Chapter Forty Three

[POV: Stephen]

Stephen - TRINITYYYYYYYYYY!

My heart feels like it’s about to burst out of my chest as I watch my wife collapse. I scramble to catch her while still holding our son. The sight of Trinity hitting the floor, her head smacking against the tiles, sends my world spinning.

Stephen - BABY! TAKE MY SON! CALL AN AMBULANCE! DO SOMETHING, DAMMIT!

I shout at the Marshall, who takes Jay from me. I rush to Trinity’s side, my heart pounding in my chest. I kneel beside her, my hands shaking as I cradle her head. My hand comes away sticky with blood.

Stephen - CALL AN AMBULANCE NOW! WHERE IS IT?

US Marshall - Sir, please calm down. They’re on their way.

Stephen - She’s bleeding!

US Marshall - I’ll call my partner in.

I hear the Marshall calling for his partner, who rushes in and takes Jay. The commotion has woken the twins, and I see Livy standing in the hallway, her eyes wide with fear.

Olivia - Mommy, daddy...

Stephen - It’s okay, baby girl. Daddy’s helping mommy. She’ll be okay.

My heart aches as I see Livy start to sob.

Stephen - Can you call Clint, Mia, anyone? I need someone to come and take the kids. I need to be with my wife.

US Marshall - We’re on it, Sir. We have people on the way.

Stephen - Thank you.

I quickly take off my shirt and press it to the back of Trinity’s head, trying to stem the flow of blood. I check her pulse and her breathing, relief washing over me when I find both are steady.

Stephen - Baby, can you hear me? The ambulance is on the way. You’re going to be okay, I promise. Just stay with me, please. I need you, baby.

Olivia - Daddy...

I look up to see my daughter standing at the head of her mother, tears streaming down her face.

Stephen - Come here, baby. It’s okay. Momma just needs a little rest, okay? She wasn’t feeling well. Daddy will take care of you, okay?

Olivia - Wake mommy up, daddy. I want cuddles.

Stephen - Come here, baby.

My daughter comes over to me, sobbing into my shoulder. I feel tears start to fall down my face as I hold her close. I’m trying to wake Trinity up when the paramedics rush in.

I step back, watching as they check Trinity and secure her to a spinal board. Nate has come out now, and I pick up both my kids, watching as the paramedics work on my wife.

As they start wheeling her out, I put the twins down and ask them to walk out with me while I carry Jay.

US Marshall - Sir, where are you going?

Stephen - Where the hell do you think? I’m going with my wife.

US Marshall - Sir, we need to run that through the chain.

Stephen - I don’t give a shit what you think you need to do. I’m going with my wife! I’m not repeating myself again.

I take Jay from the agent and take the twins by the hand.

Stephen - Nate, hop on daddy’s back, please. Livy, come here, baby, and sit on this side.

With Nate on my back and Jay and Livy on either hip, I race down to the ambulance. The paramedics are more considerate than the agent and open the doors for us quickly. They help me strap the twins in up front while one of them works on getting Trinity settled. I sit next to her in the back with Jay.

Holding Trinity’s hand, I pull out my phone and dial Clint. He answers after just one ring.

Clint - (Phone call) Where are you? What’s going on, Bro? The marshalls just got here to pick us up.

Stephen - (Phone call) I’m in the ambulance with her, bro. Get them to take you straight to the hospital, please.

Clint - (Phone call) Mia and I are on our way now. Maddie and Benji aren’t far behind. They’re coming to pick up all the kids. I’ll tell them to meet us at the hospital. They’ll take them back to Flick and Dave, who will watch them. Is she okay?

Stephen - (Phone call) It happened too quickly, bro. I couldn’t do anything.

Clint - (Phone call) Mate, don’t! You need to be strong right now for her and your kids. This isn’t on you.

Stephen - (Phone call) The Marshalls arrived to tell us Luke and Todd had been in an accident.

Clint - (Phone call) Shit! Are they okay?

Stephen - (Phone call) I don’t know yet, mate. We didn’t get that far. All we know is they believe they were deliberately run off the road. The moment Trinity heard it, she fainted, bro. I was holding Jay. I didn’t have the strength to grab her and stop the fall.

I break down sobbing as I look at my wife and see the breathing tube they’re inserting into her throat and the tubes they’re fitting to secure her.

Clint - (Phone call) Bro, stay with me, please. I need you to keep it together for a bit longer for your kids, okay? I promise we’re coming.

Stephen - (Phone call) Thanks, bro. I’ll see you soon.

I hang up and sit there, watching my wife as they race us to the hospital. The tears I’ve been trying to hold back start falling harder. I feel Jay reach up and stroke my cheek, and I pull him into me, holding him tighter.

Stephen - Mommy will be okay, baby boy. I promise. She’s going to be okay, baby.

We arrive at the hospital shortly after, and they quickly rush Trinity into examination. I try to follow, but a nurse ushers me into a waiting room with the kids. I explain that I have some friends coming to help with the kids, and she says she’ll send them through when they arrive.

I’m sitting on the floor with the twins lying on the chair behind me. They’ve fallen asleep again, and I stroke their faces to keep them calm—and myself—as Jay sleeps on my chest. That’s when Clint and Mia walk in. Mia rushes over, taking Jay from me, while Clint pulls me into a hug.

Clint - Bro, are you okay? Is she okay? What’s going on with Luke and Todd?

Stephen - No one has told me anything, mate. I just...I don’t know.

Mia - Let me talk to the marshalls out there guarding the room. I’ll see what I can find out for you, babe.

Stephen - Thanks, hun.

Mia gives me a kiss on the cheek and a hug.

Mia - We’ve got you, okay?

Stephen - Thanks, hun.

I kiss her back on the cheek as she pats my shoulder and heads out.

It isn’t long before Mia comes back in and says the marshalls are getting a doctor to come and explain things to me. We wait another hour before someone finally comes through.

Doctor - Mr. Gotti?

Stephen - Yes, that’s me. How’s my wife?

Doctor: “Your wife is resting now. The marshals gave us a brief rundown of what happened. We’ve stitched up the wound on her head and performed a CT scan. There’s swelling in the hippocampus region of her brain, which is in the prefrontal cortex. We’ve put her in a medically induced coma to speed up the healing process, protect her brain from further damage, and to alleviate the severe pain she’d be in if she were awake.”

Stephen: “What does all that mean?”

Doctor: “The hippocampus is the part of the brain that controls memories, learning, and emotions.”

Clint: “So, you’re saying her memory might be affected?”

Doctor: “We won’t know until she wakes up.”

I sink back into my chair, unable to take in any more of what they’re saying.

Clint: “Bro, you okay?”

Stephen: “Why is this happening to her?”

Doctor: “The good news is that the baby is fine. There was no damage from the fall. We did a scan and everything looks good. The heartbeat is strong.”

Stephen: “Wait, what?”

Doctor: “Your wife is eleven weeks pregnant.”

I can’t hold back the tears any longer. They start to fall before I can stop them.