Fulfillment by Golland, M. (best large ebook reader .txt) 📕

I ran thefastest my fucking legs could carry me and skidded to my kneeswhere her crumpled body lie at the base of the steps. “Please don’tbe dead! Fuck! No!”

Adrenalin wascoursing through me, and the first thing I did was check for apulse. “Thank God.” She had a pulse and she was breathing. Gently,I lifted her head and noticed blood on my hand. “Fuck!”

She made amurmuring noise, one of pain.

“Hunny, you’regonna be okay. I’m going to call an ambulance.”

I grabbed myphone and dialled 000.

“You havedialled 000 emergency. Do you need Police, Fire and Rescue orAmbulance?”

“Ambulance, Ineed an ambulance now. My girlfriend has fallen down the stairs andshe is unconscious. She is fourteen weeks pregnant. Her head isbleeding, and... Oh fuck, I think her leg is broken.”

I’d seen somepretty horrific shit in my life but the angle at which her foot layto her leg was not normal.

“Is shebreathing?” the operator asked, in a calm voice.

“Yes. Yes, sheis breathing. My name is Bryce Clark, and I own City Towers. We arein the penthouse. I have a helipad. Please send a chopper,now!”

Alexismurmured again. I gently ran my hand down the side of her face.“It’s okay, my love, I’m right here.” I leaned over her, wanting topick her up in my arms and hold her to me, but I knew not to touchher. I didn’t know if anything else was broken, she could havefractured her spine for all I knew.

I looked overher with a bit more detail when I noticed the blood staining herdress in between her legs. “Oh, God. No.”

The operatorwas still talking on the other end of the phone, but I couldn’tfocus on a word she was saying. I stared down at Alexis and I lostcontrol, taking hold of her hand and kissing it, crying and tellingher that the paramedics were coming and that she was going to befine. After that, it was all kind of a blur.

***

Once at thehospital, my incoherent state of mind still remained. All Iremembered was seeing her being wheeled away from me and into theemergency department, then feeling like my life had once againended.

A nurselightly touched my arm. “Mr. Clark?” She guided me to a seat. “I’mso sorry that your wife is hurt.”

I didn’tcorrect her mistake of Alexis’ title. To me, she was my wife; shewas my life, and as soon as it was legally possible, I was going tomarry her. We just had to get through this first. We had to.

“Your wife isstable and she will be fine.” Oh, thank fuck. “She is on herway to Radiology to have an x-ray of her ankle which is clearlybroken. She will also have a CT scan to check the severity of herhead injury. Now, Mr. Clark...” she placed her hand on my shoulder,“I’m so terribly sorry to have to tell you this, but uponexamination of your wife by the paramedics, they found evidence ofan incomplete miscarriage.”

I dropped myhead into my hands, already knowing that was the case. Seeing theblood that had stained Alexis’ dress, kind of made itunmistakeable. It wasn’t any less painful to hear though.

The nurse—Ididn’t even know her name—gently squeezed the hand she had placedon my shoulder. “I’m so sorry. Is there anyone I can call foryou?”

I lifted myhead. “No. That’s okay. I will call Alexis’ mum. Thank you.”

“Okay then.There is a waiting room, just down there.” She nodded down thecorridor. “Please help yourself to a drink. I will be at thenurse’s station if you need anything. As soon as your wife is outof surgery I will come and let you know.”

I thanked heragain then turned and headed for the waiting room, grabbing myphone out of my pocket. I dialled Chelsea’s number.

“Bryce, hi.It’s so nice—”

“Chelsea. Ineed you to take a chopper and fly to the co-ordinates I’m about tosend you. I need you to pick up Alexis’ family then fly themdirectly to the Royal Women’s Hospital as soon as possible.”

“Is everythingokay? Are you—”

“Chelsea, canyou do that for me? Please?”

“Of course,I—”

“Thank you.I’ll send the co-ordinates now and the clearance to land when Ihave it.”

I hung up fromChelsea and dialled Maryann.

“Hello?”

“Maryann, it’sBryce.”

“Hi, Bryce. Iseverything okay?”

“No. Alexis isin hospital. She fell down the stairs.”

“Oh mygoodness. Is she alright? Is the baby alright?”

“She has ahead injury and a broken leg. I’m not sure if anything else isbroken or the extent of her head injury.”

“Oh my God.Um...I—”

“A friend ofmine is on her way to pick you up in a chopper and bring you here.I’m not sure the kids should come at this stage though. I...Ireally don’t know if it’s a good—”

“No, you’reright. We won’t mention anything to the kids. Bryce, is the babyalright?”

I paused, notknowing if I could actually open my mouth and say the words. I hadto though, so I sucked in a deep breath and said it out loud forthe first time. “No, Maryann. The baby did not survive thefall.”

I heard hergasp and subdue a sob. “Oh, I’m so sorry. Oh no, my poor darlinggirl.”

“Chelsea isthe pilot’s name. I’ve sent her details to land where I did atEaster. She should be there in approximately 40 minutes.”

I hung up thephone and stood completely still, the past hour’s events only nowjust having sunk in. My adrenalin levels had also plummeted, and Ifelt the sudden urge to hurl my guts. I noticed an exit sign and adoor which led outside, and without hesitation, I slammed my handsonto the glass panels and pushed it open. I took a few steps andvomited into the garden.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I was almostcertain when I began to rouse, that falling down the stairs hadbeen a nightmare and I was simply waking up from it. I was almostcertain that the constant beeping sounds and white noises that hadbeen filtering in through my ears were all part of that unconsciousrealm. I was also almost certain that the unpleasant aroma that hadbeen intermittently plaguing my sense of smell was again, part ofmy dreamlike state. The thing was, I wasn’t dreaming and my brainhad only just now begun to decipher the reality that surrounded me,decoding what was real as opposed to a