“Is everything alright, doc?” Christian asked as soon as the doctor came out of the room, removing the buds from her ears.
She looked at the crazily worried man and gave him a nod. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing serious. She’ll get up soon.” She smiled at the man before leaving.
He sighed and walked inside. Irene followed him. She watched him take a seat next to the bed. His eyes were trained on her pale face. Her chapped lips were parted. She could see how crazy her friend made him for her. But she had no idea about that. Irene could not help but feel pity for Christian, too.
Please, please, help her, Lord, she prayed. Just then, her stomach growled and she huffed. She palmed her tummy, murmuring, “I’m hungry.”
“Sorry I forgot that.” Christian instantly replied to her. She shook her head, not minding it even a bit. She, too, forgot about herself. “Wait, I’ll bring something to eat,” saying that, he got up when Irene interrupted him, asking;
“What about you?”
“I’m fine. Not feeling hungry right now.” He did not even wait for her answer and left.
He did not want Irene to question him again. He was not hungry. One can even call him crazy for this but he did not care about it at all. It was difficult for him to eat food at the same time. How could he eat when seeing her condition his eyes welled up with tears and his throat began to constrict from the inside. That was one difficult task. Just do not ask him for now.
~♪
“She has gained consciousness, sir.” The doc left after informing Austin. He immediately rose from the chair and dashed inside the room while Sanam and Heer stayed outside on the chairs. They first wanted Austin to talk to his daughter.
“Gabby,” he called her lovingly the moment he entered the room.
Gabriella peered at her father, her facial expressions remaining the same — blank. She stared at her father blankly. She watched him moving closer and then cupping her pale face softly.
“Gabby, please, say something, my princess. Please?” He pleaded but no words came out of her. She remained still like she was not even seeing anything. She seemed like a statue.
“Gabby,” he whispered, tears starting to roll down his eyes. Gabriella did not react to anything. She was just breathing. She was not even moving. Her eyes remained in her front. She did not even turn her neck.
Austin cried silently, not believing his daughter was ignoring everything. She was never like this. People could call her over dramatic, but right now, even her father’s tears did not affect her. At all.
Gabriella could ignore anyone but not her father. She loved him the most but right now, everything seemed very different.
Her silence was probably proof that she was unable to feel anything at the moment. Although this was her wish before committing suicide, at the moment she could not even think about it. Like a blank page, no emotion was visible in her except loneliness.
Austin cried sitting there for a long time. Sitting beside his daughter, he shed tears for a long time. It is necessary for every human being to feel emotion, he did not want his daughter to suffer from this lack. He never wanted his daughter to become blank. But at the moment, at this time, he could not even sit to explain anything to her. She just regained consciousness. He wanted her to rest.
So he got up from there and came out of the room.
Sanam and Heer immediately got up to listen to Austin but without turning to them, he stopped the doctor and told him about everything.
“This happens in many cases, sir, but you need not worry. She hasn’t lost the power to feel emotion. She can feel everything, you just need to give her some time.”
“But why?!” Austin grabbed his head, clutching his hair, frustrated because of it.
“Stress and anxiety. Do you know why she was stressed?”
Austin did not answer the doctor. He breathed deeply and more tears welled up in his eyes. The doctor got the hint so he did not insist. He just nodded.
“I’ll make sure you see the change in her soon,” the young man assured Austin, and then walked into the room.
Sanam and Heer accompanied Austin to ask about Gabriella and surprisingly he answered the couple, lessening their tension. They, too, were hell worried about his daughter. Austin could see it and eventually, their concern for his daughter made him realize that nobody wanted her badly here. Everybody cared about her.
Apart from this, Austin wanted that the assurance given to him by that young doctor should soon turn into a good result.
“Gabriella…”
The man walked inside, looking at the girl. She remained silent, not answering him. He expected it so it did not confuse him.
He stood next to her bed and gently put his hand on her head. He caressed it tenderly, down her back, down her hair.
“I know you’re listening to me.” He took a seat next to her. “You listened to your father, too.” He perched his elbow on the bed and put his face in his face. He trained his eyes on her. “He loves you so much,” he added, “well, you already know that, don’t you?” He chuckled, shaking his head as he knew he told her something she already knew.
But…
His eyes narrowed when he noticed the small change in her breathing. She breathed deeply when she heard him.
“He cares for you,” he sighed, “and he cried too much. He stayed awake all night while you were unconscious. I saw him praying on his knees for you.”
She listened to every word that escaped his mouth. She was listening to him carefully. Her eyes may have remained somewhere but her mind was playing the sound that it recorded like a painful memory.
“Gabriella!”
“Oh no, what you’ve done!”
“Please, wake up, baby!”
“Please, don’t lose your will… you have to live!”
“You’re my strong daughter!”
“Yet he stayed strong. He didn’t lose hope.”
He saw her fingers moving slightly. The movements in her were very slow but he knew it was working.
She could hear her father crying the moment she was losing consciousness.
“Stay strong, my child!”
“I’ll be by your side forever!”
“I’m sorry if I lacked something, my child, just don’t close your eyes!”
He licked his bottom lip, finding it more difficult. One wrong word and she will lose the will to live, but with one right word, she will desire to live. He did not forget the assurance he had given to her father, after all.
And only for the sake of that poor old man, the doctor was there. If not for her, she could live for her father. Just a reason is enough. But he did not want her to lose hope and will to live and then die willingly. There is only one place in hell for those who commit suicide. The one who does not understand the importance of life even after living it remains unintelligent. He wanted her to know that importance.
“More than twenty years, from the beginning of your life to now, he stayed with you, cried and laughed with you,” he paused for a second, noticing how her fingers gently curled around the sheet and her lips wobbled, he continued, “he loved you the most, cared about you the most, he got all the happiness when he carried you in his arms for the first time but when he carried you lifeless…”
A tear rolled down her eye and she closed them silently. More tears spilt out and then a breathless whimper escaped her lips.
“Dad…”
~♪
“I’ve given her the medicine. She’s asleep now. By tomorrow morning, she won’t have much weakness in her body.”
Irene nodded and finally the lady left. Christian chewed his bottom lip before he got up and made his way inside. Irene followed him silently, looking at his back, thinking about something.
She could not digest it when Christian refused to meet Hazel when she gained consciousness right after an hour. He said he could not meet her at that time.
Though he did not tell them the reason, Irene knew it already.
She knew that if Hazel would see Christian, she would talk to him and then due to an emotional attack, she would lose tears and then her consciousness. Irene knew the conversation between them would hurt. The words are going to be harsh if they are used.
So Christian just asked Irene to meet her, and cheer her up. After that, the doctor checked her and put her to sleep after giving her some potent medicines.
He wished her to defeat this weakness before talking to him.
“So will you tell her about the baby tomorrow?” He asked Irene, sitting next to Hazel. Her face was not pale anymore. Her cheeks called that rosiness back on them and her lips were not chapped. He was glad to see the changes. A hearty talk helped her a lot, he could see it. And he also understood that his decision was absolutely correct. If he had gone in front of her, once again her cheeks would have been wet with tears.
“No. I have thought that she should come to know about all this when she’s discharged from here.”
“Yeah,” his voice came out faint but she heard him.
“But why are you so worried about all this? You’re engaged, aren’t you?” Irene did not sound displeased here. She was just confused.
“I broke off my engagement.”
“But why?”
“I was forced.”
Silence fell between them and she watched him silently. He was telling the truth. There was honesty in his eyes. His words did not mince and Irene was surprised to know that someone with so much power could have been forced by someone.
But then she remembered her own words. Money cannot bring everything to your feet. It is not necessary that money can buy everything. Some things are acquired through experience.
“Relationships can’t be forced,” she mumbled, biting her bottom lip and looking down at her lap.
He sighed. “You’re right. Despite everything, I was deprived of peace. Only with Hazel did I get that peace. She’s like therapy,” he said, caressing the back of her palm absentmindedly.
Irene smiled. “Yeah. There’s peace around her.” She had felt it, too.
Her eyes slowly opened and she sighed when she found him next to her. Just like before. But there was a small difference this time. He was sleeping. His head was on the bed and his arms were folded under his head. She unconsciously smiled at the sight of him. She still remembered what happened last time so she expected him to be on her side like before. She would not deny the warmth that spread throughout her chest when she found him there. He was sleeping soundly and did not look restless at all. He looked at peace. She raised her hand and gently touched his forehead as his face was on her side. She brushed her fingertips on her eyebrows, tracing them slowly. His dark strands which were hanging through his forehead could not escape the soft and admiring touch. Those strands caressed her cold skin and she found them damp. So he has taken a shower already. Well, she could not imagine how he managed to stay there with her all the time. He was still worried about her before going t
“Because I love you!” The confession took her breath away. When suddenly the air leaves the lungs for a moment, as the heart stops beating, as the winds pause to blow and as the waves freeze. Just like time stands still, so did her body at that time. As if the ears refused to hear anything except his confession as if the eyes refused to see anything except his face. Not only in the movie, she felt this all in reality too. She had thought that he did not love her at all. She used to think that he could not have such pure feelings for someone who did such trivial work as her, but it all proved wrong in a moment. In just a moment her thinking was proved wrong, just those three words forced her to know that she could be loved by someone who was not God though He loved her first. Those frozen tears started flowing from her big beautiful eyes. She was in tears over that confession and it was necessary for her because she knew that this was not the time when she could answer his confes
“Let me help you,” said Irene as she moved behind Hazel to tie the knot of the brown overcoat she wore. “Thank you,” she mumbled gratefully, standing still. Her eyes moved to Christian from the window of the door of her room. He stood outside the room, talking to the doctor, nodding his head and then listening to her carefully. She smiled unconsciously. It hurt her. No, it hurt both of them but she was glad he got the point.“Here, it’s done,” Irene came to stand next to her, giving her a smile. Hazel nodded and then moved to walk by the support of Irene. She was still weak. Irene held her gloved hand gently and put her other hand behind her back to lead her out. The door opened and Christian glanced at Hazel, trying to smile at her but failing miserably. She still appreciated his efforts. “The car is ready. Come,” he said, walking ahead as the ladies follow him. In the middle, he kept stealing glances at Hazel to make sure nothing bothered her. Well, nothing could bother her whe
“So what’s your plan after that?” Irene asked Christian, sitting on a couch and smelling the tea in her cup. The hot air caressed her face and her eyes fell shut. She sighed, loving the pleasant heat. Hazel silently looked at Christian. Her gaze was soft but she admired Irene’s boldness inwardly. The girl easily asked him question after question and to her surprise, Christian did not even find it annoying. He was ready to answer her without sounding gruff. “Um… just handle my business stuff and all,” he said, could not resist a shrug that Hazel noticed. Her gaze did not leave him even for a moment as he talked to Irene but suddenly, Christian looked down at her, making her avert her gaze. “Sounds good.” “What about you? Would you look for a job?” “Yeah, I’m thinking…” Irene continued answering him as Hazel looked down at her cup, feeling embarrassment rushing up to heat her cheeks. He caught her staring at her and the emotion in his eyes was so soft and delicate that she could fe
His mobile rang and he put the screen near his ear as he came out of his room, closing the door behind him. “Chris! Finally, you answered! Did you eat anything, my child? And where are you? Were you sleeping? Did I disturb—” as she was about to complete her other question, Christian chuckled softly, interrupting her, “Mom, I’m fine and yeah, I had dinner!” She released a phew. “How could you laugh like that? I’m worried about you, not cracking jokes for you!” She scolded over the call, frowning a bit. Christian chewed his bottom lip, running a hand behind his head. “I’m sorry, mom.” “Good boy, now tell me when are you coming back? Is your work over?” “Tomorrow, I guess,” he said, began walking ahead in the corridor, his hand holding the railing. His eyes went to the door of her room which was right next to his. “You guess? Isn’t it already done?” She asked but the voice from behind interrupted Christian to answer her. “The weather isn’t good, sweetheart, he might have to delay,
“...but he was lying to my mother! By the way, my mother always takes my side but on that day, he was such an expert…” his voice began to slow down as he lazily but carefully looked down at the girl only to find her asleep. Her soft breaths were slightly audible. She was sleeping soundly. And he could not help but smile shortly when he saw her. She fell asleep while listening to him. He sighed, eyes blinking briefly. He was not displeased to find her asleep but he could feel warmth spreading in his chest by looking at her. He held the blanket and pulled it on her shoulders, covering her up. He then checked the time and found it was already around four at the dawn. He wondered how he managed to talk to her for so long. He had never talked to anyone for so long before. He never had so many things to talk about. Never thought that he would not even feel the passage of time while talking with someone. But the bigger surprise than that was that she was also listening to his words peacef
As the breakfast was done, Christian went to look out through the window once again. It was raining once again. The sun was hidden behind those heavy clouds, showing no hope to him. “I checked the news and they said it’s not going to stop today. You should stay here for tonight as well,” said Irene as he heard her from behind. He turned to look at her, sitting on the couch and scrolling down through her mobile, her whole attention taken by it. “Thinking so,” he mumbled, walking there when the doorbell interrupted him. It got everybody’s attention. Hazel peeked at the door from the kitchen while opening the oven. “I’ll check,” said Christian as he went to open it while Irene put her mobile down on the table. Christian’s mobile was also there and she noticed his mobile screen turning on as a notification flashed across with the name Gabby. She found he had muted her already. This means he was avoiding her. Well, it should not matter to her. Ignoring it, she gave her attention back
When Hazel came downstairs to fill her jug of water, she noticed a huge figure resting on one of the couches in the living room. She did not feel scared as soon as she looked at him from behind. She knew who it was. She did not even need to look at his face for confirmation. She just knew it was him. Only him. Putting the jug on the marble slab, she went to him. She stood behind him, noticing his gaze which was on the sky outside. The glass doors were giving a clear view of the scene outside, did not matter if they were slightly tinted. He could see the dark sky easily. Hazel looked at the scenery, too. The sky was dark but it was not raining as it did in the afternoon till the evening. It rained heavily a few hours ago but now the sky found its peace. Even if it was not clear, both of them knew it would be clean by the next morning. There were no stars, no moon, not even the dark blue colour of the sky but just some very heavy clouds which were moving away slowly, yet something