Her Betrothed Prince CHAPTER 12 by Jennifer Brunner (fox in socks read aloud txt) 📕

Chapter 12
Landon’s P.O.V.
***
As I sat in the hospital chair, waiting impatiently for the doctors to tell me what was wrong with Symphony, I couldn’t help but wonder how I had let her walk out in the first place.
I felt stupid to have let her just walk out on me, especially after what had happened to her.
“What is taking them so long?” I groaned.
My mom rubbed my shoulder, “Honey, they are just running some tests.” I looked at her threw silted eyes. “I’m sure she will be fine, Landon.”
I got up and paced back and forth.
“That won’t help her dude.” Lisa whispered as she stood with Trey and they went to get coffee.
I didn’t pay attention to her though and someone came and sat in the family waiting room.
It was only our family and one other person when the lady with auburn hair and golden brown eyes walked in. “Hello.” She said in a heavy lidded southern accent.
I looked at her more closely because she looked familiar.
“Hey.” I replied, still puzzled by who she looked like.
“Who are ya’ll here for?” She asked, sitting down slowly.
“Uh…” I contemplated on if I should tell her or not. “We are here for my fiancée.”
“Oh. My daughter is who I am visiting.” She smiled lightly. “That’s even if she even wants to see me. I haven’t seen her since she was little.”
What was this, confession night?
“Listen, I am only worried about my fiancée right now. I am sorry if I offend you but to be honest, I just don’t give a shit.” I sat down next to my mom and put my head in my hands.
About ten minutes later a doctor came out. “Who is here for Symphony Jacobs?” I stood up and so did everyone else. Even the southern lady.
I looked at her puzzled, “Symphony is your daughter? You are Anna Jacobs?”
Trey and Lisa’s heads whipped up and they noticed her for the first time.
“It’s Anna Canton now but yes.”
“Would you like to know about Miss Jacobs?” The doctor asked impatiently. We nodded and he said, “Who is the most closest to her?”
They all took a look at me. “Him.” Trey said.
The doctor asked me to step into the hall. “Well, she is doing a lot better. I want you to know that we lost her for a few minutes but she came back.”
“What caused her to… you know?” I whispered.
“That is the bad part,” He took a deep breath and put his hand on my shoulder. “She has cancer. We are checking to see if she has any tumors right now.”
“What kind of cancer?”
“She has a new and unidentified form. We are doing all we can to figure out what it is, but for now we are just calling it Symptomatic Cancer. We have some thoughts about what causes it but we are still unsure. That is the reason we are calling it ‘Symptomatic’. It is one of the most…” he thought for a moment, “indicative? It seems like it is steady with the others. It is like it has symptoms that mix in with all other types of cancer.”
My breath stopped as I looked him in the eyes seeing if he was serious. “How are you so sure it is cancer then? I-it could be something else. She is so young it could be some symptom from the rape. Who knows it could even be from the car crash—” I cut off my own sentence as the rest of what he said caught up to my other thoughts.
Sirens sounded in my head as the doctor stared at me and repeated something. But I couldn’t hear him. I just read the one word that went onto his lips in slow motion.
It lingered until I thought I would go insane and they would have to strap me down onto a table and throw me into a white padded room.
“Tumors.” I whispered more to myself than him. I guess I just hoped he was wrong in some way.
I couldn’t help it but I broke down into tears as soon as I walked back into the waiting room.
Everyone was pacing but stopped when the saw me.
“Is she okay?” My dad asked.
“Well she’s alive if that is what you mean. Well she died, but they brought her back. I sat down. “I need a drink.”
“There is something else you are not telling us Landon.” My mom said, angrily.
“She-she has cancer. The doc said it is a new kind. They are calling it Symptomatic Cancer. Symphony is the first to ever have it that they know of. She is their experiment. ” I broke down again. “God, what am I going to do? I’m losing the girl I love as I speak and we still haven’t made it down to the alter yet. We have to get married.”
My mom sat down and hugged me. “Your wedding is in two days. Marry her, then worry about it. Talk to her, love her.”
“Landon Taylor please come to the third floor. Landon Taylor please come to the third floor.” A woman announced into the speaker.
“What is on the third floor?” Lisa asked.
“I don’t know.” I ground out. “This better be important.” I stood.
“Am I the only one that has noticed that Kim isn’t here anymore? She left to use the bathroom about fifteen minutes ago and never came back.” Trey said out loud.
The thought of Kim having our baby right now rushed into my head. “Shit! The 3rd floor is for maternal patients! She is going into labor.” I ran to the elevator. “Mom,” I said looking back. “If they say anything have them call Kim’s room.”
Once the elevator docked so that I could get out, I ran as fast as I could to the receptionists’ desk.
“Hey. I’m Landon Taylor. My name was called over the P.A. Is Kim Rydal in labor?”
One of the ladies behind the counter typed something into her computer. “Actually she is in that room, right across the hall.” She pointed and politely smiled.
I nodded in appreciation and headed off towards the door and knocked before I went in.
“Landon!” Kim smiled threw a moment of pain. She must have seen the pain on my face because she sat up a little more. “What? Is Symphony okay?”
I closed the door and walked over to the couch by the window. I put my head in my hands. “She died but then came back after being non-responsive for a little while. Other than that she is fine.” I lifted my head, leaving out the cancer part. Kim didn’t need to worry. She had a baby on the way.
She shook her head. “I know you Landino. Something else is wrong. Ssssss.” She pressed her belly upwards as another contraction hit.
I stood up and sat next to her. She grabbed my hand and squeezed until I felt a tight pain shoot up through my arm. “Kim how far apart are your contractions?” I looked at the monitor and saw that they were only four minutes apart. “Kimmy. When the hell did your water break?” I half screeched.
“Uh I- I don’t know. Like, uh two hours ago.” Another contraction hit.
I tsked after it was over. “Where are the doctors?” Then I took a look around, “Where are your mom and dad?”
“The doctor is coming right back and Mom and Daddy are on a cruise.” She squeezed my hand again.
“Hold on Kim.” I went into the hall and looked at one of the nurses. “Um, hello? Can we get someone in there? Her contractions are like two minutes apart.”
One of them rushed out and into the room, I followed after and Kim started screaming. “It’s coming!”
“How could you let her be alone this close to having the baby pop right out of her?!” I hissed.
The nurse looked back at me. “Sir, this is just starting up. She was fine the last time we checked on her.”
“Well she’s not now!” I turned away towards the window and closed my eyes.
I wanted so badly to be with Symphony at this moment but my baby was being born.
“Landon?” Kim whispered.
I opened my eyes and turned my head around to see her looking at the door. My eyes fell in the same direction and I saw just who I wished for. “Symph.” I smiled wildly. I saw a nurse standing by her, holding on to her elbow to help her stand out of the wheelchair she must have been using. She had tubes coming out of her nose and I snapped back into reality. “Baby why aren’t you in bed?” I ran over to her and it was like my gravity was cut off in the instant I placed both of my hands on either side of her face.
She kissed me. “Don’t worry. The doctors let me come over. Pay attention to your son being born, not me.” She went and sat in the chair I sat in when I first came in the room. “I want you to be prepared when we have our babies too.”
Doctors and nurses ran in at that moment and put on fresh gloves.
I walked over and grabbed both Symphony and Kim’s hands.
The birth of my first child ended within, what seemed a matter of seconds. I knew it was longer than that when I saw the nurses go in and out about twenty times.
But when it finally did happen they asked if I wanted to cut the umbilical cord and I nodded my head slowly as I heard the cry of a baby and smiled to myself slowly.
“Can I hold him?” What a beautiful sound his cry was.
“Sure, you will just have to hold on a little bit. He needs to warm up.”
After I held him they stamped his tinny feet onto his certificate.
“What are you naming him?” I asked Kim.
“Well I was thinking Xavier James Taylor. Do you like it?” She held out her arms and I set Xavier into her arms.
“It’s perfect.” I sat down and kissed Symphony lightly.
“I’m confused.” A doctor said from over by the incubator. “If you don’t mind me asking,” He turned to Kim. “Are you a serrogate mother?”
She shook her head at the same time that Symphony took in a deep breath. “No I am Xavier’s real mother. Landon is my ex-fiancé. Symphony is his new one.”
The doctor laughed and turned his gaze on me, “You switch women a lot don’t you?”
Symphony frowned and Kim retorted, “No not really. I cheated on him.”
“And our marriage is arranged.” Symphony interjected. I slid her a slight glare but she didn’t notice. Her eyes were focused on the clock by the door. “I really have to go.” She stood.
“I’ll go with you.” I kissed Kim on the forehead and gave Xavier a peck on the nose. “Bye cutie.” I whispered.
As we walked away I heard his cries again.
I really was psycho if I thought his wails where beautiful.
“Symph did you talk to your mom?” I asked as I took her hand in mine.
A tear slipped down her cheek. “She’s dead Landon.”
I shook my head and gave her a look. “No she is here. For you.”