Unexpected Love

Chapter 22

Stella sat nervously in the hospital waiting room, rubbing her belly as she prayed that her husband was okay, along with his brother and other firefighters. She was sitting in her car crying and feeling betrayed by her mother-in-law. She was trying to get a hold of Kelly but kept getting his voicemail. When she saw Taylor jogging down to her car, she rolled the window down and told her she didn't want to hear any excuses; she just wanted to be left alone. But the expression on her sister's face told her something was wrong. Taylor proceeded to tell her about the fire and the fighters being trapped. When she heard Kelly was one of the firefighters, she zoned out all together. 

She was so out of it that she doesn't remember how she got to the hospital; all she knows is that she is here; she doesn't know why they're here if Kelly is still trapped inside the hotel. The television on the wall has coverage of what was going on at the hotel. But she doesn't want to hear it; she just wants to know where her husband is. Is he okay? She rubbed her seven-month-old bump; her babies were the reason she was staying calm; she would have gone into full meltdown mode if she wasn't seven months pregnant. She can't be acting crazy right now. She has to stay cool, calm, and content; the babies don't need added stress; she already had a tiny meltdown in her car after finding out her mom and April were at her baby shower, and Jennifer, someone she trusted and confined in, invited them. 

She honestly shouldn't be surprised; life has been going well lately. Better than she could expect, she never pictured being married to an understanding, loving, supportive man who only had eyes for her, who wanted what she wanted out of life, who supported her and her career, and who wanted to have a family with her. She has truly been blessed with a great marriage, a wonderful, successful job, and two babies on the way. Her dad was back in her life; they talked every day; she had two of her sisters living in New York; she has her amazing best friend and now an extended family. She should have known something was going to happen to ruin her happiness; it always does. She expected her mom and April to pop up or do something ridiculous to cause unnecessary drama; it's what they do. She didn't expect Jennifer to be involved. 

And on top of that, Kelly is trapped in a hotel. No word on whether he's alive, hurt, or if he was even found. 

She scans the waiting room for the first time since she got here, which was an hour ago. She's not sure. She has no idea what's going on around her; she hasn't been paying attention to her surroundings. She sees Gabby standing by the window, looking out, trying to be strong. Jennifer is sitting in the chair, biting her nails nervously. Benny is on the phone and talking to people in white shirts; she wonders what they are talking about. She notices Taylor, Chris, and Megan sitting on the right side, all looking worried, all keeping a watch on the double door and occasionally glancing in her direction. She knows they are worried about her. Her eyes shift to the other side of the room. She sees people she doesn't know, all with the same worried and scared expressions. She wondered if they were family members of the other firefighters trapped, and then she saw Chloe, and she knew they were. Chloe was here shaking and crying, which means Cruz was hurt. Her eyes go to the door, and as they automatically open, a man in scrubs walks out. He looks like a surgeon. He talks with Benny, and then Benny walks away with the man. And now she's curious about who the man was and what he needed to talk to Benny about privately. Was it about Kelly, Matt, or Cruz, another firefighter? She's going to drive herself insane; she just needs to know if Kelly is okay. Did they find her husband? Is he hurt? Is he... well, she doesn't want to think about that. She feels a hand squeezing her knee. She looks over and sees Violet; she was so out of it that she does notice her best friend sitting beside her. 

"Violet." It's the first word she's spoken since she got here. 

"Yeah, sweetie." 

"Did they find Kelly?"