Chapter 5

5

Kyle stayed in the ward while a team of doctor and two nurses took care of the woman. He watched as they cleaned the dry blood from the back of her hand that had bled from removing the IV pipe and secured it with a bandage. He felt a sting when the doctor pierced her other hand with a new cannula to continue providing her fluids- the hand with a temporary plaster. 

Now as he reflected back on his harsh conversation with the woman, contrition weighed down on him. Her words echoed in his mind, causing his temples to ache. 

The baby wasn't his and the woman hadn't really jumped in front of his car to get money from him. 

That reminded him of the letter he had retrieved from her closed fingers while bringing her to the hospital. Kyle dug into his pocket for the letter. The paper was warm pink, with lots of tiny dark pink hearts scattered all over it. His shoulders stiffened as he reread every word of the letter unhurriedly, like he had all the time in the world. 

Dear Daddy,

Congratulations for landing a huge business deal. I'm so happy for you and I'm on my way to double your happiness! 

Mommy's tummy is my cozy home right now. But it's too compacted and dark here. I can't see anything or feel my body as I'm only a few weeks old. 

But I know you are there to take care of me, daddy. Can't wait to feel your hands around mommy's tummy when you hug me. 

I'm so excited to meet you. Get ready for snuggles, playtime, and lifelong memories!

I'm coming soon!

Love,

Your little miracle. 

His thumb grazed over the greeting, dear daddy, for a long while. 

When Kyle had read it, it really felt like his child was speaking to him. But in the circumstance he found the letter, it bristled him with exasperation. And it wasn't the first time. 

The letter's pertinence to his situation was astonishing. Kyle had also recently finalized a groundbreaking business agreement, and it felt surreal. He didn't get a chance to contemplate that it could be for another man. 

As he thought about the baby that was now no more, his heart grew heavy. He found himself regarding the young woman on bed and gritted his teeth. It was not because she aggravated him, but because there were women in the world who truly cared for their babies. Cared for babies who were as old as a few weeks. 

It led him to think about his own mother and his lips pressed into a thin line. While there were mothers like this young woman who grieved for losing their weeks old baby, his mother had left him for a mistake that wasn't even committed by him.

Kyle was seven when she left him. She never came back. It always stoked his anger whenever he thought about her because she left him for a mistake his father made. 

He had also been a child. Although seven, he needed no one but her. It's also because of her why he hated every other woman. It was the impact she left on his mind why he was rude to this woman a while ago.

"Mr. Panther," A gentle touch on his shoulder awakened him from his trance.

Kyle blinked and found the doctor in front of him.

"The shock of losing the baby knocked her unconscious. But there is no need for concern. We've put her on better medication. When she regains her senses, her condition will have improved."

The doctor left him in the ward alone. After a few minutes, Kyle frowned as he wondered why he was wasting his time in the hospital. 

He turned around and walked out of the room. In the elevator, he kept staring at the letter. An unknown feeling washed over him. Even if the letter wasn't for him, the words resonated with him. And that woman, that woman occupied his mind even after he had arrived at his office. 

The meeting, which was delayed because of her, hardly made sense. He couldn't focus as he mulled over how he was going to compensate her for her loss. Certainly, she didn't want his money or wanted to do anything with him. But his moral compass guided him to offer restitution. 

When the meeting got over, he summoned his PA, Titus Banker, to his cabin. Titus was a man in his mid thirties. He entered with a polite nod and waited for his boss' command. 

"Titus, prepare a bouquet of colorful roses and send it over to a patient in ward 766 in Sigma hospital. Don't forget to place an apology card in it." He seemed to think for a second. 

Later he added, "The patient is a young woman who lost a baby. I... I Accidentally hit her."

The look on Titus' face was incredulous. Kyle ignored it. 

"I want her to know I'm deeply saddened by her loss and seek her forgiveness. Send her flowers everyday till she's there, okay?" 

"Sure, sir." 

Kyle flexed his shoulders, feeling weird. He had never done a good thing for a woman out of a good mood, much less out of contrition. In fact, he had never done anything for any woman besides Lila Calvin, his one and only female best friend. 

He felt better knowing that the flowers and his apology would reach the woman, so he returned to his work.

He came back home after a hectic day. He was in the middle of removing his shirt in the middle of his dark bedroom when someone jumped in front of him. 

"Booo!" A woman with a petite figure, wearing a ghost mask, screamed with her hands in front of her, intending to scare him.

"That's not even remotely funny, Lila. Try something else." Kyle dragged the words out lazily and buttoned his shirt back, a small grin playing on his lips. 

The woman lifted the mask with a huff and frowned, "Then tell me what am I supposed to do to scare you, Mr. Panther?"

Lila Calvin folded her arms to display her annoyance as she pouted, "I used worms, insects, and other disgusting crawling creatures on you. Nothing seems to work on you though."

Kyle shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe you can show me your no-makeup face in the middle of the night."

"KYLE!" Lila hollered and started running after him all around his bedroom.

"Trust me, your no-makeup face can terrify kids too. Then who am I?!" Kyle hopped and slid over the sofa set like a ninja warrior competitor, running out of Lila's grasp smoothly.

Still, she persisted and whimpered, making it a mission to catch him. 

"Give up, plus size!" 

"Kyle, that's outrageous! I'm not plus size." His remark fueled her stamina and she caught the back of his collar. 

Kyle took the same moment to look over his shoulder and stumbled, losing his balance. Lila was after him. She propelled into him while he went down, falling on his chest on the floor. 

Butterflies fluttered in her belly. She couldn't resist Kyle up this close. She had fallen for him since she started comprehending between good and bad at a young age. Kyle made her feel things. 

"Hey, get up! You'll crush me under your wait." He playfully hit her head, breaking her trance. 

With a subtle grin and deep flush on her cheeks, Lila got up. She looked away while smoothing her clothes to hide her blush. But deep within her, a vortex of desires unfurled. Kyle was the man of her dreams. Her first love. Her everything. Only she knew what it meant to have shared such closeness with him. 

Alas, he only saw her as his friend. A girl who was his best friend. 

Tbc...