Chapter 9

Tracy had arrived much earlier for her appointment with the doctor. The news of Charles’ accident left her helpless and restless the previous night. 

She had hoped for the faster break of dawn. And so when she sighted the rise of the early morning sun, she wasted no time in getting ready for her appointment. 

Louisa accompanied her. The two had left in a cab since they both did not have a car of their own yet.

Before Tracy got married to Charles, Mr Parker suggested on so many occasions for her to choose any car of her choice and it would be bought for her. 

But Tracy always said it was pointless since there were many cars in the Parker house and many drivers who were at their beck and call. 

Mr Parker insisted once more when she got married to Charles. But her stance had not changed. She would rather go to the office or other places seated in the back seat while one of the many drivers took the wheel.

When Mr Parker realized she did not care for a personal car, he advised that the least she could do was to learn how to drive. So she consented and learned how to drive.

“Thank you so much doctor,” Tracy appreciated the efforts of the doctor after the dressing of her wound. She joined Louisa at the visitor's area as the doctor walked off to attend to other patients.

“That was so fast,” Louisa said in reference to the swift session with the doctor.

“You can say that again. But I think that coming earlier played a part because there are not many people waiting in line ” she informed her friend. 

As she engaged her friend, a gentleman passed by. He had a physique and looked just like Charles. Immediately, she began to think of Charles.

“So, Albert and Chris claimed Charles is in this very hospital? Oh poor Charles, I wonder how he is doing. I hope he is fine.” She thought to herself. 

At this point, Louisa noticed her absent-mindedness and sought to call her attention to the present. But before she could say a word, Tracy rushed off to a hospital's front desk to engage the receptionist.

Louisa could not hear what they talked about. Tracy asked that they headed in a certain direction of the hospital. Then it dawned on Louisa that her friend had gone to ask about Charles’ ward from the receptionist. 

“Well, the doctor said my wound is healing quite fast, and that I would be fine in no time,” Tracy said as they walked along the alley of the hospital. She kept looking at the doors along the alley to make sure to get to Charles' room.

Louisa was just smiling while her friend spoke. She realized that she still loved Charles.

After a few minutes walk, she located Charles’ room. Louisa saw the glow and excitement in her friend's smile after she saw Charles through the glass window.

Charles was facing the other side of the room so he could not see Tracy. Then Fiona appeared from the bedside of Charles.

She had been sitting in his room for a while. But could not be seen by anyone who stood behind the glass window.

Tracy’s heart was broken at the sight of Fiona. She wondered what she was doing there. However, she felt she had no business on who visited Charles at the hospital since they were no longer together.

Then Fiona started caressing Charles’ forehead. 

Louisa looked at her friend and when she saw the sadness in her eyes, she suggested they leave.

Tracy was lost and confused at this point. She wondered if there were any iota of truth in all that Albert and Chris had told her the day before. 

“If Charles had really regretted his decision and there was a possibility for the two of them to get back together, then what was Fiona doing at his bedside in the hospital,” she thought.

As she was about to leave, Albert and Chris appeared.

When she saw the two of them, she was disappointed all over again. She thought she could take solace in any of the words they had said to her earlier, but at this point, she felt she had been lied to. 

From a distance, the two friends could tell that something was troubling Tracy. When they got closer and saw Fiona through the glass window, they understood why Tracy looked sad. 

Before Albert or Chris could say anything to Tarcy, Fiona, who had seen them in the reflection of a stainless bowl on a trolley next to Charles's bed, started kissing him. 

Disappointed, Tracy rushed out of the alley to the main entrance of the hospital. On her way, she locked eyes with Mr Parker who was there to see his son. 

But Tracy used a different route just to avoid talking to her.

Mr Parker got to his son’s room to see Albert and Chris scolding him. Immediately Albert and Chris saw Mr Parker, they put themselves together. Fiona had left.

Mr Parker wondered why the guys spoke to his son in that manner without considering his condition. 

First, Tracy saw him and dodged by using a different pathway. 

Then he saw his son’s friends scolding him on a hospital bed.

These events were too vague for him to connect the dots. 

So he inquired. “Son, what is going on?” Albert and Chris excused them since they thought it was best Charles told his Dad what had happened.

Before the two friends left Charles’ room, they had told him Tracy had seen him kissing Fiona. But he said Fiona was the one who kissed him. 

His response played contrary to his posture days ago when he was excited to have divorced Tracy. Perhaps there was a possibility that the two could be reunited, but Fiona’s display had perforated that possibility. 

“It is not really anything to worry about,” Charles said. His Dad took his words for it and did not ask any further. Charles looked bright and from all indications, he was responding to treatment quite well. 

Louisa caught up with Tracy who was waiting for her at the entrance of the hospital. She comforted her friend and asked her not to think much about what they had seen.  

While they waited to get the cab, Fiona appeared and made certain gestures as though she was mocking Tracy.

“Hello, who got divorced? Who lost her husband because their marriage was loveless?” Fiona teased.

“Oh, who knew her husband was unhappy in their marriage, and stayed married to him regardless? Who is the loser? Who is the fool?” Fiona fired.

“You are the loser and you are the bigger fool.” Louisa fired. “How dare you walk up to us to offend and disrespect my friend in such a manner” she added.

“I beg your pardon. Are you stupid or are you trying to be?” Fiona shot back. “Did I mention anybody's name when I spoke?” she queried.

“Louisa that is enough!” Tracy cut in stopping her friend from getting physical with Fiona. “She has a point. She did not mention anybody's name when she spoke” she added.

“Now that is wisdom talking,” Fiona said sarcastically.

“But I could probably borrow a few of her words. I am a loser. I am a fool.” Tracy said. 

“I should have known better when you claimed you were just friends with my husband. I should have known that there was more to my husband spending time at your end. I should have just known.” Tracy said in reference to Fiona’s remarks when she had gone to Fiona’s apartment to clarify some rumours she had heard about Fiona and her husband.

“But you see, I was a fool. I was a fool to have believed that you two were just friends. And here we are today, I have not only ended up as a fool but also a loser who has lost her husband to the schemes of  a mistress.” Tracy added as tears rolled down her face.

Louisa stared at Fiona from top to down and wished she could just hit her for making Tracy cry. 

Fiona’s remarks confirmed Tracy's suspicion. Albert and Chris had lied to her.

As Fiona walked away, Louisa comforted her friend and asked her to calm down. As the two waited for a cab, Tracy saw Mr Parker approaching from a distance. Immediately, she suggested that they keep moving till they got a cab.

She thought she had nothing to say to him after she saw Charles kissing Fiona.  

Tracy held her right hand with care in order not to open her wounds once more. Besides she had seen enough for the day and it was already stressing her out.

The two kept moving as Mr Parker watched on. A few cabs passed by, but they were all carrying passengers.

Tracy was getting stressed out and she wished she was home already. Then a cab pulls up finally. Louisa hopped in and as Tracy was about to enter, she screamed, “Tracy, Watch it!”