Book 2: Chapter 38

My thoughts were debating whether I should find a way to escape or not while Eric was still fast asleep. I may have avoided Eric's sexual advances tonight, but this night's absence would only increase his hunger. With that in mind, I downloaded an SOS app, and I called the emergency response unit using Eric's phone. Not long after, the sound of the ambulance's siren reverberated through the confines of the bedroom.

I tiptoed out of the room, throwing glances at Eric. My heart leaped in fright when he suddenly moved just as I turned the doorknob. Thankfully, he didn't stir again, and his face showed a relaxed expression telling me that he was indeed fast asleep. Just as I walked past the bedroom door, Eric's phone rang. I brought it with me because that was my only weapon against the guards stationed outside the gate. I turned it on a loudspeaker mode as one of the emergency responders spoke from the end of the line.

"Dr. Grey, we are already at the location you give us."

"Yes, sir. I'm already going out."

I quickened my steps toward the main door—my heart seemed to sit a few inches away from the edge of a cliff. Just before I could reach for the knob, I jumped backward, and my eyes flew wide when I saw the door opening. Clutching my chest, I watched in fright as the guard's sharp stare met my eyes.

"Why are they here?" the guard asked, giving me a flaming gaze.

"I am having premature contractions, so I need to go to the hospital." I looked straight into his eyes, never showing an ounce of fear.

"Why didn't you tell us, first? You seemed to have forgotten your status here," the man reminded me in a voice louder than a whisper, but his eyes were burning with fury.

"It's sudden," I answered calmly, knowing that they couldn't dare to stop me. I was holding the phone, and at the moment, the responder was talking to me.

"Dr. Grey, is everything alright?"

I did not answer right away. I lifted my chin and gazed straight into the eyes of the guard again before I moved my gaze back to the phone.

"Open the door," I demanded, my voice giving out a threatening tone,

The guard suddenly made a swift move of his arm to grab the phone, but he stopped when I screamed.

"Help!"

"Dr. Red, are you alright? Can you walk? Or, shall we break into the door?" The responder who communicated with me spoke into the line.

I held the guard's gaze as I raised the phone showing it to him that I had activated the SOS app.

"Alright," the guard answered and opened the door wide for me. His gaze was blazing with fury and fear, but he could do nothing that would make the responders suspicious.

Perhaps through a form of communication that he had with the other guards, the one who was posted on the gate opened it wide. Then, men in blue-and-tangerine suits rushed forward with a gurney.

Just as the men had me lie down on the stretcher, I saw the guard bolted like lightning and entered the bedroom where Eric was. But since I knew how Eric would respond, I was confident. He would never allow anyone to see him in sleep-disheveled shape. And just as how I guessed it, I only saw Eric a second before someone from the rescue team shut the ambulance door.

Before I knew it, I was already wheeled into the emergency room. And since I was pregnant, the ER team who met us at the entrance brought me directly to the ER's OB-Gyne section. A nurse immediately attended to me and took my vital signs the moment I was transferred to a bed. A post-graduate intern then followed and did the history taking before the resident obstetrician came to see me.

"Miss Grey?" a woman in her forties greeted me. She looked young in her tight-fitting white coat.

"Yes, doc," I smiled.

"Dr. Salas here. Can you tell me what happened?"

I looked around before I glued my eyes on her. I then pulled out my identification card from my pocket and showed it to her.

"It's wonderful to know. You're also a physician."

I smiled, maintaining my gaze on her, trying to communicate with her my intention in silence.

"What is it, Dr. Grey?"

"Doc, I'm not having a premature labor contraction, but I made this as an excuse to run away from my ex-boyfriend. He trapped me somewhere. I let him take a sedative, then use his phone to contact the emergency responders. This is only the way I can think of escaping from him."

"Do you want me to call the police?"

"No, please. I don't know if he's part of any organization that would only make your effort futile."

She just nodded, and I pursed a smile.

"Just please help me escape and go to my grandfather's place."

Dr. Salas squinted her eyes at me as she listened, but her jaw was dropping.

"Where is your grandfather's house?" she asked.

"If you may have heard of Sir Thomas Grey, he is my grandfather," I softly answered, wishing silently that she wouldn't make it hard for me.

"What?!" she exclaimed, her mouth hanging wider.

"Yes, doc. That is the only place where I am safe."

Dr. Salas heaved out a deep sigh as she got lost in her thoughts. Then she snapped her finger, followed by a glow on her face.

"I'll take you to the operating room for a CTG (cardiotocography}. There's an exit door there where the waste in-charge would pass through."

Cardiotocography (CTG) is a technical means of recording the fetal heartbeat and uterine contractions during pregnancy.

"Thank you so much, doc. I owe my life to you," I said, brushing away the tears on my face, though I still managed to wear a smile.

"Don't mention it. How can I turn my back on you?" she answered, and my tears then flowed like an endless waterfall.

The next thing I knew was that I was already wearing a dark green scrub suit. Anyone who would see me may think I was some OR personnel. And while everyone was busy attending simultaneous procedures, Dr. Salas led me through an exit passage.

Helping me escape through that exit door was not the only thing Dr. Salas did for me. She also had a waiting car with a driver taking me to the Grey's residence. It was only then that I felt I was breathing the air of freedom, especially when the housekeeper greeted me happily by the entrance.

"I'm glad you're back, Dr. Grey," she greeted me happily, her smiles stretching out to her ears.

"I'm also glad to have arrived here safely. Please don't tell anyone I am here," I said, stifling a yawn. Perhaps because of too much stress, I felt my strength leaving me the moment I stepped into what I called home.

"You can trust me, Dr. Grey."

"Thank you," I replied, half-smiling.

"You must be exhausted. Please take a rest while I prepare your dinner," she offered, and without asking her further, she led me to my bedroom.

The sight of a soft, king-size bed awakened my desire to sleep. Without thinking of washing first, I slumped into the bed right away. And it didn't take another minute—I dozed off like a wilted lamp's wick. I had no idea how long I had drifted off to sleep when I suddenly dreamed that someone was holding me.