“He Was Told His ‘Wife’ Was in the ICU—Even Though He Wasn’t Married. What He Did Next Left Everyone Speechless”
A nurse called a businessman: “Your wife gave birth, she’s in the ICU.” He raced to the hospital… but he didn’t have a wife. When he arrived, he told the doctor: “From now on, I am her husband. Bill everything to me.”
goodstorieslife.com September 16, 2025 Share
Anna clutched the edge of the kitchen counter, her knuckles turning pale against the stone. A wave of pain tore through her body, sharp enough to steal her breath. She pressed the phone to her ear, her voice shaking.
“Vince… something’s wrong. I think… I think the baby is coming.”
On the other end, her husband let out a sigh—the same impatient sigh she’d heard countless times, the sound that always reminded her she didn’t matter.
“Anna, calm down,” Vince said flatly. “You’re not due for two more weeks. It’s probably just false contractions. Take some aspirin.”
She bent over as another contraction gripped her, stronger this time, leaving her gasping. “No, it’s not false labor. This is real. Please… I’m scared. I need you.”
But Vince’s tone grew harder. “Look, I can’t just run home for every little thing. I told you I’m at a major conference in Miami. The keynote is in two hours. Handle it.”
Anna shut her eyes. She knew he was lying. She had seen the golf clubs in his trunk when he left. The bag he carried wasn’t for business—it was a weekender she didn’t recognize. He wasn’t at a conference. He was on vacation. With someone else.
“Vince,” she whispered desperately, tears streaming down her face, “call an ambulance. Please. I can’t—”
But the line went dead. He’d hung up.
The silence in her ear was louder than any words. He hadn’t just ended the call—he’d abandoned her.
Her phone slipped from her sweaty hands and hit the floor. Another contraction ripped through her, and she collapsed beside it. With shaking fingers, she managed to dial 9-1-1.
“Emergency, what’s happening?” a calm voice asked.
“I… I’m in labor,” Anna sobbed. “I’m alone.” She gave her address, her voice barely above a whisper, before everything around her started to fade. The pain, the fear, the house itself—all of it dissolved into blackness.
Hours later, Dr. Evans stepped into the ICU. The quiet hum of machines filled the room. Anna lay unconscious, her fragile figure surrounded by wires and monitors.
The senior nurse, Nenah, stood beside her bed. “No change, Doctor. Her vitals are steady, but she’s unresponsive. She’s so young… it’s heartbreaking.”
Dr. Evans nodded gravely. “We need her husband here. She’s in critical condition. From what I saw when the EMTs brought her in, she’d been struggling for a while. He needs to know the situation—and answer for it.”
Nenah picked up the chart. The emergency number was scrawled in hurried blue ink. Squinting, she tried to make out the last digit. Was it a nine? A zero? She guessed a nine and dialed.
The phone rang twice before a deep, professional voice answered. “This is Andrew.”
“Mr. Hayes?” Nenah began. “I’m calling from Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Your wife, Anna Hayes, delivered earlier today. There were complications. She’s in the ICU. You should come immediately.”
On the other end, silence. Then Andrew spoke, slow and hesitant. “Anna Hayes?”
“Yes. She listed her husband as the main contact.”
A pause. “All right,” he said finally. “I’ll be there.”
Miles away, Andrew Cole stood at the window of his Chicago office. The skyline stretched before him, glittering in the late afternoon light. But all he heard were the nurse’s words echoing in his mind: Your wife. Anna Hayes. ICU.
Anna.
He hadn’t seen her in five years. Not since the day she chose Vince.
Andrew had loved her since they were teenagers. He had planned their future—marriage, children, a life built together. Then Vince, his best friend, decided to make her a bet. “I can win her over in two weeks,” Vince had bragged. And he had.
Two weeks later, Anna left Andrew for him.
Andrew thought he had buried that chapter of his life. But now, the past had found him again.
He grabbed his keys. Whatever had happened, Anna was alone. And he couldn’t let that be the end of her story.
At the hospital, Andrew met Dr. Evans.
“You’re Anna Hayes’s husband?” the doctor asked.
Andrew shook his head. “No. But I think there’s been a mistake. I used to be close to her. My old number must’ve been written down.”
As he explained, Nenah realized her error—the faint zero she’d mistaken for a nine. She blushed in embarrassment.
Dr. Evans picked up the phone and dialed the correct number, putting it on speaker.
“Yeah?” Vince’s voice was lazy, irritated. Loud music and a woman’s laugh echoed in the background.
“This is Dr. Evans. Your wife is in critical condition. She’s in the ICU. She needs urgent treatment.”
“Critical? Really?” Vince chuckled. “Look, I’m in the Bahamas. I can’t drop everything. Just do whatever until I get back. Send me the bill.”
The line went dead.
Dr. Evans stared at the phone, horrified. “He wants an invoice,” he muttered. “The medication she needs costs forty thousand dollars. Without it…”
Andrew didn’t let him finish. He reached into his wallet and placed his black Amex card on the table. The sound was soft, but final.
“Bill everything to me,” he said firmly. “Private room. Specialists. Whatever she needs. I don’t care about the cost.”
The doctor hesitated. “But… you’re not her husband.”
Andrew met his eyes. “You’re right. I’m not. But I’m the one who’s going to save her.”
Anna woke slowly the next day. The first thing she noticed was the beeping of machines. The second was the warmth of a hand holding hers.
She turned her head. Andrew.
“Andrew,” she whispered. “What… what are you doing here?”
“Hey,” he said softly. “You’re safe. The baby’s safe too. She’s perfect.”
Her eyes filled with tears. Those were the words she had longed to hear from Vince. Instead, they came from Andrew—the man she had betrayed, the man she never stopped thinking about.
“How did you even know?” she asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said gently. “I’m here now. That’s all you need to know.”
Over the next few days, Andrew never left her side. He brought her meals, held the baby, and spoke with the doctors. He called the little girl Katie, and soon everyone else did too—even Anna.
“She smiled today,” Andrew said proudly one morning. “The nurse said it was just a reflex, but I swear it was real.”
Anna laughed softly. For the first time in months, it felt genuine.
But reality caught up with them. Discharge day was approaching. Vince had finally called, telling Anna to “grab an Uber or wait” until he returned.
Andrew couldn’t hide his anger. “An Uber? After what you’ve been through? With a newborn?”
Anna looked down. “He’s Katie’s father. I have to go back.”
Andrew’s voice broke. “Do you love him?”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. “No. It’s the biggest mistake of my life. But what choice do I have?”
“You have me,” Andrew said, stepping closer. “I’ve loved you since we were kids. And now, I love Katie too. Let me be her father. Let me be your husband—for real this time.”
Anna’s breath caught. A second chance. Something she thought she’d never deserve.
When Vince arrived at the hospital days later, bouquet in hand, he was too late.
“I’m here to pick up my wife,” he announced at the desk.
The nurse gave him a cool smile. “Anna Hayes was discharged at noon. She was picked up by her husband. He seemed wonderful—brand new car seat, so attentive.”
Vince froze. “Picked up by who?”
“I can’t share that information,” the nurse replied smoothly. “But trust me, she’s in good hands.”
He dialed Anna’s number in panic.
“Anna? Where are you? I’m at the hospital.”
Her voice was cold. “For the first time in eight days. Don’t call me again, Vince. I’m with Andrew now.”
A second voice came on the line. Andrew. “The game’s over, Vince. You lost. This time, for good.”
The line went dead.
Vince stood alone, the flowers wilting in his hand, realizing too late that he had lost not just Anna, but everything.
From that day on, Anna and Katie built a new life with Andrew. He had once lost her, but fate had given him another chance. And this time, he wasn’t letting go.
