Chapter 11 - THE CHILD WHO STOPPED BREATHING
“We are losing one of the twins.”
The nurse’s words tore through Julian like a blade.
He stared at her.
“Which one?”
“I cannot discuss details while the doctors are working.”
“Is Audrey conscious?”
“She is under anesthesia.”
“Are the babies being delivered?”
The nurse hesitated.
“Yes.”
Julian looked through the small glass window in the operating room door.
He could see only flashes of movement.
Blue gowns.
Bright lights.
Doctors leaning over Audrey’s motionless body.
Then the door swung shut completely.
Charles Foster arrived minutes later with the detective.
He moved slowly, supported by a hospital orderly.
Julian turned when he saw him.
“Why are you here?”
Charles looked at the operating room.
“Because my grandchildren are in there.”
“You should be under medical care.”
“I have spent two years under medical care I never needed.”
“I am not sitting in another room while this family falls apart.”
Julian clenched his jaw.
“One of the babies is dying.”
Charles’s face changed.
“Which one?”
“They will not tell me.”
Charles placed a hand on his son’s shoulder.
Julian pulled away.
“Do not.”
Charles lowered his hand.
“I understand.”
“No, you do not.”
Julian’s voice broke.
“You knew Audrey was in danger.”
“You gave her the ledger.”
“You let her confront this alone.”
“I believed she would tell you.”
“She tried.”
Julian looked toward the operating room.
“And I was too busy believing Madison’s lies.”
Charles said nothing.
Julian’s eyes filled with tears.
“She came to me with proof that could save you.”
“She brought our anniversary dinner.”
“She still believed we had a future.”
“And I was kissing another woman.”
Charles closed his eyes.
“You made a terrible mistake.”
“No.”
Julian’s voice turned hollow.
“I made hundreds of mistakes.”
“The kiss was simply the one she finally saw.”
At the end of the hallway, police officers pushed Grant Holloway past on a stretcher.
His hands were cuffed to the rails.
An oxygen mask covered his face.
Julian stepped into his path.
The officers stopped him.
“Move back, Mr. Foster.”
Grant opened his eyes.
Even wounded, he smiled.
Julian stared down at him.
“You failed.”
Grant’s voice was weak beneath the mask.
“Did I?”
Julian’s expression hardened.
“You will spend the rest of your life in prison.”
Grant gave a faint laugh.
“You still think I was the only one.”
The stretcher started moving again.
Julian grabbed the rail.
“What does that mean?”
An officer pushed his hand away.
Grant looked over his shoulder as they wheeled him toward the elevator.
“Ask your father who created Foster Meridian’s first secret account.”
Charles went completely still.
Julian turned toward him.
“What was he talking about?”
Charles did not answer.
“Dad.”
“It is not important right now.”
Julian stepped closer.
“That is what everyone in this family says before another lie destroys someone.”
Charles looked down.
“I created the first account.”
Julian stared at him.
“For what?”
“Political payments.”
“Private settlements.”
“Bribes?”
Charles’s silence answered him.
Julian laughed bitterly.
“So Mother stole from a system you built.”
“I never took money for myself.”
“That is supposed to make it better?”
“No.”
Charles looked exhausted.
“I built the machinery.”
“Eleanor learned how to use it.”
Julian shook his head.
“This entire company is rotten.”
“It does not have to remain that way.”
Julian looked toward the operating room.
“I may lose my wife and my son tonight.”
“I do not care about the company.”
A baby’s cry suddenly came from behind the doors.
It was weak.
Thin.
But alive.
Julian froze.
Charles lifted his head.
A second passed.
Then another.
No second cry followed.
Julian stepped toward the doors.
“Why is there only one?”
The nurse hurried outside.
Her mask was lowered.
“One baby has been delivered.”
“And the other?”
“The team is still working.”
“Which baby cried?”
“Twin A.”
“Which one is that?”
“Elliot.”
Julian had to grip the wall.
“Elliot is alive?”
“Yes.”
“Is he healthy?”
“He is extremely premature.”
“He will need intensive care.”
“But he is breathing.”
Julian looked toward the operating room again.
“And Noah?”
The nurse’s face softened.
“They are trying to stabilize him.”
Julian’s knees nearly gave way.
Charles caught his arm.
This time, Julian did not pull away.
Inside the operating room, Noah lay beneath the bright surgical lights.
His body was impossibly small.
His skin had a bluish-gray color.
The neonatal team worked around him.
“No heart rate.”
“Continue compressions.”
“Prepare another dose.”
A doctor pressed two fingers against Noah’s tiny chest.
“Come on.”
“Come on, little one.”
The monitor remained silent.
Across the room, Audrey’s blood pressure began falling.
“We have maternal hemorrhage.”
“Pressure is seventy over forty.”
“Start another unit.”
“Where is the blood?”
“It is coming.”
“We do not have time.”
The obstetric surgeon looked between Audrey and the neonatal team.
“Save the mother.”
The words cut through the room.
The neonatal doctor continued working on Noah.
“Not yet.”
“You have one minute.”
“I need more time.”
“You do not have it.”
Outside, Julian paced the corridor.
His phone rang.
He almost ignored it.
Then he saw the caller.
Madame Claire.
The owner of the French restaurant.
He answered.
“Julian?”
“This is not a good time.”
“I know where you are.”
“Your assistant called the restaurant.”
“What happened?”
“Audrey is in surgery.”
There was a pause.
“And the babies?”
“One is alive.”
“The other is not breathing.”
Madame Claire inhaled sharply.
“I am sorry.”
Julian closed his eyes.
“What did you need?”
“A man came to the restaurant tonight.”
“What man?”
“He said he worked for your mother.”
“He demanded the anniversary card.”
Julian’s eyes opened.
“Did you give him anything?”
“No.”
“But he knew about the card.”
“How?”
“I do not know.”
“Julian, he said something strange.”
“What?”
“He said the card in your safe was not the only copy.”
Julian stopped moving.
“What does that mean?”
“Audrey wrote two cards that night.”
Julian stared down the hallway.
“Two?”
“She ruined the first one with a drop of wine.”
“She threw it into my office trash.”
“I kept it.”
“Why would you keep a ruined card?”
“Because Audrey had written something on the back.”
Julian’s heart began pounding.
“What did she write?”
“I cannot remember every word.”
“But it was not about your anniversary.”
“It was a list of names.”
Charles moved closer.
Julian put the call on speaker.
“What names?” Charles asked.
Madame Claire hesitated.
“Who is that?”
“Charles Foster.”
A long silence followed.
Then she spoke.
“Your name was on it.”
Charles’s face lost all color.
Julian stared at his father.
“What else?”
“There were five names.”
“Charles Foster.”
“Eleanor Foster.”
“Grant Holloway.”
“Daniel Mercer.”
“And one more.”
“Who?”
“I could not read it.”
“The wine had smeared the ink.”
Charles gripped the wall.
“Daniel Mercer.”
Julian looked at him.
“Who is Daniel Mercer?”
“The chief financial officer.”
“The man you called to freeze the accounts.”
Julian’s phone felt cold in his hand.
“He is helping my mother.”
Charles nodded.
“He has been helping her for years.”
Julian immediately called Foster Meridian security.
No one answered.
He called Daniel Mercer directly.
The line connected.
Daniel spoke calmly.
“Julian.”
“You knew about the ledger.”
“I knew Audrey had copied something.”
“You helped my mother steal three hundred million dollars.”
“I helped protect the company.”
“You tried to kill my children.”
“No.”
Daniel’s voice remained smooth.
“Grant became unstable.”
“And my mother?”
“Eleanor became sentimental.”
Julian looked toward the operating room.
“What do you want?”
“The anniversary card.”
“You will never get it.”
“I already have it.”
Julian froze.
Daniel continued.
“Your safe was opened twenty minutes ago.”
“That is impossible.”
“Your mother gave me the access code years ago.”
Julian’s voice became deadly quiet.
“If you destroy that card, the evidence is gone.”
“No.”
“Only your copy is gone.”
“There are records elsewhere.”
“Where?”
Daniel laughed softly.
“Ask Audrey.”
The call ended.
At that exact moment, the operating room doors opened.
A doctor stepped into the hallway.
Blood stained the front of her gown.
Julian rushed toward her.
“My wife?”
“She is alive.”
He exhaled.
“And Noah?”
The doctor looked at him.
“We restored a heartbeat.”
Julian covered his face.
“But he is not breathing on his own.”
“What does that mean?”
“He has been placed on a ventilator.”
“Can I see him?”
“Soon.”
“What about Audrey?”
“She suffered severe bleeding.”
“We controlled it.”
“But she remains in critical condition.”
Julian stared through the doors.
The doctor continued carefully.
“There is another complication.”
“What?”
“During surgery, we found damage that could not be repaired.”
Julian’s throat tightened.
“What kind of damage?”
“To save her life, we had to perform an emergency hysterectomy.”
Charles looked away.
Julian did not understand at first.
Then the meaning reached him.
“She cannot have more children.”
“No.”
The doctor’s voice softened.
“These twins will be her only biological children.”
Julian closed his eyes.
Audrey had almost lost everything because of his family.
Her marriage.
Her safety.
Her ability to carry another child.
And she did not even know yet.
The doctor placed a hand on his arm.
“One more thing.”
Julian looked at her.
“Audrey briefly regained consciousness before we sedated her again.”
“She asked us to give you a message.”
“What did she say?”
May you like
The doctor looked directly into his eyes.
“She said, ‘Do not let them take my boys.’”
