THE SURROGATE: A LUKE BROOKS FAN FICTION

CHAPTER FORTY THREE

CHAPTER FORTY THREE
*LUKE'S P.O.V*
I sat in the taxi , leaning my head against the seat. I closed my eyes, in the hopes that it would alleviate some of the pain in my head. For a while, it worked; that is, until the taxi came to an abrupt stop, causing me to sit up straight -this was a decision I regretted immediately of course, because the headache came back ten times worse- I looked out of the windows, trying to figure out why the fuck we stopped. It didn't take long to realize that we were in the middle of the biggest traffic jam I had ever seen. "Shit!" The taxi driver and I said in unison. The taxi driver seemed kind of old, maybe in his 50s? He had black and grey hair, most of which was covered by a cap that he was wearing, he also had a bushy grey mustache and a fat face -which matched his body- "Might as well get comfortable," he said, leaning back in his seat and taking his hands off the steering wheel, "Looks like we're gonna be here a while" he said nonchalantly. I sighed deeply and returned to my original position; now's a good time as any to try and get some sleep. There was only one problem; I couldn't sleep at all! Whenever I closed my eyes, all I could see was Nicole, and the look on her face when I lost my shit on her. Just as I was about to feel bad for the way I reacted, I remembered all the shit she said about Bella ! I could feel myself getting angry all over again. Then I started thinking about Bella again, and the fact that she was in hospital... And she's pregnant for fuck's sake! I opened my eyes wide and felt my heart racing. I needed to get to the hospital! What if she went into labour !? But that couldn't be, when I saw her she seemed fine; and besides, its not her due date yet. Whatever the problem, she was in hospital and I needed to get to her !! I sat there, biting my nails; unable to think of anything to do. Suddenly, as if my guardian angel knew exactly what I needed, the taxi started up and the cars around us started moving again. In no time, I was at the pub. I paid the driver, got out of the car and rushed into the pub.

I stopped in front of the door as soon as I was inside and looked around for Carlos. Where the fuck could he be!? I ran to a bartender standing at the bar; just as I was about to ask where Carlos was, I saw him coming out of the staff room -I'm guessing his shift just ended- "Carlos!" I said, exasperated. "Hey man, where's your shirt?" Was the first thing he asked me when I ran up to him. I looked down at my chest, and just waved it off. "Never mind that! Please tell me you have my car !? Or my car keys?" I asked almost out of breath. He looked at me, "well what would happen if I had your car keys, buht not your car? Then they're kind of useless right?" He asked. I looked at him. What the fuck was happening right now? Where the fuck was this coming from ? I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out; I just looked at him confused. He laughed and handed me my keys. "Here man, next time ... Don't leave the club with crazy bitches!" He said, looking at me one more time. "Hold this..." He said handing me his backpack, "wait here" he said and he walked into the staff room. A few minutes later he came out with a black shirt that had the pub's name on it. "Put this on!" He said, handing me the shirt, taking his backpack and leaving. 'Your car's in the back!" He yelled. I put the shirt on, and wasted no time running to my car.

*
I unlocked my car and got into the driver's seat. I slammed my door shut and without hesitation, I rushed over to the hospital as fast as I could. Along the way, the only thing I could think was, "Please, please let her be okay!" At the moment I didn't even care about how she ended up there! I was so deep in my own zone, that I almost didn't notice the light turning red. "Oh for Fuck's sake!!" I said out loud, hitting my steering wheel. The light finally turned green and I sped up, maybe if I drove faster, I could Dodge any other red light. Of course, life's a bitch most of the time, and every second light was a red one. This was a major delay; and with every red light, I felt myself getting more nervous.

I finally reached the hospital! I didnt know what the time was, and I didn't even care! I ran in and went straight to the receptionist. "I'm- looking - for Bella!" I said, out of breath. The nurse looked at me calmly. "Bella who?" She asked in a snobby voice. I closed my eyes, still trying to breath normally; my chest was starting to hurt. "Sir, stand up straight, raise your arms, inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth" the nurse said, still calmly. Clearly she was used to this sort of thing happening. I did as I was told; and it worked! "Thank you!" I said, "I'm looking for Isabella Martin" I said, looking at her desperately. She looked at me, before typing random letters into the computer that stood in front of her. "She's pregnant... If that helps" I said, hoping it would speed up the process. "I'm aware of that sir," she said, sounding mildly irritated, "but I'm afraid you can't see her," "but why-" "because she checked out of the hospital this afternoon already!" She said. "She wha-" "she checked out" "but I got a message saying that she was here!" I argued. "Clearly the person who sent you that message must have did it when she was still here" she said with a look of irritation. Without another word, I ran back to the car. Maybe she was home with Darcy and the guys? With this massive ray of hope, I rushed home.

*BACK HOME*
"Bella!?" Was the first thing I yelled as I walked into the house. "Bella!?" I called out again, running through the living room, the kitchen and the entertainment area. I was just about to go up to the bedrooms, when I heard the voice at the top of the stairs saying, "she isn't here!" I immediately recognized that voice as Darcy's. "Whe-where is she?" I asked as she walked down the stairs wearing her gown over her clothes. She didn't answer me. She just walked past me and walked into the kitchen. "Darcy? Did you hear me? Where is she !? I just came from the hospital and they said she wasnt there!" I said. Don't fucking tell me that nurse lied to me! "She isn't there Luke! She isn't here either! Had you answered your phone last night, she might still be here!" Darcy yelled, throwing sugar into a mug that she had removed from the cupboard. I was confused, what did she mean by that!? How could my being there make anything different? What the fuck was she on about? All I wanted to know was where Bella was. If she's not here, and she's not at the hospital; and I doubt she was at their apartment, there was only one other place. "Darcy, did she go back home?" I asked; anxiety now entering my body. Darcy didn't answer me. Why was she being so cold towards me!? "Why aren't you answering me!?" I asked, stepping closer and now standing next to her. She moved away from me. She wasn't even looking at me. "DARCY!" I yelled desperately, and she finally looked at me, "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!? WHERE'S BELLA!?" I asked, and suddenly a thought struck me, "DID SHE HAVE THE BABY!" I asked. She snorted before saying, "as if you care about her or that baby!" And she was about to walk away, when I grabbed her by the arm and turned her around. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean!? Of course I care about both of them!" I said, defending myself, who the fuck did she think she was? "Well then tell me why you're the reason, my best friend had to be rushed to hospital!?" She finally said. "And let go of my fucking arm!" She spat. I let her arm go, mostly because I was trying to process what she had just said. "How am I- me? How am I the reason she had to go to hospital!?" I asked. She shook her head and walked away from me. "Darcy!" I yelled as I followed her. "What do you mean, I'm the reason!?" I asked again. "There you go, only thinking about yourself, not even worried about whether she's okay or not!" She said. I didn't have time for this! "Can you please just fucking tell me what happened!?" I asked, rubbing my hand over my face. "Yesterday, after you and Bella had whatever stupid argument you had; and after almost causing a major accident when she specifically asked you to slow down" she placed emphasis on the last sentence, "she came into the house and were having big pains in her stomach, her baby wasn't even kicking! Thank God Daniel was here, because if he wasn't, she might not have had a baby anymore!" She finished off, "now do you see why its your fault!?" She looked at me with a look of utmost disgust; I'm sure if it was in her nature, she would have spit me by now. It felt like every word she said was a punch in the face; I couldn't stand anymore. I moved over to the couch slowly and sat with my head in my hands. She almost lost her baby yesterday, and I was the cause! Worse yet, she needed me yesterday and I wasnt even there for her! "So you just sit there, and think about how you fucked up my best friend's life!" She said and turned around to go back upstairs. "Wait!" I said, looking up, and she stopped, "how did that affect the baby?" I asked softly. She sighed and shook her head. "The doctor said that it put the baby under a lot of pressure because Bella was getting all worked up" she said and was silent for a while. "I hope that stupid argument was worth it!" She said, and she turned around again. "Darcy wait!" "What!?" "You said that if I was there, she might have stayed ... Where is she?" I asked with desperation seeping out of every pore of my body. She sighed again, and looked at me as though contemplating whether she should tell me or not. "You know," she began, "a part of me just wants to let you suffer, to let you sit here knowing that you're the reason for all this, and to leave you here, just wondering where she could be" she stopped, and then spoke again, "buht that's not the person I am ... The Freemans offered for her to stay with them when the doctor said that it would be better for her to stay in a stress free environment. She accepted their offer" she finished off and walked up the stairs.
I sat there on the couch, unable to form thoughts or words that could describe the way I felt right now. If Darcy set out to make me feel like shit, mission accomplished. I sat there, looking up at the ceiling and blaming myself for everything. Never in my life, did I think that I could hurt Bella the way that I did! "You're a fucking idiot!" I said to myself, throwing my head in my hands again. I sat alone in the silence for a while, when I remembered that I still hadn't listened to Bella's voicemail. I took my phone out and put it to my ear ...