This night, it was particularly darker than she remembered. The street lamps were luminous, but they did nothing to brighten what she saw of the night.
Ethan was a slow, careful driver, unlike Liam, or so he made her believe. They had been on the road for close to twenty minutes, and she was getting worried if he really knew where the hospital was. Was he trying to buy time, she couldn't help but wonder.A gentle country music was playing out of the stereo, and Ethan's eyes, when he was not glancing over at her, seemed distant. As though he was daydreaming about something.Their conversation had been clipped, with nothing tangible communicated."Are you still thinking about it?" Ethan asked now, splitting through her thoughts.She glanced at him, and shrugged her shoulders, as though saying there was nothing else to do. "I just hope he's fine.""They say it's bad," he said."Who said?"He hesitated, his browLiam's forehead was bandaged up with a wide blood-stained cloth which needed changing. His lower lip was split almost in halves. His nose was wrapped up. His fingers, too. A transparent oxygen mask was held over his nose. Two monitors beeped beside his bed, and Elena didn't know what the screens read.She tried to take further steps towards Liam, but she couldn't. It seemed like he was surrounded by an aura of unapproachable essence. She did not feel worthy to go close to him.He was in a delicate state, a precarious condition, where the smallest violent jolting would shatter everything, according to the doctor. She didn't want to be the cause of this.Her gaze lingered on his face. Liam, Elena seemed to realize, was a jaw-dropping handsome person. His face was smooth and devoid of any wrinkles or blemish. His stubble was neatly carved, like a piece of artwork. But his eyes were closed. Elena then peered at his chest, and let out a big
Approaching them down the hallway was a plump man, followed by two bodyguards on grey suits.Mr. Paul. Aunt Rebecca's husband.He was looking rounder than Elena last remembered. She tried not to stare at him, while wondering what could have brought him here. The last time she checked, he didn't give a dime about Liam. So, why was he here?Chris and the other guard bowed slightly. The doctor stood aside. With the rumbling in her head, Elena forgot she had to greet. It was only after a stern glance from him that she blurted out: "Good evening, sir."He glanced at his watch. "It's a minute past midnight," he said, as though it was Elena's fault. "Where were you last evening, Elena?"Not this again, she thought. "I went to get some things done," she said in a quiet voice. The presence of this huge man, who Liam had insulted because of her, made her breathless."Do you know you almost had your husband killed because of your carelessness and wayward life?" he shouted.This time, the doctor
Elena let her head rest on the wall behind her. The activities of the nurses buzzed around her. Once in a while, a stretcher would be rolled past Elena, flanked by crying family members, and desperate nurses.There was the anguished scream from the patients. A certain woman was fervently calling for death to take her away from this world of agony. Her nurse had long given up on her, and her family members weren't coming anymore, she said.A man coughed so hard Elena thought he was going to cough his intestines through his mouth.Death hovered everywhere around her. She smelt it, saw it, and heard it. And here, in the same ward, was her husband. Lying in a semi comatose with a bloody bandage around his head. How worse could life get?She thought about when she met Liam. When her father had forced her on him, and made her try to steal a document. Then he had presented her as repayment. And there followed the days when she had a fervent fear and hatred for Liam. When he overworked her s
The hall was cold, even though the fireplace was loaded with wood and burned relentlessly."Hey," he called out to a maidservant, who ran to him. "Get me a fur sweater.""Right away, sir," she said and sprinted off. He loved servants who carried their duty with a run. Not those who would saunter as though it was they who paid the house.He looked across the table and saw her seated already. Her husband wasn't in the seat yet. "Hey, Ethan," she called. "Come, my baby.""I'm not your baby," he wanted to say to his mother, but it would change nothing. So had things been. And he had no power whatsoever to change it. "Hi, mom," he said."Your face looks like shit, why?" She spread her arms for a hug. She had a celebratory mood about her. "Nothing," he mumbled, taking the hug, and pulled away. "Have a seat beside me." She was beaming. "What do you want to have for dinner?""It's too late for dinner, I've had some snacks.""Nonsense!" she cried. "You must have a befitting dinner.""I tho
The men looked scary. Most of them had beards as long as the horsetail maidservants used to dust furniture. Their lips disappeared beneath these beards as they spoke. Even though Ethan was just thirteen, he wondered why Americans would keep such hideous beards; it was for the Arabs!It was a business meeting, he was told by his mother. She had sounded so urgent in his room."Listen very carefully, baby," she said with zero hint of tenderness. "This is your first ever sitting with the board members. I don't know why your father's doing this. But it's no problem. I just want you to outsmart your brother, Liam. Mm? If they pose any questions, rack your brain and answer it, quick!"Her eyes were fiery, and Ethan knew she wasn't here for jokes. She had chosen for him a white tuxedo, and a gold wristwatch. His hair was permed, and the scent of his perfume could be perceived from miles away. There was no way anything could go wrong with his looks, for he was a charmer. The only problem was h
James wasn't joking when he said St Clare's was the best place to be for Liam. First, James' friend, Dr Joe, gave them a warm welcome, and insisted that Elena take some relaxing smoothies, while the nurses saw Liam, alone.It was a grand hospital. Their walls glowed, and the staff smiled at her each time they passed by. "Told you," James beamed at Elena. They were seated in a certain hall, rooms away from the bustle going on around Liam and the team of doctors. The rest of the men had run off to effect some "logistics" about Liam, as they said."You sure did," Elena answered, sipping from a glass of cold smoothie. Her appetite was dwindling."Here," James continued. "You don't need to hang around him any longer. He's in safe hands. You can go home while the results are being processed.""Nah," she said, attempting humor, "I will hang around.""You look drained, c'mon." His eyes were concerned. "Have you had anything to eat?"She turned her head away, a tired smile playing out on her
"Six months? There's no way my son is staying in a coma for that long!"This was Ethan's father's voice echoing across the hall. They were seated in the living room over mugs of coffee, father, mother and son. It was roughly 8 AM."That's what the doctor said," Ethan said. "That's what Elena said.""What the hell are you saying?" his mother cut in. "Are you listening to Elena or the doctor? Where did you get the information?""Elena told me." Ethan didn't understand why they had suddenly become aggressively concerned about Liam. Was something happening that he didn't know?"Elena told you, and you believed? Did you confirm yourself?" His father's eyes burned like fire. Ethan felt jittery."She would not lie to me about such things. She's sensible. More than we think.""Bullshit," said his mother, aside."Where's she?" his father asked. "Get a servant to fetch her.""I'll just go myself," Ethan said.He had already taken three steps forward when his mother called him back. "You are no
It had been almost a week since Liam was admitted to St Clare's. Elena made it a point to see Liam every day, even though it wasn't easy for her. Watching Liam lying on that bed, almost lifeless and breathing through a mask, shattered her. Every day, she sat and hoped for a miracle. She watched his eyelids closely, desperately yearning to see them move, but they didn't. She cried more often. When she looked into the mirror, she didn't recognize what she saw. Her makeup artists tried all they could to keep her face in good condition, but Elena never had the time and patience to sit through an hour of facials.When Jennifer visited her one sunny afternoon, she commented on Elena's looks quite bluntly. "You are going to go all red and ugly if you keep up with these tears of yours," she said, not bothering to hide her sneer.And Chelsea, during a forced video call with Elena, said, "Woohoo, girl, what is this I see on your face? Huh?"But Elena didn't care about any of this. Her dreams w