Everyone had been in a panic once I had fainted. Apparently as a VIP patient, I was under strict watch, and should anything even remotely change in my vitals, I be tended to immediately. 

There were literal people out there, somewhere in this hospital, dying, and yet everyone comes running when I faint. Ridiculous.

The only good thing about fainting... was that that child was gone. The incubator in the corner of the room had disappeared, but along with it, so had my husband.

There was a nurse tidying a blanket around me. A nurse writing my vitals on the board. A nurse monitoring the heart monitor next to me and a nurse monitoring the nurses, but no William. I stared at all of them until I cleared my throat, and said, "I'm fine now. I just had too much information thrown at me at once that my brain just short-circuited."

"Nonetheless, " the nurse to my right murmured, " as our VIP patient, we must attend to you to our best ability until you feel better."

"But I feel better now. Really." I tried to get her to look in my eyes, but she just kept scribbling in her notes. I groaned and threw my head back on my pillow. Obviously they weren't going to leave me alone for a while. "I would feel better though, if my husband were here... Where is he?"

The nurse standing watch, cleared her throat and declared, "He is currently in the NICU with his son."

I flinched and looked away from her. "I think I would've felt better if you hadn't said that..."

"My apologies, Mrs. Winter."

"It's fine... I'm fine." I stare at the corner the incubator had been. There was a throbbing in my heart. I moved my hand to rub at the area, but caught the head nurse watching my movement. 

"Do you feel pain somewhere?"

I laughed and said, "Only emotional pain. Which I doubt anyone can cure."

She shook her head, "Unfortunately, no. Who knows how many people would be alive and well if the emotional pain caused on us by men could be easily cured by a pill?"

I stared at her in awe and the other nurses stopped what they were doing to join along with me. She blushed and rubbed her neck. "I'm sorry! That was very inappropriate for me to say. Forgive me!"

I giggled and waved her off, "It's fine. No worries! You didn't say anything wrong."

The nurses chuckled and went back to work.

~

It wasn't until 30 minutes later that the nurses deemed I was well enough to be left alone and went back to their regular duties. My husband though... had not returned. It was 45 minutes later where I got fed up and called one of my nurses to me.

Nurse Melody peaked into my room and asked, "You called? Did you need assistance, Mrs. Winters?"

I twisted my lips and patted the chair situated next to my bed. "Come, come sit, please."

She looked a tad bit weary but nodded and moved to the chair. Once she sat herself down, I began to explain the favor I wished from her. "Nurse... you're the head nurse for this facility, correct?"

She nodded. "Then there is something I must ask of you. You see... I'm sure you know that my husband's mistress recently gave birth. And I use the term 'gave birth' lightly because, obviously, she didn't actually go into labor, but as it stands... my husband believes the boy she gave birth to is his. I do not believe that is the case. I believe she purposefully misled him in order to attain the wealth and fame he could provide her just by sticking to his side.

Nurse Melody looked visibly uncomfortable but I had to get her to do this. As the head of the maternity ward, she had clearance to the NICU where Brittany's son was being cared for and access to the testing lab where she could get William and Alexander's DNA tested.

"Now, I know, I know how I sound... but I need you to help me prove it. My husband is dead set on believing Brittany's son is his, but I know it's not. I know this sounds vain of me and cruel... but I can't... I can't deal with the stress of my husband not knowing that the child isn't his. I don't want to deal with the arguments this will cause us in the future..."

It was a low blow for me to throw in the stress and the health of my child, considering that stress was one of the reasons I was currently in the hospital.

She looked suspicious but hesitated in answering. I pleaded with my eyes, and begged, "Please... You don't need to worry for Alexander. I only need William to know that's not his son! Alexander will be cared for, I won't leave him deserted."

I meant what I said. Alexander was only a child and shouldn't have to pay for the sins of his mother. If William listened to me, I would be able to send him to home that deserved him, a better home than if Brittany had lived and taken care of him.

Nurse Melody sighed and looked away from me, whispering, "I will accept, but know that I am not doing this for you. I am doing this for the well being of your child. You are at a very dangerous point in your pregnancy where if anything were to go wrong, it could result in you going into premature labor and that's a situation we are all so desperately trying to avoid."

"So, "I grabbed her hand, forcing her to look into my eyes, "Will you do this for me? For the sake of my baby?"

Nurse Melody hesitated and nodded, "I will. I need you to promise me one thing and acquire something else for me."

I shook my head eagerly, "Of course, anything!" If it was money she wanted, I could get Daniel to give me the money I required. 

"I don't need money if that's what you're wondering. I only require you to keep my name out of it. Mr. Winters, either Mr. Winters, are not allowed to know what transpired between us. Second, I need you to get a DNA sample from your husband for me. I don't know how you're going to get it, but in order for this to work, I need a sample. Doesn't matter from what, but I'll give you the resources you need for it. It can be a saliva sample, a hair sample, blood sample, or, um... sperm sample. I'm sure, since the two of you are married, that one may not be difficult to acquire."

I laughed and shook my head. "Honestly, where William and I are at in our marriage, poking him with a needle would be easier than getting into bed with him."

Nurse Melody gave a small smile and removed her hand from my grip. "As long as you understand what I have asked of you, I can do my part. Now, if you may excuse me... I must attend to my other patients."

I thanked her and as soon as she left the room, I flopped down on the bed and blew the hair out my eyes. Finally, maybe... things could be going my way?

~

A/N: Hi. I'll try to update every other week, or maybe every two weeks. Hopefully I'll settle into a pattern I can deal with and you guys can recognize. But until then, please bear with my updating speed. Thank you for sticking with me and especially for sticking with my story! 

~V