Babies For the Billionaire

Part Six

© Birdy Stewart, 2013

Chapter Twelve 

-Rafe-

I ran my hands through my hair violently. What just happened? One minute, she was sitting at the counter, perfectly fine, and then she just snapped. I didn't do anything wrong, did I?

Dammit. I should've just let her make me the sandwich.

She was pretty worked up. I knew I should give her some time to cool down. She'll come back soon enough.

Twenty minutes passed and she still wasn't home. I was fidgiting. My knee bounced. I finally caved to the strong impulsive instinct to find my fiancée. Grabbing my coat from the closet, I ran out to my big SUV, and drove to the coffee shop.

___________________

"No, I'm sorry sir. The owner isn't here at the moment and neither is her friend. But would you like something to---"

"Thanks," I interrupted the blonde at the counter and quickly dashed back to my car. If Areila wasn't at the coffee shop, she had to be at Val's.

I'd driven Areila to Val's once and I knew it wasn't too far away, but the sky was darkening and the snow was falling unusually harder. With the chains on my tires and knowledge of how tricky driving in snow could be, I would be able to skillfully navigate the roads easy enough after dark. But could Areila? She'd barely lived here a year, could she have come from somewhere without snow? Like southern California? Arizona, possibly? Something could have happened to her, especially if she had no idea how bad the roads could get in a snow storm.

As I drove, I was aware of the thoughts muddling my mind, distracting me slightly. What if she'd gotten lost out here? What if her car broke down? I gritted my teeth at the thought. The thing was unreliable. I should've gotten rid of it when I had the chance.

But what if something worse happened? A voice fumed in the back of my head. What if something happened to the babies?

What if, what if, what if. . .

What if's would soon drive me insane. All I knew was I needed Areila in my arms, safe and warm as I whispered my love to her over and over again. That I---

A horn.

An on-going horn could be heard, constant and hollow. My heart leaped and I pressed harder on the gas.

Trees bordered my sides, and I could see a lone traffic light ahead, along with two back lights of a small car.

A small car crushed into the face of a tree, nearly splitting the small piece of scrap metal in two.

Oh God.

I slowed my car, careful not to slam the breaks and slip on the icy road, and quickly jumped from the driver's seat, leaving the engine running. "Areila?" I called as I rushed to the crash site. "Areila?!" I made it to the driver's window and whipped the frost climbing delicately up the glass. It was her. My fiancée sat in the driver's seat, slumped over and unconscious, her arms wrapped loosely around our children inside her. "Areila! Can you hear me? Baby, wake up!" I pounded on the glass, the door handle not working under my fingers. It was either frozen shut or locked. Without another thought, I prayed for her to keep her eyes closed and mumbled, "I'll get you, sweetheart, don't worry."

My elbow crashed through the window and I fumbled for the lock, popping the door open and wide. I gently scooped Areila into my arms and stared down at her. She had blood trickling down her forehead and her skin was pale and cold, the tips of her uncovered fingers purple. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart," I whispered as I laid her in the back seat of my car.

I got in and cranked up the heater, holding my cell phone up to my ear as I pulled back onto the road.

"Nine one one, what's your emergency?"

For the second time today, I sat, shoveling my hands through my hair as I waited for someone to come out of those sterile white doors and tell me if my soon-to-be wife and children would make it. "Rafe!"

Two voices shouted at me with concern at the same time. I turned my head and saw the two tall figures who matched the voices rushing towards me. A woman clothed in a long brown coat, white, knitted scarf and hat and fashionable boots, and a more rugged man, clad in a snow coat, gray hat, and brown hiking boots. Both sets of faces had rosy cheeks and red noses, both sets of eyes worried and concerned.

"How is she?" Valentine asked, teary-eyed.

"Why was she driving out in this storm?" Owen questioned.

I shrugged and turned back to staring at the white doors, my hands folded and clasped under my chin, elbows propped on my parted knees. "They're still in there with her. I haven't heard anything." I sniffed as my eyes became watery again, "This is all my fault," I muttered. Valentine plopped down next to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

"I'm so sorry, Rafaello." She sobbed, "It's my fault. I said things I shouldn't have, especially with her emotions all up in the air right now." I shook my head.

"No," I said, sniffing again, "It's all on me. I pushed her into this."

"Into what, Rafe?" Owen queried as he sat down on the opposite side of me.

"This," I waved my hands in the air in front of us, "This---loveless marriage. This deal. All for my convenience. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have slept with her. I shouldn't have---"

"Shouldn't have, what, Rafaello?" Valentine said, suddenly stern. "Shouldn't have proposed to her? Shouldn't have gotten her pregnant? Rafaello, if you even care for my best friend a minuscule as much as I think you do, than you better not be regretting that beautiful ring on her left finger or those two babies in her. You tried to be responsible for your actions. She already loves those kids more than anything, she even loves yo---"

My heart stopped. The waiting area seemed to grow slow and silent.

"Mr. Geovani?" A nurse holding a clipboard called from the doors I'd spent what seemed like hours staring at. She wore green scrubs and a solemn expression.

Oh no.

I stood and the nurse nodded, her frown never wavering. "Come with me."

I heard a choked sob behind me and turned to see Owen holding Valentine in his arms as she cried into her fist, before I slowly followed the nurse out. It felt like a dream. A very bad, unpredictable dream.

______________________________

Short and sweet this week. Another cliff hanger for you, my little humming birds! What do you think will happen to Ari and the babies? With the wedding so soon?

Comment baby names! We'll be seeing who is who and who is what in the next few updates! New cover anyone? Post it on my Twitter @Birdy_Stewart

Happy reading my little humming birds, until next time,

~Birdy

PART FIVE IS CURRENTLY MISSING DUE TO Wattpad's MOST RECENT UPDATE. SO FAR THIS IS NOT FIXABLE, SO PLEASE SIT TIGHT UNTIL I CAN GET PART FIVE BACK UP. THANK YOU.

© Birdy Stewart, 2013