A Nanny for the Billionaire

Henry Allen was having one hell of a time, and the continuous wails from his wife did nothing to ease it. On the contrary, it increased the wave of panic in him, bringing him almost to tears.

He crouched in front of her, grabbing her sweaty hands in his trembling ones. "Look at me, babe, look at me." He moved her face so their eyes would meet. "You have to push, please, you need to listen to the doctor, our child's life and yours are solely dependent on it." He pleaded in a panicky tone, he was fidgety.

Her eyes rolled back. "Just go away, Henry!" Her screams resonated past the ward she was in, and she bit her lower lip until it bled. "I want this thing pulled out of me at once, I don't care if it lives or not. This pain is unbearable." Her breathing was laboured, and sweat trickled down her forehead as she clenched against the sheets, trying to cushion the immense pain she was feeling.

Listening to her broke his heart to bits. Asking him to go away hurts. He would never leave her side, she knew that.

"I can't leave, and you know that."

"I don't fucking care. Get out. I don't want to see your hideous face!"

Henry sighed exasperatedly. This just keeps getting worse. Her words were jabbing at his frail heart, causing it to bleed.

The doctor turned to him. "Please, calm down, Mr. Allen. Your wife is just under a lot of stress because of the baby. She doesn't know what she's saying right now. You have no reason to be alarmed," the doctor assured him. "Her reaction is expected, she is feeling a lot of pain, of course, and it is making her unreason..."

She shot an icy glare at the doctor. "What did you say? How dare you say that about me?" Her voice was strained.

She reached forward, extending her hands to grab the doctor. She lifted herself off the bed, but a sharp pain shot through her whole body, restricting her before her husband could get to her.

"Angie!" Henry shouted. "What is wrong with you? His firm hands pinned her down.

"I want this thing out. That's what's wrong with me!" Her chest was heaving, and her whole body glistened with sweat despite the air conditioner in the room.

He inhaled deeply to calm his fraying nerves for a brief moment before his sweaty palm reached for hers again. She tried to pull away, but he took her hand in his before she could evade him. His fingers interlocked with hers, as he held her gaze.

"I know the pain is out of this world. I can only try to understand your frustration, but Doctor Grey is here to help you. He will help you through this pain." His voice was pleading, desperation etched on his features.

"Please, ma'am, Mr. Allen is right. We can not put off the delivery for long. It is not safe for the child." Doctor Grey chirped in.

That did not help with his worry. "Did you hear that, Angie? You have to do this, please! We might lose our child!" he begged.

"Just get this thing out of me! Dead or alive, I want it out of me!" She said it through clenched teeth, her veins straining against her taut skin.

Henry exhaled exasperatedly. This was getting hopeless. It was unreal-almost unheard of-that he had to be at the mercy of anything. Yet here he was, watching his dear wife in immense pain, and there was nothing he could do to ease her pain. There was nothing he could do to make the pain stop and help her deliver their child. He was at the mercy of fate, the doctors, and the frail will of his wife. This has to be the lowest he's ever been in his life.

Henry Allen had him on a pedestal all his life. He was in the top 3 billionaires in the region, and he could make almost anything happen if he wanted. He had the world under his feet and could crush it in a heartbeat.

He owned houses in every big city you could think of around the world. He was a very successful man by any standards, his fame was the cherry on the cake, a renowned architect and big-time businessman. He had multiple streams of income from his numerous gigantic investments in big companies, and with each passing day, his actual worth could not be valued. It was difficult for anyone to say precisely how much he was valued, to the point where it was difficult for himself as well. He was hardworking, and in only a short amount of time, he had amassed a fortune that would last him beyond his years.

He was never at anyone's mercy because, as a child, he had people on the line doing everything for him. Even now that he was older, he still had people doing his bidding, paid and unpaid. Because, as the tabloids described him, he was a walking sex god, among other very suggestive adjectives. Saying he was good-looking was quite an understatement.

He was dark-haired, with the most beautiful translucent grey eyes you had ever seen, very distinct, peculiar to him, with perfect facial features, and built as Michelangelo himself had meticulously sculpted him out of the finest refined clay. It sounded a little narcissistic, but when you grow up hearing this kind of stuff about you repeatedly, it tends to sink in.

However, with the good comes the bad, isn't that what they always say? Behind the lush raven black hair, the smouldering gaze of his deep grey eyes, his finely cut cheekbones, his pointed nose, and his full pink lips was a man who was fierce and arrogant. Behind the smile and charisma was a man who, when provoked, was a whole different ball game. He could be as dangerous as he could be kind. He could be scary if he needed to be. He almost had a perfect life-at least that was what everyone thought.

His wife, Angela Allen, had been the only woman to hold him down. She had him wrapped around her little finger. He was enchanted at first sight and did everything to win her over. Despite all the luxury he had, she was the most priceless of all. His kryptonite. The only person he would gladly give up everything he had for.

Staying married to her hadn't been perfect, but he believed every hurdle and agony they had to face made them stronger and made him more in love with her. Today, it's been hell for both of them.

He had rushed her earlier to the hospital because she was in so much pain. When they arrived, he found out she was due. It was a big struggle in the delivery room because his wife vehemently refused to have a natural birth. She wanted to undergo an operation. He would have easily granted her wish if that meant she would birth his child and be alright too.

He had consulted with the doctors, and they had conducted all necessary tests on her and determined she was not in the right state to undergo any form of surgery. She was already exhausted from all the struggling and shouting. Her blood pressure had skyrocketed, and it was inadvisable to administer anaesthesia to her. He and the doctors had made futile attempts to explain it to her.

He ran his fingers frantically through his hair, tousling it. "Angela, how else do I explain it to you? I need you to push, babe. Please, it is the only way you can deliver our child. You do not want to kill our child, do you?" he asked.

She did not respond.

Henry exhaled. "Fine. Get it out of you, dead or alive. I don't give a fuck anymore. I just want you to be alright, babe. Please. Just get it out." He was terrified. Losing his child would hurt, no doubt. But losing Angela would kill him, and he's never settling for that.

"Get out!! Get the fuck out of here right now! I won't...Ahhh!" she screamed aloud, clutching her belly. "Get this thing out of me right this instant, Henry! .. Oww..."

The nurses around ran through a breathing routine to ease the pain. She followed suit for a while, then felt another sharp pain. "Oh, my God!" she cried out in pain. "Henry! Henry!"

He rushed to her side. The pain had become unbearable for her. His anxiety levels were at an all-time high. She clung tightly to his arm. Her nails dug into his flesh, but he was numb, his whole focus was on her. The nurses took their respective positions.

"Ma'am, I can see the baby's head now. Please, push," the doctor urged. A nurse caressed her head and belly soothingly.

Henry looked at his wife. "Angie, it's alright, okay? You should try to push now. Our baby is going to be here in any moment", he said, smoothing the sticky hair away from her face, but she was still holding tightly to him, squeezing hard. "Please, baby, push...please," he coaxed.

Angie saw that there was nothing else she could do at that moment. The pain she felt was maddening, and right there and then, she was forced to push the baby out. Tears streamed unabashedly from her face. She didn't stop cursing Henry as she pushed. And after a few more minutes of struggle, the ear-splitting cries of a baby filled the room.

"You have a son!" the doctor announced.

Henry shuddered as he took hold of his child after he had been cleaned up. Tears welled up in his eyes as he stared lovingly at his child, He had a peaceful look as he napped in his arms. His fingers lightly caressed his face. It was almost unreal that he held his son in his arms. Thank heavens!

"Thank you, babe." He whispered, kissing Angie's forehead. Her soft snores were her only reply.

Angela's hospital room looked more like a gift shop and less like a hospital. The room smelled of fresh flowers. Teddies of different colours and sizes were positioned everywhere. The small bedside table was occupied with different well-wishing cards. Gift boxes were littered around the room, beautiful coloured balloons were strapped together, and there was hardly room.

"Congratulations, Angie!"

"Congratulations, my friend. Your baby is a cutie" a lady said excitedly. "You are one lucky girl, my friend!"

The next few days after her delivery, friends and family came trooping in to visit her and the baby in the hospital after the news of her baby's arrival circulated. She was taken to a private room well situated and up to par with her expensive taste. It was visiting hours and as usual, they had visitors. Angela's mother had come to see the child every day since the day of her delivery.

Today, a couple of her friends from back home came to see her. However, Angela didn't seem to share in their excitement at all. She wore a long face.

Natalie had noticed her daughter's mood since the delivery. At first, she had attributed it to stress but as time went by she noticed it was more than that, she wouldn't even hold her child. She walked up to her bedside and caressed her hair lovingly, she looked around and noticed everyone was occupied with something and was paying no attention to them. "Angie? Is everything all right? You seem worried" she asked but got no response.

"Say something to me, Angela, I am genuinely worried about you. Is there something you want to tell me?"

Angel remained mute and continued to tap away on her phone.

Natalie roused her gently "Angie?"

"What the heck mother!" she said aloud.

Natalie glanced around, everyone's attention was drawn to them ."I have been calling out to you Angie, but you didn't..."

"I heard you mother. I am not deaf!" she cut her off, her tone aggressive.

Natalie and the other visiting guests had a dumbfounded expression on their faces. "Is she okay?" one of the ladies whispered.

Henry who had been silently watching the drama, laid the baby he was rocking in his arms in the crib and then he apologized on Angela's behalf. "I apologize on behalf of my wife. The doctor said she is under so much stress and needs to rest. The delivery process took a toll on her. We are thankful she and the baby are alive. I think it would be best you left and came back some other time" he explained.

They nodded and wished the baby well before exiting the room, one after the other save for Natalie.

"What exactly is the problem with her, Henry? Did you two have a fight or something?" she inquired, concern etched on her features.

Henry sighed exasperatedly, his eyes were dull from the lack of sleep and stress he was under "Is there a day we don't fight?"

Natalie glanced at her daughter and back at him. "I have never been able to understand Angela. I thought she was happy, she told me she was" she said in hushed tones. "I look at her now and she is so unhappy. I mean she just had the wonderful gift of a child, you would expect she would be happy at least..."

Henry peered at her from the corner of his eye, his lips curled up in a sad smile. "Please, do not worry about her mother. She can be a handful sometimes but it is nothing I can not handle. It is a trifling matter between a couple, nothing that can not be sorted out, you don't have to worry" he squeezed her hands reassuringly, forcing a smile. "I love her so much and she knows that..." he turned to look at the crib when the baby started crying. He walked towards the crib, leaned over and soothed him. "I can only hope she would put aside whatever she is feeling and be a good mother to our son"

Natalie shook her head. She felt pity for Henry and that was because she knew her daughter. She had thought Angela was finally happy and ready to live her life. Natalie hoped her worst fears would not be realised, she hoped Angela was doing the right thing. She stared pitifully at Henry, he looked like he had an unbearable weight on his shoulders. "You are a good person Henry. Thank you for loving her even though sometimes it is hard to, I would know because she is my daughter. Hopefully one day you will figure it out and it would be a lot easier"

He chuckled, "Thank you, ma'am"

"I should be going now, I will come tomorrow again"

Henry nodded with a smile, "Take care of yourself"

She smiled reassuringly. "And you too" She pulled him closer and kissed his forehead. She did the same with the baby but when she walked up to Angela, she looked away. She sighed.

Henry escorted her out of the hospital "You somehow chased all our guests and even..." he was saying as he approached the room, his voice faltered. The sight before him caused him to see red. He stormed towards Angela's bed, snatched her phone forcefully from her hand and tossed it on the hard floor with full force. It shattered beyond repair instantly.

Her eyes widened in shock, and then the expression on her face slowly metamorphosed into pure unbridled anger. She sat upright in urgency, "What did you do that for? What is the matter with you Henry", she shouted.

Henry pointed a finger at her "If you ask me that again Angela I will set aside every last restraint I have in me and I promise you, you wouldn't like the result" he retorted. "What kind of mother are you to let a baby cry unattended to because you are on your phone"

She stared at him in bafflement. "Is this what this is all about? You broke my phone because our son was crying?"

Henry picked him up and slowly rocked him in a bid to console him. Just then there was a knock on the door. Their nursemaid walked in and took the baby from him. She tended to him in the adjoining room.

"How is it my business if the child is crying, Henry? My job was to give you the child you so wanted. That was all you asked of me. My part of the deal I have fulfilled. I even gave you a male child!" she exclaimed. "Shouldn't I get a bonus point for that? Why should I be concerned or worry about what happens to the child from here on out? I made it clear I will do no more than this, no more!"

Henry was astounded. He had borne many of her excesses but never would he have imagined she would talk about their child in that manner. He closed the distance between them, he was visibly fuming "How dare you say that about your child? A child you carried in your womb...a child you gave birth to?" he shook his head in utter disbelief. "What kind of mother are you?"

She held his gaze unflinchingly. "I said what I said Henry, I have spoken the truth. I did not want this, I was not ready for any of this. Unlike me, you wanted this. You forced me to carry your baby and that's all that I can do for you. You should get help because I will not feed neither will I care for that thing..."

"Angela!" he shouted in anger as he rushed towards her but just then the maid appeared from the adjoining room with his son in his arms and that seemed to diffuse the ticking bomb that was his temper.

The maid looked between the both of them with terror-filled eyes before she bowed her head "The baby needs to be fed"

Henry turned to her but she looked away, she pulled the hospital blankets over her and pretentiously shut her eyes.

He let out an exasperated sigh, he ran his fingers through his already ruffled hair, "Deborah"

"Yes, Mr Allen?"

"Take him and feed him with the doctor's prescribed baby formula. Ensure he is well fed and taken care of according to the doctor's orders. I will come to check on him later on"

"Yes, Mr Allen" she nodded before exiting the room.

Henry stared at his wife in anger. She was still furious about her smashed phone.

When he thought he had seen the worst of her, she seemed to come up with new surprises all the time, she pulled the sheets away from her and sat upright, "Call the centre and let them get me another phone with all my documents and files restored.

He was bewildered. "Are you talking to me, Angie" he pointed at his chest with his forefinger.

She scoffed "Who else would I be talking to if not you Henry?" she looked around mockingly, "Is there anyone else in this room besides the two of us?"

He let out an unamused chuckle "I see you've gone completely nuts"

"What?"

"Yes, Angela! There is something wrong with you and I fault myself for thinking it was temporary and that you would change eventually"

"You are hurt because unlike all the other people in your life, I do not worship the ground where you walk. I do have a will of my own and you will have to deal with it henceforth!", she retorted back in anger, "I want absolutely nothing to do with your child and that will not change!"

"I earnestly regret the day you came into my life," he said with a tone of finality. His voice was calm but the anger in his eyes and the way his jaw ticked told a different story.

Her voice faltered for a bit. "What...did you say, Henry?" he had dealt with her patiently up until now, it seemed like his patience was thinning. She was shocked to hear those words from him.

"I was as clear as day Angie. You are a terrible person, you always have been..." he shook his head. "No...you are way beyond terrible. I have tried my best to treat you right, I have given you everything you ever wanted. You have never lacked. I am married to you because I am in love with you..."

"And what does that matter?" she asked.

He shook his head, "It doesn't, does it?"

"Yes because you're not making any sense..."

"What is not making sense is you!" he interjected, "It is us!" He pointed between them, "This! Whatever it is we have."

"I am asking you to get me a new phone to replace the one you smashed on the floor and you are listing everything you have done for me, what has that got to do with anything? Talking about how you married me because you loved me? Of course shouldn't you be in love with me? You are talking like you are doing me a favour being in love with me Henry..."

Henry sighed, to say he was exhausted with their back-and-forth arguments was putting it lightly. "Do as you please Angela. I can not deal with this any longer..." he proceeded to walk out of the room.

"Where are you going? she called after him, "You should call them before leaving", she shouted, she was solely concerned about her phone. Everything they had argued about meant nothing to her.

"I am sure you have a lot of money you should get the phone for yourself, since it is more important than your son you just gave birth to" he shook his head, I do not care about how you treat me...but for goodness sake your child..."

"Henry enough with all your guilt-tripping, if you care so much about your child maybe take care of him yourself"

"He is our child Angela! Ours!" he screamed. "You just gave birth to him days ago, are you forgetting that?"

"I clearly said I do not want him!"

Henry was on the verge of breaking down. "How can you not want your child?" he couldn't imagine his child having to go through the trauma of being unwanted and unloved. He came to sit beside her. "Tell me Angela what the problem is? What is it? I'll fix it. You can not abandon your child. We are a married couple it's our duty to care..."

"You want to know what the problem is?" she inquired.

He nodded.

"So you can fix it?"

"Yes Angela, I want us to address our issues, whatever these issues are"

"How about you start with getting me a new phone"

He sighed, "I am talking about issues affecting our marriage"

"Then fuck you Henry" she flashed him a middle finger.

Henry turned around and then left the room, even more, exhausted than he was earlier. Angela stared furiously at his retreating as he exited the room. She folded her arms across her chest and glared in the direction of the door the man took. If her eyes were lasers she would have bore holes through the door.

He took a short walk down the long corridors. He couldn't bear to be in the same space with Angela any longer. He stopped at a large window and peered through it. He was overlooking a very beautiful garden. The view was exhilarating. He tried to drown out the words Angela said in the course of their arguments. He refused to let anything bother him and instead chose to concentrate on his beautiful son. He exhaled deeply and went to the special nursery where he had asked his baby to be taken to check on him. At this point, nothing else mattered more than his son.

***

"Where is my baby?" he asked a nurse that was in the baby's nursery. The nursemaid he handed the baby to was unavailable. She greeted him. "Nurse Deborah and Doctor Grey are with the baby in the diaper room," she said to him while pointing at a little room attached to the main one.

"Thank you" He walked to the room she had pointed out and then he saw his baby being changed. He calmed down immediately after seeing his son. He felt something stir inside of him at the sight of his son. It was a peaceful feeling, overwhelming, he almost teared up. The ugly fight he had gotten into with his wife was long forgotten. He had to bear everything, even more, because of his child. The doctor and the nurse saw him peering from the slightly ajar door and stopped what they were doing instantly and acknowledged his presence.

"Why are you changing his clothes? Is everything okay?" he questioned them as he entered the room. "He was fine when I handed him over to the nurse. Is he..." he trailed off. It wasn't easy being a new father, many times he had no clue what he was doing. It didn't help that his wife was being uncooperative. He turned to look the doctor squarely in the face to whom the unasked question was directed his hands were in the pockets of his expensive suit.

"It is nothing to be worried about sir" the doctor responded, "It is a trivial issue..."

"What happened to my son?"

The doctor's heart was pounding steadily in his chest, there was something very intimidating about Mr Allen. He Had an aura about him. It didn't matter that he dealt with him many times in the past before now he always felt overwhelmed by his presence. Now that it concerned his son, he had to be extra careful with him.

"Nurse Deborah spilt baby food on his dress while he was feeding, just a speck, nothing to be alarmed about."

Henry stared at the both of them, they looked jittery, like they would run off any moment if they could. He realised they were scared of him. He didn't want that, especially not when they were in charge of caring for his son.

The moments that passed before Henry replied to Grey felt like aeons when it was barely a minute. It was torturous for him. He wished the ground would open up and swallow him.

"You should be careful," Henry said simply.

They both nodded and mumbled their apologies. He watched them fumble around trying to dress him up.

"The onesie looks kind of small to me" he observed.

"I think it is just the perfect size Mr Allen" Nurse Deborah responded.

He nodded, "Can I hold my son, please? When you're done that is..."

Doctor Grey nodded, and he handed over the baby to him. "Of course, Mr Allen. Here is your son."

"His name is Asher" Henry replied. He had picked a name for their son before he was born, of course, he had tried discussing it with Angela but she had made it clear she didn't care enough from the onset. He took him from the doctor and held him close to his chest. He peered closely at the customized onesies that he had specially prepared for him. On it was written, 'Mummy and Daddy's boy'. It was done by the designers who designed his clothing lines.

"It's the perfect size for him, Mr Allen. You don't need to worry about it" The nurse tried to allay his worries with a small smile on her face while adjusting the baby blanket. It was a bit chilly.

"You're the experts, if you say so then I agree" Henry responded, he knew he was worrying too much about unnecessary things but he couldn't help it. He had looked forward to the arrival of his son. He was confident he would be loved and thoroughly cared for. Now that he was here and in his arms, with all that was happening, he was scared of making any mistakes. He wanted to do this right by all means. "Hope the baby formula would suffice in place of..." he trailed off. The unspoken words hung in the air.

Doctor Grey nodded in understanding, "It is the best that is available and highly nutritious."

"Good" he nodded approvingly. "You will continue to feed him with that."

"Breast milk is however more nutritious and it would be wise to take it alongside the..." he trailed off immediately when saw Henry's changed expression.

Henry saw how Grey looked at him and he knew exactly what he was thinking. He had never discussed the issue of Angela breastfeeding their child with him before but he took the hint. Knowing that Angela was doing well after giving birth, he like every other person had expected she would be breastfeeding Asher and not feeding him with baby formula. Henry was displeased with it, he only wanted the best for his child. The mere thought that Asher could be malnourished because of his mother's sheer wickedness did not sit right with him.

He cleared his throat "No, he won't be getting breastmilk Feed him well with the formula only."

"Yes, Mr Allen" Doctor Grey was quick to answer with his head bowed.

"You may leave now. I would like to be alone with my son. Remember to check on him at intervals, ensure my son is well cared for and looked after."

"Yes, Mr Allen" They replied in unison. They left the baby's nursery, leaving him alone with his child. The room became still, you could hear a pin drop, the nursery was situated away from the boisterous part of the hospital. He had picked a much larger and private nursery for his son. It was one of the perks of owning more than half of the hospital's shares. He stared at his baby, his finger lightly caressing his soft and beautiful face. He watched as his lashes fluttered open, It was such a beautiful sight to behold.

"I realised we haven't had a lot of time to talk Asher and I apologize for it" he began. "Your father has been caught up with a lot of things he hasn't even had the time to properly welcome you..." he smiled. "First off Welcome baby Asher, welcome my son. I am so glad that you're here" he said lovingly all the while staring at his large grey eyes. "Secondly I am sorry I haven't spent a lot of time with you. I know it is difficult getting used to different people coming over to care for you, that is not what your daddy wants and I will correct that soon."

He sat down on a chair. "There's just a lot going on with Mom and we are going to resolve it soonest. We are going to figure it out, I promise you, son. We are buddies after all, aren't we?"

Asher let out a small noise, and Henry's laughter reverberated through his chest. "Of course, you agree. See we are already bonding."

He kissed Asher's forehead and rocked him happily while standing close to his luxurious crib. An off-white crib with a touch of blue. It was so beautifully crafted. Henry had it specially done for his baby before his arrival. He sang lullabies he had learnt waiting for his arrival to him and hoped they sounded beautiful to Asher, he realised they weren't, and when Asher began to cry, he tried to comfort. It took him a longer time than he imagined for Asher to quiet down. He was going to figure this out somehow, no matter how long it took. With or without Angela.