Chapter 387

After dressing quickly and rushing to the hospital, we found Justin pacing outside a hospital room on the maternity floor.

He looked frazzled. It made me feel guilty for not answering my phone when he called to tell me about Amy.

“How is she?” I asked, clinging nervously to Victor.

“They gave her something to stop the contractions,” he answered in a shaky voice. “I don’t know if it worked. The doctor is with her now.”

I hugged him. “Amy and the baby will be okay. This is the best hospital in Denhurst. They handle cases of early labor all the time.”

His eyes filled with hope. “Really?”

“Absolutely,” Victor insisted and patted his shoulder. “They know what they’re doing here.”

“She’s been working too hard at the shelter,” Justin grumbled. “It’s too much for her now, especially while she’s keeping up with her classes. I begged her to hire someone to help her.”

“I didn’t know she was still working that much at the shelter,” I said. “She complains about being tired at school all the time.”

Justin shook his head. “She needs to hire a manager for the shelter. Heather still takes classes and can’t work full-time. Amy wants to take time off after she has the baby anyway.”

“I’ll talk to her about it later if it’s okay with you,” I said. I didn’t want to butt too far into their relationship.

“Please do,” he responded. “She won’t listen to me.”

A doctor in scrubs came out of Amy’s room and joined us in the hallway. He shook Justin’s hand and introduced himself as Dr. Derr.

“Amy’s contractions have stopped,” Dr. Derr said. “She and the baby are doing well, but we need to keep her here for observation for a few days. She’ll need to take it easy when she gets home.”

“Did you tell her that?” Justin asked the doctor.

“I did,” Dr. Derr replied. “I told her the baby needs to stay in her womb for at least another four to six weeks, and rest will help make that happen.”

“How much rest?” Justin asked. Like me, he knew his wife liked to stay busy.

“I’d like to see her on partial bed rest until she delivers the baby,” Dr. Derr replied. “She can get out of bed to shower and use the toilet, but I want her reclining with her feet up the rest of the time.”

“What about school and running a homeless shelter?” I asked.

“She can take remote classes and supervise employees over the phone,” Dr. Derr explained.

Justin nodded, but he looked doubtful it would happen.

“Then that’s what she’ll have to do,” I said and patted Justin’s shoulder. “Amy won’t do anything to endanger the baby. Not after this.”

Justin nodded again, but his face was pale as he turned to the doctor. “Do you think the baby will make it to nine months in her womb?”

“If we can keep the baby from being born until weeks thirty-two to thirty-six, it should be just fine,” Dr. Derr explained. “If it’s born earlier than that, it will need to spend time in our neonatal unit.”

“But will it be okay?” Justin asked.

“There are no guarantees,” the doctor replied. “Babies have been born earlier than where Amy is now and survived. But the earlier the birth, the more risky it is for the baby.”

Justin swallowed hard and nodded once more. “Can I …we see her?”

“Sure,” Dr. Derr replied. “But only for a few minutes. She needs to rest.”

Dr. Derr moved down the hall, and Victor and I followed Justin into Amy’s room. She was lying in the bed in a hospital gown, an IV in the back of one of her hands.

“Hi.” She waved weakly and offered Justin her free hand. “The baby is okay, and I promise to take it easy until it’s born.”

“I have an idea for the shelter,” I said. “Since I never stay at my apartment in the city, Mrs. Carson has nothing to do. She asked Alex to find her more work to fill her days.”

“I love her!” Amy gushed. “She’s great at taking care of people. Do you think she’d move into the manor and help Heather run the place?”

I glanced at my phone screen and saw it was after eleven p.m. “I’ll call her tomorrow. I’m sure she’ll say yes.”

Amy laid back and smiled. “With Mrs. Carson living at the shelter, it  would keep me from worrying about the place.”

“The doctor said you need to take remote classes until the baby is born,” Justin told Amy. “And …”

Amy finished the sentence. “And I’m on partial bed rest. It’s okay, babe. I learned my lesson. I’ll take it easy until the baby comes. But it’s going to be hard for me with us living at the shelter.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that because I have a surprise for you,” Justin said with a huge smile. “Grandma bought the mansion next door for us, and I’ve been having it renovated. It’s ready for us to move in.”

Amy clapped her hands and pulled Justin close for a kiss.

“That’s fantastic!” she declared. “I can’t wait to see it.”

Victor squeezed my hand and motioned toward the door. “Daisy and I are going to leave you two alone. Call us if you need anything.”

“I’ll call Mrs. Carson in the morning and then stop to see you. I’ll bring milkshakes.”

Amy’s eyes lit up. “That sounds great.”

“See ya then,” I said, and we left the couple alone. Amy was doing well, and she was in good hands.

It had been a long day, and Victor and I needed some rest. We returned to the mansion and were asleep in minutes.

I returned to Amy’s hospital room the next day before noon. I had vanilla shakes with burgers and fries, along with good news.

“Mrs. Carson said she’d be delighted to work at the shelter,” I told Amy. “She can start immediately and will move in this afternoon.”

“That’s wonderful,” Amy said. “Between Mrs. Carson and Heather, I don’t have to worry about the shelter.”

“I’ll talk to the college about virtual classes for you this afternoon,” I promised while unpacking our lunch. “And I told Justin to call Carson if he needs help setting up your new household. He hires the best staff.”

“I could get used to all this pampering.” Amy took a big gulp of her milkshake and rubbed her baby bump. “So, what are you and Victor going to do now? It must be a relief to have John behind bars.”

“We just want to live normal lives with our family and friends,” I replied.

“I’d bet normal sounds good after everything you’ve been through,” Amy said. “You definitely deserve it.”

“I have to testify at John’s trial next month.” I put a crispy fry in my mouth. “After he’s found guilty and sentenced, I’ll feel like I can truly move on with my life.”

“I’d go with you if I could, but ….” She rubbed her baby bump again.

“No problem, sweetie,” I assured her. “Victor will be there.”

The day I had to testify against John arrived quickly. His lawyer did his best to make me seem like a flighty college student.

“So, Miss Wilson, do you make a habit of breaking and entering and trespassing?” John’s lawyer asked as he checked his gold and diamond watch.

“No,” I replied.

“Then why did you break into the Reed building?” he asked. “You had no reason to be there.”

I couldn’t believe this jerk in a ten thousand dollar suit was trying to make me the bad guy over the drug kingpin.

And a well-shackled John was at the defense table in human form, glaring at me as I spoke. He growled low in his throat, and his eyes glowed with hatred.

I looked into the onlookers in the gallery and saw Victor. He smiled encouragingly, and my confidence returned.

“I was working on a case for the public defender’s office,” I explained. “I was following a lead to the flow of Ice coming into the city.”

I explained how everything led to John Cameron’s hideout and Anna and I being kidnapped.

The new DA objected whenever John’s lawyer tried to derail my testimony, and I thought I did well on the stand.

Anna testified next. She didn’t let John’s expensive lawyer intimidate her either. I could tell the jury liked her, and she confirmed everything I told the court.

Several police officers and three of John’s men who took deals from the DA testified next.

They were cross-examined, but their stories didn’t waver. John was responsible for importing millions of dollars worth of Ice from Virople.

Then, the prosecution rested. It was time for the jury to decide John’s fate.