Jack drove out at insane speed, breaking the speed limit. He manuvered past the many cars that plied the room as he covered the distance from the office to Karen’s house in few minutes. He parked his car carelessly in her entrance and jumped out. Her car was still parked in the garage so he walked to the door, trying to pull it open. After trying twice, he realized it was locked from the inside. He cussed as he stared at the door, slowly running out of options. He moved backwards and slammed his shoulder on the door and still, it remained unmoved.
He walked to her garage and found a metal pipe. He picked it up and returned to the door. He used the pipe to break a part of the glass, putting his hand through the hole to unlock the door. He pushed the door open and stepped in. He scanned the entirety of the sitting room and when he didn’t find her, he ran towards the staircase. He climbed the steps carefully and when he was nearing the top, he started hearing whimpering. Someone was crying nearby.
After reaching the end of the stairs, he sighted her crumpled on the floor at one side of the lobby. He rushed to her and picked her up in his arms. She was already feeling weak and was almost passing out.
“Stay with me, please.” She heard his voice as she was lifted in his arms.
He picked up the bag and walked down the steps with Karen in his arms. He put her in the back of the car, making her lie on her back and he speeded to the hospital.
“Call Ciara and inform her.” Karen spoke from the back of the chair where she laid.
“I will.” Jack replied, still focused on the road. He arrived at the hospital and took her out in his arms, rushing into the hospital. He transferred her to a stretcher and she was rolled into a room.
__
Jack paced round the small lobby in front of the room Karen was currently occupying. She had been in labour for close to an hour and hadn’t given birth yet. Occasionally, she would scream out loudly, followed by cuss words while he watched from outside. He had chosen to stay outside the room, stating that being inside the room while she gave birth would be too much for him to handle. He had called Ciara and informed her once Karen was rolled in, calling Harry afterwards.
A cry of a baby broke out, interrupting his thoughts. He quickly rushed to the door as he watched from outside as the nurse took his child in her hands. Karen had finally given birth!
A tear rolled down the left side of his cheeks as a broad smile crept on his face. It was a beautiful sight as he watched the nurse clean up the child. He opened the door and stepped in, rushing to the bedside. He placed a kiss on Karen’s forehead as she stared at him weakly.
“You did it.” He squeezed her hand with an assuring smile on his face.
The doctor handed the child to Karen. She held the little human in her hands as tears rolled down her cheeks. Finally, she was a mother! Jack watched the duo adoringly as he used a finger to touch him.
“What are you going to name him?” Karen asked.
“Huh?” his attention had been on the child the entire time so he didn’t hear what she said.
“You wanted a boy, and we’ve got one. What are we going to name him?” she asked again.
Jack gulped, staring at the child. She hadn’t expected her to give him the privilege of naming the Child. It was simply too much for him.
“Jayden” he replied before turning to face her. He took her two hands in his and stared at her with emotions. “Thank you Karen. Thank you for this gift, and thank you for the privilege of naming him.” he squeezed her hand in his. “I will always love and respect you, though our worlds are now different.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she listened to Jack speak. He had left her speechless again.
“Can I hold him?” Jack asked politely, breaking into her train of thoughts. She handed the child over to Jack and watched as he held the child carefully in his arms, smiling at him, which caused her smile to broaden.
Her smile faltered as another realization dawned on her. Apart from Jack, she was alone in the hospital. She practically had no family members. In times like this, she wished her mother would come back to look for her, but she also knew it was impossible. More than a decade had gone by, and she still yearned for at least a piece of her already broken family.
Harry and Ciara visited her the next day with flowers and gifts. They placed the bunch of flowers in the vase on the table as they walked into the room.
“Awwwn, he is very cute.” Ciara cooed as she rushed to Karen’s side. “Hello baby, I am your aunty, Ciara. Nice to meet you.” she waved at the baby in Karen’s arm with smiles while the baby only stared at her.
“Congratulations, Karen. ” Harry spoke, walking to stand beside his girlfriend.
“Thank you.”
Ciara collected the baby from her hands as she walked over to a chair and sat down, playing with the baby.
Jack walked in with a bouquet of flowers and a bag of groceries. He dropped the bag of groceries into a basket before shaking hands with his best friend.
“You’re here.” he acknowledged after disengaging from a bro hug.
“Ya. I am now an uncle.” Harry remarked and they both smiled.
Jack’s company has been flourishing lately. After the multi million dollars investment from the anonymous investor, as the media had quoted, he completed his hotel project in New York, opening it up fully and so far, it was climbing in the hospitality ranking. He had also gotten a contract from the government that was worth millions of dollars. He had totally displaced Damian, claiming his spot as the biggest businessman in Los Angeles. You could never defeat Jack Antonio. Not in his own game.
Jack paid another visit to Damian. This time, they met at one of the exclusive bars in the city. A can containing ice and three bottles of drinking alcohol laid on the table as Jack sat crossed legs on one cushion chair, waiting for Damian’s arrival. They hadn’t met since the last time they met at Damian’s office. He had made a promise to him, and had kept to it. Damian walked in, followed by a guard. Lately, he had been moving with two to three men dressed in black.
“Mr Woods. Always never on time.” Jack mocked, checking the time on his watch. He had waited an extra twenty minutes for Damian’s arrival.
“It is better to keep the oops waiting.” Damian replied, taking a seat across him. He took out his cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it. “We finally meet again, huh?” he puffed out smoke from his mouth as he spoke.
“Yes, we do.” Jack replied. “This time, the situation is different.”
“How so?” Damian inquired, making him chuckle.
“Let’s just say I beat you at your own game. It’s a tie now.” Jack replied. “And, oh. Did I forget? I got a late winner.” Jack smirked, making sure to rub his victory on Damian’s face.
Damian leaned out from the sofa, staring at Jack. A stare that could have made an ordinary man flinch, but Jack stared unflinching at the man in front of him.
“You see, we are two different people. You look at the present, I look at the future. You talk of a year, I talk of a decade. You fight a war, while I’m a commander in the battle.” he paused to smoke from his stick before continuing. “It’s a long chase. Let’s wait and see what happens at the end.” he concluded.