shuhaige
Chapter 178
Chapter 178
Chapter 178 Nagging Feeling
“Because of how risky her pregnancy and delivery were, Peach will have to stay in the hospital for two days just for us to monitor her.” Doctor Harry said to Elijah.
Still shaken by Peach’s labor experience yesterday and what happened in the courthouse, Elijah darted his gaze between his wife and then daughter,
feeling stressed and overwhelmed before looking back at Dr. Harry, and then he said, “There’s no issue with both of them, right?”
Smiling, Dr. Harry replied, “No, there shouldn’t be one. I’m confident that Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
Peach is healthy, but we can’t take any chances.”
“You are sure… Because the last time you gave me an assurance you almost delivered my child behind my back,”
Elijah said, a hint of bitterness lingering in his voice.
An awkward tension settled in the room, and then Peach softly uttered, “Babe, it was not Dr. Harry’s fault-”
“I know,” Elijah said, looking over at
Peach and meeting her eyes with a disappointed look in his.
Sighing, Dr. Harry hung his head in shame and said, “I know my faults in all of this Mr. Maxwell, and I am sorry for my medical unprofessionalism. It will never happen again. I promise you that your wife and daughter are in good health. It’s just safer to keep them here for the next two days.”
It took Elijah a second to not let his feeling ruin a beautiful moment and so he gave Mr. Harry a small smile and said, ” Thank you for your service to my family. I appreciate you and your staff for everything you guys have done.”
The Doctor finally felt like he could breathe properly around Elijah again because since Peach gave birth he knew that the was an elephant in the room between Elijah and him, and now that they have addressed it, he felt much more. at ease.
So he nodded at Elijah before walking out of the room, and once the door shut close behind him, Peach pouted in worry, staring sadly at Elijah, and then said, Babe, I-”
But then the sudden sound of the room door opening again drew both their attention to the doorway to see a nurse walking in with a smile on her face.
“Good Morning Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell.” The lady said, focusing on Elijah. “Mr. Maxwell, can you please take off your shirt? It’s time for the skin-to-skin section with your baby.”
Every feeling Elijah ever felt till this particular moment faded, and then a sense of warmth fill him as he woke from the couch and started unbuttoning his shirt.
The way his face lit up as he removed his shirt from his shoulder made Peach’s smile reach her eyes as she watched for a while and then Elijah tossed his shirt on the couch.
“I am ready,” Elijah said as he sat back down on the couch and waited patiently for the nurse to pick baby Alverta in her hands gently and then approach.
Seeing how tiny she was made Elijah both nervous and excited to hold her, but he waited for the nurse to place her on his bare chest and position her there, saying, “Keep your hands on her back, up towards her neck.”
Gently Elijah did as he was told and held
Alverta’s tiny body against him, and then he smiled when he felt her fingers touch the softness of his tanned skin.
The feeling of her heartbeat, the sound of the little noise she made, and the way she moved around in his arms were absolutely mesmerizing to Elijah.
“It was all worth it,” Elijah whispered, kissing his daughter’s head which was filled with silky black hair.
His eyelids shut, and he allowed the feeling of fear, exhaustion, and the overwhelming feeling of uncertainty to all flow away from him, and he didn’t think about anything else except holding this precious life in his arms.
In that instant, Elijah was so unaware of his surroundings as he held his daughter that he didn’t even notice the sound of the door closing when the nurse left the room.
“I’m sorry,” Peach’s soft voice said, breaking through Elijah’s trance. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Opening his eyes and looking across the room at his wife, Elijah drew a breath, knowing what she was apologizing for and yet, not knowing what to say in response.
“I am sorry that I lied to you.” Peach said with a gentle sniff. “Keeping the critical state of our baby from you was wrong of me. Planning to go through delivery without you there was also wrong of me to do. I am so sorry that I looked into your eyes and withheld the truth with a lie. Forgive me?”
The hospital room grew quiet after those words for a couple of minutes and Peach became more anxious to hear Elijah’s response.
“Say something please,” Peach pleaded
with her husband, wanting nothing more than to make things right between them. again.
“I am not mad, but It hurt… It still does, to be honest.” Elijah admitted calmly.
“I know… I never should have taken your right away as her father and my husband. It was not my place to decide for the both of us without talking to you first. I don’t want to give you an excuse for why I did it, but just know that I feel awful for doing that to you.”
“I understand why you did what you did, and although it hurts, I am glad it all worked out and you and Piki are safe.”
Not satisfied with her husband’s answer
Peach pouted when their eyes locked and uttered, “So you forgive me?”
“There’s no way I can stay mad at you,” Elijah laughed, feeling Piki move in his arm, and then he looked down at her and said, “it’s all forgiven. So how about we start fresh from here?”
Immediately Peach nodded, smiling at Elijah, and then said, “Yes, let’s do that.”
For a moment, Elijah stared at the bed, and then he got up, walking over to her gently while holding Piki.
Quickly, Peach scoped over for him, and Elijah sat on the bed, placing his feet on the mattress and relaxing into the pillow.
“Soo… How did Jewel’s hearing go?” Peach asked.
“Well, Dean shot me.” Elijah casually said, even though his wife’s eyes looked like they were about to fall out of their socket.
After taking a moment to process what Elijah just said, Peach quickly shook her head and uttered, “Are you kidding me?! Oh gosh, Babe! That’s terrible! Are you okay?!”
“Yeah, I am. I had on a bulletproof vest… But there is still this one question sitting in the back of my mind, ‘How did Dean get a gun inside the courthouse.” Elijah said, his eyebrows furrowed together.
“You think someone else’s is involved?”
Peach said, sounding unsure if she wanted to find out because she was worried that after everything they have been through there was still a possibility of a threat out there.
Taking a moment to think about it, Elijah slowly answered, “I want to think that all this ends with Dean’s arrest, but a lot isn’t adding up about how he pulled it off.”
Looking down at her baby, Peach bit the inside of her cheek, not finding the strength or words to tell her husband what she was feeling.
“I should call Bamford to get on this case. Just in case we at missing something, he can start the investigation.” Elijah said, giving her a reassuring smile.
Nodding, Peach reached her hand to take Piki, but Elijah was already out of the bed, and she smiled as she watched the both of them move over to the couch and he managed to get his phone off the table.
“Shush, shush… Daddy got you.” Elijah whispered, rubbing his finger gently across the top of Piki’s forehead, “Shh, shhh, shhh.”
“Maybe, I should…” Peach trailed off when she noticed their baby immediately calming down.
When Elijah was shown enough that Piki was asleep, he sat back on the couch, making her comfortable on his chest before calling Mr. Bamford.
It took two rings for the chief constable to pick up the phone and answer, “Elijah, I heard what happened in the courthouse yesterday. Are you okay?”
“Yes. I am perfectly fine.” Elijah assured. “I called to ask you if you guys have found out how Dean got a gun into the courthouse?”
There was silence and Elijah was getting worried until Bamford spoke again, “We have the two officers responsible for scanning and searching everyone that entered the building. For now, we know that an officer named Michael was the one that scanned Dean. Officer Michael had worked with the courthouse for ten years so there’s no way it could have been a coincidence that he overlooked the gun in Dean’s jeans.”
“You think he paid him… Dean?” Elijah asked, not liking the sound of that.
“That’s what the two are claiming. At first, Dean refused to confess. But when Dean was confronted by Officer Michael’s confession that he was the one who paid him to allow him to bring the gun in, he didn’t deny it and said that it was the truth.”
“Well, that’s too easy. Don’t you think?”
“I don’t think Dean has anything to live for. After all, he is not in a favorable. position right now, so I don’t think he cares enough to deny the truth.”
“That makes sense.”
Even after those words, the nagging feeling in his chest wouldn’t let his mind just accept that that was it, and the feeling only deepened when he heard,
This is an open and closed case since both
Michael and Dean have confessed.”
“Right…” Ethan whispered, letting his mind wander. 1
Then he looked at Peach’s concerned eyes and said, “Thank you Mr. Bamford for your service. My wife, baby, and I are thankful for all that you and your men have done for us.”
“Baby?!” The chief constable practically screamed.
A laugh escaped Elijah’s mouth, knowing exactly why Bamford was freaking out, and then he said, “Yeah. Peach gave birth to a healthy baby girl yesterday.”
A scream of excitement echoed on the other side of the phone line, making Elijah chuckle, and then Bamford said, ” Congratulations to you guys! Wow, how time has flown by.”
“Thanks,” Elijah said, smiling down at his daughter sleeping peacefully on his bare chest.
After he and Mr. Bamford had chatted for a while, Elijah finally ended the call, and then looked back at Peach.
Immediately, she allowed her thoughts to slip from her mind and asked him, “What did he say?”
“Apparently, Dean paid the courthouse guard to allow him to carry the gun in the hearing. The guard confessed to it, and Dean didn’t deny it.” Elijah revealed.
“That means we have nothing to worry about.” Peach said, trying to relax and be happy, though she was still concerned. ” Right?”
Holding back his tongue, Elijah hesitated, and then the door opened, revealing the nurse and he held back his answer.
After the nurse had taken Piki from him, she took care of her, and Elijah waited for a while until she was finished with Piki and put her to sleep in the crib.
When she left, Elijah woke from the chair, walked over to the bed, and sat beside Peach with a faint smile on his lips as he said, “Come here,”
Not hesitating, Peach reached her head on his bare chest and snuggled into him, closing her eyes as she listened to his heartbeat.
Leaning against the headboard and wrapping his arms around her, Elijah rested his chin in the crook of her neck and started running his fingers through her hair softly.
“We still have to be careful,” Elijah said, making sure to keep his voice soft. ” Okay?”
When she nodded, he kissed her head and continued to run his fingers through her hair as the nagging feeling continued to consume him from the inside.