“Adelaide!”
Elias caught me just as everything faded to black.
I woke up to the beeping sounds of hospital monitors.
“The baby?” I gasped.
“The baby is fine,” Naomi said. She was my closest friend and the doctor who specialized in obstetrics. “Severe preeclampsia has caused your blood pressure to rise. Luckily, Elias got you to the hospital when he did.”
I attempted to sit up, “I need to go back to work.”
“You are a patient now,” Naomi said with authority, “You need to stay in bed completely until the baby is born.”
I could feel the tears running down my cheeks.
After Naomi left, Elias held my hand. “I’ve canceled my schedule for the next 2 months, and I have stepped away from the board.””I won’t leave you.”
“You can’t stop your entire empire for me.”
“There is no empire without you,” he said. “I almost lost you today, and I will not let that happen again.”
For the next two weeks, I lived in Elias’s brownstone while he learned how to check my blood pressure, make low-sodium meals, and read to me when anxiety became too overwhelming. He never once made me feel like a burden, and I was surprised at how much I started to appreciate Genevieve’s honest, sharp support as she visited with Sophie.
Slowly, I began to trust him—not because of his words or promises, but because of the way he took care of me every day.
At thirty-two weeks, I had my first ultrasound, and Elias drove me to the hospital with extreme care. We arrived at the main elevators, but they were packed, so I suggested taking the old service elevator instead.
“It is fine,” I said. “I used to take it all the time during my residency.”
We entered the service elevator and pressed the button. As the elevator shook and jerked upwards, I felt a sudden lurch when the elevator suddenly quit working; the lights went out completely.
At that point, Elias found his phone and realized he had no signal.
“We will just have to wait,” I said, attempting to keep my calm exterior.
Then I felt a sudden rush of warmth flowing down my legs.
I froze.
“Elias,” I whispered, “my water just broke.”
The look of panic on his face was quickly replaced with an unmistakable concern when I yelled out in pain as the first contraction hit, holding onto the rail tightly for support.
“I don’t know how to deliver a baby,” Elias said, his voice trembling.”I do,” I said breathlessly while holding onto his lapels. “You are my doctor and I am your doctor. Listen to me, and together we are able to save our daughter.”
Another contraction hit me.
The dark elevator became my entire world. Elias took off his jacket and put it behind my head, then laid his shirt under my body. Although his hands were shaking, when I looked into his eyes he maintained contact the entire time.
“What do I do?” he asked.
“When she emerges from my body, catch her. After that check the cord and if she does not make any noise rub her back or suction her mouth.”