The contract

Lorraine

The unfiltered noises, the smell of antiseptic, and the weird feeling of someone hovering over me jolted me from my reverie. Slowly my eyes fluttered open but the bright light emanating from the bulbs sent my eyelids back to safety mode.

I shut my eyes for a few seconds then opened them again after getting used to the brightness. I took a cursory glance around the room which was painted in a shade of Aqua blue, with floral patterned curtains which had a lagoon blue background.

"It's nice to know that you are awake, you are really strong. You've been out for a week, your body must have enjoyed the rest." A familiar deep baritone voice intruded my brief scrutiny and drew my attention to him.

I tried to sit up and reply to him but a sharp stabbing pain reminded me of the reason I was here in the first place. It came rushing to my mind; the man dressed in an all-black attire chasing me around the street, Iris and Eden's betrayal which brought tears to my eyes again, then the accident.

My fingers trailed along my stomach which caused me to gasp. I bit my lower lip and hoped that nothing had happened to my unborn baby.

I glanced at the young man, staring at him from head to toe while searching my memories to remember where I'd seen him. "Who are you?" I asked, finally acknowledging him.

"The man who saved your ass." He blurted in a sassy tone, while I narrowed my brows at his curt reply. "It's funny how you don't remember the person who made your high school years fun and filled with troubles" He smirked, his voice was strong, bearing an uncanny resemblance to that of the teenager who made my high school years a living hell until he left.

My mind flashed back to the teenage boy who dropped a lizard on my desk just to get my reaction, framed me several times for doing things I never did so that I could be in detention with him. He was the same person that gave me a lingering and unforgettable kiss at the only night party that I'd ever attended.

"High school? D-Dexter.... Dexter Hemmingway?" I stuttered and stared at him, this time it wasn't just a glance but a thorough scrutiny of the man who awoke strange feelings within me that night and traveled to another country some days later.

Since then I didn't hear from him, neither did I bother searching him out even though I could.

His smirk broadened, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "Finally, you remember. I thought you lost your memory when you had the accident." He joked, flashing his perfect set of dentitions at me.

He had always been a hottie since I knew him, but the transformation of his formerly slim physique to a more thickly muscled and well-defined figure which was well hidden in a black suit baffled me. His dark hair which he always kept spiky was now styled into a slick comb-over.

Then his face... Damn! That face which was composed of dark piercing orbs, an aquiline and attractive nose that hovered over his well-set cherry lips caused some shivers to run down my spine. He was more like a Greek god that was sent here on earth to torment lily-livered women.

"W-When did you return?" I stuttered, but he didn't have the chance to reply as the door swung open as a young man in a white coat strolled in.

My tongue became dry at the sight of him and his fallen expression gave me the chills. He was obviously a harbinger of bad news.

"I see you are awake already. You've been out for days and your situation would have been more complicated if not for this young man who saved you." He explained gently, then he asked, "How do you feel?"

I cleared my throat, my heart thudding fast. "Weak. Very weak." I replied, feeling drained after the response, and then I forced myself to ask the question that made me anxious since I woke up. "Did I lose my baby?"

I felt a warm hand on mine and I felt my chest constricting while I waited for his response which took forever. "The impact of the collision was too fatal which made the surgery complicated since you lost a lot of blood. To sum it up, the baby couldn't make it." He announced without any hint of emotion.

I gasped for air as the room suddenly became hot. Hot tears spilled from my eyes and slight sobs from my lips. I didn't want to cry or become vulnerable in front of anyone but each time I tried to be strong, I failed.

Being strong wasn't for people like me as several situations had reminded me of that fact. My uncontrollable sobs grew into a bawl, as I poured out my heart with my body shuddering. Dexter took his hand from mine and produced a handkerchief, wiping my face with it then he caressed my forehead gently.

"I'm sorry, Miss Hills." He said and stalked out of the ward, leaving me alone with Dexter again.

I felt oddly better with Dexter comforting me with kind words. If I was in a better mood I'd have asked him when he learned how to act like a human.

"You'll be fine, Lorraine, at least I'm here for you."

I sniffed and blew my nose then nodded. "Thank you for being with me at this point in my life," I said quietly and he snorted, dipping his hands in his pocket.

"There are better ways to thank me, you know." He said with a smirk then sank onto the edge of my bed which dipped under his weight.

My eyes widened as different thoughts began to evade my mind. He had better not think of sleeping with me, I hoped.

"What ways, Dexter? I'm not going to sleep with you if that is what you are thinking of." I objected and he burst into a peal of laughter.

Strangely, I felt butterflies fluttering in my belly at the sight of his laughter. I cleared my throat and he stopped abruptly then stared at me. "No, Lorraine, I'm not thinking of sleeping with you. Not yet." He countered.

"Then what do you want?"

"I want you to marry me, Lorraine." He replied with all traces of humor disappearing from his face.

It was my turn to laugh even though my body ached badly and my wounds felt like opening again, but I had to laugh because I was apparently hallucinating.

"I guess being away from me since high school has given you enough time to get more ideas for your annoying pranks." I took a pause when I noticed his silence, "You are kidding, right? You have to be joking about marrying me," I spat but he shrugged and then got up, dipping his hands into the pocket of his pants.

I stared into his eyes which had darkened, and his lips which were pursed then he said. "I'm dead serious, Lorraine. Marry me for two years and give me a child, after that, we divorce and I'll settle you with a million dollars. You'll also be able to visit your child anytime you want, but whether it's a son or daughter, the child gets to stay with me."