Chapter 222: Pregnant
Damian Morgan’s vision went black, his face contorting in pain.
He let out a bloodcurdling scream, doubling over and collapsing to the floor, curled up like a shrimp.
The scream drew the attention of the restaurant staff. Some craned their necks to look toward the window.
"There’s a fight over there! Get the manager, quick!"
Sophie Shaw clutched her neck, gasping for air. As she recovered and her vision cleared, she acted without a second thought, grabbing her purse and swinging it at Damian Morgan.
A man’s agonized wails echoed through the restaurant.
Damian Morgan covered his head with his hands, tucking his long legs in as he huddled on the ground.
Seeing this, the manager had someone call the police while he rushed to the window with two male waiters, intending to pull Sophie Shaw away.
But the woman seemed to have gone berserk. She shoved away the people trying to restrain her, raised her purse again, and continued to mercilessly strike the screaming man on the floor.
Seeing that all the restaurant staff were focused on restraining Sophie Shaw, Damian Morgan saw his chance and lunged at her.
He grabbed her hair and viciously slammed her onto the sofa. The two of them began to brawl.
The scene descended into chaos...
A few minutes later, the police who had received the call arrived swiftly. Sophie Shaw and Damian Morgan were both escorted into a police car and taken to the local station.
Alaric Blackwood had just returned to his company and hadn’t even entered the conference room when he received a call from the police station, informing him that his wife had gotten into a fight with a man at a restaurant.
He immediately had Secretary Golding postpone the meeting for an hour, then hurried to the police station with Preston Chase.
When he saw Sophie Shaw, she was much calmer than she had been at the restaurant. She sat in a chair, her eyes red and puffy. Her hair was a mess, and red marks from being choked were visible on her neck. She looked more disheveled than Alaric Blackwood had ever seen her.
"Sophie."
Hearing the familiar voice, tears instantly welled up in Sophie Shaw’s eyes and streamed down her face.
She looked toward Alaric Blackwood. He was walking hurriedly toward her, with Assistant Chase following behind.
She stood up, walked to Alaric Blackwood, and threw herself into his arms, crying as if she’d just been reunited with her family.
This was the second time Alaric Blackwood had seen her cry so uncontrollably.
The last time was after she had seen her grandmother, argued with Joseph Shaw, and run away from the Kane Family’s home, sobbing inconsolably in his arms.
He held her tight, kissing Sophie Shaw’s forehead as his large, warm hand smoothed her messy hair.
The sight filled Damian Morgan’s eyes, and a wave of jealousy washed over him, intensifying his irritation.
Compared to the choke marks on Sophie Shaw’s neck, he was in a much worse state. He’d been kicked in the crotch, his face had been scratched by her, he’d been brutally beaten with her purse, and during their struggle, he’d been slapped several times.
At first, the manager and waiters had tried to break up the fight by pulling at Sophie Shaw. But as soon as he pinned her to the sofa, they started taking her side. Every single one of them helped Sophie Shaw, and he was basically subjected to a one-sided beating.
His face was covered in bloody scratches and was so swollen that Alaric Blackwood almost didn’t recognize him.
"What happened?"
The officer in charge replied, "They got into a fight at the restaurant. Your wife threw the first punch."
"Oh?"
Alaric Blackwood looked at Damian Morgan’s swollen face, his unfriendly yet miserable expression, and found it hard to suppress a smile.
After confirming that Sophie Shaw wasn’t seriously hurt—aside from her disheveled hair and a few finger-shaped bruises on her neck—he held her close and patted her back. "Don’t be scared. I’m here now, darling."
Sophie Shaw was actually a little panicked. She really hadn’t been able to control herself and had slapped Damian Morgan first. The police had already reviewed the restaurant’s security footage.
"What should I do, honey?" she asked weakly, in a tiny voice.
"I’m here."
Alaric Blackwood hugged her tighter, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispered, "You know how to faint, don’t you?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Sophie Shaw went limp in his arms.
He took this as her cue and immediately scooped her up. "My wife has suffered a shock and is unwell. She needs to be taken to the hospital immediately. As for how that gentleman wishes to resolve this, my assistant will stay behind to discuss it with him."
The officer saw Alaric Blackwood lift Sophie Shaw, whose head lolled back and whose face was pale, looking as if she had genuinely fainted. He tacitly permitted Alaric to take her to the hospital first.
"She’s faking it!" Damian Morgan shouted frantically.
"Quiet."
After a warning from the officer, Damian Morgan gritted his teeth and fell silent, able only to watch helplessly as Alaric Blackwood carried Sophie Shaw away.
Leaving the police station, Alaric Blackwood strode quickly, carrying Sophie Shaw back to the car.
He gently settled her on his lap, cradling her in his arms.
He supported her lolling head, letting it rest on his shoulder, and gently pinched her cheek with his other hand. "Alright, you can stop acting now."
But the woman in his arms didn’t react.
"Sophie?"
"We’re out now. You don’t have to act anymore."
Still no response.
Sophie Shaw remained leaning against him with her eyes closed, completely unresponsive.
He quickly told the driver to head to the nearest hospital.
When the test results came back, the doctor approached Alaric Blackwood with a solemn expression. Seeing how serious the doctor looked, his brow deeply furrowed, Alaric’s own expression grew grim.
"What’s wrong with my wife?"
"Mr. Blackwood, your wife’s blood hCG level is higher than normal."
"In plain English."
The doctor fell silent.
"Your wife is pregnant," he said.
Alaric Blackwood froze for a moment, his furrowed brow relaxing. But before he could be happy for even a second, the doctor’s next words hit him like a ton of bricks.
"However, your wife’s platelet count is below the normal range, and her white blood cell count is significantly elevated. Of course, this could be due to a fever or inflammation. I recommend she see a hematologist for further testing."
Alaric Blackwood’s heart tightened. His gaze subconsciously shifted to Sophie Shaw on the emergency room bed, and he reached out to touch her forehead. She did feel a bit warm.
"Your wife is showing signs of a low-grade fever now," the doctor said.
Alaric Blackwood fell unusually silent, an inexplicable panic rising in his chest. Images of Sophie Shaw’s previous nosebleeds and her sudden high fever flashed through his mind.
Most importantly, Sophie Shaw’s mother, Mina Ford... had died of leukemia.
Even though the disease wasn’t hereditary, still...
His thoughts were suddenly a complete mess.
"Mr. Blackwood, given your wife’s low-grade fever, we don’t recommend medication at this point. It would be best to try and lower her temperature physically..."
As the doctor was speaking, he saw Alaric Blackwood, his brow knitted, lift the woman from the hospital bed and walk out without a backward glance.
"Mr. Blackwood?"
"Where is he going?"
"It would be best for your wife to remain in the hospital for observation and a more detailed examination..."
Alaric Blackwood strode away with long, quick steps, the doctor’s voice gradually fading behind him.
He carried Sophie Shaw straight out of the emergency room and back to the car, taking her home to Maplewood Estate first.
He didn’t even go to the office that afternoon. He called for Dr. Cole and monitored Sophie Shaw’s temperature. By evening, instead of going down, her fever had risen.
Alaric Blackwood immediately called the director of a hospital to arrange for Sophie Shaw’s admission. That night, all the leading doctors from the hospital’s hematology and obstetrics departments gathered.