Zed moves straight ahead instead of turning to the left as initially planned. So I start presuming that Zed has changed his mind about picking up Ella himself. But then he turns right, and soon, we enter a black gate.
“What are we doing here?” I ask Zed. Seeing him unfastening his seatbelt, I also do mine.
“Hurry, Ar. We need to change the vehicle, a bullet-proof one.”
“Who is living here?”
“One of my teams.”
Zed jumps down from the car and runs towards my side to open the door for me. But before he reaches me, I have already stepped one foot out.
“Ara, just stay here. You will be safe here. This area is heavily guarded, and the security is high. I will pick you up once everything is over. But in case that I can’t, my team knows what to do with you,” Zed speaks in utmost tenderness. His face even paints his gratefulness and worry for me. But I don’t like him saying goodbye. I may not be of any help to him, but I want to accompany him until the end.
“What are you talking about? Are you going to dump me?”
Zed shakes his head. “No, Ara. I just want to keep you safe. I have too many enemies. I’m afraid I can’t protect you anymore. And besides, you’re a woman. You can’t pull a stunt or jump out of a car anytime. So you’ll only be at risk.”
“No, Zed. Just leave me if I can’t pull a stunt or jump out from wherever we are. I’ll be with you, whether you like it or not. Until death does us part.”
Zed chuckles. “Come here, fast. It’s your fault you’re chubby!” He holds my hand as he strides fast. I also run to keep up his pace. I look silly, but I’m not complaining.
“What’s wrong with being chubby? I’m still sexy.”
“You’re always a loyal friend. I appreciate it, but I can’t fall in love with a chubby one like you.”
I roll my eyes, and he chuckles. “Shut up! Do you think you’re also my type? Dream on!”
My lips curl to a pout, but suddenly, Zed pulls me to a hug. “Thank you so much, Ar. I might not be able to do this anymore.”
“Don’t speak like you are dying,” I push him away. “I won’t attend your funeral. Let’s go!”
Zed laughs as he resumes sprinting, making me run as fast as possible.
“Zed, Monster is ready. We have equipped it already,” says a sturdy man who walks towards us. It seems like he anticipates that we are coming. But who is Monster?
“Thank you, sir! Please tell the mobile medical team to prepare their OB pack. Ella is going to give birth at any moment.”
“I made sure of that already.”
“By the way, Ella sent Aliyah to Mountain Paradise.”
“We know that already because Aliyah’s parents called. They are against this, but Aliyah is stubborn. So, her parents can’t do anything else but cooperate.”
“So, the convoy of cars there are our people?”
“Yes.”
“So, do you think Ella’s place is a better alternative if we fail?”
“So far, we haven’t detected any suspicious activity. But Ella can be pressured into confessing. So, it’s still not safe unless you move into different planes.”
“Can it be arranged?”
“I guess we don’t have enough time. But don’t worry, you all have us at your back. We are following closely.” The man pats Zed’s right shoulder then hands him the keys.
Soon after, Zed grabs my arm and leads me to a sleek, black sedan. I watch in a daze as I notice that the windshield and the windows are heavily-tinted.
This is it! We’re now stepping into the battlefield!
“By the way, this is Ara. Please take care of her if anything happens.” I turn in Zed’s direction. The same man we spoke to is now standing beside Zed.
I give the man a pursed smile, and he nods. “Got it, Zed.”
“Sir, why can’t you arrest James right away? So that he won’t make some trouble anymore,” I can’t hold it anymore. I want them to do the shortcut. It’s apparent that James is a criminal, so why beat around the bush?
“It’s not that easy, Miss Ara. There are processes. But we have to catch them in the act. That’s why we are monitoring closely, now that there’s a rumor that James is going to escape.”
“I hope you all succeed this time, sir!” I wave a hand before stepping inside. I don’t wait for his reply anymore.
Zed gets back to Dr. Mitch’s clinic through another route. The moment Zed pulls over the front of the clinic, Mitch comes out and points to the ambulance parking on the other side.
Zed picks up the phone and calls Mitch instead of opening the window. The latter also pulls out the phone from her pocket and answers.
“I have arranged an ambulance, Zed. It’s safer for us to go to your house via ambulance because Ella’s contractions have progressed.”
“Where did you get that ambulance?” Zed says, his face pulling into a frown.
“Don’t worry. It’s from the hospital where I work. I even know the driver.”
“Okay,” Zed says, but his brows are still knitted together. It looks like he’s still reluctant to have Ella and Mitch go via ambulance.
Looking behind and around him, Zed then jumps out of the car and knocks on the ambulance. Afraid that he might change his mind and ride with Ella, I hop out of the car and follow him.
Soon, the two of us enter the ambulance. Ella is lying on the stretcher in the middle, her upper body resting in a sitting position. She smiles as she glances at me, but Zed robs her attention by holding her hand.
“How are you?” Zed asks, looking at her tenderly. He then bends down and kisses the top of her head.
I shake my head. It wasn’t long ago when Zed loathes Ella for shaming him. How could he easily change his mind?
“I’m almost there. Thanks for coming.”
“You’re expecting me?”
“Of course. I know you’ll hear the news of my marriage to Mr. D. And I know how it implies on you.”
“I bet Dennis is conniving with Kim. The two have also taken the opportunity to revenge on me.”
“Can I stop thinking about that?”
Zed nods, brushing her hair with his finger. “Can you still hold on until we reach the house? I’m taking you away. I have already arranged for a medical team to fly with us. Dr. Mitch can even do a Cesarean section if needs arise. We’ll escape from James together.”
Ella finally gives way to the tears she has been holding back. They trickle down her face like a deluge, but Zed wipes them away.
“Hopefully. But my bag of water has ruptured already.”
Zed glances at Mitch worriedly. “We can’t risk Ella. How about we go to another hospital?”
“Ever since I stayed with Dr. Mitch, I place my phone on airplane mode. So, James and his people can’t reach me. Perhaps, they are looking into the hospitals already. James is expected to arrive today or tomorrow.”
“He even might be here already,” Zed admits, his face reflecting an immense sadness.
“What if they will look for Mitch?” I butt in.
“I filed a leave two weeks ago and endorsed all my patients to a fellow OB. We also falsified her date of delivery. So, the OB can reason out that she may not be in labor yet.”
“Your place is not safe either, Zed,” Ella says. “James’ people are surely looking for you first in the house.”
“No. They would think I was hiding somewhere else.”
“So, let’s go then!” I tell them. How can we waste time talking?
Mitch knocks on the partition wall between the driver and the patient’s side. The siren starts sounding, and soon we move on. But instead of going to the road that leads to Zed’s place, the ambulance driver takes another route.
Zed immediately hurries to look at the small glass window. And then, he curses under his breath.
“Shit. It’s Dennis!”