16 : SAVE ME

© S A F I E

CHAPTER 16

UNKNOWN

I was shocked to see the blue convertible swerve on the side of the road, its tail making contact with the lamp post. I almost swallowed my heart as I witness all of it. Thanking the heavens because the blue convertible has managed to avoid the truck.

Lucky driver.

I'm pretty sure that if my mom is still alive and is here, this driver will receive an earful from a complete stranger. The driver must've been drunk out of his mind to even pay attention to the road and had bloody gotten into an accident.

I pull over to the side of the road, next to the car. Breathing out a sigh, I got out and slowly draw near it. Staring inside the window of the car, I was surprised to see a very pregnant woman, her eyes closed as she bit her lip. The window is half-opened and I am thankful for that - this way he won't have any problem with oxygen. I look down, noticing the blood that is gushing down the road, coming from inside the car.

Bloody Hell.

"Are you okay?" Nice question mate! My mind screams at me as I realize how stupid my question is. I watch as she opened her eyes, staring at me with her those vivid green orbs. She looks very familiar to me like I should know her somehow. I inspected her face: The chin, the lips and nose, but those broken eyes.

I lean down and tried to open the door as I put my hand inside her window, watching her as she cried silently, her lips trembling. I bit my lip and hastily tried for the door again but it appears to be stuck.

" Oh, don't cry. Hold on, alright? I'm gonna get you out of here, okay? I won't leave you."" I pulled at the handle and push but it won't budge. " Wait..."I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called for 911, watching as the beautiful lady covered in her own blood, cry, still managing to look stunning on her blue dress and yellow coat.

She is an angel in need of my help, a damsel in distress.

I tried to open the door but it was tightly close. "Gabe," She whispered her eyes drooping as she continues, "Call Gabriel..." I watch her writhe inside as I have no choice but wait for the ambulance to arrive. I tried to hold her hand but she keeps on pushing me away, "No, Gabriel shall find me. Gabriel will.' her breath is out in huffs. After I tried once again to hold her hand, she finally succumbs to the comfort I am trying to provide her as she holds unto my hand.

After some minutes of watching the lady cry in pain, the ambulance arrived. They started wrenching open the door and have successfully taken her out of the car, "Quickly, get her in!"

"Excuse me, sir, do you, by any chance, know this woman?" I look at the older man as he takes me by the arm, I turn my gaze at the lady strapped on the stretcher, "No, I don't. I just saw the incident and--"

"Oh, okay." He let me go, joining in as they pulled the bed off and carried it in. Before they closed the door, I held out my hand and said, "Wait! I'll be with her."

•

GABE

I stared back at the man as he went out of his car, checking the blue convertible, hovering around it. He leans down and I bit my cheek as I watch him, talking with Elle, putting his hand inside the half-opened window. He is smiling down at her. I watch as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and start to talk, his hand still inside the car. After a few minutes, the blare of the sirens broke the silence an ambulance came rushing down the street.

I let out a breath running my hands on my hair as I watch them work at the car, pulling Elle out of it and asking questions at him. I am shaking in my seat as I watch him talk at the crew and ask to take him with them. I gritted my teeth, hammering my fist at the wheel.

Smooth; So smooth that lad is!

The sight of him made me boil in anger. Why did I not go to her first? Why did I let a total stranger go with her instead of me her husband. I bite on my fingernails, my hands trembling because of what I am feeling. I feel stupid.

Pulling my hair out in frustration, I take my phone and called Joe "Hey Joe, I need you to do something for me."

"What is it, sir?" His voice low as I hear him shift on the other line, "Sir?" He sounds so enthusiastic. I cringe - oh Taylor! If you only know what happened, you're going to ask me to do fifty laps.

"Never mind. Just tell me who the owner of this car is." I squinted my eyes through the window and read the plate number of the man's car "2453-QIT" (a/n: I'm not sure with the plate number I have given. it's just a made up one)

I waited for Joe to speak again as I start the ignition of my Lambo, planning to head to the direction of the hospital. "Sir, it seems that it belongs to a British guy named, Luke Stevens. He is an architect of-"

"Save it. I'm going down there for a bit just, uh-please save the information for me. I'd like to know more about this, this Luke.”

*

NEOLA

I bolt out of my bed when my phone rang on my bedside table. It's only ten in the morning, way too early for me on a Sunday!

"Hello?" I yawned, trying to rub the sleep off my eyes, "Ms. Neola? Neola West something happened and Mrs. West asked for you to-"

"What! What happened, I-"

"Mrs. West is currently undergoing an early labour and she wanted you with her," the doctor seems to be struggling with her voice as I jumped off my bed and ran down the drive, getting inside my car, "Tell her I'll be there and, where? I mean what hospital?"

"White cross hospital?" I stopped struggling with my seatbelt, waiting for another instruction from the person on the other line.

"Please tell her husband too." The line went dead as my gaze tried to vaporize my garage door, my hand gripping the keys on the ignition as I think over if it really was necessary for me to call my brother. He will surely toast me if I interrupt his meeting and I don't want to hear him rant off in a weekend.

I gritted my teeth as I got out of the driveway and headed downtown, "Okay, for the sake of his child." I grab my phone and dialled his number, waiting for a few more rings and, Bingo!

'This is Gabriel West. I'm currently in a meeting, you may leave a message.' I swore under my breath, throwing my phone at the backseat as I put my feet down on the pedal and speed off.

*

"Oh my god, Ugh-" I covered my nose as I ran inside the white building sprayed with a thousand tons of disinfectants, "Can I uhm-can I ask you something?" I stared at the blonde woman, shining her nails behind the desk as she popped her bubble gum. She bobbed her head and smiled, "Sure do, babe."

"Uh, I just wanted to know the location of the labour room or emergency room, or something? I'm really not sure what they call it here, your words are a lot more complicated for I don't know any medical terms." She nodded her head at my words, pointing south. I was about to walk down the hall. I ran, stumbling for a couple of times before I accidentally knocked open the emergency room. The doctors and nurses glaring at me and I blushed, my neck tingling at the burning sensation. I squared up my shoulder, the worry in my face apparent as I march down.

"Elle?" I stated as I inspected each bed, looking for her. "Elle?" I was about to enter another door when two male nurses carried me out, hooking their arms under my armpits, "hey! What are you doing?" I tried to push them away but they won't let me go, "No, please, stop...let me go!" I wiggled and stomped my feet but the guys effortlessly dragged me, dumping me outside the room.

"Hey! I need to find Elle, she needs me, hey" I furiously knocked on the door, but they are not opening it. Sighing, I lean on the door, wishing that Elle is not in grave danger. I do not know what should I do if she is in a critical condition.

"Ms. Neola West?"

The voice startled me, making me bump my head on the door. I wince, rubbing my hand on my forehead as I look up. My mouth widen as I realize that he is the most beautiful man I had ever laid eyes on, "Y-Yeah?"

"Miss, the lady inside, she's asking for you,"

Oooh, and he has a British accent - love it!

Oh, snap out of it you lovesick puppy! We need to attend to Elle, quick! I shake my head at my thoughts as I continue to stand there, my mouth agape. I closed it, unconsciously twirling a strand of my hair as the beautiful creature looked down at me with his curious blue eye.

They look like the sky...

I cleared my throat, uttering a small 'Okay' , my eyes widening as he draws nearer, grabbing my shoulder, "Come with me..."

Oh. my. gosh. Did he just-?

"Neola, she won't push the baby if you did not arrive..." Eric's strained voice is enough to snap me out of my dreamland and back to the situation at hand, surprised that we are at the room across, "How far along is she? Isn't it too early, she's like seven months pregnant, right?"

"Eight, actually, but the stress is unbearable for both of them and the accident that happened worsen the situation. The baby does want to go out now." Doctor Eric leans down, looking at me in the eye, "Please. You have to help me convince her to push."

I look at Elle and frown as I darted my gaze at the man beside me. The British guy is looking at her like she's a strip of freaking bacon!

"Hey, brit guy, stay away from my brother's wife." I sneered but he looks at me and pursed his lips, daring to smirk at me. If I am not feeling worried about Elle at the moment, I might have turned into a puddle because of his handsome smirk.

"Okay, okay, no harm done..." Brit guy raised his hands and stared at Elle, his face unreadable. He is really trying my patience. Oh! The gut of the lad...too bad he's too gorgeous. If not, I could've wrung his head ten minutes ago.

Turning my attention away from the guy, I smooth my hand over Elle's hair, whispering, "Elle?". The pale girl looks at me with her dull green eyes, her lips trembling as she smiled at me, "C'mon, do it for the baby, please. You should push the baby out, you have to do it for your angel..."

She looks at me, holding my gaze for a few minutes before a loud beep brought us out of our thoughts.

"Elle?"

"She's slipping off!" Eric screams, grabbing Elle's hands tightly before he takes his stethoscope out of his pocket and lay it on her stomach, "The baby, I can barely hear the baby!" He looks at Elle as she continues to be unconscious.

"Quick, we need to do a caesarian section. The baby's dying." The other doctor confessed, pulling Eric out of his frozen state, as she directed the nurses on what to do. "They need oxygen, the baby needs air, Eric. The congestion is too strong, the baby might not survive it if we don't perform it now!" she added as she fumbled with the machine.

"But Elle is weak, her heart is unstable; she might not survive it if we proceed. You have to understand that our priority is the both of them."

"If we don't perform it now, we will lose both of them, Eric. So, I'd rather risk it than let the scene unfold by sitting in the sideline!"

I watch them, confused; not having a clue on what I should do.

Should I just stare at these two peas and let them rattle about?

They seriously need to sort their priorities.

"We need to perform it immediately." The other doctor pulled a machine out from a corner and wore her sleeves. "It's too critical if we don't proceed." The doctor turned at me and back to the other doctor. "Eric, come on. We can't let both of them die!"

"But Jenny,"

I could feel the anxiety eating me out that I squeak when I felt a hand on my shoulder, "Neola," I look at the guy who stood two heads taller than me, his face unreadable as he whispered, "Calm down, they will be able to sort this out." He held my shoulders with his strong hands yet I know my consciousness can't bear this situation right now.

"Elle?" I shook her arm, trying to pull her out of the unconscious state she was in right now but she remains still, unresponsive. "Elle, come on. Stop bluffing! This can't be true, right?" I asked, shaking her, "Elle!"

"Ms. West, Mr. Stevens, we would need both of you out of the room now. The situation is critical and we needed to perform this operation right at this moment." Eric says as he looks at Jenny, giving me a sad smile before slipping Elle off into another bed with the two nurses and Jenny.

I watch the scenes unfold as the brit guy slowly guided me out of the emergency room and to the waiting area. I settled down on the bench, and watch as the brit guy made his way to the vending machine. He offered me a cup and smiled gently, "Here," I take it and nodded at him, "Thank you, uhm -?"

"Name's Luke Stevens," He gave another one of those smiles that are giving me the chills. I shake my head and muttered, as I take his hand, "Neola West."

"What a unique name. First time I’ve heard it I thought I heard wrong," He mused, his eyes shining. I shrug my shoulders and averted my eyes from him, refusing to be fooled by his flirtatious ways. "Been told many times." I quirk up a lip and said, "Well, yours is not so unusual." He laughed at that and I have to consciously pinch myself to avoid myself from swooning.

I was about to walk out of there and him when someone called my name, "Neola." I almost regret that I look back because there standing in front of me is a very haggard looking version of mine.

Oh well, speaking of the devil.

Gabriel stared at me and the lad, taking a couple of strides before holding Luke's neck. Startled, Luke gape at him with his eyes wide, struggling for air as Gabriel fumed with anger.

"Gabe, what are you doing? He's not my boyfriend!"

"I know that." He muttered, not batting an eyelid at my direction.

"Then what are you doing?" I asked, trying to pry him off from Luke. Instead of answering my question, he stated, "Nice play you have back there, mate." Luke just frowns at him before looking back down on me.

"I- uh- I beg your pardon? I-"

"Oh, beg my pardon, really? Acting like a dumb person or maybe you are just plain stupid - The way you stared at her, hmm, you never want me as your enemy, mate." Luke didn't answer as he continues to stare at my brother who is fuming.

"Gabriel! That's stupid and rude to insult him like that. He's a stranger, Gabriel. Luke just wanted to help. He rescued your wife when you are not there to save her so don't ever accuse him of your stupid assumptions."

"Yeah, right." Gabriel made a face before turning his glare at me, a resigned emotion on his face. He lets go of Luke and the brit guy sinks back, sitting on the plastic chairs leaning on the wall.

Gabriel glared at me and Luke before he turns his back and groaned, running his hands at his bronze hair. The door opens and the three of us looks up to see Eric standing in front of us, his face pale as he bit his lip, "Ms. West, Mr. Stevens--"

"Where is she? What happened?" Gabriel cut off, staring at Eric. Eric gulped acknowledging my brother with a pitiful gaze, making my heart clench. "Oh, Mr. West, you are here. Well I-uh-I regret saying this to you right now, but your wife and baby are at risk of dying and-" Eric sighs, his eyes downcast. "And? Tell me, Doctor, what is it?" Gabriel urged, his face looking a bit pale and guilty as his voice broke in the end.

"You need to choose, Mr. West." Eric sighed, turning at us as he removes his gloves. "You need to choose who will be saved. The baby or her?"

The question hanged on the air like it weighed a thousand pounds. I do not know what to say or how I should answer - I realise that my opinion doesn't matter. It all depends on Gabriel.

"What? Her or the baby?" Gabriel was fast to recover from his shock as he grabbed Eric's shoulders and look him in the eye, making the poor doctor pale even more. "Please... don't tell me this. Do everything in your power to save them, Doctor, I will pay you--no matter how much cost you needed, please, just save them." Gabriel's voice breaks as he eventually cried, looking vulnerable.

"Doctor, please..." Gabriel begs, turning his eyes upon Eric's gaze. "You of all these people should know that my wife, Elle, won't let this happen. I-I can't just let the baby die, it will break her. Save them, please."

My eyes are too blurry to see Eric nodding his head at my brother. I feel so weak. Luke continue to give me comfort as he held my hand, "Luke, I can't bear this anymore," I'm pretty sure that if this scene is being taped, I probably would've been buried six feet under the ground because of embarrassment for showing such vulnerability to a man I do not know.

I was shocked when I felt Gabriel let go of Eric, letting him walk back to the operating room. Eric was mumbling to himself, eyebrows furrowed. I am losing all hope.

I watch as Gabriel moves from where he is standing and called out, my eyes widening as I register that his answer is...

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