Anxiously Victoria was massaging her own hands while a nurse pushed her down the seemingly endless floor of white walls which were illuminated with bright neon lights. She knew that she was not the only one in this world, but she really did hate hospitals. She remembered that when she had delivered Daniel, she had pressured Conrad and the doctors to let her go home as quickly as possible because she just couldn't stand the clinical atmosphere and the sick people around her –even though she had had her own room. Right now she simply felt horrible. Her body was all sweaty and some nurse had attempted to put her long hair in a ponytail, because Victoria didn't even have the strength to do that, but streaks of her sticky hair were already falling in her face again. She felt so lifeless sitting in that wheelchair like she was paralyzed for real. The only thing that made her remember that she actually was alive was her heart which was beating so fast she believed that it would burst any second.
"We're almost there, Mrs Grayson." The young nurse who had introduced herself as Liza announced and stopped the wheelchair in front of a closed door.
"Why aren't we going in?" Victoria uttered not even making the effort to look at the other woman.
The nurse turned around to grab a mouth guard and a sterile gown. "You have to put these on to reduce the risk of infection. Your daughter's immune system is not intact yet." Carefully she helped Victoria put on the gown and mask and also sprayed some disinfectant on her hands. "Okay, now we're ready to go in. Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes, sure." Victoria assured impatiently feeling like her mind was shutting everything out except for her urgent desire to get past that door.
After the nurse had entered the room, she pushed the wheelchair towards one of the two incubators inside while she talked to Victoria in a soft tone. "Meet your daughter, Mrs Grayson." Liza stopped the wheelchair and stood beside Victoria smiling at her to give her a reassuring feeling. She was still new to the job and in that moment she noticed that she lacked experience the situation required. Also, the fact that she knew Victoria Grayson from various magazine articles and had followed the news coverage concerning the downing of flight 197 and now the David Clarke trial didn't help. She had always found that Victoria was a quite intimidating woman, but right now she rather seemed like a fragile and hurting mother.
The nurse's words echoed in Victoria's head while she stared at the incubator in front of her. Slowly her mind was processing the information that the tiny human being lying inside of it actually was her child. She had never seen a baby so small in her life; she looked more like a doll than a living child. The blanket she was wrapped in seemed to swallow her fragile body and her skin was so thin that she could see her veins through it. She was attached to a beeping machine and a tube was placed in her mouth and nose. Caused by the overwhelming new impressions, Victoria began to cry closing her eyes.
Liza didn't know what to do for she was used to another family member being by the mother's side in that situation. Nevertheless she didn't hesitate long and placed an arm around Victoria's shoulder to soothe her.
"Mrs Grayson, it's okay." She spoke calmly rubbing Victoria's shoulder.
"What is wrong with her?" Victoria sobbed sounding almost angry with a look of reproach on her face.
"Nothing is wrong with your daughter." Liza explained patiently feeling that the new mother might be in shock and upset by the baby's condition. "She is a preemie, but a very strong girl already."
"But look at her. She is not fine." The dark-haired woman continued crying desperately, unable to think rationally.
"Trust me, nothing about her is abnormal. Let me just explain a few things to you." The nurse assumed that it would help Victoria to understand what kind of medical help her child needed. "I think you know that your daughter is in the incubator because we need to control her body temperature. She has to be kept warm in there. And you see that tube in her mouth and nose?"
Victoria nodded trying to hold back the tears forcing herself not to turn her head to the side and look away.
"She needs that to breathe because she cannot do that on her own already. And that IV in her arm, that carries the nutrition directly into her blood stream so that she can quickly grow stronger. We also monitor her heartbeat so that's what the beeping sound comes from. All of this is a normal procedure for a preemie, Mrs Grayson. It's just what your daughter needs right now so that she can grow into a perfectly healthy girl. I know that it seems scary, but you don't have to worry about her. As long as she stays here, she will develop just like any other child."
Admittedly the young woman's words really calmed Victoria down. The first moments of shock seeing her daughter so isolated and thin, had now vanished and Victoria could let the motherly feelings take over her body. Again she began to cry, but this time because she was overwhelmed by a feeling of joy.
"I'm sorry." She sobbed starting to feel embarrassed because of her emotional outbursts in front of a complete stranger.
"Don't be." Liza was happy that her strategy of getting through to her had obviously worked. "You cannot hold her because she is still not stable enough but you can touch her in there. She'll be happy to know that you're there. Would you like to do that?"
"Yes." Victoria managed to say with a shaking voice. The nurse opened the two holes in the incubator so that Victoria could put her hand through them.
Carefully she reached out her finger for her daughter being terribly afraid that she might hurt her. After hesitating for a short moment, she touched her daughter's tiny hand and immediately felt a wave of love rush through her body. While another flood of tears escaped her eyes, she softly caressed the infant's hand and her arm. Her eyes were not opened but she could see her eyeballs move beneath the lids.
"Your Mom's here now." She whispered and smiled at her daughter.
"That's beautiful." Liza said almost breaking out in tears herself but she could pull herself together.
After some time in silence in which Victoria had lovingly caressed her child's body, the nurse explained quietly.
"I think we have to leave her alone for a while now. Too much cold air is flowing inside."
"Oh, of course." Victoria slowly pulled her hand out of the incubator again and the nurse sealed it.
"May I ask you if you have decided for a name for her already? Or do you want to wait for your husband?" Liza asked shyly.
Taken aback by the unexpected question, Victoria stared at her confused.
"I'm sorry, I'm just curious. Of course you don't have to answer." The young woman apologized blushing.
"No, I think I have." Victoria decided. She had never spoken to Conrad about names once and she regretted that she had never done it together with David. Still, she thought there was only one possibility to name her daughter. "Charlotte Elizabeth." She smiled at the infant lying in front of her.
"That's a really beautiful name." Liza assured her.
"She's just like her great-aunt Charlotte, a fighter, and beautiful like her grandmother Elizabeth. They're both dead, you know." Victoria couldn't hold back the explanation.
"Well, that's a great way to honor them." The other woman replied. "Charlotte Elizabeth Grayson. That almost sounds royal to me."
"Maybe." She didn't return Liza's excited smile and instead sadly looked to the ground while she was reminded of the fact that the girl wouldn't carry her fully right name. Clarke. Victoria added in her mind. Charlotte Elizabeth Clarke. That's her name.
"Have my car ready in half an hour. I'll go to the city to pick up Daniel and visit my wife in the hospital." Conrad demanded over the phone before he slammed down the receiver. Ever since he had come home yesterday, he had done nothing but pacing the halls of the Manor with a glass of alcohol in his hand, calling various people and occasionally silently cursing to himself which was always followed by taking a big gulp from the liquid in his hand. Amanda had observed him while she tiptoed her way around him in the house. He hadn't said a word to her since then and he had also taken dinner in his room so that he didn't have to make contact with the 9-year-old in the dining room. That one day of Victoria's absence had already raised Amanda's feeling of imprisonment in Grayson Manor to a new level. Instead of just giving in to her fate however, the girl had decided that it was time for her to take action on her own. So when Mr Grayson had said those sentences about him driving into the city over the phone, Amanda had impatiently looked out for his car to arrive in the driveway. As soon as it arrived, she then put on her new winter coat Victoria had bought her for when they had taken a walk on the beach one day, and quickly ran over to the black limousine. The driver had probably stepped out to smoke a cigarette and left the car open so that Amanda snuck into the vehicle and tried to hide in the footwell on the passenger's side. But no matter how much she curled up and ducked her head, she was simply too big to use that space in the vehicle as an appropriate hiding place. The trunk was not an option either for she wasn't sure if she would have enough air in there and she also didn't know how she should get out once they arrived in New York. Just when she decided that it was best to leave the car again, the door to the driver's seat was being pulled open and the driver took his place behind the wheel. Of course he immediately noticed the 9-year-old girl which caused her to gasp in shock.
"Oh hello there." The dark-haired man said calmly.
"I… I…" Amanda stuttered, but the friendly brown eyes of the man in the driver's seat made her calm down. His name was James, she knew, because she had met him when she had been in the car with Victoria. "I wanted to hide in her because I can't stand it in that house anymore."
"I can see that." James replied drily. "I'm afraid though I can't let you flee from here."
"No, no, that's not what I want. It's just that I need to see Victoria. She's in the hospital and Mr Grayson said he's going to see her so that's why I hid in here." She didn't know what it was but she somehow felt comfortable around James and just told him the truth.
"You're a really courageous girl, you know that?" The man chuckled but appreciated Amanda's honesty and her determination. "But I think hiding you in here could get me fired."
"Please, I really need to see Victoria. You have no idea how it is to live in there without anyone caring about you. I'm also really worried about her because she was so sick yesterday. Please, Victoria will understand and she will make sure that you can keep your job." Pleadingly Amanda stared at James hoping that she could convince him.
"I see." He raised an eyebrow but just couldn't resist the little girl's brown eyes. He sincerely felt for her in the difficult situation and was sure that Victoria would be happy to see her. "Fine, you can be my stowaway for this ride."
"Are you serious?" She said excitedly expressing her relief at his answer.
"Yes, of course. Just stay down and be silent. Mr Grayson always takes the seat behind the passenger's seat, so you're safe there." He explained and in the corner of his eye he saw Conrad approaching in the driveway. "Get ready, he's coming." James winked at her and Amanda ducked her head again praying that everything would go according to her plan.
"Hello, Mr Grayson. Congratulations." James turned around and smiled at Conrad offering him his hand.
"What?" Conrad returned irritated, but quickly remembered that his driver was congratulating him on the birth of his daughter. "I'm sorry, thank you." Conrad shook the other man's hand before he leant back in his seat again. "Please, take me to Mount Sinai Hospital. I'm meeting Daniel and my parents there to visit Victoria and the baby."
"Of course, sir." James obeyed and started the engine wondering what was going on in the Grayson family. He had been driving them for many years, beginning with Edward Grayson and now his son, but there had never been a chaos as big as the one they were obviously in right now.
FLASHBACK
Still half asleep, David pushed the thin linen sheets away from his body because in the intense summer heat at the beginning of August in Kansas he couldn't even sleep with them in the bed. It was the middle of the night and from outside he could hear the crickets chirping. Despite of the heat he smiled contently and glanced to the other side of the bed expecting to find the beautiful vision of Victoria sleeping peacefully next to him. However, she was not there so that he turned around to check if she had left the bedroom door open because she had went to the bathroom.
"David." She said quietly standing by the opened window because she hadn't been able to get any sleep. It calmed her to look outside into the large garden to appreciate the view of the stunning nature. She had heard that David had begun to move in the bed and now turned around smiling at him.
"Is everything alright?" He asked worriedly sitting up in the bed.
"Yes, I just haven't been able to sleep because it's so hot. I didn't mean to wake you."
"You didn't. The heat is killing me too." David replied admiring Victoria's beautiful silhouette in the dark. She had put her nightgown back on but when David got up to walk over to her he didn't bother to make the effort to look for his pants.
"You drive me crazy, V. Do you actually know that?" He wrapped his arms around her from behind placing kisses in her neck.
"You might have mentioned that before." She grinned leaning back against his body his sweet kisses making goosebumps appear on her skin. Her hands lay on her abdomen and now David placed his hands on top of hers lovingly rubbing her skin while he felt the ring he had given her only a week ago on her finger.
"God, I am so happy." David almost had to laugh at its own words evoking some giggles from Victoria.
"Me too." She smiled and closed her eyes enjoying this moment of intimacy erasing the thoughts about Conrad and the police search for them from her mind. After a while she turned around in David's embrace so that she could face him. With her fingers she traced the lines of his face feeling safe in his arms.
"I've been wondering." She laid her hands on his shoulders. "Would you rather have a boy or girl?"
"I don't really care. I just want our child to be healthy and happy and everything will be perfect." David looked her in her brown eyes and smiled.
"I want that, too, but still I've thought that I'd love to give you a son."
"That's very sweet of you." He kissed her on her lips. "But it honestly doesn't matter to me. I want us all to be a family, that's my only wish. And if I think about it, having a daughter just as beautiful and fierce as her mother is not the worst idea either. I know you'd love to have a daughter, V, and I sort of have this feeling that this baby is going to be your girl."
"Do you think so?" Victoria asked excitedly always astonished at how easy David could see right through her.
"I do." He pulled her closer to him so that she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"But either way, I want you to know that I'll do everything to make this family work. Just like you said." She leant forward to give him an assuring kiss and noticed how he started walking backwards to let himself fall back onto the bed pulling her down with him. She squeaked when she fell but landed safely on top of him making them both laugh.
"What are you doing, David?" She asked still laughing when she noticed how he lifted the hem of her nightgown pulling it over her head.
"You complained about the heat, I'm just trying to help you." He smirked and threw the piece of clothing out of the bed.
"Oh, well, thank you." Victoria returned his smile letting her hands glide over his body. "Always quite the gentleman." Before they could break out into laughter again, David started kissing her passionately feeling incredibly thankful for having Victoria by his side.
"I love you." She whispered into his ear. "And so does your daughter."
He could feel the bright smile on her face against his ear as she said those words and he prayed that her wish would be granted.
Drifting somewhere between the world of sleep and being awake Victoria had to smile when she recalled that moment from their stay at Charlotte's farm. David had really been correct with his assumption and she would love nothing more than to tell him that. He would be so happy, she could just imagine the bright smile on his face and his eyes beaming with joy. I miss you so much. She mumbled in her sleep finding herself trapped in the endless inner struggle of blaming herself for what was happening to him. Maybe their deal with the Initiative would get him out of prison but if Victoria only thought about that, her stomach turned around. Remembering the abduction and her fight with Patrick, pulled her into a state of desperation and she couldn't do that to herself right now. Not when she had just delivered her daughter being extremely grateful for the fact that she had made it even though she had been born two months too early. She had to be strong for her now and act like a mother of a newborn. Dealing with a terrorist organization and the threat placed upon them was only distracting her from that.
"Mommy!" Finally she was being woken up by the sound of her son's voice.
"Shhhh, Danny. Your mother is asleep, we'll come back later." Conrad told his son and turned to leave again when Victoria raised her head.
"No, don't go." Her face immediately lit up at the sight of Daniel who paced over to his mother lying in the hospital bed.
"Hey, baby." She greeted him her hormones causing her to break into tears again when she saw how much her son had missed her. He climbed into the bed and wrapped his arms around Victoria's neck.
"Daniel, be careful with your mother." Conrad said when he saw how Victoria winced in pain as the 6-year-old cuddled up against her. "You're hurting her." He grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him away from Victoria.
"Is that true?" Daniel said shocked that he might have harmed his mother.
"It's okay, Daniel. You couldn't have known." She struggled to sit up in the bed feeling her scar throbbing.
"I'm very sorry, Mom." The boy stood beside his father lowering his head.
"No, Daniel, don't worry. I'm so happy to see you, come here." She stretched out her arms letting him sit in the bed beside her.
"Are you sick, Mom? Or why are you in the hospital?" Daniel asked curiously.
"Daniel, I already told you that your mother is here because your baby sister has been born." Conrad stepped into the conversation extremely on edge.
"Conrad, don't talk to him like that." She hissed and would have loved to tell him to leave them alone but she knew it would be even more confusing for Daniel. "It's true, I'm here because of your sister." She smiled at her son not quite believing that he would be a big brother from now on. To her it felt like he had just been a newborn himself.
"Where is she, Mom? I wanna meet her!" Daniel said excitedly. "Or is she sick and that's why she has to be in the hospital?"
"No, it's just safer for her here because doctors can take care of her. She is so small and can't do anything on her own." Victoria explained calmly caressing her son's head. "We can go to meet her if you like."
"Yes!" Daniel clapped his hands and jumped off the bed.
"Conrad, could you call a nurse for the wheelchair?" She asked soberly and Conrad simply obeyed her leaving the room.
When he returned he was accompanied by Liza again who helped Victoria get into the wheelchair gaining a suspicious look from the 6-year-old.
"Why do you have to be in there?" He wanted to know confused by the fact that his mother did not walk.
"Daniel, stop torturing everyone with you questions. Let's just go." Conrad grabbed him by the arm pulling him towards the door. He had no choice but to meet that baby now. He just wanted to get it over with.
"Stop it, Conrad!" Victoria raised her voice angrily. "Daniel can ask as many questions as he likes and don't touch him like that. Come over here, Daniel." Quickly the boy wrestled himself free from his father's grip and ran over to his mother who took his hands in hers.
"Daniel, you remember that your sister was in my belly, right?" Victoria began to explain not wanting to tell her 6-year-old some fairytale about how his sister had been born. She was sure that he was smart enough to understand the truth. After he nodded, she continued. "Well, they had to get her out of there so they had to cut me open."
"No." Daniel's eyes grew big.
"It's nothing bad. You know that doctors can do that easily without hurting anyone. You've seen it with Grandma Grayson's knee last year, remember?"
"Yeah, I do." Daniel agreed feeling proud that his mouther told him everything.
"But that's why I can't walk on my own for a few days because my belly still hurts. After that everything will be fine. And now let's go."
Liza inevitably had to smile at Victoria's conversation with her curious son. Nevertheless she couldn't quite add Conrad to the picture. He seemed to be extremely annoyed and just stared at the scene nervously tapping his foot and didn't even make an attempt to care for his wife. That attitude didn't change in the presence of his newborn daughter. Liza new that parents of a preemie were sometimes irritated by the look of their child and the medical equipment, but Conrad Grayson couldn't even stand two minutes in the room with his family before he excused himself and left. The nurse couldn't believe that an arrogant ass like him was the father of a good-hearted boy like Daniel.
"Hello, baby sister." The 6-year-old said standing in front of the incubator holding his mother's hand.
"Her name is Charlotte." Victoria smiled already having tears in her eyes again because of the emotional situation. It had been a relief when Conrad had left the room, not even asking about the baby's name.
"Hi, Charlotte, I'm Daniel, your brother." He explained trying to sound like an adult. At his words the baby slowly opened her eyelids now looking at them with her tiny eyes." Look, Mom, she heard me!" He was so fascinated that he started jumping up and down when Liza interfered. "Shh, Daniel. Your sister doesn't like loud noises, so we have to be very quiet."
"Can she actually she us?" Victoria asked realizing that she had no clue about a premature infant's development at all.
"She can form pictures in her mind, but I'm not sure what exactly she sees. But she reacts to light like you see when her eyelids flutter like that." Liza informed them.
"Had I to be in that thing too when I was born?" Daniel wanted to know while Charlotte now even began to move her little arms.
"No, Danny, you were much bigger and could sleep in my bed right away." Seeing her helpless daughter move between all that medical equipment made Victoria's heart hurt. All she wanted was to hold her and feed her like she had done with her other two children. "Please, can I touch her again?" She then asked the nurse who had obviously been too distracted by observing the family moment.
"Oh, of course I'm sorry." She opened the incubator for Victoria. "Keeping body contact is very important for her and I'm positive that you'll be able to hold her within the next one or two weeks."
Although her eyes were still small and she couldn't tell what color they had, Victoria was already captivated by them giving the little girl the brightest smile.
"Hey." She whispered when her daughter stopped moving at her mother's touch and seemed to stare back at her. When she caressed her little hand she suddenly noticed how Charlotte closed her fingers around Victoria's getting a hold of it.
"Look…" Victoria breathed never wanting to leave her daughter alone again.
"I told you she is strong. She doesn't have the suck-and-swallow reflex yet but she can already grasp things." Liza smiled happily when she saw how the mother began to grow a bond with her daughter.
"Daniel." Victoria gently pulled her son close to her side. "You have to promise me something."
"Sure, Mom." He replied although he had no clue what to expect.
"Promise me to always be nice to your sister no matter what. Can you do that?" Sincerely she looked into the boy's matching brown eyes expressing the importance of that moment.
"Yes, Mom." He assured her giving her a kiss to the cheek.
"Thank you, baby. That means a lot." Victoria was already afraid of what effects their messy family situation would have in the future. Nevertheless Daniel and Charlotte would always be siblings and she didn't want anything that she had done to get in the way of that.
After 20 minutes they had to leave the room again and outside in the corridor they found Conrad talking to his parents.
"What? 1300 grams? It's a miracle she made it at all." Eleanor spat out haughtily before they noticed that Daniel and Victoria were approaching.
"Victoria, congratulations." Immediately Edward leant down to her pulling her into a hug whereas Eleanor remained standing next to her son.
"Thank you." Victoria replied before her father-in-law released her from the embrace and smiled at her proudly. Putting on this ridiculous façade was probably the worst about it all. That and the fact that Eleanor saw Victoria in such a vulnerable state.
"Eleanor, come over here and give Victoria our present." He demanded of his wife who reluctantly joined him in the congratulations but didn't make the effort to hug Victoria. Instead she sent her an icy glare and handed over a box wrapped in pink and white paper.
When Victoria unwrapped it at Edward's wish she found a pink onesie with a crown on it and matching socks. How inventive. She thought but bit her lip and kept the comment to herself.
"Thank you." She said again trying to smile. Daniel had received the exact same present for his birth, the only difference being that Eleanor had sown his onesie herself and had stitched his initials on it as soon as they had decided on a name.
"Does she have a name yet?" Edward then required to know looking at Victoria expectantly when at the same time Conrad seemed dumbfounded probably realizing that he hadn't even cared to ask.
"Charlotte Elizabeth," Victoria announced confidently when she scanned the Grayson's faces for a reaction. Conrad's and his father's faces froze for a moment for they were well aware that Victoria had named the child after David Clarke's aunt. Eleanor just wrinkled her nose because apparently she didn't approve of the name either.
"It's entirely my decision." Victoria clarified hating the way they all looked down on her in the wheelchair.
"Well, it's lovely." Edward put on his fake smile again.
"I don't want to interrupt, but Mrs Grayson really needs her rest now." The nurse explained when she noticed how uncomfortable Victoria felt with her in-laws around.
"We're taking Daniel with us then." Eleanor pulled the boy to her side protectively patting his head and sending Victoria a depreciative glare.
"I'm going with them. We'll stay in our apartment at 85th and Columbus." Conrad agreed with his mother and turned to leave.
"But, wait. If nobody's home in Grayson Manor, what about Amanda?" Victoria's mouth flew open in shock when she had to admit that she had almost forgotten about the 9-year-old girl.
Chewing at her fingernails Amanda sat on the ground behind a big plant in a corridor of Mount Sinai Hospital. She had made her way out of the car and into the hospital without being seen by any of the Graysons, but she had been too afraid of being caught that she hadn't been able to follow them where they went. She didn't dare to ask any of the hospital staff because she feared that they would inform Conrad. The girl sighed heavily and left her head hanging in disappointment. She had really thought that she could do this on her own and could actually be successful. It turned out that she miserably failed at it.
All of a sudden she heard footsteps coming near her hiding corner and when she looked out for who it was, she saw a young man stumbling backwards because he also seemed to want to remain unseen by a group of nurses passing by. He was mumbling something to himself and hectically turned his head around scanning the corridor for more people. Also he had a black hoodie on hiding his face and Amanda simply thought that with that clothing and his behavior he seemed extremely suspicious. While she was wrinkling her forehead because of his peculiar attitude, he had apparently noticed her too and now approached her. Amanda got up and wanted to run when the man suddenly addressed her.
"Amanda?" He said in disbelief. "Amanda Clarke?"
Taken aback by the fact the he knew her name, the girl stopped and faced him. "Yeah, why?" She awaited his answer while she kept her body ready to flee every second.
"I know your father." He explained putting the hoodie off his head.
"Who are you?" The girl required to know being aware that knowing her father did not necessarily mean a good thing anymore.
"I'm Nolan Ross. Your father, David, is my friend, so don't worry. We're on the same side." Nolan offered Amanda his hand which she took after a short moment of hesitation.
"Why don't I know you?" The 9-year-old still eyed him critically.
"Your father, he helped me with my business and I never met you in person."
"Aha. And why are you here now?"
She really is as smart as David always says. Nolan thought to himself admiring the girl for her distrusting nature.
"I don't know how much you know, but since you live with her you should at least know that she was brought into the hospital. I'm here to visit Victoria Grayson." At the mention of her name Amanda jumped forward finally seeing a solution to her problem.
"You are? I'm here to see her too, but I've got no idea where she is!"
"I do know that, but I guess they won't let me see her, so that's why I'm trying to ninja my way into the ward. Do you want to join me?"
"Yes, very much." Amanda greed excited about the new opportunity. "But first you have to take off that hoodie. It makes you look like a criminal or something. And don't show them that you're nervous, it makes you seem very suspicious." Amanda explained matter-of-factly making Nolan drop his mouth open. She was still a child, how could she be such an expert about those things?
"Okay, I guess I could do that." Nolan took off the hoodie and revealed a Superman shirt.
"You can pretend that you're my brother and we're here to visit our Mom. I just hope that people don't recognize who I am. And we have to be careful because the Graysons are already here to visit, so we should wait until they have left."
"Don't worry I've seen them leave about five minutes ago. So the air is clear. Ready?" The young man wanted to take Amanda's hand but she refused.
"I'm not a baby, I can walk by myself. Just show us the right way." She made her position very clear and followed an impressed Nolan to the NICU.
Nolan had always wanted to meet David's daughter but he had never thought that it could happen just like that, by coincidence. When he had hacked into the system of the hospital and had found out that Victoria was in the NICU, he had been extremely relieved because it meant that both Victoria and the baby had survived. Still he was afraid of what condition she would be in and was happy that he now had Amanda by his side.
"Her room is over there." Nolan stopped and pointed to the other end of the corridor where a doctor and some nurses had gathered and talked apparently concerned about something.
"Let's wait until they're gone." Amanda suggested and Nolan agreed.
Not even two minutes later someone addressed them from behind.
"Excuse me." The voice belonged to a nurse who didn't look any older than Nolan. "What are you two waiting for?"
Turning around in shock Amanda stammered. "We're here to…" Before she could even finish her sentence, the nurse interrupted her surprised.
"Aren't you Amanda Clarke?"
Amanda knew it wouldn't do any good to protest against that because the woman had probably seen her picture somewhere, so she simply admitted it. "Yes. And this is my cousin Nolan. He drove me here to visit Victoria Grayson. So please, can I see here? Please? I worry about her so much!"
"I'm sorry, but only family is allowed to visit her. I'm afraid I have to send you home." Liza explained professionally but felt her heart melting at the sight of Amanda's sad looking eyes.
"But, I live with her, please. I think she'd really be happy to see me." The girl pleaded.
Rolling her eyes and sighing the nurse gave in to her. "Fine, I'll ask her if it would be okay for her. Wait here."
Nervously Amanda and Nolan then looked at each other without uttering a word until the nurse came out of the room and motioned them to come over.
"You can go in. She agreed to see you. But she needs rest, so don't stress her out." Liza signaled them both that they better take her advice seriously before Amanda and Nolan finally entered the room. Afraid of what might have happened to Victoria, the girl lowered her head and stayed close to Nolan. She had no idea how Victoria would react. Maybe she would even be angry at her for running from Grayson Manor.
"I really thought Liza was kidding me when she told me that you two are here to visit me. Especially the fact that you're here together." Her warm voice sounded hoarse from the exhaustion but Amanda's face immediately lit up at her words.
"Hello, Victoria." The girl said shyly still insecure about the situation. She had seen her worn out and without make-up during the time they had spent together on the road, but lying in that hospital bed with pale skin and a strained face, she even looked fragile. Every slow move she made while sitting up seemed to put her in pain.
"Well, about that. It seems fate wanted us to meet." Nolan explained relieved to see that Victoria was relatively fine.
"You definitely have to tell me that story." Victoria smiled when all of a sudden Amanda noticed what didn't fit in the picture.
"But, Victoria, where is my sister?" The 9-year-old asked in shock frozen to the spot.
"Don't worry, Amanda, she's fine." Victoria told her calmly and motioned for her to come over. "Come here, I'll tell you everything."
Cautiously Amanda walked over to the side of Victoria's bed wondering what might have happened. It felt strange to her to witness Victoria being so helpless when she had always been the one to take action and know what to do. She stopped right beside the bed standing there awkwardly when Victoria pulled her into a hug. At first, the girl was surprised by the gesture but then she leaned into the older woman's arms and hugged her tightly.
"Nolan, you don't have to stand there, come on." Victoria said when she noticed how the 21-year-old had to fight the tears.
"I'm sorry, Victoria." He sniffed embracing her. "I really thought something bad had happened to you because of what those people did and I just couldn't imagine doing this without you, you know? I was so afraid to lose you and have to deal with this all on my own."
"It's okay, Nolan. I wouldn't leave you alone." She patted his back moved by how emotional he was. He had honestly been worried about her and in that moment Victoria realized that their abduction had even formed a closer bond between them.
"So, you're not angry that I ran away?" Amanda wanted to know blushing.
"Trust me, I'm not angry at all. I'm really happy that you are here." Victoria caressed Amanda's blonde curls that had grown pretty long during the last few weeks and she noticed that she had already began to miss the girl. "But you have to tell me how you got here. Conrad couldn't have possibly let you go."
After recalling how she had fled from Grayson Manor and how she and Nolan had found each other, it was now Victoria's turn to tell her story of what had happened.
"Amanda, I think you saw me when I came back home last night, right?" The 9-year-old felt caught because she remembered that Victoria had seen her going through her private photos which the girl had remembered to hide again after Victoria had been brought to the hospital so that Mr Grayson wouldn't notice them. Insecurely she simply nodded and like Nolan she waited for Victoria to go on.
"Well, what happened was that I had early contractions." Despite the horrible circumstances, Victoria had to suppress a smile because judging from the expressions on their faces she wasn't sure who was more confused about what she was saying – Amanda or Nolan. "Anyways, nothing bad happened to me, it was just that the baby was born too early. But she is fine, too." Looking into two still doubtful faces, Victoria sent them a proud smile. "Everything is fine. You don't have to worry. Do you hear me?" She wrapped an arm around Amanda's shoulder again. "Your sister has been born, aren't you happy, Amanda?"
It took some time for the girl to process the new information and understand that Victoria was not only fine, but that she was now also a big sister. "Yes, I'm happy." She stammered being assured by Victoria's smiling face.
"Congrats, Victoria." Nolan hugged her again also being overwhelmed by a wave of relief.
"Thank you, Nolan." Victoria now felt her eyes getting watery because she realized that those two persons – not considering Daniel - were the first ones who truly meant their congratulations and didn't have to fake their happiness for appearance's sake.
"Why are you crying? I thought we were happy?" Amanda asked when she noticed the other woman beginning to sniff.
"I am crying because I am so happy, Amanda. You're a big sister now, that's so wonderful. I never had any siblings." Wiping her eyes Victoria couldn't help it but had to express her thoughts. That atmosphere in the hospital and the painkillers really began to make her feel dizzy and she lost her well-trained self-control completely.
"What's her name, Victoria?" Amanda wanted to know trying to distract the older woman.
"Charlotte." Victoria smiled once more when she looked into the girl's astonished face. "Charlotte Elizabeth, that's her full name."
"Like, like my aunt and my Grandma?" Amanda couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Yes, exactly like them." Victoria affectionately caressed the girl's cheek. "We want you Dad to know that we're always thinking about him and that his daughter is going to be a strong Clarke girl just like you."
"That's very sweet." Nolan was deeply touched by the gesture and felt like he was being infected by the atmosphere, not sure when had been the last time that he had actually been so emotional.
"Can I meet her?" Just like Daniel, Amanda was eager to welcome her new sibling and she was almost jumping up and down beside the bed.
"I'd love you to." Victoria's voice now began to turn into a sad tone. "But the hospital is very strict. Your sister is still very small and weak, she needs her rest. We would only disturb her." At the sight of the disappointed look in her eyes, Victoria felt extremely guilty. She wasn't lying, the doctors had told her that her child did need the rest, but Victoria also knew that they only let family members into the room and she couldn't admit to Amanda being one – not yet at least. "You will meet her very soon, okay? I promise."
"Okay." Amanda agreed reluctantly because she desperately wanted to say Hello to her sister.
Feeling strange interrupting the intimate moment Nolan cleared his throat. "Uhm, I don't know if this is the right time, but do you think that I could talk to you alone, Victoria, just for a few minutes?"
Silently Victoria nodded in agreement exchanging a serious look with Nolan which reminded her of the reality that this was not a happy family reunion but that they rather had to deal with a terrorist organization and carry out their plan of proving David's innocence – or else he would never meet his newborn daughter and never live the life he deserved to have.
"Amanda, could you leave us alone for a moment? You can wait just outside the door and when we're done talking, you can stay here with me, okay?" Although the girl had a puzzled look on her face and seemed curious to know what was going on, she obeyed Victoria and left the room.
"Oh my God, Victoria, I can only say it again, I'm so relieved that you're okay and that your baby is okay. I mean what those people did to you and to us it was unbelievable, I don't know what I would've done without you and David of course, I talked to him and he was devastated and…" Nolan suddenly began rambling like a waterfall so that Victoria raised her hand to stop him before she couldn't follow his line of thoughts anymore.
"Nolan, please." She hushed him. "Remember to breathe. My head hurts, I'm sorry."
"Oh, no, I am sorry. I don't know what has gotten into me, it's just that I cant talk to anyone." He apologized feeling embarrassed.
"No, it's okay. Just please talk more slowly. My brain can't keep up with your pace right now." She explained calmly. "So, you spoke to David?"
"Yes, I did. I wanted him to know about you from someone familiar, not some news report. He was very worried, but I've heard that there'll be an official statement from the Grayson family, so I guess he'll know that you are fine and that he's become a Dad again." A sad expression crept onto both of their faces when they thought about how tragic it was for David not to be present for the birth of his daughter
"I imagined it all so differently." Victoria's thoughts trailed off to her imagination where she had always envisioned David being with her and holding their newborn baby in his arms.
"Me too." Nolan agreed with her and found it hard to look into the heartbroken expression on her face. "But do you know what I've also heard? The trial is probably going to be delayed until January because of the whole mess and your condition. Without your testimony they wouldn't get any further anyways. So this buys us more time to prepare."
In contrast to Nolan's positive reaction to the delay of the trial, Victoria seemed shocked. "But this means that David has to spend Christmas in prison. I really thought we would have gotten him out by then."
Nolan had to admit that he hadn't even considered that. He wasn't in the mood for Christmas although it was a mere ten days away. The only thing he could think of was preparing well enough for David's trial so that his innocence could be proven as soon as possible. "I'll visit him and bring presents, I know it doesn't make it better but it'll be worth it. By the end of January, David will be free and you can make it up to him."
"I don't know, Nolan. But you're probably right. I don't feel like taking the stand in a couple of day.s" As difficult as it was, Victoria had to come to the conclusion that a delay really was an advantage for their strategy. Plus, she definitely had to recover first, in her current state she couldn't even imagine making it to court.
"And next year, you'll all be together for Christmas. Amanda, Daniel, baby Charlotte, David and you." Nolan evoked a sigh from Victoria but saw how her eyes lit up at the thought of that.
"We will be together next Christmas. Of course, you'll be with us once we made it through this mess." She squeezed his hand and smiled. "Only if you'd like of course. I mean I don't know about your family or anything." Victoria didn't know what it was about him, but she felt like she needed to take care of him as well. Maybe it was because he was about the same age as Patrick, or maybe simply because he always seemed so lost and nevertheless tried to be strong in this difficult situation. He also was the indirect and only connection between Victoria and David ever since they had been separated in September and she would forever be grateful for his support although he had little reason to trust her from the beginning.
"I'm really looking forward to that." Nolan smiled back and for once he felt included. "And don't mind my family, there's no one to know about."
"Oh, I didn't know." Victoria hadn't intended to impose on his privacy.
"It's okay. I'm fine with that." Nolan assured her although he still felt the pain from his father's rejection whenever he thought about it. "I think we should call Amanda back in. I'm afraid she might stray off otherwise. She's quite a girl."
"She is." Victoria laughed and watched how Nolan brought Amanda back in and then excused himself promising to visit her again soon.
"You know what, Amanda?" Victoria said after the girl had put off her shoes and crawled onto the bed to sit next to her. "I think we should get your father a Christmas present which Nolan can give to him."
"Really?" Amanda was beaming with joy almost forgetting that she had once felt uncomfortable whenever she had been so close to Victoria. "I think I'll draw something for him and we could send him his favorite kind of chocolate."
"And maybe we could also hide a photo of your sister in your present so that he can see her. What do you think?"
"Sounds perfect." Amanda smiled being filled with happiness at the thought that she could somehow reach out to her father. She hugged Victoria to thank her for the opportunity and really wished that she did not have to go back to Grayson Manor, but could rather stay right there.
I hope you enjoyed this personal family chapter. I felt like I really needed to take the time to introduce baby Charlotte properly and show her siblings' reaction to her. I also couldn't keep myself from writing that Vivid flashback, I thought the story needed some fluffy Vivid moment after so many bad things have happened to them.
I decided to give Charlotte her grandmother's middle name because it makes sense to me since Victoria has been so touched by the story Aunt Charlotte told her about David's parents when they stayed with her at the farm. That's why she also wanted to honor David's brave mother. Plus, Daniel has his grandfather's name as his middle name so I guess Victoria just wanted to be fair to his sister. I hope you all are okay with that decision.
I'm doing my best to be back as soon as possible, especially because I can't wait to write a chapter in the Christmas spirit and then continue with the trial.
Please let me know about your thoughts and opinions. I always appreciate that. :)