Chapter 69 - Ethan

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I take a step closer to Hudson. As long as he is within my reach, I can handle him. I'm mastering some martial arts, it's that or my granddad will put bodyguards on me.

I walk from the side in purpose for Hudson to take a step back far from Madeline. And as expected, he moves a bit to the couch. Now we are in a triangle position.

"Stop, Hall! Don't come closer or I will shoot you." His hands shaky, eyes rimmed red unfocused, I can see the bulge vein on his neck. He is high. Motherfucker! It's easier to talk with sober people than the one under influence.

"What do you want, Hudson?" I ask in a stony voice. I take a glance at Madeline. Her face looks pale.

"I need money, Hall. Your cousin threw me off the bus! That bitch doesn't want me anymore."

"It's your business with Cam. Don't drag us to your drama." I walk a small step towards him. "Listen Hudson, I can give you the money you want and you can go for now. But that means you admit you are the mastermind of the embezzlement."

"It wasn't me! I swear to you, Hall. I'm not the mastermind. Ben is the mastermind. He took me under his wing, because I found his embezzles. That greedy man isn't that smart in hiding the proof. He's just an old green-eyed guy!"

I nod. Jack came with Hudson files. He is a smart guy. I suspected he was the one who did the tricky job to make us harder on finding the embezzlement's proof.

"I'm not the mastermind. He said he would give a lot of money if I helped him. It's big, Hall. I swear to you it's big. And I was with Camilia back then, that was why when you interrogate me I couldn't tell you it was him." Hudson keeps talking about the embezzlement. He doesn't realize I'm a few steps towards him.

"He was planning to pull you down when he found out you were looking closely at the embezzlement. That's why we came with the idea of sexual harassment. I know your former assistant will choose Madeline. She's smart. If it wasn't because of her mom, she would move to LA since last year. The timing was right. Cam was so antsy with my relationship with Madeline, even though I told her it's nothing. Guess she sensed I was planning to leave her once I got the money."

Madeline gasps. "You used her?" My woman is too pure for this world.

"What else, Mads? I was with her for more than half a year. She kept pushing me to break up with you. I didn't want to. My future was you in it. Not her." He looks at Madeline.

"You're so disgusting, Thomas!" She says in disbelief.

This is my chance. Hudson's focus is on Madeline, while his gun is still pointing at me.

I lunge forward. I'm planning to break his fingers from the gun. We are fighting. Thomas pulls the trigger when the gun is facing the roof. Madeline screams. I'm still fighting the gun with him. I'm sure I broke at least one of his finger. Another shot, and I feel there is a hot in my left upper arm. But finally the gun falls down. I kick the gun away and punch Hudson with all my power.

He falls backward to the wall; the blood comes from his nose. I stagger back a bit. I glance at my arm. Damn it! There are blood trickles from my arm. My white shirt becomes red.

Hudson lunges at me and hits my left bloody arm. "I just need money, Hall! You have a lot." He is still talking while his hand presses on my wound. I don't know how long we are wrestling, but somehow during the wrestling, I kick him hard. He falls back and bumps into Madeline, and Madeline falls to the table.

I lose my focus on Thomas when Madeline doesn't wake up from the table immediately. Thomas punches me in the face. He comes to again; I stagger myself, ready to launch the punch on him. But suddenly there is a vase and smack!

Hudson stops and falls to the ground. Behind him is Madeline with a vase in her hand. She hits Hudson with it. She throws the vase to Hudson's cock (that hurts, man) but I don't think she realized it. Hudson doesn't move from his place. Madeline runs to me and hugs me.

"Ethan..." she cries.

"Shh.. it's okay." I kiss her head.

Jack comes into the apartment. "Ethan, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good" even though the wounds scream in my hand. I look at Madeline. "You okay, Sweetness? Our baby is okay?" I caress her stomach.

Her eyes get blurry and suddenly she falls into me. There is a lot of blood dripping from her thighs.

"Sweetness! Madeline!!"

***

Everything is blurry. The ambulance took me and Madeline to the hospital. I kept holding Madeline's hand. Her face pale. What happened to her? God, please save her and our baby. Please... don't take her away from me. I beg you.

The nurses separated us because they need to check on Madeline and treat my wound. Luckily, the bullet didn't go through my arm; it was just flying on the side of my arm. They wrapped the bandages on my arm. I forced them to let me wait in front of Madeline's room. I was still pacing when Christian and Meredith run to me.

"Ethan, where is Mads?" Meredith's face pale. I gesture at the room. "The doctor is still checking on her."

"You okay, E?" Christian looks at my arm, his face worried too.

"I'm fine..."

"Thomas hit Mads?"

"No. I don't think so. The only time Madeline got hit was when I pushed Hudson and he accidentally bumped into her. She fell to the ground. But I don't know why there was so much blood. There.." the image of Madeline's blood comes to my mind, and suddenly I can't breathe.

"Breath, E! Breath!" Christian pulls me to sit down. "Calm down. We don't know what's happened yet. Let's wait for the doctor. Okay. Maybe she cuts herself when Hudson bumped into her."

"I'm going to take some water for you, Ethan," Meredith says. She nods to Christian and goes.

"There was so many blood, C."

"Doesn't mean anything, E. Stop thinking the worst." He puts his hand on my shoulder.

"We haven't talked," I whisper. "I haven't given her a chance to explain about the trip. I was stubborn. God, I'm so stupid."

"Hey, hey... stop. She understands it, okay... even though you owe her an apology."

I look at him. "You know about the trip?"

"Yeah, we all know. Andrew gave her the brochure. Told her it is Christmas present for her. She was so happy. She told us, she will ask you to have the trip with her because you were so swamped with the works. I reminded her you don't celebrate your birthday. She knew. She said... she just wants you to let go of the past, to enjoy your birthday again, but she doesn't think that she wants to celebrate it either since it's your father's death date."

I feel a lump in my heart. From the beginning, all that she asked is for me to let go of the past.

Let it go, Ethan... all the past, all the regrets. You can't live with punishment in your life. Your dad wouldn't want you to live like that...

I bump my linked hand to my mouth. I'm sorry, Sweetness.. I'm so sorry...

Christian taps my shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. She understands you, Ethan."

I rake my hair and lean on the sit. Look up at the hospital roof. "You know my girl in Julian Town?"

"The one you have your first kiss with?"

I nod. "It's Madeline." I look at Christian, waiting for his reaction.

Christian eyes widen, his jaw drops. I chuckle. "I just knew it today as well." I take out my wallet and show Christian the picture. "It's me and Madeline. Her mom had this picture all this time."

Christian takes the photo and looks closer at it. "Jesus Christ," he says under his breath. Meredith comes behind him. "That's Madeline right?"

Christian looks at Meredith. "You know this boy, Merry?" he points at 8 years old me. Meredith gives me the water. "Yes, I know him. He is Madeline's first crush. She said she always believed in him and his silly games, even though sometimes the games went wrong. But after he left Julian Town, she never saw him anymore. Why..." suddenly she trails off and looks at me. "Oh my God!"

***

Few minutes later, Tony and Drew come to the hospital. They also wear the same worry face.

"Where is she?" Tony asks Meredith. Meredith gestures to the room. "The doctor still checking on her."

I check my watch. Shouldn't the doctor come out and tell me what happened with Madeline? Oh, shit.. the baby! My baby! I walk to the door, ready to barge in, when the doctor comes out of the room.

"Madeline. How is she, doc?" My heart thumps wildly. God, please don't let anything happen to Madeline and our baby.

"You are?"

"Ethan Hall, Madeline Parker is my girlfriend."

"She's fine, Mr Hall." And I am relieved. Our friends also let out a relief sigh.

"Thank God."

"She is on the way to the room. You asked for the private wing, correct?" I nod. "The nurse is taking her there right now."

My baby!!

"What about the baby, doc? Is the baby fine? Madeline was bleeding."

I hear Meredith gasps and sharp intake from the guys. But I don't care. My focus is on my baby now.

"Oh..." The doctor eye me.

"She is pregnant, right? She was bleeding earlier. Was it from my baby? What happened to my baby..." Someone is holding my shoulder. It's Christian. I realize I almost crush the doctor.

"Relax, Ethan."

"But my baby..."

"The baby is fine, Mr. Hall. Ms. Parker, and the baby is fine."

I feel finally I can breathe again. Madeline is pregnant with our baby. My baby. And they are safe. Everything will be okay.

"The blood is not from the baby. She cuts herself in her thigh. A glass flake was stuck on her thigh. The blood came from there."

"Thank God." I lump backward.

"As for the faint, maybe she was just too shocked. Stress and lack of sleep are not good for the pregnant woman. I don't know whether she has morning sickness, but sometimes women lose their appetite in the early stage of pregnancy. Now if you excuse me, I have another patient to attend. The nurse will inform you with Ms. Parker's room."

We nod and the doctor goes back to the room.

"Sir..." we all turn around. Paulo is there with a duffle bag. "For Madeline's appetite. I'm sure she is still eating well. When she was waiting for you to come back, she ate her dinner and still munched some snacks afterwards, and... she also stole some of your birthday noodles. So, you don't have to worry."

"Damn, Mads.." Tony breathes.

I chuckle hearing that despite of the hotness in my eyes. Christian and the others laugh too.

"Um.. Ethan... the baby?" Meredith bites her lip, waiting for my explanation.

I study her. I thought Madeline would tell her, but judging from her face, she is clueless. "She didn't tell you?"

She shakes her head slowly.

I clear my throat. "I just found out about it, too. It's better foryou to wait for her to tell you by herself."

Meredith smiles softly and nods. She comes forward and hugs me. "I'm glad you come back, Ethan. She was miserable without you." 

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