Chapter Three – Just One Wish

Areena opened her eyes slowly, blinking them several times to get a clearer view as the bright light blinded her, she shut them close and opened them again to get a clear view of her surroundings.

White curtains, the patient monitor beeping, and the omniscient smell of antiseptic, where is she? What happened to her? Her whole body feels numb. She closed her eyes, heaving slowly.

"Ed, drive... Drive."

Before she closed her mouth the window glass splattered all over the car as the truck crashed into their car, her left hand felt numb as she heard the sound of her rib cracking, while her head hit the truck that was half inside their car.

Her mind went back to the horrible event that happened. She opened her eyes quickly wanting to escape from the pain and horror, panting like a wolf. The machine next to her started beeping louder than before.

Ed? Where is Edward? What happened to him? Is he alive?

Her heart beats fast, and her breathing seizes. Making the machine beeps even louder.

A slim, tall woman in her mid-thirties, with white hair packed up in a ponytail and wearing a nurse uniform, rushed into the room but ran out midway upon seeing Areena's eyes open.

"She is awake." The nurse remarked, calling the doctor.

"Doctor Arielle, patient 34 ..."

The woman uttered, running out of the room.

Seconds later she came back to the room with another woman her age. Chubby, medium height, her white short hair styled in a bob, had a stethoscope around her neck, she must be the doctor the nurse called Arielle.

They hurriedly walked towards Areena that was lying lifelessly on the hospital bed, moving nothing but her eyes, and her drumming heart heaving up and down.

Is she paralyzed?

Why can't she move her body?

Why can't she talk?

The first thing she wanted to ask them was about Ed, but she could only blink her eyes.

"Miss Areena Mayer, can you hear me?" The doctor questioned. Areena had her eyes open but was deep in her thoughts. She put her hand on Ari's shoulder to get her attention.

"Miss Areena, can you hear me?"

The doctor restated her calm voice bringing her back from her thoughts.

Areena calmed her drumming heart and looked at the doctor standing next to her with a worried look.

She nodded halfway, stopping when a shrill ran through her body, clutching her eyes, she winced in pain.

"Okay, don't move, just close your eyes if you can hear me?"

The doctor noticed her pain and adjusted to her situation. While Ari closes her eyes and opens them gently.

"Good."

The doctor nodded, turning to the nurse as she passed her some files she opened them, and straightened up.

"Blink your eyes once, for a yes, and twice for a no." she breathed in, pausing and glancing over to make sure Areena understood.

"Can you talk?"

Areena paused trying to open her mouth, but the words didn't come out.

She then blinks her eyes twice, meaning she doesn't understand.

"Can you feel your left arm?" The doctor. Inquired as she touched lightly her left arm.

Areena felt her whole body numb and she didn't feel anything where the doctor touched, making her close her eyes twice.

"Can you feel your left leg?" The doctor asked, touching her thighs and Areena closed her eyes twice.

She moved to her knees and toes, and Areena closed her eyes twice.

The doctor breathed in deeply, touching the stethoscope on her neck. She strengthens up, moving to her right toe and touching her lightly, Areena flinches and closes her eyes once, feeling the doctor's touch. Making the doctor nod, going to the knee, thigh, and arm.

Areena could feel her touch lightly making the doctor conclude writing in her files and clearing her throat.

"Miss Mayer, your left side is paralyzed, but with proper treatment, you would be back to normal in no time."

The doctor declared glancing at Areena she closed her eyes slowly taking in her situation, as pain covered her heart with a hot blanket. She opened them slowly gulping hard, with eyes teary.

The doctor continued asking Areena important questions until she was satisfied while Aeeena kept answering them one after the other by blinking her eyes.

She jotted down something on the file before letting out a sigh and addressing her.

"You've been unconscious for three days now, Miss Areena, you have dislocated your left arm, and have two broken ribs, you have a dislocated thigh too."

Heaving in deeply she continued without looking at Areena, her eyes fixed on the files.

"As a result, your left side was paralyzed but thankfully now you are awake we will continue with the tests and we'll let you know the result later." The doctor finished addressing breathing out of her chest falling while Ari blinked.

She turned to leave but Areena's croaking voice stopped her.

"Where is Ed?"

She wanted to ask but just a humming sound was heard making a tear slide down her eye when she didn't hear her voice.

Areena's voice makes the doctor turn back to Areena.

"Be patient, your voice will eventually come out, by tomorrow or the next."

The doctor explained but Areena continued humming, seeing that the doctor clutched her brows thinking hard about what she would want to know more.

"Oh, forgive me please." The doctor apologizes. "You were brought here by a man. Mr. Edward Lugard." He implied her soft voice calming Areena when she finally found out he was alive.

"Mr. Edward had taken care of everything and left in the morning, he would be back soon. Now, you need to have some rest."

She completed, seeing Areena relaxed makes her leave the room.

He's alive. And healthy.

Areena let out a deep breath that she didn't know she was holding, making her chest rise and fall.

She thanked God for keeping her Edward safe. My Ed is alive and healthy. Who other than Edward would bring her to the hospital?

"He is your husband, right?" She paused in her words as she realized the different surname. "Oh, your fiance." She corrected and continued. The nurse's comforting voice makes Areena look at her.

"I informed him you woke up just a moment ago."

The word husband makes the side of her lips curve upwards. And she blinked her eyes at her, feeling grateful.

The nurse touched something on the beeping patient monitor for a while before leaving the room.

He's alive.

She can now rest, but her thoughts were back to what the doctor said, she tried moving her left finger but no movement. Her left side is completely numb. Is she ever going to walk again?

Would she be a liability to him?

Is this the price she had to pay for not disobeying her mother?

Is this why people call it a curse?

And why can't they be together?

Did she fall into Forbidden Love which was a curse and now is going to pay?

Her heart aches and pains engulf her. Thinking about her mother, and how she warned her but didn't listen. How is she doing? Would she forgive her?

With a heart full of pain, regret, and she falls asleep with the drugs in her body.

000ooo000

Her eyes fall on the window opposite her, the night is fresh, and her eyes glance at the digital clock on the wall near the window. It's 9:10 pm and Ed didn't return to her, she closed her eyes but didn't feel like sleeping.

She spent the entire day alone, sleeping a little and the nurse entered the room from time to time to check on her, giving her what she needed.

Her eyes went back to the window again, staring at the black night with street lights beautifying it. She must be on the high floor in one of the good hospitals in the state. Having a single room of her own, Ed must have taken her to one of the elite rooms in the hospital, she smiled.

In his current situation he would barely afford it, but knowing him would do anything to get well treated.

But where has he been?

She really craves his presence.

Now, the most. His mere presence would make her heart at ease. Where has he been since morning, did he know she was awake? Is he attending to his busy schedule while she needs him the most?

"Ed, come back to me." she cried out loud and heard her voice come back though it was still husky and throaty.

She cleared her voice several times and spoke again.

"I wished you were here with me." She lamented a tear slipping down her eyes.

The doctor came in with the nurse following her.

"How are you feeling Miss Areena?"

"Better." She answered with a flat voice.

She lied, her heart feels like it's been stabbed with a dagger but nothing the doctors can do.

He's the only one that can make her feel better.

The doctor nodded her head pleased to hear Areena's voice back and now can speak.

"That's an improvement, you've gotten your voice back."

The doctor approved and turned to the nurse and ordered.

"Adjust her bed a little."

And the nurse came to Areena's bed pushing a button the bed adjusted, and raising her head a little. And she was now in a sitting position.

She twinkled her eyes as she felt the right side of her body ache. But her heart feels like something is scratching it from the inside.

"Is there anywhere that hurts?"

The doctor inquired as she wrote on her file.

"Yes, my heart hurts with every inch I move."

She blurted out, feeling her heartaches, wanting it to stop.

"Apparently, the rib that broke grazed some part of your heart, we've repaired it, back to normal, so it would hurt for a while but not with your every move. We'll scan it again and see if there's something wrong." The doctor started jotting it down.

"Anything more?" She asked again.

"No, I don't think so." Areena complied.

"I'll be leaving now, call the nurse whenever you need anything."

With that, the doctor left, and the nurse changed the IV drips, adding some injections.

"You ... You said you called the man that brought me in earlier, right?"

Areena asked the nurse with a worried look on her face. While the nurse smiled at her and confirmed.

"Yes, don't worry, I'm sure he's on his way, he always comes at night."

With that, she finished what she was doing and went out.

OOoooOO

For the next two days, Ed didn't come back to the hospital and his phone was switched off. For the last week she knows definitely, something is off and she can't get through to him. She knows his absence had to do with his dad.

Disowning him is not enough for him? What did he want now?

Her mind wasn't at rest since she woke up after she fainted yesterday. And her being alone in the hospital, with no one by her side and one visiting, hurt her even more.

No family. No friends. And the love of her life is nowhere to be found, her situation only got worse hour by hour. After the X-ray had been taken, the doctor found a piece of bone in her heart and was waiting for Ed to sign the papers before they did the surgery.

This is indeed her punishment?

Yesterday she asked the nurse to call her mother's number but it was no longer in use.

Before Christmas she asked someone to go to her old house and find her mother's number.

Together with their neighbors, she was afraid and nervous of what to say to her.

But yesterday she did, when her mother's number wasn't going through she tried the neighbors, and what she told her, made her situation worse.

The woman's voice was ringing in her ear.

"Areena, your mother is dead. She died about six months ago. We tried to reach you, but you changed your line."

After that she didn't know where she was for the rest of the day. Somewhere between life and death.

"Mom I'm sorry for hurting you, for running away." Her voice broke as more tears rolled down her cheeks.

She wished to talk to her mom, again, regretting how they parted. She felt ashamed of herself. A lonely person deep within her heart.

Running away was definitely not the right thing to do?

Had they stayed and faced all their problems instead of avoiding them. And running away.

"The disowned son of Mr. Lugard Trivinson had landed in x city ..."

The voice from the TV caught her attention.

Ed!!

That's where he went? That explains it, where he gets the money to keep her in an elite room. He must have had a hard time.

It's all her fault.

It is indeed cursed!

If only she can have another chance, this time around she'll make things, never leaving her mother's side, maybe make friends, and make things right by not sending him that letter.

It all began with the love letter she sent to him. If only she could reverse time.

Ed would have found someone better. And she wouldn't have left her mother.

The machine kept beeping and the nurse rushed in together with some doctors.

"Give her another drip."

"Her blood pressure is high."

"Take her to the surgery room, she needs a surgery right away."

"She can't make it, give her some oxygen."

She heard the faint voices of the nurse and doctor as they tried to save her.

The last thing she wished for was at least he should be on her dying bed.

Her breath seized, and looking at the fading ceiling, darkness overcame her.