The Billionaires Hired Baby Mother: When the wife and surrogate are two different people (17 page)

“
You
can’t marry him because he’s already mine,” the
woman said with a triumphant smile.

It
was always at this point that Christine startled awake in a cold
sweat; the dream that wasn’t a dream
not
fading conveniently but echoing as if continuing in some other
dimension close by.

“
Rudy,”
she would whisper in despair and then get out of bed to go rinse her
face and get herself a glass of water.

“
Bad
dream?” her grandmother would ask, coming out of her room when
Christine did. Christine would shrug like it was nothing and go to
the kitchen. Her grandmother would follow and begin heating some milk
for hot chocolate.

“
You
don’t have to do that,” Christine would say.

“
I
know,” her grandmother would reply, eyes on the milk to make
sure it didn’t boil over.

*****

Max
Lestrange was in the front row, sitting next to his beautiful model
date, he was pretty sure her name was Kendal but he wasn’t a
hundred percent positive of that. They were here to watch the big
fight as guests of the mayor of Las Vegas. Max was good friends with
her husband. He had been like a father figure to him as he learned
the ropes of being an attorney at law and in turn Max had supported
him when he and then his wife, had run for office. The press was out
in force because the match was a big deal between the defending
champion and his closest contender. Max was trying to enjoy himself
but it had been a strange day; perhaps he was getting old because all
he wanted to do was lie down. The wine he’d taken with dinner
was making him dizzy and not in a good way and the room was hot in
spite of the air conditioning. He could feel the sweat on his
forehead and his upper lip. He really was not liking himself today
and wished he could just excuse himself and go lie down. The match
was starting though and servers were coming around with more
champagne. Maybe that would make him feel better. He took a glass and
downed it at once, more for the cold wetness than the taste but it
did not make him feel better at all. In fact if he was honest it made
him feel queasy and nauseous. He was afraid that he would have to
excuse himself soon if things did not settle down on their own.
Kendal or Kim or whatever her name was leaned toward him with a
smile, murmuring something about how exciting it was. Max murmured
something suitable in reply and then leaned over to speak with the
mayor.

“
Carolyn,
I have to excuse myself,” he said standing up fighting the wave
of dizziness that assailed him. He really needed to lie down.

“
Oh,
what’s up?” Carolyn asked.

Max
opened his mouth to reply but then the world was replaced with
darkness and he knew no more.

*****

He
woke to a beeping sound and the feel of a cool breeze on his
buttocks. He had difficulty opening his eyes, they seemed welded
shut…that or he had no eyes any longer.

“
Hallo,”
he croaked still trying valiantly to open his eyes. “Anybody
there?”

“
Mr.
Lestrange sir, you’re awake,” the voice of his
housekeeper said sounding relieved. “I’ll get the nurse.”

“
Martha
wait,” he said sharply and felt her stop moving. “What’s
wrong with my eyes?”

“
Oh,
they applied some sort of paste over them, I think to stop them
fluttering…you were convulsing sir. Anyway, I’ll get the
nurse,” Martha said.

Max
waited impatiently for someone to come and tell him what was going on
with him. He continued to try and open his eyes. He thought of wiping
the paste off with his hands but when he tried to move them, he felt
a pinprick of pain and a pulling sensation he didn’t like so he
ceased to do that forthwith.

“
Ah,
Mr. Lestrange, welcome back to the land of the living,” a low
male voice said to him, sounding too familiar for someone he’d
never met.

“
And
you are?” he asked coldly.

“
I’m
doctor Schofield, your physician,” the voice said.

“
I
see,” Max replied. “And what exactly is wrong with me?”

“
We’re
not sure yet,” the doctor replied breezily.

“
Could
you remove this paste so I can open my eyes?” Max asked
irritably.

“
Of
course. Nurse?” the doctor’s voice said. After a moment,
Max felt a cool cloth wiping him gently around his eyes. He could
feel whatever was holding his eyes closed loosen its hold and
suddenly he could see again, his eyes were open and he was staring at
Martha, his black housekeeper for nigh on fifteen years now, and a
young man with black hair and vivid blue eyes who was wearing a white
lab coat. He was also smiling at him as if he couldn’t be more
pleased with himself. Max hated him on sight.

“
So
you don’t know what’s wrong with me, why am I here?”
he asked coldly.

Dr.
Schofield’s smile faltered a bit but it came back, almost at
full wattage. “We’re running tests. Your temperature was
elevated very high when you came in. So much so that you were
convulsing. You almost went into shock but we pulled you back. You’re
white blood cell count is also elevated which means you’re
sporting an infection of some kind. Hopefully once the blood work
comes back we’ll know more.”

Max
stared into the middle distance. “I see,” he said. “My
doctor’s name is Carlyle Benson; I’m sure my
housekeeper’s told you. Would you kindly summon him?”

“
Your
housekeeper did inform us of your doctor’s name and the fact
that you would want him – but he is not affiliated with this
hospital and so-“

“
Then
move me to a facility with which he
is
affiliated,” Max interrupted.

That
at least wiped the smile off Dr. Schofield’s face. “Mr.
Lestrange you have to know that you are very weak right now and not
in any position to be moved,” he said in a more subdued tone
than he’d been hitherto using. “It would not behoove you
to try and do so. At least wait until you’re stronger.”

Max
glared at him, wanting to punch him in the face but truly feeling too
weak to move. He hated it, this weakness; and it scared the hell out
of him. What had happened to him?

“
Have
you checked my system for drugs?” he asked.

“
It's
one of the tests requested,” Dr. Schofield said. “If you
can be just a little patient we should know in an hour or two what
ails you.”

“
An
hour or two?” Max exclaimed in disbelief.

“
We
ordered extensive tests sir,” Dr. Schofield said.

Max
just glared at him, wanting to get out of bed, possibly hit
something; preferably the good doctor. But he just lay back in defeat
and stared at the ceiling.

“
Martha,
did you bring my bed clothes?” he asked.

“
Yes
sir, right here,” Martha said placing a pair of pajamas on the
bedside table where Max could see them.

“
Can
I at least change out of this mortifying gown?” Max asked the
doctor.

Dr.
Schofield opened his mouth to explain hospital policy but then closed
it again. This level of politics was above his pay grade. “Sure,”
he said and walked out of the room together with the nurse so that
Max could change. As soon as they were alone, Max relaxed.

“
Martha
what happened?” he asked.

“
You
collapsed at the fight sir,” Martha begun at once. “The
casino called an ambulance and the mayor called me. They had already
brought you here to this hospital by the time I could get here. I
called Dr. Benson and he arrived to check on you but they only
allowed him in as a professional courtesy but they said he could not
treat you because of that affiliation thing. He said to call him as
soon as you woke. I’ve already sent him a text.”

“
Good
girl. Anything else?” Max asked.

Martha
shook her head. “Everything is under control sir. Whitby is
handling the press, Constantine has informed the board of what is
happening.”

“
What’s
he telling the press?” Max wanted to know.

“
No
information at this time,” Martha said.

Max
nodded. “That might not be the best strategy for the stocks.
Ask him to change that to a bad case of the flu.”

“
Yes
sir,” Martha said taking out her phone to text Whitby.

“
Where
is Andrea?” Max asked.

“
She’s
taking care of canceling or rescheduling appointments sir. She should
be here this afternoon.”

“
Right.
Good.” Max said.

“
Also,
your mother called,” Martha said tentatively.

Max
was silent, staring at the ceiling.

“
She…wanted
to know how serious it was,” Martha said.

Max
turned to look at her. “What did you tell her Martha?” he
demanded.

Martha
shrugged her ample shoulders. “I told her the doctors didn’t
know. She asked me to keep her informed.”

Max’s
eyes narrowed and Martha hastened to add, “I said I would tell
you to get in touch.”

Max’s
brow cleared and he snorted, “She probably was hoping I’d
cop it and she’d have a chance at inheriting everything.”

“
Yes
sir,” Martha said obediently.

Max
looked around the room, his frown returning.

“
I
have some things for you in the car, your robe, slippers, laptop,
some flowers to brighten the room and your throw rug for the floor,”
Martha said seeing the frown. Max nodded his approval.

“
Great,
bring them in. Especially the laptop,” he said.

Martha
nodded and left as Max lay back.

*****

“
Hey
gra, how are you?” Christine called as she heard her
grandmother come in. She looked at the clock tick tick ticking away
in the hall. Ten pm. Late even by her grandmother’s standards.
That Mr. Lestrange worked her too hard.

“
I’m
good how are you?” Martha replied.

“
Wonderful.
We got a new intern at work today. Eager to please, good looking…I
hate him,” Christine replied.

Martha
laughed shaking her head. “What am I going to do with you
Chris?”

“
Stop
calling me by a boy’s name?” Christine asked. “Anyway,
why are you home so late? Another dinner party?”

Martha
stopped massaging her feet to look up at Christine in surprise. “Mr.
Lestrange is in the hospital Chris, show some compassion.”

“
What?
What happened?” Christine asked moving to help her grandmother
with her other shoe.

“
The
doctors say its some kind of infection. I don’t have the
details. I’m not kin,” Martha said.

Christine
snorted, “You’re as much kin as any that man has.”

Martha
did not disagree.

“
So…?
Is he gonna be okay or are you out of a job?”

Martha
glared at her. “You are so unfeeling at times girl.”

“
I’m
not…I just…I don’t think Max appreciates you as
much as he should,” she said.

Martha
smiled. “Girl you know nothing. Now go get me a cuppa tea and
stop bitchin,” she said making Christine laugh as she went.

*****

Strings
had been pulled and Dr. Benson had been given a temporary pass to
treat his patient Max Lestrange in the hospital. The tests were back
and Dr. Schofield and Dr. Benson stood before him to explain the
results.

“
Your
blood work showed elevated levels of white blood cells which would
seem to indicate an infection. We did differential testing to narrow
down the source of the infection and we’re pretty sure it's
some form of prostatitis. We still need to do further tests including
a biopsy to narrow down the possibilities,” Dr. Benson said.

“
Biopsy…isn’t
that to find cancer?” Max asked concentrating on making his
face impassive.

“
Yes.
It's just to cover all bases. You’re thirty eight years old and
that’s still below the high risk age for prostate cancer but we
can’t ignore the possibility,” Dr. Schofield replied.

Max
studied them and then nodded. “Okay then…when?”

“
Tomorrow
morning,” Dr. Schofield said.

“
What
does it entail?” Max asked tensing just a little bit.