Chapter 5

Kate, at the hospital, kept thinking, "What deal? What did Dad sign me up for? Was there a price tag?" She couldn't get the thoughts off her mind.

"Ouch, a sharp pain through her head. Forgot I still have a wounded head to deal with," she said to herself.

"All I wanted was a happy marriage," she said to herself with a very faint voice. She sighed deeply.

She was distracted by the sound of her phone. "Who's calling?" she snapped at her purse.

"Oh, it's Mom," she managed to talk with a bold voice, though still very weak. "Hey, Mom, what's up?"

"I heard what happened to you, sweetheart, but I'm heading over to the hospital now, and I'm almost there, my darling," her mom replied with a mother's loving tone, sounding so affectionate.

"Okay, Mom," she replied, "I'm still very weak, though. Would you mind getting me food and beverages on your way down here? I am famished."

She dropped the phone, and again, it rang. "Who again?" she said reluctantly. It was her husband. She held to a halt. "Why am I supposed to answer this call?" she said angrily and hissed.

Finally, she picked up the phone and went silent.

"Hey," he said with a faint voice, so calm she almost fell for it. "Are you feeling better? Is she there yet? Your mom, I meant. Why aren't you saying a word?" he asked calmly.

"Why would I say a word?" She replied angrily. "If you care to know, Ken, Mom's on her way down here, and for the records, I'm done with you treating me as bait for your deal."

The words from her were so sharp they cut through his veins. He felt sober. In an appealing voice, he said sharply, "What?"

"Don't do that, Kate," he replied. "I'll make things up to you and let you know everything you need to know. I love you, Kate."

"Oh really?" She replied with a calm but sad voice. "You claimed you loved me the first minute, but what happened next? I couldn't spend the night of my wedding with my own husband, shows I'm just a bait, as you've said."

She hung up the call and turned off her phone. A few minutes later, Kate's mom arrived at the hospital with food and beverages.

"Mom, what's going on?" Kate asked almost in tears. "Sweetheart, don't cry, my darling. This is just a test of the heart. I want you to understand that nothing comes without a test. Besides, you shouldn't have gone to the office," her mother told her calmly.

"I am his wife for Heaven's sake, and you say this to me, what was I meant to do? Sit at home waiting for him to come and leave again just like he did earlier? I couldn't even spend my wedding night with my husband," she said softly. "Mom, are you aware I was a tool for him to sign a deal or whatever it is Dad got involved in?" she asked.

Stylishly her mom ignored the question and told her to eat so she could get some rest, so she forgot about the question she just asked and did as her mother instructed her to. A few minutes after taking her medications, she fell asleep.

A deep sigh from her mom, looking at her own daughter with a bandage tied around her head, sleeping and breathing slowly on the hospital bed. She shook her head in dismay.

At that time, it was already 11:15 pm. She rested her head by the bedside and slept off.

A few minutes into her sleep, she was woken by a strange sound from Kate, who was shaking, breathing heavily, and struggling right on the bed.

"Kate! Kate!! Kate!!!" she called but got no response. Kate was struggling to breathe.

"Nurse!! Who's there?" she rushed to call for help.

"Please come with me. My daughter's been acting strange all of a sudden."

"What's wrong with her, ma'am?" a nurse asked politely.

"How would I have known?" she responded, sounding harsh. "Can you just come with me, please?"

They both rushed to the room where Kate was.

"Ma'am, you need to stay calm, and please stay behind," the nurse instructed.

She left the room, panicking, saying silent prayers. A few minutes later, she was told Kate's in coma.

"What!!! Coma!" she answered. "Coma! I'm shocked. We had a conversation before we slept, and next I was woken by the sound of her shaking in bed, and now Coma!!! This isn't happening. Oh my poor baby girl," Kate's mom said, sobbing already.

"You have nothing to worry about, ma'am. She'll be fine. We do have everything under control. In no time, she'll be out of coma," the nurse said with an assuring voice.

"Hmmmm," her mom sighed deeply. "She shouldn't be going through all this at an early stage," she said to herself.

"Kate's a carefree child. She doesn't deserve all this. I need to talk to Ken right this minute," she murmured within herself.

Ken at the office couldn't get to sleep after he got done with business. He kept wondering, not sure what to do at that time anymore. He flashed back to how scared he was when he saw her fall, and blood gushed out from a part of his head.

"What's happening to me?" he asked himself, more like talking to someone sitting next to him.

"Grrrr grrrr grrr grrr grrr," the vibrating sound of his phone startled

him. "Who could that be at this odd hour?" he struggled to check who it was. "Why is she calling at this time?" he grumbled.

"Hey Ken, Kate's in coma," she broke the news to him with a trembling voice.

"Co..com coma," he stammered, "how? Why? I left her at the hospital looking okay already. She doesn't look like one who would be in coma when I left."

"I can't come right away. I'll be there by dawn," he said reluctantly.

"What!!! Your wife is in a coma, and all you think of is coming by dawn. What sort of a husband are you, Ken?" she snapped at him angrily.

"Stop calling her that," he replied bluntly. "She's nothing compared to being my wife. You know the drill." He hung up.

"Hello! Hello!! Hello!!!" she said. "Wow, he hung up on me. We brought this pain on ourselves."

"Oh my poor baby girl," she cried and waited till dawn for Ken and Kate's father.