Chapter 53
Chase rushed to the young nurse, startling her. Her face paled as she recognized him, stammering, "Mr. Reyes."
Observing Chase's urgency, I mused that he might have acted differently if it hadn't been a woman. His face now showed clear anxiety. "Say that again. What happened with Mrs. Reyes and the child?"
The nurses exchanged a puzzled glance. "Mrs. Reyes had a miscarriage after discovering her pregnancy and underwent surgery here," one explained. The other, more boldly, asked, "Didn't you know about Mrs. Reyes' pregnancy?"
The question struck Chase like a bolt of lightning. His eyes lost focus, disbelief etched on his features. "She was pregnant?" he repeated.
The nurses looked embarrassed. How could a husband not know? "Yes," one said. "Mrs. Reyes was rushed in because of low progesterone, increasing her miscarriage risk. She was in shock, making saving the baby even harder. She clung to the doctor's hand, crying, insisting they do everything to save her child."
Eyes squeezed shut, Chase forced out, "Who was her attending physician?"
"Dr. James," the nurse replied.
I watched from the hallway as Chase, his steps unsteady, approached the doctor's office. The truth was about to emerge. Chase, when you realize your actions caused our child's loss, how will you react? Can you even begin to comprehend my pain?
I followed slowly, arriving just as Chase confronted Dr. James. The doctor, a slim, scholarly man with silver-rimmed glasses, sat across from him. He was a high school classmate and later attended medical school with me. He had once been interested in me. When I was vulnerable and hospitalized, he showed me special consideration because of our past.
Dr. James seemed to anticipate this confrontation, his demeanor calmer than Chase's shock. "Mr. Reyes, please, sit down," he offered, then glanced at his assistant. "You may leave us."
"Yes, Dr. James," the assistant replied, exiting.
Impatient, Chase cut to the chase. "I want to know about Amanda and the child."
Dr. James's gaze was sharp, and I detected sarcasm. "Mr. Reyes, are you now concerned about Amanda and the child? I thought your unrelated sister was your only priority," he remarked, his words laced with irony and hostility.
Chase dismissed the remark. "Enough with the sarcasm. Just tell me!"
"Very well. Amanda was brought to the ER, diagnosed with a threatened miscarriage, and transferred to my care. She was already spotting. I told her the miscarriage risk was high, but she begged me to save the child. She endured so much to protect it. Her morning sickness was intense; even water made her vomit. Despite this, she insisted on staying in the hospital to save the child." Dr. James fixed his gaze on Chase. "What baffles me is how, as her fiancรฉ, you visited the hospital daily without once seeing her?"
Chapter 54