Romance And Revenge

ELEANOR

I observed her small face, puppy nose, and tiny hands. She had a stunning appearance and for as long as I could remember, she was everything I ever desired in a child.

Everything I could ever want in our child.

Myself and Andrew had been waiting for this beauty in the name of a child for a long time, and her arrival in our lives was nothing short of miraculous.

After three years of being childless, she appears out of nowhere.

Tadah!

"She is so beautiful, nurse," I told the woman who handed her over to me after an hour of birth. "Take a look at her face. Just like her father's." I could not help but speak, despite promising not to say anything until the child's father arrived at the hospital to see the beauty I had given birth to for him.

The agony of childbirth had begun in the middle of the night, and Andrew was not available to assist in transporting me to the hospital. He was far from home and working late at night, so the driver and maid assisted him in doing his job.

"Hand her over, ma'am," the nurse said, breaking me out of my reverie. "It is time to take her bath." She said, and I handed the child back to her without hesitation.

“Thank you.” The smallish woman in a green hospital coat, mouthed and walked out of the ward, leaving me with pain in the lower part of my stomach, and my head hurting from the session, and all I wanted to do at this point was meet with the child's father.

He promised he would be here.

Where exactly was he?

I looked around the room, hoping to see him, but he was not there. Where was he? I wondered for the umpteenth time, closing my eyes and allowing realization to sink in for a brief moment.

If not him, who would pay the hospital bills?

Perhaps he was still working and had a shift scheduled for the morning.

Deep down inside, I knew he would be here soon.

Who is he expecting to handle the hospital bills on his behalf?

The last time I checked, he was the only family I had.

Maybe the little pumpkin who could not do anything at this point.

Three years ago, I left my family for him.

Even though they had opposed my relationship and marriage to him, I went ahead with him after choosing them over him.

What would they have me do?

I shut my eyes, wishing for a brief moment that they were present to see how big I had grown, as well as the daughter of their first daughter.

After a brief absence from the newly born child, the nurse who had left with her returned her to the ward.

"Here we go," she declared with a smile on her face. “This look and body is very much better.” She said and gave a quick nod when I adjusted the baby into my arms.

A woman in a coat entered the ward and said, "You know we can not treat her yet. Mrs. Hoover, congratulations on your new child, but we cannot provide the necessary treatment without a deposit into the hospital's bank account."

"I am aware, Mrs. Williams," I said, nodding. “But can you do this ahead of time? The child is a newcomer and requires this medication. Her father can always settle the bills when he comes to take us home."

"No, ma'am, we apologize," Mrs. Williams said as she walked in further. "I will need you to sign these documents." She gave it to the nurse, who handed it over to me while I did what needed to be done, with a grimace already on my face and so many thoughts racing through my mind.

Where could he possibly be?

“Thank you,” I returned the file to the nurse, who proceeded to the door. “Nurse?” I called her again. “I can't find my phone. Where can I find it?”

"I will get it to you in a moment.” She said before leaving the room, and the next time I saw her, she was holding the mobile device and handing it over as I dropped the baby in her cot not far from the bed.

"The hospital staff will bring in a tray of food for you. You should eat and give the baby some nourishment. She needs it, while you look for a way to deposit money into the hospital's bank account."

I was alone once more, dialing the number of the man I loved.

"Andy, where are you?" I inquired as if the call had been connected, despite the fact that it had not. "What is stopping you from coming?" I asked no one in particular again, listening to his phone ring but not receiving a response in the same manner.

"This is Andrew Hoover on the line. Please leave a message; I am unavailable." His voicemail said, and I sighed for the umpteenth time, unsure of what to do and how to proceed.

It was becoming increasingly unusual not to hear from him for such an extended period.

Did he forget about my pregnancy with his child?

My gosh.

Was everything all right with him?

I looked at the door, the food tray, and finally the baby in the cot.

“This is not good.” I confessed, my mouth hanging open and my legs curled in fear as I pondered what I would do to save the day.

My child needs to take the medications.

And my husband, where was he?

What if something bad had happened to him?

What if he got hit by a car or something? I sat up and placed the tray of food on my lap.

I immediately began to eat.

After a torturous meal, I picked up the child and fed her with my breasts, hoping that nothing bad would happen to the youngster.

"Your Daddy will be here soon, baby," I said, admiring her attractive features. "Let him have some time to complete what he needs to do. Is that alright?" I asked and received an imaginary nod from the baby who suckled my breast, becoming accustomed to the sensation of my nipple in her mouth.

Her soft cries filled the air, simultaneously filling me with pleasure and pain.

What if this was a normal cry from a newborn, or if it explained why she needed to be given the vaccines that newborns require? I wondered with a fearful expression on my face.

What could I do in this situation?

What if Andrew does not come?

"Get off it, Eleanor. That is not going to happen!" Even my instincts were terrified of my thoughts, and I could not blame them; instead, I had to devise an escape plan.

Perhaps there was a way to contact one or two people and request assistance, only to be reimbursed when the child's father arrives at the hospital.

He is not like this on a normal day, so something was wrong, but in the meantime, it was critical to treat the child and heal myself in the hospital.

Someone pushed the door open.

I looked up to see the nurse who had just left the room, returning with an envelope.

"You have received a letter." She said, dropping it on the table beside the bed.

"Let me know when you are prepared."

"Thank you, nurse.” I said, smiling at the thought of none other than Andrew behind all of this.

Who knows if the money was sent via a dispatch rider? I sighed with relief as I picked up the envelope from the table and carefully placed the baby in her cot.

"I am not sorry, Eleanor, but I can not continue this marriage with you," the letter read. "You can keep the child and have her all to yourself if you think it is appropriate."