiled quietly. "Thank you so much," she gave my hand a squeeze. "I'll never be able to repay your kindness."

"It isn't something to be repaid," I said. "Amy needed help. Somebody had to help her, right?"

She nodded. I looked at the closed door of the operating room again, then dropped my head back against the wall. I was starting to feel uncomfortable in the pantsuit, and I kind of wanted to go home as well. I also wanted to see Dave, sleep in his arms, tell him the truth.

Little squeaky cries of a baby grabbed my attention. I sprang up from the bench, so did Amy's mother. The door of the operating room opened a little later, and the doctor exited.

"It's a boy," she said with a smile. "He's healthy, but very small. Only three pounds. We'll need to keep him in the incubator for three or four weeks, until his weight increases."

"Amy?" I asked nervously.

"She's fine. Should be conscious in an hour or so."

The doctor walked away. Amy's mother wanted to see the baby and her daughter, so she was taken inside. I collapsed on the bench for a little while, trying to catch my breath. Then I rose to my feet again, needing to use the bathroom.

I ended up in the swank lobby of the hospital while searching for the toilet. I hadn't really needed to use the hospital bathroom ever, so I wasn't sure where it was. I was about to ask a security guard, when my eyes fell on the muted TV on the wall in the far end of the lobby.

I froze.

Aaron, being taken out of court. Aaron being jeered by his investors and others he'd cheated. Aaron freeing himself from the handcuffs and snatching a gun from a policeman, then opening fire. Aaron being shot dead.

I pressed my hand to my mouth, my heart almost stopping. Aaron had pleaded guilty and been sentenced to five years in prison not long ago. He tried to flee while on the way of out court, and opened fire on the police, killing one officer. As a result, police shot him down. It was the major news story that evening and was being replayed again and again.

Almost involuntarily, my mind raced back to twelve years ago. Aaron raping me and leaving me to die in the field. Making me an object of ridicule and humiliation in the town, forcing me to leave home and hop on to a train, clueless about what I was doing.

He was the first person to ruin my life, to push me into darkness. And now, he was dead.

I held my head with one hand, my vision turning blurry, the voices and noises in the lobby becoming a confused garble. There was a ringing sound in my ear, and before I knew it, the world had plunged into darkness.

*

I regained consciousness to find Dave sitting next to me in his green uniform, holding my hand between his palms. My head felt a little heavy, the light in the room hurt, and my right leg protested when I tried to move it. I groaned.

"What's happening, love?" Dave leaned in, looking down at my hospital sheet covered body when I tried to move my leg again.

"My leg..." I croaked. "It hurts."

"You must've taken a hit when you fell," he explained, then smiled. "Wait. I'll get something."

He fetched a spray from a drawer, moved aside the sheet, and slowly lifted up the leg of my trousers. My eyes scanned the place. It was Dave's office, and I was laid on the patient bed. There were heaps of books on the desk, and an open laptop with my picture as the screensaver, his stethoscope and his jacket hanging from the back of his chair.

"You've got a slight blood clot here," he announced. Then there was a hiss and a stingy cold sensation against my calf. "This should be okay for now. If the pain doesn't subside you'll need to take a medicine."

He put away the bottle, and came back up to me. "Do you remember what happened?" he asked.

I shook my head. "What happened?"

"You passed out in the lobby. Some people recognised you and let me know." He kissed my forehead, lingering there for a moment.

"What were you doing in the hospital anyway?" He asked, surprised.

"Amy...she gave birth to a boy." I coughed slightly. Dave reached for the water, but I held his hand, clutched it to my chest. "Then I needed the bathroom. I got lost and ended up in the lobby, and then..."

I closed my eyes again, scrunching my brow. Dave squeezed my hand gently.

"What happened then?" he asked. I swallowed hard, then told him about Aaron. Dave listened silently, then quietened me with a soft kiss when I started to ramble. I breathed in his familiar smell, not wanting to let him go.

"It's okay," he whispered, stroking my head. "It's over. Everything's fine now."

"Did he deserve it?"

"He brought it upon himself. Had he not broken free or opened fire on the police, he wouldn't die." He smiled softly, kissing me again. "Calm down. You'd forgotten your past long ago. Stop thinking of it now, please."

"Dave?"

"Yes, baby?"

"I'd sought Simon's help in dealing with Aaron....He's the one who found out about him and tipped the police."

Dave blankly stared at me for a moment, as if unsure of what to say. I held his hand tighter, seeking comfort.

"I was afraid and angry," I explained. "Aaron had connections. If I didn't seek Simon's help, I wouldn't be able to teach him a lesson. I didn't even talk to Simon directly, I only asked Michael to--"

A strong finger pressed to my lips.

"Did I ask for explanations?" he asked gently. I shook my head. He smiled tenderly, stroked my head again.

"I'd only asked you to be careful, to be safe no matter what you did about him," he said. "And you followed that. You didn't jeopardize your safety. That's all that matters to me."

He kissed my hand, and I tried to sit up, tried to hug him.

"Easy." He held me when I felt unsteady while sitting up. "Are you still dizzy?"

"No...no, I'm okay." I closed my eyes, pressed my hands to my temples. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I checked you up. You're really stressed, though. Your BP dropped suddenly, resulting in a syncope." He hugged me, kissing below my ear. "You gave me a fright."

"You're not bothered that I asked Simon for help?"

"No. Why should I? Simon is good to you. And when you have help, why not use it, right?" He pulled away and looked at my face. "I'm glad you didn't go about it alone. That would've bothered me."

He cupped my jaw with a hand, smiling. "Don't always look at Simon as the man you were once intimate with. He's your boss, Vivienne. Just like any other."

"Well, not anymore," I murmured. He frowned.

"What does that mean?"

I reached out for my bag. Dave got it over from his desk. I fished out the contract and handed it to him. He stared, not sure what that was all about.

"This is..." He turned the pages, reading carefully. "This is amazing," he finally looked up, a broad grin on his face. "You're going to co-own a hotel? That's incredible!"

"It's mental, Dave. I don't even know if I can do it." I never would've admitted that a month ago. Dave noticed it too, because he smiled quietly. "I want it, though. I could make something of it, you know?"

I held his hands again. "What would you do?"

"I'm not the one making the decision, sweetheart."

"Yeah, but..." I shook my head, felt it throb slightly. "I wonder if he's doing this because we have history or because he really thinks I can do it."

Dave chuckled, leaned his hands on the bed. "Don't you always say that Simon only knows business? Do you think a person like that acts out of emotion or sentiment?"

I shook my head slowly. "Right," he continued. "So do you think he'll make such an important business decision because you guys had a fling ten years ago?"

I threw my hands up, exasperated. He laughed softly, kissed my forehead. "Let's go home, okay?" He said gently. "You need rest. Is Amy alright?"

I nodded. "I'm anxious about how she might react to Aaron's news."

"She'll be fine," he assured me. "Come now, let's go home, and..." He handed me back the contract. "You can sleep on this. Decide when you aren't stressed, okay?"

He pecked my lips, then held me when I sagged against him. I was lucky to have this gorgeous man who loved me so much. Dave was a rock. A big, warm rock who always smelled really good, and never took me for granted, who took care of me, made sure I was happy, and could make love like he'd made a deal with the devil.

"Can you walk?" he asked against my ear, running two fingers through my hair. I nodded, looking up from his chest. The hospital smell was beginning to make me kind of uneasy.

He looked into my eyes, saw the fear and anxiety in them. He smiled, hugging me again.

"Everything's alright," he whispered. "It'll be all good from now on."

I put my arms around him, holding him tight, letting that thought settle into my head.

*

Amy looked up when we entered her cabin, her gaze alternating between me and Dave. It was three days since her delivery, the baby was still in the incubator, but both of them were doing well. The little bundle was small indeed, but totally cute and adorable. He had pale blonde hair like his mother's, and chubby cheeks and round nose. I hadn't been able to stop staring.

"Umm...this is my fiancé," I told her, gesturing at the man next to me. "Dr Dave Thompson."

"Oh." She smiled at us, looking at Dave with a very amused expression. He was on duty, and had decided to come downstairs to accompany me when he knew I was coming to visit her. "So you're the lucky man?"

I looked up at Dave, my face turning hot with embarrassment. But Amy was smiling for the first time in my memory, and that meant more than anything else.

"I really am lucky," Dave gave me a smile as we walked up to her bed. "How are you now? Are you nursing your baby?"

"Yes, I am," she said shyly. "I should be able to take him home in four weeks. Though I don't know if those weeks will pass soon enough."

"They will," I smiled, sitting next to her. "You look good. I've never seen you smile before."

"Yeah." She hung her head low, a soft blush entering her cheeks. "I'm...kind of relieved now." Then she looked up, stared into my eyes. "Does that make me a bad person?"

I glanced at Dave, who glanced back at me. Amy had cried when she read about Aaron in the papers. The police had first asked her to claim his body, but when they learned she was in hospital, they had probably got in touch with my parents back in the village. The baby had been distracting her, but something told me she still cried.

It had been hard and relieving at the same time. I didn't remember ever holding Dave so tight when sleeping at night.

I took Amy's hands in mine, then shook my head. "You weren't responsible for it," I said. "Everything happens for a reason. Maybe he'd have ruined many more lives if he were..."

Amy nodded sadly, visibly willing the tears to go away. Then a quiet smile flickered on her lips.

"You know, I've heard things about you," she said softly. I raised my eyebrows.

"What things?"

"That you're really strict. That you are direct and blunt, and don't give second chances."

Dave laughed before I did. "Well, yes, you heard right," he said. "She fires people like I play basketball. Do you know about the sales executive she kicked out last month?"

"He was flat out lying to us for three months," I rolled my eyes, flicking my hair across my shoulder. "I'd be fired if I retained him after knowing that."

Amy laughed quietly, nodding. "Yes, I've heard all that. They say getting called to your office is ominous." She held my hand, smiling at me. "But I've also heard that you never let someone down if they seek help from you. That you've made job opportunities for many people..."

She swallowed slowly, her voice breaking. "I'd never thought you'd do so much for me, though," she said, tears sprouting in her hazel eyes. "I'd never thought..."

She broke off, covered her mouth with a hand as tears trickled down her cheeks. I moved closer to her, pulled her into a hug.

"It's okay," I soothed. "You'll be alright. Don't cry, please. You need rest." I pulled away to find her wiping her tears away, embarrassed to have cried in front of my fiancé. I stroked blonde hair. "When are they discharging you?"

"In four days. I'll have to drop in two or three times a day to feed my baby."

"You haven't given him a name yet?" Dave asked.

"No...I..." She smiled, more embarrassed now. "I've been so stressed all these months, I couldn't think. I do want to name him Patrick, after my father."

"That's a nice name," I smiled. "Where's your mother?"

"She's gone to shop for the baby. I told her that whatever I have would be enough for now, but she wouldn't listen." Amy laughed, then yawned. She looked tired. Not afraid, though. It was a good kind of tiredness, something she'd get over soon.

"We came together for a reason," I finally said. Dave had picked up the newspaper from the chair in the room, was reading something very intently. "We want you to come to our wedding."

Amy's eyes widened. "Me?"

"Yes, you." I dug out the invite from my bag and handed it to her. Amy stared at it, not sure what to do.

"Umm...I'm not used to attending high society events," she said sheepishly. "I don't even have a dress. I--"

"It doesn't matter. We want you there. Please don't refuse. It would mean a lot to me. Dave?" I looked behind me to find him still reading the paper. I rolled my eyes. "Dave?"

"Yeah?" He finally looked up, like having landed on a different planet. He stared between us for a second, then nodded. "Yes, yes, it'd be great if you come," he said with a smile.

"Please come," I said, holding her hand. "I'll be looking for you."

She nodded, lowering her gaze. "I can never thank you enough for all that you did for me," she said, her voice breaking again. "I can just...just promise that I'll raise my son to be a good man who respects women. And that I'll never let him know of his father's misdeeds. Ever."

"Amy..." I hugged her again, gently stroking her back. Dave had finally looked away from the paper, was smiling at us now. We needed to head off soon.

"We'll be going now, but I'll come again tomorrow." I patted her cheek, smiling. "Take care, okay? And call me if you need anything."

Amy nodded. "Thank you," she smiled. I rose from the bed, following Dave out of the room. He pulled me to a corner, opened the newspaper.

"What?" I frowned. "What's so interesting in the paper?"

"This." He showed me the piece he'd been reading. My eyes widened when I read the headline.

NEW KINGSTON HOTEL TO HAVE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CELL

"Really?" He asked, his eyebrows standing up. I nodded, reading the first lines.

'Kingston Exotica, the new boutique hotel from the Kingston group of hotels, is set to be the first property of its kind to have a domestic violence cell for its employees, co-owners Simon Flatley and Vivienne Robinson said in a press conference today.'

I'd never imagined my and Simon's names to be in the same sentence, but there it was. I'd signed the day after I'd spoken to Dave, and it was being rebranded, the face of the building getting done to my designs.

It had been my suggestion to have a domestic violence cell, and Simon had appreciated it a lot, going on to call a press conference to spread the word. For Simon, it was just a good business move that would promote Kingston Exotica as a secure workplace and attract more people, while for me it was a long-cherished dream come true. I didn't want anyone else to go through what I or Amy had suffered.

Before I knew it, Dave had engulfed me in a hug, almost sandwiching me between his arms and chest, crushing my nose in the process.

"I'm so proud of you," he said, not caring that we were being stared at. "This is what having a compassionate woman on board does to the company."

"You smell like antiseptic."

"What?"

"You smell like antiseptic." I looked up when Dave finally pulled away. Anywhere else, he smelled like Yardley. In the hospital, the strong combination of smells made him smell like antiseptic. "You crushed my nose. Ow."

He laughed. "I'm sorry," he leaned close, pecking my nose. I pushed him away, glaring.

"There are people here."

"Of course there are." He hugged me properly this time, kissed the top of my head. "I'm so happy for you. I'm sure this is going to be the best hotel in the world."

"I hope so." I put my arms around him and closed my eyes. "I'll be able to do it, right?"

"You doubt it?" Dave chuckled. "You'll be the best, Vivienne. Take my word for it."

He pulled away a moment later, reaching one hand inside his pocket. He fished out his phone, and frowned at the screen.

"Text from mum," he said, showing me the message. "We meet them tonight for dinner?"

"Yup," I nodded. "Rehearsal."

"Rehearsal." He laughed. "Does it have to be so elaborate? Can't I just take your hand and say, 'Vivienne, you make me the happiest bloke in the world and I'm blessed to have you as my wife'?"

"You can."

He shook his head, trying to make sense. "I can?" He asked, eyes wide.

"Yes." I giggled. "I have a plan."

"What plan?" he raised an eyebrow, smirking. I smiled mischievously, held his arm, and tugged at it.