Chapter 5 - Whispers at the Bedside
When I opened the door to the ICU suite, the morning sun was bathing the room in warm light. The heavy oxygen ventilator had been removed, replaced by a simple nasal cannula.
Claire’s eyes were open. They were tired, surrounded by dark circles, but when she saw me walk in, a soft, beautiful smile spread across her face.
"Hey, big shot," she whispered, her voice raspy and faint.
I rushed to her side, falling to my knees beside the hospital bed, taking her hand in both of mine and pressing it against my face. Tears I had been holding back for twelve hours finally spilled over my cheeks.
"Claire... oh God, Claire," I sobbed, kissing her knuckles repeatedly. "You're okay. You're safe."
"Where... where are the babies?" she asked weakly, her fingers tightening around mine. "Are they okay?"
"They're perfect," I smiled through my tears, wiping my eyes. "Luke weighs six pounds, Ethan is five pounds eight ounces, and tiny Sophia is five pounds flat. They have your nose, every single one of them."
Claire breathed a deep sigh of relief, leaning her head back against the pillow. "I had the worst nightmare, Mason... I thought I was suffocating... I thought someone was standing over me..."
"It wasn't a dream, sweetheart," I said gently, stroking her soft brown hair. "Vanessa put something in your tea. But she’s in police custody now. She’s never going to hurt you or our family ever again."
Claire’s eyes widened in profound shock and heartbreak. "Vanessa? But... why? She was like family to us... she came to our house for Thanksgiving..."
"She was working for Richard Vance," I explained, keeping my voice soft so as not to distress her further. "She wanted our company’s bidding data, and she wanted to destroy us. But it's over now."
"No, Mason," Claire said suddenly, her grip on my hand tightening with surprising strength. She looked into my eyes with that same fiery determination I had seen fourteen years ago when she helped me pick up my scattered business papers off the sidewalk. "It isn't over. Richard Vance tried to kill me to steal your work. He tried to leave our three newborn babies without a mother."
"The police are going to arrest him tonight at his gala," I told her.
"No," Claire insisted, trying to sit up slightly, despite her physical weakness. "I know how Vance operates. His high-priced lawyers will find a loop-hole if it’s just a sting operation based on a text message. You need to crush him publicly, Mason. You need to strip him of his dignity in front of the entire city."
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"What are you saying, Claire?"
"I'm saying," Claire smiled, a sharp, fierce gleam flashing in her dark eyes, "you're going to that gala tonight. And you're going to deliver our bid personally."
