Chapter 46: Chapter 24: She’s Gone

NATE

I only have a couple of days left before I will be at the house full-time. I cannot wait, especially with the shit that went down last week.

We decided this would be my last week, so we can keep everyone safe until the baby is here, then we will find this jackass. Jessie is slowly healing but is still in a lot of pain.

Jocelyn has been taking great care of him and making sure he keeps resting. If we try to tell him to go rest, he tells us to fuck off.

If Jocelyn tells him to go rest, he doesn’t even put up a fight. She has him wrapped around her little finger and it’s hilarious.

Work has been slow but steady, thank goodness, as Ricardo hasn’t been around to give us any issues at the moment. We are having a meeting this morning to make sure everything goes smoothly while I am gone.

I have Tania make copies of papers for the meeting as well as get refreshments together. My dad, my grandpa Fernando, Vinny, and all our head security people will be there. I arrive early as Tania is bringing everything in for the start of the meeting.

Once everyone arrives, we start the meeting and things are going smoothly. Everyone is chatting and visiting when my phone starts to jingle and I see it’s Mandy. The moment I pick up, she’s screaming that the baby is coming. Shit—talk about perfect timing!

“Okay, baby, I will be on my way.”

“I gotta fucking go now, Nate! I am not waiting an hour for you to get here! Just meet Jocelyn and me at the hospital!”

“No, absolutely not! She cannot leave!”

“Well, I’m not fucking going by myself!”

“Okay, okay! I will meet you two there.”

Before she hangs up, I hear sirens in the background of the call so I know she will be okay. If they go code three, it will take about thirty minutes to get her there, so I will leave in about ten minutes.

I will be waiting with guards so when they pull up, I’ll know everyone is safe. I turn to everyone and announce, “Baby Maxwell is on the way!”

Everyone erupts in cheers, and my dad points at me yelling for me to go. I grab Jesus and Luis and text other guards to meet us at the emergency room. We quickly make our way downstairs to the SUV and drive off to get to the hospital.

We pull up with about ten minutes to spare, so we stop and arrange to have flowers and gifts from the gift shop delivered once Mandy is situated in her room.

We stand around waiting as the time keeps ticking by, but there’s no ambulance with a screaming lady in labor. Ten minutes pass, then twenty, and still nothing.

After thirty minutes, I walk to the nurses’ station where there is absolute chaos. Doctors and nurses are yelling into phones. A nurse comes to us asking if she can help us.

“Where the hell is my pregnant fiancée? She was being brought here by ambulance!”

All the yelling comes to an abrupt halt as I see a doctor hand off a phone and walk over toward me, pulling me aside.

“Mr. Maxwell, there has been an accident. Police and another ambulance are on site. I don’t know how to put this, but the ambulance was ambushed. Both the EMT and the paramedic were shot and killed, and your fiancée was left there.

“Witnesses saw a girl get thrown into a black van by a bunch of men. No one has found them yet. Your fiancée is already loaded into another ambulance and on the way.”

I take a deep breath and call my dad because I am at a loss right now.

“Dad, they ambushed the ambulance and got Jocelyn.”

“Shit! Okay, I will get everyone looking for the van. Where is Mandy?”

“They left her after they killed the EMT and the paramedic. She is in another ambulance and headed here. Dad, I gotta go look for Jocelyn! That fucker took her, and if anything happens to her…”

“You keep your ass there! Mandy needs you now more than ever! She just watched people get shot and your sister kidnapped. She needs her rock right now! We will find her!”

MANDY

We load quickly into the ambulance after hanging up with Nate, and Jocelyn jumps in the back with me. The contractions are getting so painful, but Jocelyn just holds my hand and rubs it as the paramedic gets my IV started to give me some pain meds.

We seem to be about halfway there when we hear the EMT up front slam on the brakes. Shit goes flying everywhere, making a large mess.

Before the paramedic can say anything, we hear gunshots ring out. Jocelyn throws herself on top of me to try and protect me and the baby. I hold onto her for dear life because no one knows what’s going on.

The back doors are thrown open and another shot rings out. The paramedic drops, leaning against the gurney. We start screaming when Jocelyn is ripped away from me. I try to hold onto her but I’m not strong enough.

I see a man standing there, grabbing Jocelyn around the neck. She keeps grabbing and kicking, yelling for Ricardo to let her go. He looks at her and yells in her face. I try to get up to get to her, but the pain is getting unbearable.

“I told you I would fucking get you!”

He crashes his lips to hers. He then turns, yanking her out of the back. I scream for her and try to get off the gurney. I can hear a vehicle peeling off, and I know I’m too late.

I start to panic, and I don’t know what to do. I see a walkie-talkie on the paramedic’s waistband and grab it.

“Hello?”

“Medic Twenty-Three, this is Control. Is everything okay?”

“No, I am the patient. They have both been shot! Please help me!”

“Okay, sweetie. Just stay with me, okay? We are dispatching another ambulance to come get you, okay? The police are on their way. Is it just you?”

“My soon-to-be sister-in-law was here but was just kidnapped. I couldn’t hold on. I tried so hard, but she’s gone. It’s all my fault!”

“Okay, we are getting info to the police. You should start hearing sirens. They are just a couple blocks from you.”

“I can hear them.”

“Okay, sweetie. Tell me when they are there with you, okay?”

I keep looking out of the ambulance and searching. When a face pops into view, I instantly lose it. I jump back on and say they’ve arrived. I drop the walkie-talkie as I’m quickly unloaded from one ambulance to another and sent on my way.

Poor Jocelyn, she doesn’t deserve this. Hopefully, they can find her quickly. I just sob, holding myself, as we drive quickly to the hospital.

When we pull in, they get me out and run with me into the hospital where I see Nate. I lose it again and start screaming.

“I tried to hold onto her, Nate, I swear! He was too strong! I tried so hard, but I couldn’t! He took her, Nate. Ricardo took her! I tried to keep hold of her! It’s my fault, Nate! It’s all my fault! I tried to get up, but it hurt too much!”

“It’s okay, baby. Dad is already out looking for her.”

He wraps his arms around me, trying to soothe me. I am shaking, I’m so scared.

The nurse and doctor make sure I’m stable before they transfer me upstairs to the labor and delivery ward. We settle in, then we see Dr. Mona come walking in and know that we are in good hands.

“Nate, my boy, look how much you have grown! I remember just yesterday I saw your mom pregnant with your baby sister and brother! Look, now we have your little one being born! How exciting!

“Okay, Mandy, let’s check you really quick. You’re around three to four right now, so we have some time. Settle in and relax. Pretty soon, we will have a new little Maxwell!”

When the doctor leaves, Nate looks at me, and I can’t believe that in just a little bit, I will be a mom and he will be a dad. He looks absolutely nervous.

I watch him type something into his phone, and after about ten minutes, I have four guards standing outside the door. They are great, but sometimes they can take their jobs a little too seriously.

But we can’t take chances right now. I see the doctor come back and get stopped before entering.

“Nate, son, do they really have to stop everyone? We work here!”

“Doctor, I’m sorry. They are very protective right now as my sister Jocelyn was riding with Mandy in the first ambulance and has been kidnapped. We know who did it. We just have to find them.”

“Oh, Nate, I am so sorry! I know you guys will find her soon!”

“Thanks, so do we!”