The vibrating sound of the blood pressure cuff filled the hospital room and Daniel couldn't help but turn around and look back at Emily. To examine the woman who had been deceiving him for years. Her face was pale, nearly the same shade as the white hospital gown she was wearing, and she looked innocent and vulnerable. But she wasn't.
He hadn't been perfect in his relationship with Emily, especially with the arrival of his old fling Sarah, but the hurtful blow caused by the news he heard on the deck moments before he shot her was something that shattered his heart. The mixture of feelings he felt intertwined and twisted in his stomach then crawled up his throat to choke him. The memory was difficult to face. He stood up and walked towards the door unable to stand being cooped up in the room with her for another second.
Emily wasn't pregnant. There was no baby. That was a lie, everything about Emily Thorne was probably a lie. And now that his initial anger filled passion had subsided all he was left to nurse was hurt, worry, anger and almost worst of all: regret.
The investigation was intense, even more so since she was found alive on the fishing boat. They were questioning everyone but him. Knowing it was him who shot Emily made the guilt weigh even heavier. It was obvious his Mother would be the prime suspect, and if he hadn't have done it himself, he would have suspected Victoria in a heartbeat. She hated Emily. She always had; and she would go to the ends of the earth to destroy the things she hated or the things that got in her way.
The hallway wasn't any better than the room. Victoria and his half-brother Patrick paced back and forth. He stood quietly near the two of them, ignoring his Mother's fawning and pleas for his attention, because he knew it was full of insincerity. A petite red-haired doctor walked briskly towards them, heels clicking along the floor. She immediately singled out Daniel.
"I have some news about your wife that I would like to discuss with you in private."
Daniel was relieved when the doctor gently pulled him to the side, because he couldn't stand the fact that his Mother was right about Emily or his bastard brother that she had hidden from him his entire life standing next to her. His Mother's face gloated, her lips curved in a smile. It's almost as if she got off on his pain.
"Sure, let's go into Emily's room." Daniel replied, loathing the idea of entering it again, but he not wanting to risk Victoria overhearing the news he was about to hear.
The doctor softly closed Emily's hospital door behind them. The blood pressure cuff had deflated since he left and new stats appear on the little monitor next to the bed. Daniel studied them for a split second, then turned back towards the doctor, uneasy to meet her eyes with his.
"Emily is becoming more stable, but we're still unsure of when she is going to wake up, it could be any time now, but it could very well take a few days. She's been through quite a lot of trauma and has lost a lot of blood."
There is a pause and a smile began to form.
"I do have some incredible news though, that I am sure will brighten your day."
Daniel couldn't imagine any news that could make the situation better. His wife lied to him about being pregnant, ruined his chances at possibly finding love and happiness with Sarah, and he made the mistake of shooting her in anger. She was going to wake up, tell all and he'd probably spend the rest of his life in prison.
"The baby has survived the gun wounds. It's truly a miracle. Your son might make it after all."
"My son?" Daniel inhaled sharply at these words. The look of shock on his face was evident enough, because the doctor took a step backward.
"Had you not found out the gender yet?"
Son? My son? The words run over and over again in his head.
"I would have assumed you would have known by now. The 4-D ultrasounds allow early access to that information." Her cheeks begin to turn as red as her face, "I'm very, very sorry, Mr. Grayson. I hope I haven't spoiled your surprise. I'm sure that is something you would have wanted to experience with Emily. I'll leave you to her and get out of here before I spill any more information that is best left for time to tell."
Daniels shoulders slumped as the door clicked behind the doctor. He leaned to the right to pull the curtain shut, so Victoria couldn't see through the glass window. He stepped towards Emily and let his knees fall to the floor below him, pulling her pale hand to his face and burying his tears there.
She wasn't lying… he shot her for nothing. What was all of that about on the deck? What was he overhearing? His other hand moved gently towards her stomach and he stayed in that position until he fell asleep; the stress of the past few days and the lack of sleep hitting him like a brick wall.