[Third person POV]
"Sir, the madam is bleeding, I think the baby is in danger." After the words hit his ear, he couldn't explain the dread he felt at that moment; this was all too familiar.
He had witnessed many times where he would be called about his wife bleeding, and it all ended the same way, with news of the death of their baby.
It was always the same, it was always the same, it was supposed to be different this time, only two months remain for her to be full-term.
'Who needs kids anyway?' was a quote he had learnt to tell himself each time he had to watch his wife go through this.
He remembers the first time he met Clover, through his fiery secretary, who kept trying to set him up with everyone, and he would always pay Fiona extra just to avoid getting set up.
And one day, he had met a woman who made him beg Fiona to at least set him up. 'She is married,' Fiona said, but Fiona's tone alone made him believe that he could win Clover's heart; he just had to be persistent.
But Fiona was surely a loyal guard. She never let Gian anywhere near Clover. Yes, she would tell him about her trash husband and his family that treated Clover like trash, but it was always the same: 'If Clover doesn't want to leave him, I will support her.'
But one day, there was an opening. Clover's mother-in-law pushed her down the stairs. Fiona was out of town, and Selby didn't have a car to drive Clover to the hospital.
He can remember how he rushed to go to her home, and he remembers how thin and broken she felt in his arms. He still remembers his first fight with Fiona; he didn't think it was worth supporting her if she were going to be abused constantly, and Fiona feared losing her friend, so she couldn't force her to leave her marriage.
'Would you rather lose her through death?' first and last time he won an argument against Fiona.
It started a domino effect of 'coincidental' meetings between him and Clover, and thus started the love that he knew he needed.
Fiona was always the best friend to both, a little more to Clover, but he was okay with it. She supported Clover through the divorce and celebrated when Clover married again. She sat and cried with them through each loss.
He hated that he now had to call Fiona and tell her about this, knowing that she was going through a lot herself. This is the time he and Clover repay Fiona's love and kindness by supporting her, but, no, they have to go through another tragedy.
"Where is my wife?" he yelled at the receptionist.
"Sir, this way please," Bonnie says, "She is still in surgery. They haven't told me anything yet because I am not family."
He waited, and waited, for hours, not knowing what was going on, not calling any of his friends yet, because he was not sure how Clover felt yet. But it was painful waiting without anyone there to support him.
[8 hours later]
"Hello," a doctor finally comes out of the room.
"Where is my wife? How is she?"
"Mr. Easton, your wife and son are fine, but your son will have to be in an incubator since he was born prematurely." Happiness relieved all that hit him at once; it is indeed different this time.
"Can I see her?"
"Yes, but she is still unconscious, you will also be able to see your son," the doctor said.
"Thank you, thank you so much for saving them both," Gian says, almost crying, "Thank you so much."
"I was just doing my job, sir. I hope you and your family are okay," the doctor says.
A walk to her room is filled with nothing but happiness. He knows how happy Clover would be; she had always loved kids. He kept trying for kids because he knew his wife loved them, and now, he knew he already loved his son because he was half of the woman he loved.
[Meanwhile – third person's POV]
Fiona was still not sure how to feel; she was terrified. This woman had tried to kill her once, and it seemed she was not intending on stopping anytime soon.
"Um, do you want me to show you around?" she hears Heath say. She had been so engulfed in the worries of Esther that she didn't even get time to admire the beautiful mansion she was in.
"Oh…. Sorry, I was overthinking," she says.
"I am sorry too; it is my fault that......"
"Come on, you know that is not true, unless you are some evil spirit that makes people crazy enough to go around attempting to kill others," she sarcastically said.
She looked at him, her soft gaze felt very reassuring to Heath, "You don't hate me? Even if it is her obsession with me that gave you that scar?"
"Meh…. I kind of like the scar, you know," she sighed, "even so, I am still terrified. She had tried to kill me thrice before and nearly succeeded each time. What if she succeeds?"
"Fiona," Heath says quickly, taking her into an embrace, "She will never succeed this time, I will make sure of it."
[Ring, ring, ring]
"That is mine," Fiona says, "Let me take this."
She can hear Gian's frantic voice at the other end of the phone, "Calm down, Gian, I can't hear you if you are not calm."
Her eyes widen as he speaks, "Is the baby okay?!" she shouts, "Good, that is good."
"But I still need your help. Clover woke up and she had been screaming, and no one had helped her calm down yet. She doesn't know the baby is okay, and she is becoming hysterical. The doctors and the nurse are trying their best," Gian says.
"Hey, it is okay, I am on my way now," Fiona says quickly, hanging up.
"Is everything okay?" Heath asks in a low tone.
"Clover needs me; I need to go to the hospital," Fiona says. Heath unenthusiastically picks up the car keys.
He follows after Fiona with a suspicious look on his face. He hates this; he knows he shouldn't, but he still hates how those two are so co-dependent on Fiona that she can't even have her own time solving her problems without them calling her.
"Come on, Heath, this is urgent," she yells, but it makes him even angrier, 'When is she ever going to put herself first? Who taught her to put others first?' he thought to himself.
He knew at the moment he didn't have any ground to say anything because of the magnitude of their problem, but soon he would uproot whatever co-dependency relationship between Clover and Fiona, because that is what Gian is there for.