SERENDIPITY

~22~ Meeting Mrs Dulaney And The Confession ✔️

"Yeah... I'm sorry about that," he apologized, his voice filled with a mixture of urgency and excitement. "I have news, Mari..."

"And...?" I prompted, my curiosity reaching its peak. I put the call on loudspeaker so that Ethan could also listen in on the conversation.

Adrian took a deep breath before continuing, his voice carrying a sense of anticipation.

•Flashback•

Adrian's POV

I strode confidently towards the nurse stationed at the reception desk. She recognized me right away, which came as no surprise. Being an Oliveira carried weight, and the fact that my dad was a major investor in this hospital added to it.

"Good day, Mr. Oliveira. What a delightful surprise. How can I assist you?" the nurse greeted me with a smile.

"I wish to inquire about the midwives present during my mother's first childbirth seventeen years ago," I replied.

"But, sir, I'm afraid I can't..." the nurse hesitated.

"It's not a request, nurse. It's an order," I asserted firmly.

"Right away, sir," she responded, immediately turning to her keyboard. As minutes ticked by, I found myself growing impatient.

"Is there a problem, nurse?" I inquired.

"No, no, not at all. I'm almost there," she assured me, finally grabbing a sheet of paper and jotting down some names. "Here," she handed the list to me. "The first midwife is still employed here, and fortunately, she's on duty this morning. The second one retired last year, and I'm afraid I can't provide much information about her current whereabouts."

"I believe that will suffice for now. I need to speak with the first midwife. Do you have any idea where she might be at this moment?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. Their shift ends in five minutes, but you can... oh, there she is," the nurse pointed behind me. I turned to see a woman in her forties approaching us.

"Thank you," I handed the nurse a small token of appreciation and approached the woman.

"Good afternoon, Mrs... um..." I hesitated, realizing I didn't catch her name.

"Dulaney," she replied with a wide grin that stretched across her broad mouth. "How can I assist you, young man?"

"I need to speak with you. Can we find a moment in the cafeteria?" I asked.

She glanced at her watch before responding, "Sure, but let's make it quick. I don't want to keep my husband waiting." Her cheeks flushed, and I wondered what I was getting myself into.

"Uh, alright, Mrs. Dulaney," I replied reluctantly.

"Good boy," she cooed, patting my cheeks and playfully pinching the tip of my nose.

"Ouch!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she apologized, her voice filled with genuine concern.

"It's okay, Mrs. Dulaney," I forced a cheerful smile. "I'll lead the way." I swiftly turned around, eager to escape the awkward situation.

"Wait up, baby boy," I groaned inwardly. Mari, you owe me big time for this.

"Here," I pulled out a chair for her, offering her a seat in the cafeteria.

"No one has ever shown me such kindness," she whimpered. "Except for my seventy-two-year-old husband, who is quite frail but still manages to do it, and my six exes who left me, claiming I was a burden." Clearly, I added in my mind, refraining from rolling my eyes as she began to cry. Goodness gracious! What have I gotten myself into?